ABC has a program called, "What would you do?" which hires actors to act out unusual situations, usually around hot button issues and moral dilemmas. They then place hidden cameras and record the reaction of "ordinary folks."
They recently took on the issue of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and sent a couple of actors into a Lyndhurst, NJ diner as military men. The actors then proceeded to make a pretty obvious display of (same-sex) public affection. They hired other actors to instigate trouble for the fake troops. The results are pretty hilarious and eye-opening and encouraging.
It's pretty great to see these "ordinary folks" sticking up for the gay troops and telling the actors instigating trouble to just leave them alone.
From left, Army Spc. Rudolph Hizon, Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt, Staff Sgt. Chauncy Mays, and Spc. Brian Tabada. Which one is gay?
From CNN comes this story of a Facebook triumph over mainstream media. Frustration over media apathy to continued body counts in Afghanistan and obsession over Charlie Sheen (really???) led to a Facebook status update going viral.
It started with a Facebook status update. Upset at the media's coverage of Charlie Sheen, someone took up for American soldiers dying in Afghanistan.
"Charlie Sheen is all over the news because he's a celebrity drug addict," it said, "while Andrew Wilfahrt 31, Brian Tabada 21, Rudolph Hizon 22, Chauncy Mays 25, are soldiers who gave their lives this week with no media mention. Please honor them by posting this as your status for a little while."
The status update has since gone viral, shared by tens of thousands on Facebook.
Among the details shared with the CNN reporter in a follow-up story:
“He didn’t have a child and a wife,” Jeff Wilfahrt said. “In a way, he went over so that somebody with a young family wouldn’t die.”
The grieving father added, “He was a gay soldier.”
His son agonized over the decision to join the military because Andrew knew he’d have to keep his sexuality a secret. He kept quiet when he first signed up, but his fellow soldiers knew.
“Andrew told me one of the reasons he wanted to enlist was that he felt guilty as a civilian when so many men with wives and children were separated from their families," one of his comrades posted on Facebook. "He joined the fight so that guys like me didn’t have to. He is my hero, my friend, and I miss him. Sleep well, buddy. You earned it.”
Andrew’s younger sister, Martha, said the “least interesting thing” about her brother was his sexuality.
“Quite frankly,” the father said, “nobody gave a s*** he was gay. He was a good soldier.”
...
In a recent letter home, he told his mother that “everybody knows … [and] nobody cares” about his homosexuality. In combat, he rode with two other soldiers. One was African-American, the other from Hawaii. The unit called them "Team Minority."
Cut to Tim Pawlenty who's been making the rounds of the right-wing Christian talk circuit concern trolling DADT repeal:
PAWLENTY: We have to pay great deference, I think to those combat units, their sentiments and their leaders. That’s one of the reasons why I said we shouldn’t have repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and I would support reinstatement.
TP: And rescinding the funds for implementation, implementation of repeal?
PAWLENTY: That would be a reasonable step as well.
Yes, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, a known hate group, thinks that's a good idea, too. Is that where you got the idea? Are you taking policy suggestions from hate groups?
Pawlenty is merely playing to what is even a fringe element in the Republican party. Pawlenty is stoking bigotry and hatred for money and potential votes and he should be ashamed of himself. And we should not be afraid to call him out for stirring contraversy where none exists.
You know what Tim? Normal people don't care. The only people who care are the little band of regressive Christian Talibangelicals you're trying to woo.
You know what else? You're never going to be president. And you're never going to re-implement DADT.
What you are doing, is stoking up fear, prejudice and hatred. So cut it out. Your ignorance and craven cynical politics is a threat to unit cohesion and troop morale.