Dover’s World “Out For Good” Hero Of The Month for December- Barbara Walters
Every year around this time, Barbara Walters chooses her 10 most interesting people of the year to interview and I try never to miss this show. Not only are her choices of celebrities generally really interesting, but it Barbara herself who constantly shows such tremendous class and makes very clear why people from around the world have fallen and stayed in love with her for so many years.
In the last years, Barbara’s stand in support of Gay Rights has been stronger than ever and her speech at the GLAAD Media , Awards brought me to tears, as she spoke so eloquently about her feelings about her gay and lesbian friends and loved ones.
This year’s ten most interesting people included both Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert, two entertainers who are both extremely talented and incredibly open about their sexuality. Great that she is so open and supportive of gay and bi-sexual people, but even more amazing is that Barbara is able in the next interview to sit across from Glenn Beck, who is so outrageously idiotic in the crap he spews and be just as elegant and gracious with him as she is with the First Lady. That 
is nothing short of genius!
So when it comes right down to it, I LOVE BARBARA WALTERS! And that is why she is my Out For Good Hero for December.
Jane Gennaro — December 11, 2009 @ 12:45 am
Now, Robert, one of the things you love about Barbara is her open mindedness towards people of all persuasions. That includes those that have different opinions and thought processes than our own. Although you may not agree with what Beck has to say, it does not mean that he is wrong in thinking those things, nor are the people that agree with him. He just has a different opinion than your own. Maybe we can all take a lesson from Barbara.
RDover2 — December 11, 2009 @ 7:30 am
Sorry, but Glenn Beck appeals to everything that is “fear based” in the same sadly still very large group of Americans which George Bush appealed to. It is my belief ththat HOPE and LOVE will triumph over fear and hatred, regardless of how long it take for us all to learn our lessons. Perhaps Glenn Beck, Rush Limbough, and those like them keep allowing us to see more clearly the difference between LOVE and fear, and GOD just keeps waiting for us to “GET IT”.
Cheers!
RD
mary — December 11, 2009 @ 10:19 am
People are who we are, love um or not.
Christie Hanson — December 13, 2009 @ 12:42 pm
Living in the South (Georgia and not Atlanta!) is often difficult especially when many of the friends that my young daughter enjoys are parented by people with conservative religious beliefs. I have on several occasions lately discovered that they mostly do not see things the way I do about most topics. Usually at a playdate we can stay on less controversial topics but an recent Facebook posting I made about Adam Lambert and my support of him has sparked some debate among these folks and I really don’t know where we’ll stand in the long run. Once Maren is older and she is from a pro choice, pro gay marriage, open minded liberal home…well I am not sure if these women will even want her to play with their kids anymore….or vice versa. I can’t tolerate hate either. Is it different anywhere alse out there in the US? Maybe I should move to a more liberal area or is there any such place really…
Kim — December 13, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
How ironic that you choose to demonize Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, disparage any citizen that supported President Bush, and yet applaud Adam Lambert and Barbara Walters. You seem to be the one promoting”fear and hatred”. Adam Lambert was not being “open” about his sexuality; he made a public spectacle of himself. The behavior he exhibited was repulsive. It was not a dignified expression of a loving relationship–whether homosexual or heterosexual. Have you forgotten that Barbara Walters carried on an affair with full knowledge that her co-fornicator was married? Maybe her own transgressions are the reason she is able to be gracious to those you deem so unworthy. It’s also ironic that liberals such as Keith Olbermann don’t receive such censure for the vitriol they spew.
RDover2 — December 13, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
Dear Mr or Ms Jeffris,
Demonize? I think not. I never called them demons- just idiots for saying things like President Obama is a racist. And if you believe that crap, I’m very sorry but I would have to include you with them.
As for Adam Lambert and Barabara Walters, seeing the same thing from countless women on stage in Rock concerts has rarely received such condemnation, so it appears actually that you are also a biggot and homophobe. And as for Barbara, who she once, many years ago fornicated with is only our business because she was open and honest enough to write about it in her book. My very point was that she is my hero because she has the amazing ability I do not have to sit with people and not judge them openly, one way or the other. She comes from a plave of acceptance and love.
I will try to be more like her in the future, even about Glenn and Rush, if you will about Adam, Barbara, and maybe even me.
Cheers!
RD
RDover2 — December 13, 2009 @ 4:31 pm
Sorry, I wrote the last post from my Blackberry. Please overlook the spelling errors.
Cheers!
RD
kim — December 14, 2009 @ 5:24 am
You may object to my choice of the word “demonize”–fair enough. It is inflammatory. Please consider that choice of words retracted, and if I misinterpreted your intent, I apologize. I listen to Glenn Beck among other conservatives. Because I believe that he has some valid points does not make me an idiot, nor does it imply that I agree with his every statement. In the same way, I won’t presume that you support any and every poor decision that has or will be made by the current administration. Just as an FYI, I have many friends and family members who are liberal and/or homosexual. My love for them has nothing to do with their sexual or political persuasion.
