This commentary piece is an example of what folks can submit to Mediamouse.org for publication. If you don't want to write something yourself but have an idea for an article, you can also suggest a story.
Almost a month has gone by since Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern, spewed her hate for all to hear. Many people have heard Kern's speech, and for those who have not, it is worth hearing:
The open and public demonstration of hate displayed by this political leader is appalling. The fact that over 100 Republican constituents gave this woman applause is even more disgraceful.
I firmly believe in the constitutional right of free speech, however, I also believe that political leaders have a personal and political responsibility to maintain professional ethics, while upholding the safety and security of all US citizens, regardless of one's sexual orientation.
Sally Kern's speech did not only completely disregard and overtly discriminate against the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community, but also belittle the many victims and survivors of cancer and terrorism. Along with giving little disregard or empathy to the families and friends of our military service persons, the families and friends of those victimized by the Oklahoma bombings, the war, and those affected by cancer.
For Sally Kerns to equate cancer and terrorism in the same respects is one matter, but to demonize one's sexual orientation as the eventual destruction of our nation is quite another matter altogether.
Sally Kern has, in effect, opened a floodgate for potential hate crime and has basically given her permission and support for such actions. Just ask the families of Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena, Danny Overstreet, and many others who have died because they didn't fit into Kern's Christian ideal of human existence, how public speech can have an affect.
The only positive that can come of Kern's speech is that we all know where she stands and we also now know that Oklahoma is not a very friendly place to visit, live, spend our money... because of open and encouraged discrimination.
When our so-called leaders can spew venom from their mouths, and get an applause for doing so, we need to truly start looking at the direction our country is going and who we put in office to lead us there.
Rep. Sally Kern was asked recently on a local TV news program what would she do if she had a gay son. She replied she would love him all the more as he would need it.
Yet, Kern continues to insist that gays are more dangerous than terrorists or Islam.
If there is a mother proclaiming to the world that gays are more dangerous than terrorists and Islam and hypothetically has a gay son, and in a public forum has said if she had a gay son she would love him all the more, she has a severe mental condition and has forfeited any resemblance of respect for her virulent views from any decent respectable person with any molecule of sense in their education.
How can she proclaim a mother's love for her own son, yet condemn the gay children of other mothers of America?
Why does Sally Kern consider the love for her own children to be more definitive than the love other mothers have for their gay sons, and who don't call them dangerous to our country?
I'm not interested in the sexual orientation of Rep. Kern's children, yet Kern is fascinated with the private lives of total strangers who have caused her no harm whatsoever. I am interested in her hypocrisy.
People and organizations such as those that support Rep.Kern are desirous of only one thing and that is to control others in order to stamp out anything resembling "otherness".
Such a country, if they had their way would no longer be the Democracy Kern claims to be defending, but rather a Theocracy, devoted to the practice of religion, much like the Islamic countries Kern denounces as dangerous.