Report: Kern Gets Conservative Help

From OneNewsNow.com ~ Conservative groups are rushing to the defense of an Oklahoma lawmaker who has been branded a "gay basher" for decrying the homosexual lifestyle.

Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern (R) sparked an angry uproar in many liberal circles recently when she declared that "the homosexual agenda is destroying the nation" and is a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism or Islam. She also stated that "studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades." Kern has subsequently said she meant to say "generations" instead of "decades." (See earlier story)

After a homosexual activist group posted her comments on YouTube, Kern has been accused of homophobia, bigotry and "Republican hate speech," among other things.

Peter LaBarbera with the conservative group Americans for Truth About Homosexuality says a "torrent of homosexual hate" was unleashed against Representative Kern, including some messages threatening physical harm, prompting her to hire a bodyguard.

According to LaBarbera, those attacking Kern did some "careful editing" to a secretly recorded copy of her speech. "For example, they left out the part where she says, 'The book that I base my life upon is God's Word, and it says to love everybody -- and I try to love everybody, but not everybody's lifestyle is equal.' Well," he continues, "they just started with the part where it says 'not everybody's lifestyle is equal.' They didn't want to have Sally Kern on tape saying that she loves everybody."

The Americas for Truth spokesman argues that the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which posted the redacted version of her speech, is trying to make example of Kern. "They are trying to show that if you speak out forcefully against the gay agenda in this country, that you will be demonized [and that] this flood of hate will be unleashed against you -- and that's what they did," he states.

LaBarbera says although it is debatable that the homosexual agenda is a larger threat than terrorism, most social conservatives would agree that homosexual activism is a threat to the U.S.

The Thomas More Law Center has agreed to represent Kern should she face any legal action for her comments.

Share |

OSBI Investigates Kern Death Threats

From The Associated Press ~ The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into death threats against a state lawmaker who told a political group that the gay agenda poses a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism and "is just destroying this nation," an OSBI spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Gov. Brad Henry said he was disappointed in Republican Rep. Sally Kern's comments, which were recorded and posted on the video sharing Web site YouTube on Friday by the Washington, D.C.-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Henry said he believes public officials should "cool the rhetoric."

"I don't think it represents Oklahoma," Henry said. He said his religious beliefs teach him to be tolerant of diverse lifestyles and viewpoints.

"Think before you speak," the governor said. "Oklahomans have love and tolerance for all people."

OSBI agents met with Kern, of Oklahoma City, at the state Capitol Monday afternoon after she received thousands of e-mails and telephone calls from people reacting to her comments to a group of Republicans about gays and their lifestyle.

Share |

GOP Caucus Gives Kern A Standing Ovation; False Allegation About Son Hits The Internet

By Mick Hinton, Tulsa World ~ A state lawmaker who declared that homosexuality is a greater threat to the United States than terrorism said Monday that she received a standing ovation from her fellow Republican legislators Monday.

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said she has been barraged with more than 5,000 e-mails since she made national headlines over the weekend. Most of the communications were critical, and several contained language that Kern said she has never heard before.

{The false assertion that Kern has a gay son has sent the blogosphere into hyperspin. The assertion is based on a court document that contains a name similar to that of Kern's son, but it's not him...and at the time the document was filed, the son wasn't in the State of Oklahoma and was not yet a teenager.}

The lawmaker related some of the e-mails to Republican caucus members in a closed meeting Monday. She later said the group gave her a standing ovation.

Some of the attacks on Kern have been vicious; a string of posts on a local Democrat forum makes allegations about a person the posts claim is her son, but the names don't match and in the time frame of the allegations, the family wasn't even in Oklahoma. The same allegation was aired as part of a KWTV-Channel 9 report Monday night.

Share |

Homosexual Activists Want Kern Censured

Homosexual activists want Rep. Sally Kern, Oklahoma City Republican, censured for remarks she made to a GOP group.

But Kern said today she will not apologize for comments she made about homosexuals, and does not believe her words will result in censure by fellow lawmakers.

The Cimarron Alliance Foundation, an Oklahoma City-based group, has sent a letter to House Speaker Chris Benge stating that Kern, R-Oklahoma City, "must apologize or be censured by the House of Representatives."

Benge, R-Tulsa, has no comment on the letter, said his spokeswoman, Jennifer Mock.

Kern said she told a gathering outside the Capitol recently about efforts by gay rights groups to target conservatives in recent elections.

"I said nothing that was not true, I said nothing out of hate and I don't believe my colleagues will censure me," Kern said today. "I was speaking about the homosexual activists who are aggressively funding pro-homosexual candidates against conservative Republicans," Kern said. "In 2006, they targeted conservatives across the nation, mostly at the state and local levels. They took out 50 of them."

Share |