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9/11 Terror Suspects Disrupt Court; Biden "Comfortable" with Gay Marriage; Socialist Wins French Presidency; North Carolina Votes on Same-Sex Couple Ban; Biden "Comfortable with Gay Marriage; Young Openly Gay Kid Being Expelled; NFL Team Signs Paralyzed Player
Aired May 06, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. I'm Don Lemon, top of the hour -- thank you so much for joining us.
We're going to begin this hour with this. The arraignment of the 9/11 terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has been called a circus by one observer. Some say the judge presiding over the case is serving more as ring master.
Our Chris Lawrence is in Cuba.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 9/11 terror suspects turned their arraignment into a chaotic court circus.
JAMES CONNELL, COUNSEL FOR AMMAR AL BALUCHI: Yesterday you may have observed that the accused participated in peaceful resistance to an unjust system. The accused refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the military commissions as demonstrated through their silence. These men have endured years of inhumane treatment and torture. This serious -- this treatment has had serious long term effects and will ultimately infect every aspect of this military commission tribunal.
BRIG. GEN. MARK MARTINS, CHIEF PROSECUTOR: I'm confident the military commission that was convened here yesterday to try the charges referred to it will answer the call with fairness and with justice.
LAWRENCE: The family members of those killed in the September 11th attacks had to watch as one defendant made a paper airplane and set it on the desk. Other defendants passed around copies of "The Economist" magazine. One defendant as his attorney was describing mistreatment actually took off his shirt in court exposing his bare chest and had to be reprimanded by the judge.
And still another defendant shouted out in the courtroom maybe this is the last time you'll see us alleging that the guards may try to kill them and make it look like suicide.
EDDIE BRACKEN, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: Maybe there are some things that I didn't like on one side and I liked on the other. But the fact remains is, fair and just. That's what we're about. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm here because my sister Lucy would be here for me. I know that. And I'm representing 2,767 people that have lost their lives and thousands of families around the world that were touched and millions of people that came to our aid and helped us to show that they were there for America.
LAWRENCE (on camera): The next court hearing will be in June. But this had to be an embarrassment on all sides. For those who pushed to have these men tried in a military commission here this cannot be what they had in mind. And for the Obama administration who promised to close Guantanamo Bay and move these trials to federal court, Saturday was a reminder of that failure.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That arraignment was closed to the public but some of the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks got a chance to witness the proceedings. Some traveled to Cuba while others watched back in the U.S. on a special video feed.
Our Susan Candiotti spoke to one family in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Al Santora, it's deja vu.
AL SANTORA, LOST SON ON 9/11: It was just very frustrating.
CANDIOTTI: I first met Al Santora and his wife Maureen in Gitmo in 2009. They were there with other 9/11 families who got to see accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in person when he openly claimed responsibility for the terror attacks that took nearly 3,000 lives. Their son Christopher a New York firefighter for just six months was one of the victims.
SANTORA: They stood up and they said we're guilty. We're proud of what we did and we'd do it again if we could.
MAUREEN SANTORA, LOST SON ON 9/11: We expected them to behave in this same manner. And they didn't disappoint us.
CANDIOTTI: This time the Santoras were among 9/11 families and first responders invited to watch the Gitmo arraignment long distance via closed circuit TV at an army base in New York.
A. SANTORA: Why are they putting up with these shenanigans?
CANDIOTTI: The 13 hour proceeding included courtroom outburst, drawn out legal arguments, the defendant's refusal to answer questions and a dispute over whether female prosecutors should cover their hair and legs so Muslim defendants would not be offended.
A. SANTORA: It was outrageous.
CANDIOTTI: The Santoras wished the military would permit TV coverage so others could watch the proceedings as they are.
(on camera): Why do you think Americans should be able to see and hear this trial?
a. SANTORA: Because this is part of our history. This is about an attack on America. It should be open for all Americans to see. This is Engine 54 heading down West Street towards the Twin Towers --
CANDIOTTI: A passerby happened to snap a photo of his son's fire engine rushing to duty that awful day. Photos of Christopher filled the Santora's home including this portrait sent by a stranger from Spain. The memories never fade.
A. SANTORA: I hear him in my head screaming out for justice.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): The Santora's plan to watch more pre- trial hearings next month, patient and determined as ever for justice they say after more than a decade of waiting.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, Susan.
Louisville police say they won't know until tomorrow whether the man found dead at Churchill Downs is a victim of foul play. For now, investigators are treating the case as a homicide. Police say the body is that of a Hispanic man. It was discovered early this morning less than 12 hours after the Kentucky Derby.
