Can you spot the gay soldier?

[helderheid]

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[happygoluckytoyou]

132. the right wing would love to have them spotted, so they are easier to recognize

[Papagoose]

152. I was thinking they might want them spotted - with a bullseye on their uniforms

[leftstreet]

2. K&R

[underpants]

3. Out of respect I won't post a Jeff Gannon picture

is that the same pic that that civilian employee got fired for?

[stevedeshazer]

+1 quadrillion brazillion.

[ThatsMyBarack]

103. Me, too

Plus one

[CrawlingChaos]

4. K&R

[democrank]

5. K & R

[walldude]

6. Oh man, wish I could rec this more than once...

K&R

[pinboy3niner]

8. Same here...

K&R

[cliffordu]

7. K&R.

[Touchdown]

9. The one on the right's wrist is a little flexible

:evilgrin:

But seriously, it's an excellent point. K&R

[seabeyond]

10. hi, i havent seen you in forever helderheid. the op is powerful. nt

[helderheid]

hey my friend

:hug:

[helderheid]

12. hey my friend

:hug:

[dgleboff]

11. K&R

[WillyT]

13. + 1,000,000,000 - K & R !!!

:grouphug:

:kick:

[NYC_SKP]

14. K&R.

Brilliant and Simple and Powerful.

:patriot:

[helderheid]

15. My friend posted this on his facebook and I thought just as you - Brilliant, Simple, Powerful.

I warned him I would be spreading this message.

[pinboy3niner]

19. It's great--thanks for posting

Here's another kick and a cartoon from last Memorial Day...

[helderheid]

25. POWERFUL. I'll post on my FB.

Thank you!

[pinboy3niner]

55. You're welcome--here's another...

[helderheid]

61. THANK YOU!

[BrklynLiberal]

127. Also powerful..

[tomm2thumbs]

16. huge K&R

[sarge43]

17. Or they could be here

[ihavenobias]

18. # 40. n/t

[helderheid]

20. Thanks

:pals:

[TriMera]

21. K&r!

[RKP5637]

22. Recommend!!! n/t

[CBR]

23. K&R nt

[helderheid]

24. "The army gave me a medal for killing two men, and discharged me for loving one."

[sarge43]

35. The actual quote is

"When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

It's inscribed on the grave stone of Leonard Matlovich. He was an Air Force technical sergeant. He came out and challenged the DOD regulations of the time, mid 70's, which were a hellva lot more virulent than DADT. He lost, of course, but his was the opening shot in this battle in the war for equal rights.

[helderheid]

37. Thank you!

[sarge43]

39. You're welcome.

You might find his Wiki article interesting.

[helderheid]

26. One more rec and this is on DU's front page. Thanks y'all.

[helderheid]

28. not there yet - not sure why.

[Roland99]

36. Is now.

Sad the right-wingnuts are still dictating policy because of a few coward Dems.

[walldude]

31. I bet by tomorrow there are 300+ recs...

:toast:

[helderheid]

32. We've already surpassed the 5th story on the front page for recs - thought that was the criteria!

We're there.

[walldude]

143. 447 so far... that may be a DU record... Nice Work!!

[blaze]

27. k&r

:(

[xchrom]

29. Recommend. Nt

[lib_wit_it]

30. Very moving. So true. K&R.

[bigwillq]

33. K and R (nt)

[jannyk]

34. So Simple. So Powerful. So True.

:grouphug:

[MissDeeds]

38. Powerful

K&R

[nevergiveup]

40. K & R

[lonestarnot]

41. K & Fucking R!

:patriot:

[donheld]

42. .

:cry:

[AuntPatsy]

43. N/T

:(

[RainDog]

44. k&r n/t

[ismnotwasm]

45. K&R

[ruggerson]

46. thank you helderheid

n/t

[lavenderdiva]

47. thank you my friend!

love you. :hug:

[helderheid]

49. Love you!

:hug:

[blondeatlast]

137. Beautiful; wonderful,; poignant--and I'm spreading this sentiment everywhere. nt

[peace13]

48. This is the saddest post ever.

To those who have given all and to those who serve today. Hat's off. Thank you for your sacrifices!

[HughMoran]

50. K&R

Says it all.

[Starry Messenger]

51. k & r

[jwirr]

52. K&R

[me b zola]

53. K&R

[Eyerish]

54. K&R

[Dystopian]

56. KandR.

peace~

[hendo]

57. K&R

[flyarm]

58. so true, so true!! The picture tells a million stories. Thank you K&R!! eom

[Swagman]

59. It never occurs to people how many gays & lesbians fought in WW2 or WW1 or any other conflict

[Deadgnome]

64. It never occurs to people

How many gay individuals people run into in every aspect of life. The bigoted nonsense some in this mal-civilized nation/world adhere to is some of the most insular and isolating bullshit ever. If people actually knew (or even acknowledged) that they were surrounded by "the gays" almost anywhere they go I think their heads would burst into a mess of fleshy confetti. Fuck these people.

