Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Oklahoma Race For Governor Reveals Anti-Gay Conspiracy

As Gossip Boy, Good As You, and other blogs are starting to report, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett wants to be Oklahoma's next governor and it has been revealed that he thinks the way to the governor's office is via a concerted anti-gay jihad, including packing the Metropolitan Library Commission of Oklahoma County with anti-gay extremists. Not surprising, another figure in the conspiracy is nutcase Sally Kern's husband, Steve Kern, pastor of the Olivet Baptist Church. We have always known that anti-gay rhetoric is cynically used by far right candidates to court religious extremist voters, but it is rare that we find such revealing evidence of a plan to dupe and manipulate the fundie voters. Here are highlights from Gossip Boy:
*
A special investigation has revealed Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has his eyes on the state executive office and is working closely with religious extremists to fill the Metropolitan Library Commission of Oklahoma County with anti-gay members in order to court the fundamentalist vote.
*
Cornett and Steve Kern, pastor of the Olivet Baptist Church and husband to State Rep. Sally Kern, are being accused of teaming up to rid the library system of all gay and lesbian materials, as well as those their church-based philosophies find objectionable. A source close to Cornett alleges, “The Mayor is looking to become Oklahoma’s next governor in 2010. With the conservatism rampant in the state, he feels now is the time to fully side with fundamentalist Christians in order to get their backing. He believes one way of doing that is going on an all-out assault on gay citizens. Even if things are done that would later be overturned in court at a great cost to the City, he will walk away a hero to certain people.”
*
The insider also stated, “The Mayor is aware that Ernest Istook is returning to Oklahoma to join the governor’s race again. Istook has the conservative base locked in, so the Mayor must shake loose Istook supporters if he is to get past the Republican primary. Gays are easy targets for him. He tried to use them in 2006, but it backfired. This round he wants to make it clear he is without a doubt against gay rights.”
*
Gossip Boy received other tips regarding Cornett’s ambitions and the scheme to appease Christian extremists, who sided against him in the 2006 race for 5th District Congress, and began a covert ploy to expose it. A reporter posed as a citizen working with the Mayor to push gay and lesbian literature out of city libraries and contacted Steve Kern.
*
Here's what Steve Kern had to say about gays: We have to get rid of that [information on gays in libraries] and start curing those sinners. It’s past time that this nation stopped placating sin and start putting them in education programs. Courts can force drug offenders into treatment centers and violent people into anger management. There’s no reason our courts can’t do that with homos.
*
The Gossip Boy post deserves a full read because it also looks in detail at the hold the Christianists already have over the Metropolitan Library Commission. The picture that emerges is one that makes it clear that the Oklahoma City area is NOT one in which any remotely progressive business should consider as a relocation option. I shudder to think what it must be like to be gay and live in such a homophobic area of the country.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Homo-Hater's Hubby Gets
Outed in Phone Call--
Gay Men Need "Education Programs"
________________________


Mayor and Public Library Commission
Going on the Homo-Hating Warpath?



by James Nimmo

(OKLAHOMA CITY) The anti-gay forces of the Oklahoma GOPer Party and their religious fundie faction are making plans to further suppress the civil rights of Oklahoma's gay and lesbian taxpayers.

Having knocked out our marriage options with State Question 711 in 2004, that outlaws same gender marriage as well as straight common law marriages, next on their revenge agenda is taking over the Oklahoma County Metro Public Library System (www.metrolibrary.org) by packing the 28-member board (http://tinyurl.com/5ozooo) with religious extremists who, caring nothing for the Constitution, believe that their private religious practices should be followed in selecting and maintaining the public library system's collection of books.

This is not the first time Oklahoma County library services have been targeted as easy pickings for the politically challenged. Remember the Tin Drum video seizure (http://tinyurl.com/6ges4j) and Rep Sally Kern's first foray into the public light of day (http://tinyurl.com/675xs9)?

An Oklahoma City-based gay/lesbian news website (www.Gossip-boy.com) has made public that Mayor Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City is planning to pack the public library Commission of Oklahoma County with more of his favorite fundie friends in order to prove to ultra conservative Oklahoma voters and out-of-state contributors that the Ten Commandments is his Constitution, and not the one on display in the National Archives, when he announces his run for governor of Oklahoma in the near future.

The civil rights of gay and lesbian taxpayers as well as the tax money of all the County's citizens must be subverted to further the political shenanigans of a repressive, regressive snake-oil salesman.

Let me suggest that the word "public" has a different meaning to religious fundies than it does to you and me. As we've seen in the eight years of the Bush Administration, words are given a facade of meaning which disguises the true purpose the words will effect. Words for them are wolves in sheep's clothing, a shell game of meaning.

The article at (http://tinyurl.com/6dcsaz) on the Gossip Boy website has just been posted and reveals much that I've suspected was going on behind the cloak of righteousness that deeply deranged religious people like to wear.

Among some of the blockbuster revelations in the article are Steve Kern's remarks, husband of infamous YouTube Queen and gun slinger Rep.Sally Kern (http://tinyurl.com/yr63qo), that have been transcribed from a phone call wherein he uses derogatory language about gay men, thinking he's talking to one of his brothers-in-Christ. Steve Kern says gay men should be forced by law to go to "education programs".

As you recover from that breath-taking idea don't even think of using the "Nazi" word; instead use a new comparison--Pol Pot of Cambodia.

Just what would the syllabus of this "education program" contain? Anatomical drawings of humans in various states of arousal used for stimulus in shock therapy and aversion demonstrations?

Would Ted Haggard be brought in for a power point presentation?

What would be the final "exam" (final solution?) to this "education program"? Doses of Viagra administered to the "students" with naked, supine, voluptuous women brought in to make sure the men have learned their "lessons"?

Who would do the "grading"? Steve Kern? Sally Kern? Would there be a grading curve? Would re-testing be allowed? Just what would be considered failure?

The Gossip Boy (www.gossip-boy.com) article is excellent and reviews the background people will need to know who have either forgotten, are new to the situation, or are just now getting involved in the issues of religiously propelled suppression of civil rights. I've been a 16-year observer of the Oklahoma County Library Commission and this is exactly the article I wish I could have written. Though I had no hand in its writing I will vouch for the accuracy of the background material provided.

This year the Oklahoma Legislature is dominated by a GOPer majority in both Houses for the first time in state history. There is now no parliamentary way for bills injurious to civil equality to be killed in committee by a friendly Democratic chair.

I don't see any assistance on the horizon; it's going to be all our fight, sink or swim.

We gays and lesbians are in for a tough ride in Oklahoma that will test the resolve of our commitment and the strength of our character to ensure our birth right as American citizens.