To politics now and Vice President Joe Biden's remarks this morning about gay marriage. He says he is absolutely comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage and that the issue boils down to a simple question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just think that the good news is that as more and more Americans come to understand what this is all about is a simple proposition, who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well those comments put Biden a step beyond his boss. President Obama has never said he favors same-sex marriage. He says his views are evolving.
A top campaign advisor doesn't see Biden's comments as covering new ground. He said, David -- David Axelrod tweeted that Biden's remarks are quote, "Precisely the President's position". We're going to talk more about that with Goldie Taylor in just a moment.
George Lindsay -- well, he' known best as Goober Pyle. Remember him on the "Andy Griffith's show"? He had died -- for those of you who are old enough to remember, he was beloved. He's 83 years old. Lindsay played the eager and loveable Goober on Griffith's show and it's been a Mayberry's RFD, takes you back doesn't it?
Here is what Andy Griffith said today, he said, "We found ourselves in our eighties and we were not afraid to say I love you. That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other, 'I love you'."
A weak economy costing an incumbent president his job, that could be the headline in the U.S. come November. Today it happened in France.
Some adults, well -- in this next story wouldn't listen so he says, he took matter into his own hands and now a bullied teen is in trouble for protecting himself."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They backed up --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Yemeni officials say an air strike has killed one of the country's most feared terrorists; 37-year-old Fahd al-Quso was accused of playing a role in the 2000 bombing of the "USS Cole." He was on the FBI's most-wanted list. Yemen military officials say he was hit by a missile today while riding in a vehicle; 17 American sailors died 11 years ago when the Cole was hit by a suicide attack while it was refueling.
A gunman wearing an Afghan Army uniform killed a NATO soldier today in southern Afghanistan. The shooter was immediately killed. That wasn't the coalition's only casualty today. An American died when a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in eastern Afghanistan. Two other Americans were wounded in that attack.
A major shift in power for a key U.S. ally, France's new President is a socialist. Election night in France, Francois Hollande beat conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. It was a runoff. It all came down to the economy and where have we heard all of this before? Look at the celebrating going, it sounds pretty familiar. Hala Gorani standing by for us in Paris -- it comes down to the economy.
Hala, so the President-elect Hollande, he just took to the stage before thousands of supporters there. What was his message?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well his message was look, 48.5 percent of this country didn't vote for me. So my primary duty as the president-elect is to unite the country. His primary duty as well, of course, as you mentioned there is to fix this economy and to fix the debt crisis that has hit this entire Euro Zone including Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy.
Nicolas Sarkozy is just one of about a dozen of leaders in this region that has lost his job as a result of the deteriorating economy. The unemployment rate in the United States around eight percent. In France, it's over 10 percent. And France and all these countries in the region have to figure out a way to get the Euro Zone out of this mountain of debt that is weighing it down.
Now the big difference between Nicolas Sarkozy whom Americans are probably more familiar with and Francois Hollande who was just elected is that Nicolas Sarkozy and the German Chancellor came to an agreement. They said here is the solution to the debt crisis -- we are going to cut spending.
But Francois Hollande the socialist says not so fast we also need a growth plan. And that all sounds well and good but in order for a growth plan to work, you have to find the money somewhere. What are you going to do? Raise taxes? Create Euro bonds? Get money from the European Central Bank?
All of those are details that still need to be hammered out. And uncertainty is always an issue for markets including the U.S. markets -- Don.
LEMON: Yes and the interesting thing you know we Americans are always going to figure out how does this affect me? What about me? What about me?
It's going to affect the U.S. markets as you said. But obviously when people went to the polls to vote in France they weren't thinking about the world economy, they weren't thinking about the European economy or the Euro Zone or what -- how was it going to -- they wanted just their own country with those austerity measures that they don't like. That's what they went to vote on.
GORANI: Look, you know what strikes me is I live in the U.S. and I'm reporting on this French election and when I asked voters here, just ordinary French people what's your biggest concern? Very few said immigration, very few said insecurity. Almost no one said terrorism. But everybody said something about either purchasing power or joblessness.
And it's the same thing in the United States. This economic crisis in the western world is hitting everyone and it's hitting everyone very hard.
There is another component to this election that's interesting that's slightly different from the U.S. and that is that Nicolas Sarkozy as a candidate really started to irritate certain people, even people on the right.