OP, great post; sad, desperate, but so utterly true. Death doesn't give a shit about sexuality, ethnicity, sex, or anything else. Liberty, Equality and Freedom, according to those opposed to decency and humanity, only gives a shit about those they deem worthy. Unfortunately it is no-one's cause or will to deign Liberty, Equality/Inequality, or Freedom. Certainly not by one secular morality, certainly not by one group, and certainly not by those whose hearts seep hate.

[Swagman]

114. it is indeed a very powerful post...

[pasto76]

60. Word. -sgt pasto

reconize

[Stumbler]

62. *sigh*

I'd like to post a "Fucking Awesome!" response to the validity of this post, but given the fact that any soldier returns home in this manner is... beyond words. Especially when one considers the false pretenses that were/are given to justify one's loss... "Unforgivable" doesn't even come close.

A rare :patriot: from me.

[AnArmyVeteran]

63. I was in the army and I couldn't care less about that issue.

No one did. All the soldiers I knew didnt give a damn. Even if we knew it wouldn't have changed anything. We were all fellow soldiers just trying to do the best we could. Hell, for that matter I don't bevieve I ever knew a conservative in the army either. We all wore the same uniforms and we did our jobs. Gays in the military was a complete non-issue.

[MrMickeysMom]

65. Absolutely cannot...

As powerful as this is, it should be sent to all but 53 today in the Senate

[helderheid]

66. Let's do it.

[helderheid]

67. vista print

vistaprint.com

We can design out own postcards and send them in!

[MrMickeysMom]

68. That's a very inexpensive and excellent idea.

I think it just costs the postage, but I'd rather have them delivered in person with a few for the press (make sure MSNBC gets one)

[gateley]

72. That was my first thought, too. And to those who voted the right way with

a thank you.

[jillan]

76. Count me in!! You are on to something here - but we better hurry before they go home and take

another vacation.

Who knows how to do this?

[helderheid]

129. My only concern is copyright

We could all easily order 100 post cards (free) from Vista Print, but I'd be concerned about the copyright laws in regards to that picture.

[Raster]

69. Thank you.

:kick:

[yowzayowzayowza]

70. K&R.

[proud2BlibKansan]

71. Saw this on FB earlier

Powerful.

[Lugnut]

73. K&R n/t

[krabigirl]

74. K&R

[gateley]

75. Oh my God.

:cry:

[Behind the Aegis]

77. They couldn't either....

[Iwillnevergiveup]

78. K&R

Glad I wasn't too late - that says it all.

:patriot:

[lupinella]

79. Wow.

This one made me cry. Powerful.
:cry:

[EFerrari]

80. K&R

:loveya:

[David Zephyr]

81. K&R.

That should be on the cover of every newspaper in this country and the lead on the broadcast news. Thanks.

[Rhiannon12866]

82. K&R. Well done. n/t

[Loudmxr]

83. Thank you. I let out a yelp of pain when I saw this.

Especially considering that I think that this is one of the illegal photos. Therefore they are all gay because if they weren't the photo would be legal.

This must be an illegal photo of illegal soldiers.

[earcandle]

84. Great POINT!

[lamp_shade]

85. Just posted to my facebook using your "Can you spot....." title. Thank you.

[CreekDog]

86. K&R

Nice to see you here, by the way. :hi:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

87. K&R n/t

[Raoul]

88. Touching picture and very true!

I remember hearing that the very first casualty in the Iraq invasion was a marine who lost his leg. Fortunately he survived and is doing well. He is gay. Does being gay matter with what he did in his service to the country? Of course not! He did his job, paid the price, and moved on. Yet, in a country which some call the "greatest land of freedom" in the world, this veteran has less rights than the rest of us.

Why? Because of the narrow minded trolls on the right - the religionist scum who control many of the politicians in Washington. The Senate, bowing to the religious freaks in their states, upheld the don't ask don't tell policy which discriminates against gay Americans in the military.

The gay rights struggle is a civil rights battle - plain and simple. It will have to be waged as such in order to establish equality for ALL Americans. Being gay or straight or whatever has NOTHING to do with anything - nothing! As the late Dr. King said once - it's the inner soul of the person that defines him/her.

When are we going to grow up and join the rest of the civilized countries in the world? When are we going to realize that when some people are singled out for exclusionary treatment, all of us are singled out?

[Mimosa]

136. And many of the conservatives were draft dodgers.

Newt, Trent and a whole lot more.

[Soylent Brice]

89. K&R

[Paper Roses]

90. Breaks my heart n/t

[RoccoR5955]

91. K & R How true this is. n.t.

[orbitalman]

92. Echoing MissDeeds, POWERFUL. n/t

[SHRED]

93. powerful...thanks

[Mad_Dem_X]

94. K&R

[Blue_Tires]

95. kick

[HughBeaumont]

96. K & R.

[MadHound]

97. Great post, thank you n/t

[Ohio Joe]

98. K&R - nt

[cate94]

99. K & R

[Bluenorthwest]

100. Jim Webb thinks he can.

Jim Webb holds our volunteers in contempt. He is scum.

