Lovely. "Even more of a threat than Islam, which I think is a big threat." That's some equal opportunity hatin'.

My response is up here:
http://journals.aol.com/redwall33/TheMindofGenevieve/entries/2008/03/10/weekly-bastard-report-march-10th-16th/3486

i don't see what's so funny. we are never going to be able to stage a takeover if people like sally kern keeping such close tabs on the agenda.

The number listed is not working for me. Once you dial it, the phone simply disconnects. No ringing, etc. Does anyone have another number?

I cannot believe a grown person had the guts to speak thus. This is Hate speech through and through....PATHETIC.

Oh sally. just think, NEXT gay people might try to take out mortgages and even try to vote.

CAN YOU IMAGINE??!?!?!?!11!?!

The really sad thing is that Oklahoma City had a terrible terrorist incident, and it had NOTHING to do with homosexual people -- she should know better; we are still recovering from that, and some people here will NEVER recover.

Ugh. And here's the kicker: Kern is _chair_ of the Social Services Committee: http://www.okhouse.gov/Committees/Member.aspx?MemberID=87 . And, unsurprisingly, married to a Baptist minister. A piece of me dies inside knowing that people actually voted for such a hate-monger - and that she's in charge of the well-being of disadvantaged people.

On behalf of all of us living here in Oklahoma, I'd like to express my complete and utter disgust at this. This woman is twisted. Many of us are not like this.

I can't wait until my boyfriend finishes his PhD so we can get out of here.

That's just about every piece of homophobic hate speech I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot of hate speech), crammed into one convenient tirade.

Can she be removed from her position now, due to blatant discrimination, or does that still fall under free speech?

anomrabbit, we wish. Sally Kern definitely has an agenda here. Her previous claim to fame was authoring a bill that would force Oklahoma libraries to keep children's and YA books that discuss homosexuality separate from regular circulation.

On a brighter note, (IIRC) that bill was vetoed by Gov. Brad Henry (D), who had previously said, "I don’t want government to do anything to intrude upon the rights of parents.�

From what I heard of her, the woman does not have an original thought in her head. Everything she says is a far-right anti-homosexual talking point.

Which means that MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BELIEVE WHAT SHE IS SAYING. And "outing" her in this fashion, and harassing her with indignant phone calls and e-mails, is only going to drive this talk further underground. IT WILL NOT ELIMINATE IT, and it will not eliminate the paranoid beliefs that foster it.

She stated, to what she thought was a small, select, SAFE group of like-minded people, that "The very fact that I'm talking to you like this, here today, puts me in jeapordy." Was she mistaken? Her speech has been surreptitiously taped and broadcast on the internet, so a bunch of bizarre-looking academics can hold signs reading "shame on you" over their $15 lattes, millions of people from outside Oklahoma can bring the full weight of their influence to bear against her, and, quite possibly, a few malcontents can leave death threats on her answering machine. THIS CAN ONLY CONFIRM HER PARANOIA, and that of millions of similarly misguided Americans.

We can only say that we've "heard enough" of someone when we've exhausted every possibility to change their mind, not through CONDEMNATION, but DIALOGUE. So sure, if you live in Oklahoma, if you're one of this woman's constituents, cast your vote against her as a politician if you wish; but don't discount her as a human being. I've listened to hundreds of people say the same things as her, verbatim, and every one of them is mistaken, but it's not MORALLY wrong to make an honest mistake, and until someone can show them in a civil fashion that that's just what they've done, they have NOTHING to be ashamed of!

First, to say that no society has survived while embracing homosexuality...where is the evidence for this? I must have missed the history lesson in HS about the rise and fall of fag-loving societies.

And second, I hope everyone understands the implications of calling homosexuality a 'threat.' How do people generally respond to threats? This kind of thing incites violence and retaliation in an environment that is already hostile to homosexuality. It wasn't even a month ago that an 8th grade boy was shot to death because he was gay. This sort of hate speech shouldn't be allowed by anyone, let alone someone sitting office in our government.

So, fuck Sally Kerns and any other tragically narrow-minded homophobic fuck knob that exists out there. The threat our society is facing right now is more accurately people like you.

First, to say that no society has survived while embracing homosexuality...where is the evidence for this? I must have missed the history lesson in HS about the rise and fall of fag-loving societies.

And second, I hope everyone understands the implications of calling homosexuality a 'threat.' How do people generally respond to threats? This kind of thing incites violence and retaliation in an environment that is already hostile to homosexuality. It wasn't even a month ago that an 8th grade boy was shot to death because he was gay. This sort of hate speech shouldn't be allowed by anyone, let alone someone sitting office in our government.

So, fuck Sally Kerns and any other tragically narrow-minded homophobic fuck knob that exists out there. The threat our society is facing right now is more accurately people like you.