They found him flashy, they found him vulgar. So people who in 2007 had voted for Nicolas Sarkozy who are committed right-wing voters said you know what, this time around just because I personally dislike this man I voted for his opponent. So that was also very interesting this time around.
LEMON: Yes we are all connected. It just shows you the world is getting smaller and smaller. Thank you, Hala Gorani. GORANI: Yes.
LEMON: I appreciate your reporting. We'll be following up with Hala later on, on CNN.
Deep austerity cuts, you heard Hala are talking about it also changing the political landscape of Greece. Voters are voting out the centrists who pushed those measures. Greece's economy is so bad it could drag the rest of Europe down with it. The country accepted bailout money in exchange for extreme spending cuts. But they are so unpopular that voters flocked to the far-right and the far-left today.
It is what political junkies are talking about. It's what we're talking about gay marriage and the Vice President's comments today. Did you hear them? But did he go too far and speak for the President when maybe he shouldn't have.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Tuesday is decision day for a controversial amendment proposal in North Carolina. It would ban same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships. Protesters for and against Amendment 1, what is called "Men 1" have turned out in the streets ahead of this vote.
CNN's Randi Kaye breaks down the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Tuesday North Carolina voters will be making a big decision at the polls, the decision to change the state's constitution. Amendment 1 would make marriage between one man and one woman the only recognized domestic legal union in the state.
PAUL STAM, (R), NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: The reason we have to put it in our state constitution is that half a dozen other states have by judicial fiat had a handful of judges change the laws of those states.
KAYE: It's something that several other states have done but Amendment 1 goes a step further. Not only would it ban same-sex marriage, which is already illegal in North Carolina, it would also invalidate all civil unions and domestic partnerships.
REV. WILLIAM BARBER, PRESIDENT, NORTH CAROLINA NAACP: This is bad law because it will hurt even heterosexual families because it does not recognize any other domestic union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ok. So that was Randi Kaye reporting. What makes the North Carolina law different from others? It even bans domestic partnership between heterosexual couples.
Vice President Joe Biden has a way of making news with his remarks especially when he goes off script we know that. Well, this morning, he was asked about same-sex marriage and he has some strong words on the issue. Listen closely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men and women marrying women and heterosexual -- men marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction beyond that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ok. Sounded pretty clear to pretty much everyone who is listening to it. Let's talk about Biden's remarks now.
I want to bring in Goldie Taylor. Goldie Taylor, you know her as the managing editor of the Goldie Taylor Project; and also in Washington in Crystal Wright, she's the editor of ConservativeBlackChick.com.
Goldie what is going on here? Is Joe Biden breaking with his boss? Is there some kind of political strategy at work here? Or he's just speaking -- this is how he feels?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, MANAGING EDITOR, GOLDIE TAYLOR PROJECT: Vice President Biden said, "I am absolutely comfortable."
LEMON: Right.
TAYLOR: And that means he is speaking for Joe Biden and that's his position. He's entitled to have it. I think this President knew what Joe Biden's position was when he took him on as his vice presidential running mate. I think that it's much ado really about nothing.
LEMON: Ok. So listen, if the vice president is invited on to a show like "Meet the Press" --
TAYLOR: Sure.
LEMON: And David Gregory is asking him about policy, about the President, he is in turn speaking for the administration and speaking for the (inaudible) of the President.
(CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: He is the vice president --
LEMON: So why on this issue he -- why is this one --
TAYLOR: He is the Vice President of these United States --
LEMON: Right.
TAYLOR: -- he neither formulates nor proposes legislation in Congress, he neither formulates nor proposes anything to judiciary branches.
LEMON: Can the people watching make that distinction? Can a voter -- does a voter make a distinction?
TAYLOR: I don't know if the voter makes that distinction or not, but that is the legal distinction. And does he have the right to speak for Joe Biden? He absolutely does.
LEMON: Ok. Crystal Wright you were watching this morning, did you think the vice president minced words? And I ask you that because here's what David Axelrod tweeted out afterwards. He said, "What VP said" -- he tweeted this a little bit earlier. Right after he said, "What VP said that all married couples should have exactly the same legal rights is precisely POTUS's position."
I don't really quite understand that but can you make sense of that?
CRYSTAL WRIGHT, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM: You know what -- Don, I think it's a hot mess all the way around. And you know, I think Obama is loving the fact that Goldie is trying to now legitimize the Vice President of the United States' remarks as personal remarks. She's trying to parse this on a legal analysis that he has a right to his own opinion and then in the next breath Goldie admits along with you that most American people can't distinguish between Vice President Biden appearing on a television program as the Vice President of the United States and his personal opinion.