[mod mom]

101. Excellent point.

I shared this w FB since I have some right leaning friends (from way back). Perhaps it'll make them think.

[COLGATE4]

102. KXR X 1000. Someone ought to drag this photo and stick

it in McCain's face, nasty senile hate-filled old bastard.

[amyrose2712]

104. !

[Saturday]

105. Happy to be "recommend" # 318. nt

[Amaril]

106. K & R

There just are no words.

[myrna minx]

107. .

[pleah]

108. K&R

[w8liftinglady]

109. helderheid...this brought tears to my eyes...the unfortunate thing is...

those who oppose gays in the military...don't ACTUALLY have any family in the military.

[BrklynLiberal]

128. Sadly, you are right.....

[driver8]

110. One of the most powerful posts, ever!

Also, one of the saddest...

[Arkansas Granny]

111. K&R

That's a powerful statement.

[barbtries]

112. point well made

:cry:

[matt819]

113. This image and the caption should be on the editorial pages of every newspaper (nt)

[Love Bug]

115. Word.

[AllyCat]

116. Now on my FB page. Thank you for this reminder!

[Uncle Joe]

117. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, helderheid.

[Ikonoklast]

118. An argument with no possible rational response is made by that picture.

K&R.

[Zambero]

119. Says it all

Again, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

[Blue Owl]

120. K&R

n/t

[AnArmyVeteran]

121. This needs to be made into posters, bumper stickers & posted on the entire internet.

[CUTTIN HEADS]

122. No Shit, eh?

Vince Bugliosi's book The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder is a must read for all. Soon, hopefully...soon.

[Rex]

123. What a sobering point!

That picture represents the great shame of George W. Bush in making these kind of pictures a 'no no', so typical of a RWing puke - hide the truth and show off the lie (shock and awe).

[eyepaddle]

124. Wow. I'm leaving my post blank as a moment of silence.

[KamaAina]

125. Third one back on the right?

:sarcasm:

[BrklynLiberal]

126. THAT is a message that should be shown on every channel, on every billboard, on every

poster....EVERYWHERE.

Amazing..

Thanks helderheid.:thumbsup: :yourock:

[Rhythm]

130. Rec'ed it yesterday... kickin' it today.

:kick:

Now more than ever...

[blackbart99]

131. Bravo....simply Bravo!!!!!

:kick: :fistbump: :headbang: :yourock: :woohoo: :applause:

[ooglymoogly]

133. Perfect....puts it all in perspective...KR nt

[obxhead]

134. Best title and pic only thread ever on DU. Period.

[lunatica]

135. And there may be more than one in that photo

Excellent OP!

[vanbean]

138. If you don't ask, I can't tell.

[northofdenali]

139. K&R.

Forwarding!!!!

[madmax]

140. 1000 words. Powerful nt

[JerseygirlCT]

141. K&R

[stevenleser]

142. K&R

[ProudDad]

144. Stop the permanent war economy and the

military-industrial-death culture

And bring them all home, discharge them and create useful, sustainable work for everyone to do...

To save the planet...

[TriMera]

145. Kick. n/t

[anthroguy101]

146. Wow, just wow

This sends a powerful message. I hope it spreads.

[jobycom]

147. I've clicked on this a dozen times, I think. Still kicks like a mule. Thanks. nt

[Subdivisions]

148. 'Still kicks like a mule'

Indeed.

K&R.

[terrya]

149. Recommended....they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

and these are some very powerful, moving words.

Thank you for posting this.

[Tx4obama]

150. Another photo below...

[helderheid]

153. Wonderful. I sent it to Bagley too. I'll be interested if he does something with it.

[handmade34]

151. powerfull

[Truth2Tell]

154. Logged in from lurk mode

to make rec 500 :)

[LAGC]

155. Wow, 503 recs!

I don't believe I've ever seen a thread with so many.

Here's another one.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

156. K & R

[davidwparker]

157. K&R

WOW !!!

[jennied]

158. This gave me chills.

[Spazito]

159. Very, very powerful...

it took my breath away.

Recommended.

[Godot51]

161. My very reaction...

... when I clicked on the link I was expecting a gag cartoon or a joke photo but when the link opened...

[malaise]

160. K & R

:cry:

[helderheid]

162. 523 recs. You all give me faith.

[Jamastiene]

163. I'm too late to Rec, but not too late to

:kick:

The amount of thoughtfulness and support in this thread is incredibly touching.

[helderheid]

164. .

:hug:

[sarge43]

165. I will not forget you, my brothers and sisters in arms.

Any of you.

[stevenleser]

166. Stole this for my FB page. Hope you don't mind. n/t