"White House changes Easter Egg Roll admit process"...SURPRISE!

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/eggroll_041506.html

After waiting outside overnight to be among the first to enter this year's White House Easter Egg Roll, families in line were surprised to learn that the White House had changed the ticketing policy for the annual event, PageOneQ has learned.

The unannounced change means that the families who waited in line the longest, in one case for twenty-four hours, will not be among the visitors at the event's opening ceremonies. The first families in line, who were not part of the LGBT family group, received tickets with an 11:00am entrance time, two hours later than the opening time listed in the White House press release.

Various media reports have publicized participation of lesbian and gay families, including a piece in the New York Times, which ran on April 10th, and media representatives were interviewing families in the line about the small swirl of controversy created by the decision of LGBT families to participate in the annual event. This morning, cameras from apprximately half a dozen television stations, including CNN, were on the Elipse, interviewing families about the decision of LGBT parents to participate.

In a telephone call and email exchange with PageOneQ earlier today, Deputy White House Dana Perino, the Deputy White House Press Secretary told PageOneQ that, "The number of tickets are the same as every year, and that the large group we invited this year is youth volunteers ... and they are coming in the morning. We invite a group like that every year, for instance one or two years ago it was military families. In order to accomodate (sic) all of the people who want to come to the easter egg roll, we stagger the times to ensure maximum enjoyment for everyone." One ticket recipient who was approximately fifty people behind the Family Pride Coalition, told PageOneQ that he was "upset, very upset, that they would change the policy to make those of us who spent the night be the last ones to get into the event." When asked his name, the man said that, "Because my brother works for the State Department, I'd rather keep my name out of the article."

[IndyOp]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the nation I will admit to belong to...

There are:

ACLU: Gay and Lesbian Rights

Human Rights Campaign

There are times when I become so disgusted by the news that I can think of nothing else to do to feel better but to donate a few $$ or do something on behalf of an organization that is working to "be the change" I want to see.

A **BIG** thanks to everyone who helps make the world BETTER -- that includes the wonderful families who traveled to DC to do the right thing.

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Kber]

1. So if you can make it on a level playing field

we obvoiusly need to retilt the field again.

What jerks (I am refering to the whitehouse, of course)

[jaxx]

2. Why was gDubya elected? Makes you wonder just what his supporters

will fall for, doesn't it? Pretty rotten when the bushies even have to cheat in an easter egg hunt.

[The Doctor.]

3. So was Gannon in line too?

-Oh, that's right... he's a prostitute. That makes it ok.

Just when you thought they couldn't be more petty.

Ok, really I never thought they couldn't top themselves, no real surprise here.

[realFedUp]

4. Youth volunteers? What age?

Aren't Easter egg rolls for little kids...I can't
see a bunch of teenaged Bush brownshirts (and pardon me if
they aren't) running after eggs.

[Bozita]

8. Good point!

[me b zola]

5. I often wonder if my gay republican brother chokes on his vote.n/t

[Neil Lisst]

6. all because 400 of the 16000 might be gay couples

This is emblematic of the Bush administration. To hell with the rules, those are for suckers. We give first shot to our buddies.

[dogday]

7. Who the hell wants to roll stinky old eggs

at the White House anyway? They are the most miserable of creatures!!!! I can't believe the tactics they pull, all just to discriminate against American Citizens who should have just as much right as anyone else.... :mad:

[EFerrari]

9. Bush Family Values at their finest.

:puke:

[ruggerson]

10. Do they think gay people don't pay taxes?

We PAID for your fucking egg roll, you motherfucker.

[tabasco]

11. Bush continues to stroke the hateful fundies and disgrace

our Nation!

[terrya]

12. I actually had this idea that they would participiate.

I actually believed Laura Bush when she said that the White House wouldn't bar anyone from the Easter Egg Roll.

What a naive, misguided fool I was.

Imagine denying a group of kids, whe were eagerly looking forward to this event, because you have to suck up to your bigoted, hateful political base.

The sheer evil of these motherfuckers knows no bounds.

[terrya]

14. I hope this is publicized.

This should be aired. This shameful crap should be a public relations disaster for the White House.

[Me.]

13. Shame On Them

For Being Such Unkind People

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

15. What is the gist of this, have they managed to exclude every LGBT family?

Or most?

[tammywammy]

17. From the article

it sounds like their entrance time is just a little later on. But non-LGBT families also got later entrance times too.

[fortyfeetunder]

16. I hope it rains cats and dogs on Monday

Soggy the whole affair...

[cornermouse]

18. My take on it... What about the children?

The message the White House, the GOP, and the religious right are putting out to the children is that they are more than willing to punish children for being born to or adopted in family units that they don't approve of and that if these children want to be accepted, if they want to be considered equal with the other children, they need to dump their parents. They don't care that it's not the children's "fault". In short they are knowingly and deliberately attempting to give these children feelings of inferiority and low self esteem.

That's just wrong.

[madeline_con]

19. "Because my brother works for the State Department..."

So, they know the guy's name by now, right?

[Carni]

20. Quite frankly who Even wants to go to that with that ass in residence?

You couldn't PAY ME to take my kid to that vile domicile of the depraved Chimperor.

[sofa king]

21. The future will damn these scum.

So the White House found a way to keep homosexuals away from the impressionable youth of heterosexual couples at today's egg roll. They've won the day.

But so too have gay Americans. Unfortunately for them, it will take decades for everyone to realize it.

This act, this bending of the rules in order to segregate and discriminate, will one day be viewed as a barbaric and small-minded thing from a corrupt and unenlightened time. Perhaps it will only be worthy of mention in a parenthetical or a footnote, or in some far-future compilation of little-known facts. Or perhaps it will be recognized as the final insult before people began to change their ways.

We can either feel ashamed today, or we can be shamed by future generations. Either way, it's a shameful thing the White House did.

[Ranec]

22. They don't want to admit that gays are people.

If America sees some group of LGBT families with children having fun then how can they continue to demonize them.

GWB is afraid of reality getting in the way of his message of hate. I wouldn't be surprised if next Easter they had to shut it down to keep out the children of "illegal immigrants."

People can only be kept afraid if they are ignorant.

[ronnykmarshall]

23. Dear Mr. President ----- thanks to the Indigo Girls and Pink!

"Dear Mr. President"
(feat. Indigo Girls)

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let's pretend we're just two people and
You're not better than me
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We're not dumb and we're not blind
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You'd never take a walk with me
Would you

[IntravenousDemilo]

24. I'm not entirely sure I see what the problem is here.

And I don't think what the White House did was particularly directed against a specific group -- now, I'm inferring that PageOneQ thought GLBT people were being discriminated against, or else the story wouldn't have been specifically on that website.

This sort of shit happens all the time, and nobody seems to raise a stink. For instance, at a lot of theatrical events and concerts, especially those being marketed through TicketMaster, the best tickets are snapped up by American Express card holders (who can officially "go to the head of the line"), not by the poor schlubs who wait outside all night in the rain and the cold. I'm of course used to, and inured to, this sort of discrimination, since I have never had, nor do I intend to ever have, a credit card. But there's nothing I can do about it, because it's not illegal to give preferential treatment, even though it is highly unethical. Does anyone EVER say anything about it? Sounds like some of the people in line got a taste of this, too. What do they think about non-credit card holders being treated like second-class consumers? Probably most don't give it a second thought, as I'm sure a lot of them have credit cards and can generally go to the head of the line. They just couldn't do so THIS time.

It's unfair, yes, but this particular White House offence is so infinitesimal compared to its other crimes that it's not really worth getting exercised over.