He does not have a right when he represents the office of vice president and he's supposed to be the teammate of the President of the United States to get ahead of the President who says that his position on same-sex marriage is evolving and he does not support it; that he supports civil unions. This is just a mess.
And then Axelrod, the senior advisor to the Obama White House tweets moments later "Oh, yes, Obama that's his position. Biden just expressed the position of the President of the United States." I'm sure many gay Americans are surprised by all this and perplexed.
LEMON: Ok. I think that's -- I think many Americans are surprised because I think it was pretty clear what the Vice President had to say and then to hear Goldie and I'm sure you want to respond to what Crystal said.
TAYLOR: I actually don't spend a lot of time responding to Crystal whether on TV or Twitter. But you know, at the end of the day --
(CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: I really don't -- but hold up and stuff it.
At the end of the day the President says and always said that he believes that this is the wrong question. Whether people have the right to marry one or the other, you know, is something that he is evolving on but should everyone have the same legal rights, I think that the President has never stood back on what the human rights question is here.
LEMON: But what the Vice President -- here's the thing. I hate talking points. What the Vice President said is that all people, a man who marries a man, a woman who marries a woman, a heterosexual who marries another heterosexual should all the same rights. There are places -- most places same-sex marriage is not allowed -- it's illegal. So to say that and then try to parse it -- what he was saying is he was cool with it.
WRIGHT: Exactly.
LEMON: So to this -- Axelrod's response makes absolutely no sense -- it's double speak.
WRIGHT: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: Well, I just want to say --
LEMON: But seriously, Goldie -- it is double speak -- he's saying, what the VP says all married couples should have the same exact legal rights. If you are not allowed to get married you don't have that right.
WRIGHT: Right. And the Vice President was coming out --
LEMON: Hang on. Hang on Crystal. I want to -- that's for Goldie. I'll let you speak.
WRIGHT: Ok.
LEMON: Go ahead Goldie.
TAYLOR: Well, you know, I think at the end of the day and my position is that I have personally evolved on the issue over time. It's been a personal one that we have taken up in our own family and our own lives. And I believe that if you have a problem with a -- you know, same-sex marriage of any kind you need to take that up with your priest, your rabbi, your pope, your shaman -- whoever it is that happens to be your spiritual leader.
But to then take, you know -- to perfect your imperfect religious value on to the rest of the country and to say that they don't have the right to live, love, and cherish whom they choose because of your particular religious value is an unfortunate thing. That is Goldie's personal statement. And I believe --
LEMON: Goldie's statement is that it's a civil rights issue.
TAYLOR: I think it is a civil rights issue. It is a human rights issue. It is a state contract. If your priest or pastor doesn't want to marry you that's up to your priest --
LEMON: Ok. I've got to give the same Goldie. Why not take a stand? What does a President have to lose by taking a stand either way on --
TAYLOR: There are fair-minded people on both sides of this issue who both agree and disagree with gay marriage. I think the President has a conviction on one side of this. He is like a lot of us who are continuing to evolve. I'm willing to give him that time as long as he comes down on the side of human rights.
LEMON: I get that. But continuing to evolve seems like a position that is not really a position.
WRIGHT: It's a cop out.
LEMON: Either you're for or against. And people hit Mitt Romney on that. --
(CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: Well, you know --
LEMON: Hang on. Let me finish. They said Mitt Romney does not have a backbone --
TAYLOR: I have said to you -- I have said to you --
LEMON: That he doesn't take a stand on particular issues and that's the same thing about the President.
TAYLOR: -- that I have run into it in my own life. I was also a member of this military, in the United States Marine Corps. And in the Marine Corps, at that time I had a very favorite drill instructor who was not allowed to serve, kicked out in the middle of my boot camp because it was found that she was gay. And at the time as a young person I agreed with it.
Over time i.e., involved and when this President worked to strike down "don't ask don't tell", I was in full agreement with that. I think we evolve with things over time.
LEMON: I appreciate your passion. And I respect what you're saying. But you are not the President of the United States. And people are asking the President of the United States to take a stand on that issue.
TAYLOR: I think that the President is human and I think that Presidents also gets the time to evolve over time just as I did and everybody else.
LEMON: Crystal, sorry what -- what's wrong with the President taking a stand either way? And I'm sure you want to respond to some of it.
WRIGHT: Yes. You know, I think what Goldie said is she is blasting the President. She is saying that the President needs to have a conversation with his priest or shaman, whoever he had --
TAYLOR: That's not -- actually that's not what I said. WRIGHT: Let me finish.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Go ahead.
