Sunday, January 18, 2009
Did you enjoy seeing the Rev. Gene Robinson at the inaugural invocation at the Washington Mall today? Oh, what’s that? You don’t recall seeing Rev. Gene Robinson?
Well, that’s because HBO, who Obama sold the exclusive televised rights to the broadcast events, chose to censor the openly gay Bishop from the televised feed.
An unfortunate accident? Maybe. But after the fracas following Obama inviting the wildly homophobic Rev. Rick Warren to perform the inaugural invocation on Tuesday, one might think the president-elect and his team would be a bit more mindful about how this looks.
One thing’s for certain. Don’t expect HBO to censor out Rick Warren from the festivities this Tuesday.
Please email HBO and demand accountability for the snub. Use this LINK.
Editors Note: I received an email from HBO’s PR folks who claim the diss was due to a “technical glitch.” Curious. The Gay Mens Chorus wasn’t shown by HBO either. I guess the HBO cameras just flip out when pointed at a homosexual.
From the Left 
Shit, I had those boring events on TV going all day long, suffering through the Meerkat on CNN and his brainless commentary and I kept thinking I had somehow missed Robinson. I would hate to think this was ordered by Obama.
This makes no sense.
I mean, HBO has had been on the leading edge of gay programming for years. HBO also sponsored the Point LGBT Scholarship program, not to mention the program Real Sex.
If Rev. Gene Robinson was censored, the decision had to originate from Obama’s team.
So let’s get this straight. HBO clipped the feed of openly gay Rev. Gene Robinson but has a series celebrating the joys of Mormon polygamy? What am I missing here? I agree with Walk on Socks. HBO isn’t exactly antigay. This had to be a decision from the Obama campaign.
Don’t blame me. I voted for Hillary.
I’m pissed off that HBO has exclusive rights to begin with. Why should any of this not be available to everyone? (I don’t subscribe to HBO myself and certainly there are many who can’t afford to).
That is bizarre and disgraceful that they cut out Bishop Robinson. I read his prayer over at Franiam’s blog and it was excellent.
Aha, I was over at Watergate Summer and she posted the link to HBO – didn’t realize it was free to access it on line.
But the leaving out Robinson is terrible.
Let HBO,know that you’re displeased with their decision to censor Bishop Robinson and, if you’re an HBO subscriber, that you’ll not be renewing your HBO.
I did not catch the whole program, so I did not know his lead prayer was censored. I agree with Maui- why did HBO get exclusive rights anyway?
I was able to watch parts of the broadcast on the internet (they rebroadcast it 2x). We need to demand HBO broadcast it, or post it on the net, and we want to know who decided to censor it.
This makes no sense.
Here is the text of the prayer:
A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009
Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…
Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.
Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.
So they broadcast Garth Brooks, and some military glee club, but no words from the gay Bishop?
You should post the contact e mail & bury them in feedback letter & e mail.
I had the events on yesterday and was busy with my grandkids so I only watched the events sporadically yesterday.
Why would HBO intentionally not show Robinson?
This wasn’t an error or an accident. You turn on the TV camera and film. This is what you do with a live event. HBO has its head up its arse and if HBO says there were following orders, then we’re back to square one with Obama’s transition team.
His blessing was so very very beautiful
I’ll take everyone’s word for it as I didn’t see it. HBO didn’t show it. Oh well. I’m sure HBO won’t make the same mistake tomorrow with Rick Warren.
I fell asleep on the coach so I assumed I missed Rev. Gene Robinson’s invocation.
Looks like I didn’t “miss” anything. As far as HBO is concerned, I may cancel my subscription to teach them a lesson.
HBO PR folks mentioned “technical glitch” …isn’t that the problem some think gay people posses in general? It all seems just too coincidental and pathetic.
Thank you for posting the prayer in text Fran.
Here is the solution I propose:
Have Rev. Robinson attend Tuesday’s inauguration, and recite the prayer he wrote, before Warren, and seat them next to each other. Amen!
It turns out that the Obama people made this decision, not HBO.
The responsibility lied with Obama’s team. As usual, they are tone deaf. Had they actually INCLUDED Bishop Robinson in the actrual event, HBO would have covered it. But Obama’s folks told them it was part of the “pore-show.” Get mad at Obama, not HBO. (Although I did register a complaint with HBO before I discovered who was really at fault, and I did not retract it for the simple reason that if they get heat they will be more aware and will perhaps channel that feedback to the inept or ignorant folks at Obama’s Inauguration Committee.)
pre-show
not “pore show”
typing too fast.
anyway, let team Obama hear from you at change.gov
Obama needs to fix this before the problem gets out of hand.
Even our local news station reported the story this morning at 7 a.m..
Here’s the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWWAnitUCw4
Regards,
Tengrain
I posted this comment on “Joe My God’s” blog and thought I’d share it here. I’m suprised nobody else made the connection.
I find it so ironic HBO and the Obama team fixed it so Gene Robinson would not appear to the TV viewing public, right on the heels of a public apology in the Meridian MS Star: “Mississippi Paper Offers Apology for Its ‘Gross Neglect’ During Civil Rights Struggle”. http:// http://www.editorandpublisher.co…t_id=1003931673
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