Sounds like we could use a master race, Sally. Oh wait, that doesn't sound good, does it? A final solution, perhaps? The unabashed hatred in her words is not only disgraceful for their content, but the emotions behind it. Anyone who reads the Bible, Christian or not, knows that Jesus reached out to the fringe elements of society at the time: women, prostitutes, Samaritans, and many, many more. His message was not one of hatred, and twisting that message to support this kind of hatred is the exact opposite of what the Bible seems to intend.

Honestly, what she's saying is horrific. If she said this about blacks, Jews, or other groups she would be out of office in a heartbeat, and I hold out hope that she'll be ousted for this, too. Believe what you want about homosexuality as a sin or not, that's personal, but when you cast aspersions about a "gay conspiracy" you're creating the most malicious of falsehoods.

Eurgh. If only I could talk to her.

Dear Rep. Kerns ---

I am an American. I am not an invader, I am not attacking you and i am not interfering with your life in any way.

I hope you love your husband wholeheartedly, and I hope he loves you the same way. I hope your family is happy and functional and as wonderful as you always wanted.

You're an adult, and I trust you can make your own decisions regarding your family. I do wish you would consider me just as worthy, and give me the right to make my own decisions for my own happiness.

As a citizen, I can make choices regarding my government and as a human being, I can make my own decisions about relationships. Don't treat me as your child.

I am in Oklahoma City and I am listening, Rep. Kern.

A lot of people in Oklahoma City are listening. The problem for me is that I hear a lot from Rep. Kern. I hear her disdain for women and the ability for them to control the rights to their own bodies. Rep. Kern is not only outspoken on anti-gay rehtoric, but also outspoken on choice issues and had authored plenty of anti-choice bills in the OK Legislature. She is a champion for everything that my morals and values are against. Sally Kern and I represent a binary if there ever was one.

So, what do I do? What do we do? We do exactly what she is so against, we work as hard as we can to elect officials who do not spout hate speech and see a society with diversity and respect for all. We work hard to pass hate crime legislation that includes gender and sexual orientation. We work together.

Here's my response:

Dear Representative Sally Kern,

I was sickened to hear your recorded comments about gay American citizens. I cannot imagine an excusable or rational reason for making such hateful and nonfactual remarks about this marginalized sector of law-abiding Americans.

To call our gay citizens a greater threat than terrorists, as well as "deadly," a "spreading cancer," and not equal to the rest of society is extreme, and a dangerous incitement to violence against members of our own society who have broken no laws.

What if a person in authority used similar language to describe a group to which you belong, such as Christians? How would that change your perspective on this kind of language?

Your tirade was not a "debate." A debate involves making an honest effort to listen to everyone's points. That recording was a rant filled with inaccuracies and a hatred for a group of people you don't understand (and some of whom are your constituents). You have made it clear with your impenitent response that you are not willing to listen to the thoughts of others with differing views, including your own constituents. This is not a debate.

As an individual, you have a right to hold whatever views you wish. As an elected official, you have the duty to serve all your constituents, whether they adhere to your personal religious beliefs or not. You have made it clear that you intend to harm your gay constituents through the legislative process whenever you get the chance. It seems that your personal biases are preventing you from discharging your duty.

Your right to free speech does allow you to say just about any nonsensical thing you wish, but the attendant responsibility is that you use this right wisely so that it still has meaning.

I urge you to visit with some of your gay constituents and the organizations that advocate them to learn more about your fellow citizens, so that you may fear them less.

xxx

Representative Sally Kern
Oklahoma House of Representatives

March 11, 2008

Dear Representative Sally Kern,

I was sickened to hear your recorded comments about gay American citizens. I cannot imagine an excusable or rational reason for making such hateful and nonfactual remarks about this marginalized sector of law-abiding Americans.

To call our gay citizens a greater threat than terrorists, as well as "deadly," a "spreading cancer," and not equal to the rest of society is extreme, and a dangerous incitement to violence against members of our own society who have broken no laws.

What if a person in authority used similar language to describe a group to which you belong, such as Christians? How would that change your perspective on this kind of language?

Your tirade was not a "debate." A debate involves making an honest effort to listen to everyone's points. That recording was a rant filled with inaccuracies and a hatred for a group of people you don't understand (and some of whom are your constituents). You have made it clear with your impenitent response that you are not willing to listen to the thoughts of others with differing views, including your own constituents. This is not a debate.

As an individual, you have a right to hold whatever views you wish. As an elected official, you have the duty to serve all your constituents, whether they adhere to your personal religious beliefs or not. You have made it clear that you intend to harm your gay constituents through the legislative process whenever you get the chance. It seems that your personal biases are preventing you from discharging your duty.

Your right to free speech does allow you to say just about any nonsensical thing you wish, but the attendant responsibility is that you use this right wisely so that it still has meaning.

I urge you to visit with some of your gay constituents and the organizations that advocate them to learn more about your fellow citizens, so that you may fear them less.

Sincerely,

xxx

Ellen just did a thing on this on her show! She tried calling the rep. Unsuccessfully, surprise surprise.

Has anybody else noticed that she is becoming more of a gay advocate latly? She has been more active and vocal about gay issues this season more then I have ever seen.