TAYLOR: You lie. But don't lie.
WRIGHT: You just said people who don't support same-sex marriage need to have a conversation with their religious leaders, whoever they go to for religious counsel that would include the President of the United States. Because the President of the United States, Goldie has said he has not taken a position. He does not support same-sex marriage.
And his vice president comes out today on "Meet the Press" and says he supports same-sex marriage. There is a huge conflict. And I think the reason why President Obama is not taking a position is we know that most black Americans who voted -- 95 percent of them voted for President Obama in 2008 -- most black Americans don't support same-sex marriage and most Hispanics and Latinos do not.
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: The country, even moderate Democrats are divided on this topic. I think he's trying to --
(CROSSTALK)
Wright: -- this President.
LEMON: Crystal, that's going to --
TAYLOR: And you think the 90 percent or so who would otherwise vote for President Obama would vote for Mitt Romney instead?
LEMON: That's my point --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hey, hey, both of you stop it. Thank you. I know -- we'll continue this discussion maybe we'll do it next time.
What I asked you before is that if African-Americans or some socially conservative African-Americans don't believe in same-sex marriage or as she said Hispanics or what have you -- is that enough to keep them at home or to have them -- make them not vote --
TAYLOR: Eight to 10 percent or so of the African-Americans who are truly -- and I don't just mean on a basic level --
LEMON: They're already voting for --
TAYLOR: -- are already voting Republican and the very idea that they are not going to vote for this President based on that is a misnomer. LEMON: Crystal, thank you. Great conversation, I appreciate it, both of you.
I want to read something to you right now. This is from a woman recalling the first time that she spent with a man that she would eventually fall in love with. She says "I'm pretty sure that we had dinner and then we went and we talked in his bedroom and then I spent the night. It all felt very inevitable."
The man she's referring to went on to be the current president of the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Whew. We're back now. Goldie Taylor, managing editor of "Goldie Taylor Project." We're OK. And in Washington, Crystal Wright, the editor of "Conservative Black Sheep.com." I want to read from the journal of a young woman written in 1984. Here's a quote, it says "The sexual warmth is definitely there but the rest of it has sharp edges. His warmth can be deceptive though he speaks sweet words there is also that coolness." Something there, I mean, sexual warmth. What?
Let me be clear. That was a journal passage here that was written by a woman named Genevieve Cook and she was writing about now- President Obama back in 1984 just months after he graduated from Columbia and is contained in the Obama biography by award-winning author David (INAUDIBLE).
So Goldie, your reaction to the journal entry was like he wasn't trying to become a monk. I mean, what's your reaction to that?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, MANAGING EDITOR, "GOLDIE TAYLOR PROJECT": Shrug.
LEMON: Yes, thank you.
TAYLOR: A man dating.
LEMON: I guess, is it uncomfortable? Should we be hearing these things about the president of the United States? But I mean, everybody's human and so I was -
TAYLOR: I would be - I would be suspicious if there were no other love interests before in his life. You know, I think that he is, you know, a man who, you know, enjoys the company of, you know, a woman, and married a very strong woman and they now have an incredible family. If you know, there were some sense - there was some wrong doing in his past love lives or intimate lives, then maybe -
LEMON: If that happened last year.
TAYLOR: If it happened last year as opposed to 1984, last year, 2004 as opposed to 1984, then maybe we would have a different take.
LEMON: Crystal, your thought? You know, we have been hearing a lot about it, maybe the possibility of politicizing to this or, you know, trying to sexualize the president. What are your thoughts?
CRYSTAL WRIGHT, EDITOR/BLOGGER, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM: You know, it's Obama. We get to see a different side of Obama, a softer side, a sexual side. He's a man. He had a life. He dated. And the woman was not black. I think you start to think she was black but she was actually white and I think people will read it with curiosity. It validates him as a man who is interested in dating nice ladies when he was an undergraduate. I think what people will be more interested in, in the book is - we'll see what's in the book - maybe his years and his thought process at Colombia and Harvard.
I mean, I'm like more power to you, brother. Cook said -
LEMON: The black thing - that was my slip of the tongue. It's not what I mean.
WRIGHT: It's fine.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I don't think it matters.
WRIGHT: It matters because she cooked. The woman actually said even though she dated him and loved in love, fell extremely in love with him, she said I really see Barack Obama with a strong black woman and you know, Michelle Obama is a testament to that. So you know, this is one area where, you know, I agree with Goldie. She insulted me.