Your characterization of me as a bigot and homophobe is offensive and illogical. Sexual orientation is a private matter. It’s a personal decision whether or not to be “open” about such intimate preferences. The lewd, lascivious behavior that frequently occurs on stage at rock concerts and daily on television is vulgar. The particular “h_______sexuality” of the person matters not.
I may be way off base here, but I’ll go out on a limb. Based on the little I know about how you have conducted your life, I have been impressed. You seem to be genuinely committed to the welfare of both the horse and dressage. I have followed your successes with enthusiasm, and believe that you have been a terrific ambassador for both the sport and the country. I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong, but I would not expect you to conduct yourself in the manner of Adam Lambert, say……on the medal podium.
To be sure, Adam Lambert is a talented singer and entertainer. Barbara Walters is a uniquely successful journalist. Tiger Woods is quite possibly the best golfer of all time. But, heroes? I cannot agree. These are not people whose character I wish my children to emulate. I do not expect infallibility, but the conscious decisions made by these people were not altruistic.
As for how I perceive Adam and Barbara as compared with Rush and Glenn–probably about the same–not heroes. As for you-quite possibly.
Christie Hanson — December 14, 2009 @ 8:48 am
To compare the medal podium to a late night rock stars performance makes no sense! Adam Lambert was well out of the closet well before Idol. Pictures of him kissing guys and in his Glam rock attire circulated all thru the time of Idol. It was on every entertainment news show. It was not appropriate on Idol itself to discuss his sexuality or to perform like that—he knew his audience there and the show was not suited for it and wouldn’t allow it. But late night on the AMA’s…it’s done way more for his career than hurt him. He is being exactly who he is…a very sexual person and a rock star.
RDover2 — December 14, 2009 @ 9:07 am
I Love It, Kim! Now we’re talkin!
So, first let me apologize for portraying you as a homophobe or a biggot.
I do not presume to know you but am quite sure that if your children grow up to be proud, out, Gay men or women, you will fight for all of the rights which heterosexuals now enjoy, including their right to love and marry who they wish.
You will want them to be able to walk hand in hand and show affection for each other anywhere in our great country, just as you and your life-partner have the luxury of doing now, without anyone thinking it out of the ordinary or perverse. Otherwise, I hope you are against straight people kissing in public, even at their weddings.
I believe Adam would not make the same choice again on that particular stage, but nothing he did should be called shameful, unless going back to the 70’s, every Rock Star and hippie is going to be defined the same way as we went through the sexual revolution.
In the end, there is LOVE and there is fear. It is in the minds of each one of us to see which one each person’s intent is as they conduct their lives, and not even then to judge them, but rather to determine how we choose to conduct our own thoughts and actions.
I, For one, am still waiting to be able to marry my love of my life of 21 years and give him a big kiss in front of hundreds of our friends and relatives. I’ll try not to grope him in public but if you,ve seen him, he’s hot! So who knows?
Cheers!
RD
(Again, written from my Blackberry so please pardon any spelling errors)
michelle — December 14, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
It is so sad that America is soooooo uptight about sexuality.
Sandy Sandy — May 26, 2011 @ 9:39 am
This is a GREAT old thread Robert. An intriguing, well matched debate. You summed it up eloquently when you said, “In the end, there is LOVE and there is fear.” What it really boils down to is feelings, doesn’t it? Your feelings, whether good or bad, like a magnet, attract like situations into your life. If you are feeling good, you are giving love, if you feel bad, you are not. The negative feelings of FEAR, worry, criticism, anger, hate, envy, guilt and despair come from a lack of love. Positive feelings come from LOVE, gratitude, peace, joy, passion, excitement, enthusiasm, hope and satisfaction. It just seems that some Conservatives these days are all about the negatives and we Liberals are all about the positives. I still can’t get over the close-minded, FEAR-BASED Republican campaigning that went on in the last presidential election. The real issues are ignored and control is established by putting people in the fear mode. I can relate to Christie too, as I see the Creationists making a comeback, with my own sister and her family quoting the Bible and taking it literally instead of metaphorically. By repeating these things over and over, people start believing them even if they are a crock. Look what Hitler did. Robert, you are our knight in shiny armor. You are a not just a voice for the animals, the sport of Dressage or for gays, but for all of us open minded liberals, trying to live a positive life and do what’s right and good. You have the heart of a champion through and through. As even Ms. Jeffris admits, “As for how I perceive Adam and Barbara as compared with Rush and Glenn–probably about the same–not heroes. As for you-quite possibly.” ★