TAYLOR: I call him President Obama all the time.
LEMON: We have to go. OK. Thank you. Both. Thank you. Goldie, Goldie and I disagree but we are still friends. Those two I'm not sure about.
Some adults wouldn't listen. So a bullied teenager took matters into his own hands and now he is the one in trouble, suspended from school. We're talking with him and his mother.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Bullying in America's schools. Some call it an epidemic. But for a young man from Indianapolis it is personal. Seventeen year old Dynasty Young says he was taunted and threatened for being openly gay and desperate to protect her son from bullies, his mom gave him a stun gun, a self protection device to carry just in case.
But after an incident last month, where no students were hurt, the school is threatening to expel Young, saying he violated school policy by bringing a weapon to school. An interview with the Indianapolis Star, the principal of the high school says "If you wear female apparel, then kids are kids and they are going to say whatever it is that they want to say. Because you want to be different and because you choose to wear female apparel it may happen. Dynasty and his mom, Chelisa Grimes are now with me from Indianapolis. Thank you so much. You guys doing OK?
MOTHER: Yes.
LEMON: Chelisa, to you first, what are parents of bullies to do? I mean you gave him the stun gun. Do you think - what are children to do? You gave him the stun gun. Do you think that was a bit extreme or would you do the same thing over again?
CHELISA GRIMES, GAVE SON STUN GUN: I would most definitely do the same thing again. The first thing that I want to say and I want to make clear is I don't promote violence, not at all. But what is a parent to do when she has done everything that she felt she was supposed to do as far as contacting the officials that are - at the school. So I did feel like there was nothing else left for me to do but to protect my child.
LEMON: And Dynasty, I'll ask you the same thing as your mom. She said that she would do what she has to do to protect her child. She would give you the stun gun. Would you bring it back to school if you had to? Did you feel safer because of that stun gun?
DYNASTY YOUNG, BULLIED GAY TEEN FACING EXPULSION: I only felt safe when - the only time - the reason why I brought the stun gun is because I wasn't safe. If I was at your school and I was safe, I didn't have to bring anything. The only thing that makes me upset was that I got kicked out of school for me bringing the weapon to school. But I honestly don't think that that was fair because the six bullies that came up to me all I did was raise it in the air. And I did not use it on nobody. I want to make that clear. I didn't use it on nobody, all I did was raised it up in the air and went back to my class.
LEMON: Mom, I'm sure people are saying where does it stop? This was a stun gun. They're lucky everyone in this case is lucky, including your son that no one got hurt. But it could have escalated and someone could have gotten hurt. And where does it end? Does it end with a stun gun? Does it end with a knife? What weapon? Where does it end? Do you understand that?
GRIMES: Yes. Yes. And that's just the - that's the - I think that's why everybody is so interested in my son's story because where does it end? The focus is on the self protection device that I sent my child to school with. But I think the focus should be on the teachers and the administrators. They are in power positions in our kids' lives. That's just what they are. They are kids. They are minors. It's our job to protect our kids. I think that the self protection device is what's making the news. But the big picture is that my child is not the only one who does not feel safe in our schools. And we as adults we have to -
LEMON: Dynasty?
YOUNG: Yes, sir.
LEMON: I'm sorry to cut you off but Dynasty, nine out of 10, according to a study, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender kids have been harassed at school. So do you think in this case, that self defense is valid, what would you like to say to people who may not understand. You are expressing your individuality whatever it is but just the bullying that people like you go through?
YOUNG: It one time - it affected my life at my home life and it really affected my life. And I thought after a vicious rumor that was going around school about me doing nasty stuff with teachers, I was at my wit's end and I didn't know what to do. I thought about suicide. I hate saying that word because god blessed me with this life. I love life and I love my education. I would never - that will never ever cross paths but the bullying was getting so bad that I thought about that. And when I was going through that stuff this guy, David (INAUDIBLE), he helped me. He is my gay mentor. He helped me a lot. He gave me a lot of confidence. That's one of the things I'm here was because of him.
LEMON: All right. Listen, thank you so much. Thank you, Mrs. Young. Thank you, Dynasty. Best of luck to you. We hope it all works out. We appreciate you coming on CNN. OK.
YOUNG: Thank you so much.
GRIMES: Thank you for having us.
LEMON: His promising career cut short by a tragic accident on the football field. But life in a wheelchair cannot kill his dreams about joining the NFL. There he is right there - (INAUDIBLE) and he is talking to CNN, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Eric Legrand's dreams of joining the NFL team could have been over in 2010 when he was tragically paralyzed from the neck down on the field. But now Legrand is the newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team signed him to a rookie contract and we are fortunate enough to have him here tonight. Eric, thank you so much. You know, you're getting to play now, a contract with the Tampa bay buccaneers. You are getting a place on an NFL team, I should say. What does that mean to you? I'm sure you are very happy about that.
ERIC LEGRAND, PARALYZED PLAYED SIGNED BY BUCS: You know, I am very happy. This was a dream come true for me. Always I wanted to go to the NFL. That was a career goal in life. You know, circumstances dictated it definitely. But I can at least say I'm there now. I'm on the team, I'm on the roster even though I may not want to be in the position I am in right now but I can say that I made it there.
LEMON: All right. So you played for the Bucs' new head coach Greg Schiano when you were at Rutgers. And I want to play something he said about a month after your accident. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG SCHIANO, FMR. HEAD COACH, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: I think his spirits are good. He's an incredible person. Without going to many specifics, he amazes me day after day with his outlook, his attitude. And until you are put in a position like that I guess no one knows how they would respond but Eric has been amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What does his support mean to you?
LEGRAND: You know, he has been there since day one, making sure I have the best doctors, best surgeon, best hospital, best everything, you know. And everything around me was just so positive. There was no negativity around me. So that's what kept me going in the beginning, you know, that first month when I really didn't know what was going on, what was happening in my life.
So you know, with the coach supporting me like that and talking to the media and handling everything for me, you know, it really meant a lot. It really helped us out through this whole thing.
LEMON: Very good. I don't know if you can talk about the specifics of your contract with the Bucs. But - if you can tell us what it offers you? And are you going to be at the games this fall?
LEGRAND: (INAUDIBLE) there's no money involved in it. You know, he just want to this from the kindness of his heart. And you know, I'm going to go down there, hopefully in the next month or two and visit them in Tampa and I want to go right down there for mini-camp a little bit and also to get down there for a few games and they come up here in New York and play the Giants, I believe on September 16th. So I'm definitely going to be at that game.
LEMON: There is someone there in the studio there. I think got holdup. You also got a helmet, you got a Jersey?
LEGRAND: Oh, yes.
LEMON: Can you tell them to hold it up.
LEGRAND: (INAUDIBLE) you can hold up the jersey in front of me.
LEMON: There's the jersey and tell them now the helmet?
LEGRAND: The helmet too. You can -
LEMON: Look at your name, your name is on the back of the jersey. And then there is the helmet. That is pretty cool, Eric.
LEGRAND: Yes, it is pretty cool. Something you dream about doing. I finally made it there. I'm happy.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Do you ever look out at the field and say and think about, "Oh, man, what might have been or do - I think you have a more positive attitude than that. You're taking life where it is now?
LEGRAND: Yes, I'm taking it where it is now. But you know, I caught myself at times, last season, when I was seeing all my teammates down there. This would have been my senior year. I was, like, wow, you know, that could have been me out there, you know, making plays with all my boys that I grew up playing this game and seeing my teammates who I came to Rutgers with playing the game, you know. But I bounce myself back and you know, say everything happens for a reason because it does and everything's going to be fine. I've been able to touch millions of people out there just because of the person I am.
LEMON: Everyone says that you have such a positive spirit and that you were working very hard. Even you said that you believe that you are not going to be in the wheelchair for the rest of your life.
You think you're going to walk again?
LEGRAND: Oh, yes, absolutely. There's no doubt. I believe in myself and I believe in the man above. I know everything in this world happens for a reason, you know. I wouldn't have been able to touch this many people if I was playing football. That's why I know there is something for me that I need to do in my life that, you know, can hopefully change the world. You know, just looking at life, appreciate everything that you have out there. You know, don't take anything for granted and just love life. Smile every day. That's what I tried to do. Put a smile on one person each day. You know, that keeps me motivated and keeps me going.
LEMON: Eric Legrand. I hope the viewers heard that. I hope they got it.
Hey we're all cheering you on. Thank you. God bless you. OK.
LEGRAND: Thank you, Don. I appreciate that. Can't wait to get back on my feet.
LEMON: We can't wait for you to get back on your feet either.
Again, our thanks. Eric Legrand.
All right. We have to tell you about a report. A sad development in a story that's touched a lot of people. A dad writes a bucket list for his infant daughter. She was suffering from a rare genetic disorder. And doctors said she wouldn't live past two years old. So her parents set up a blog to write about her final days. Get a fake tattoo. Play with a pin wheel. And on and on. But on Tuesday little Avery died. And on the blog her dad said that Avery's quick passing came as a complete shock. He goes on to say they never lost hope despite the severity of her condition. Thinking about that family now.
People die every day in this country as they wait for an organ transplant. And now Facebook wants to help change all of that. Want to save a life? I'll tell you how you can do it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Facebook announced a new feature this week. It gives hope and it can save lives as well. Katie Linendoll is here in Atlanta.
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH EXPERT: There's a lot going down in the studio tonight. I might have picked the wrong day.
LEMON: This whole newscast. Katie was like, whoa. All right.
LINENDOLL: Is mine a debate and I don't know about it? Because I'm ready. Let's go.
LEMON: Let's talk about - this is setup to help people with organs, become organ donors.
LINENDOLL: Absolutely. Let's talk some number - 114,000 people in the U.S. alone are waiting for an organ transplant. That means 18 people die every single day that don't receive one. That said. Let's look at the numbers on Facebook. 191 U.S. users for Facebook. So if you could take a fraction of that you could solve a really good problem here. Facebook announces -
LEMON: You said 191 million? You didn't say the million part.
LINENDOLL: Well 191 people on Facebook. That's it. 191 million Facebook users in the U.S. can we solve the problem of organ donation? They rolled out a tool earlier this week. And they said, "Hey, you know what? Go on your Facebook page in the area that you typically put a post. You go on to life event. And you go on to health and wellness." It's a three-step process. You can go ahead and register for organ donation.
Now I reached out to Facebook to see how many people actually use this link and turnaround. They didn't want to give verified data. But I have to tell you from a number of reliable sources it was upwards in the thousands. Typically organ (INAUDIBLE) see only new users daily, anywhere from 600 to the high thousands in just a few days turnaround. So it's a pretty remarkable tool. So in short you can go on your Facebook timeline and register to be an organ donor. Pretty nice little feature.
LEMON: That's great. I think Facebook just lately, maybe it's just me, I think they're becoming more socially responsible and aware. I don't know if this is something new. But I'm just seeing it. So who knows.
All right. Let's move on. Because I want to get to these other things. Your next story is about fundraising going high-tech. It's called crowd funding online. It's big time. One group raised over, what, $8 million?
LINENDOLL: Right. So a lot of people, get prepared to hear this word crowd funding. It's gaining popularity. Here's the deal - if you have a project in the world of art, comedy, music and you don't have the funds to work this project through, you can turn to sites like kick starter to where people like you and I can put in minimum donations of $1 to help raise the money for an individual.
Now as you alluded, one small group has created Pebble. It is a smart watch. They turned to kick starter. They were trying to raise $100,000. That's already a lofty goal. They actually in a few weeks have raised over $8 million on the site. Pretty remarkable. Now this Pebble smart watch, what it does is it connects via bluetooth to your iPhone or to your Android device. There's a number of different apps. You can check the texts coming in. You can see who's calling. You can use it as a pedometer. Pretty amazing.
LEMON: But this is the big - this is like a big deal. You don't have to have a project that big in order to use this service, right, to do that.
LINENDOLL: Exactly. So we in the media are guilty of taking these outrageous crowd funding stories, $8 million, like oh, my gosh. That's only a snapshot of the number of projects that are being funded on Kick starter. Again from those categories of art to comedy to music. If you have an indy album you want created, you can turn to the site and actually raise funds. Pretty promising and we Pebble as an example. Because all these venture capitalists didn't want to fund Pebble. And they got over $8.5 million.
The projects are so diverse. Some of those few that I wanted to talk about. A few individuals in Detroit actually thought that a Robocop statue needed to be erected. So they need $50,000. They raised $70,000. And in lower east side in Manhattan, there was actually an underground trolley system that people turned into an underground playground for $150,000 bucks.
LEMON: I disagree. Do you agree?
LINENDOLL: I'm freaking out!
LEMON: Seriously. No debate. Joking.
LINENDOLL: Aye, aye, aye.
LEMON: Thank you. Katie Linendoll.
LINENDOLL: That was easy.
LEMON: You're going to like this. I want you to see this. Katie, like technology meets the wide world of sports.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're back. Katie Linendoll is here as well. Smashing, bashing and robot steel crashing. It is a meeting of the National Robotics League in Indianapolis. Students team up with manufacturers to build the robots. And then they go face plate to face plate and square off in the ring. Very cool stuff.
I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here at 10:00.
