The Gay Thing: Oklahoma Bills Seek to Punish Dissent, Block Gay Marriage

Now that same-sex marriage has pretty much become inevitable in the United States, and is indeed reality in the majority of states, a frantic backlash has begun to emerge. New proposals, bills and laws--filled with obvious, naked animus--have been popping up like weeds. The fact that these proposed "fixes" to the perceived problem are quite obviously extremely mean spirited, anti-American, and blatantly unconstitutional doesn't seem to stem the tide.

Doesn't she look pleasant?
Rep. Sally Kern (R-Obviously)
Image from source, TulsaWorld

At the root of all of this is hatred, which has been wrapped in religion, excused by it, in fact. These legislators and their supporters will steadfastly insist that this is "different" from the way interracial couples used to be treated. They'll rhapsodize about how wrong it was to treat different races with discrimination, and then excuse the very same behavior toward gay couples. They drag God and religion into the mix, when in fact, this has nothing to do with their religion at all. It's a manufactured, phony, artificial complaint. Only knee-jerk, fact-free "truthiness" gives it an air of credence at all.

Here's the deal: civil marriage isn't a religious issue in the first place. Though there are religions that are supportive of it (and hey, legislators, what about them?), religion is utterly beside the point. Civil marriage is a legal contract, as religious in nature at the clerk level as is a building permit or business license. The clerk's, officiant's or civil servant's participation in this contract hasn't got any more religious component than whatever the couple themselves bring to it (if any). It can't be against their religion, because it doesn't have anything to do with their religion.

It's not different. The hatred is the same.
Image from America.gov.

Even less can be said for any wedding/formal industry professional selling a product or service. They are not participating in the event at all, they're selling a cake, a dress, renting a tux or reception hall, taking pictures or recording video. That's not "participating in," or "celebrating." It's doing their jobs. Moreover, there is no Biblical verse (and we're usually talking about Christian objections in this country) against selling a product or service to "sinners." By that book, we are all sinners, and by being in that industry, there is a 100% chance of selling to people who are not of the same exact faith as the seller.

The disingenuousness is really starting to make me crazy. For decades, centuries even, people have been getting married in all faiths, no faiths, mixed faiths. There are re-marriages, open marriages, marriages of convenience, shotgun weddings. In some states, cousins marrying, minors marrying, death row convicts marrying! But--horrors--gay people marrying? All of the sudden, bakers are so religiously delicate, they get the vapors at baking a cake for a customer. It. Is. A. Bogus. Issue.

It's a newly invented argument, to allow certain people to legally discriminate against others. And it's being disguised as "religious freedom." It doesn't hurt that it doubles as the fulfillment of the martyr complex many religious people seem to have. But to see elected officials trot out ridiculous legislation that seeks to fire people, punish people, and scream to the rafters "you're not the boss of me, US Supreme Court!?" Well, it takes balls, I'll give 'em that. But they're going to lose, they're going to lose big. And they are going to look really awful in retrospect. History will treat them like it treated the worst bigots of the Civil Rights Era.

[Excerpt]

Bills targeting same-sex marriage advanced by Oklahoma House panel
 
Bills discontinuing state marriage licenses and forbidding state and local government employees, including judges, from complying with federal rulings on same-sex marriage advanced from the Oklahoma House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. . .

Read more at: Tulsa World

The Gay Thing: Oklahoma Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Deemed Unconstitutional

Oklahoma--a redder state than even Utah--has become the latest state to have their state constitutional amendment declared un-Constitutional. Which is great. Unfortunately, actual marriages are on hold pending appeal. On one hand, having a stay in place sucks, delaying equality just that much longer. On the other, it prevents the "limbo" period Utah married couples are feeling, having had a stay put in place after a period of legality.

The potential good news is that both Oklahoma and Utah are in the 10th Circuit, which could mean a combined case, which could get this thing wrapped up a little quicker. At least I hope so. In any event, marriage equality rocks on!

Image from source, CNN

[Excerpt]

Federal judge: Oklahoma ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that an Oklahoma law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples violates the U.S. Constitution, giving yet another victory to same-sex marriage supporters. . .

Read more at: CNN

So, THAT Happened: Satanist Group Unveils Proposed Monument for Oklahoma Courthouse

This made me laugh myself silly. I've been saying for years, if you allow religion in your politics, you don't get to limit it to just one religion, you have to let them all in. And there are a lot of them, some--shall we say--less than mainstream. I'm sure that most of the supporters of the Ten Commandments monument are horrified by the design of this one. But I can't help myself, I find it hilarious. It was clearly designed for both reactions.

Image from source, Yahoo! News

Unintended consequences, people.

[Excerpt]

Group unveils Satan statue design for Oklahoma

A satanic group unveiled designs Monday for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan it wants to put at the Oklahoma state Capitol, where a Ten Commandments monument was placed in 2012. . .

Read more at: Yahoo! News

Satanists to Build Monument Next to Oklahoma Ten Commandments?

Image from source, Wonkette

Unintended consequences. That's what "good Christians" tempt, every time they try to insert their religion into matters of state. If you allow The Ten Commandments or a crèche at the state courthouse, you have to allow similar things from other religions. They're not all "nice" religions, from the Christian perspective. But they should have thought of that, shouldn't they? And what constitutes a "religion," anyway? Couldn't just about anybody invent a religion, ordain themselves a priest, and--ahem--erect any kind of monument their religion might think of?

[Excerpt]

Satanists Generously Offer To Build Monument Next To Oklahoma Statehouse’s 10 Commandments Display

In a move that pretty much says “I’ll see your rhetorical question and raise you an ugly public monument,” a group calling itself the “Satanic Temple” has offered to display a big ol’ monument in honor of the Hornéd One, to be installed on the Statehouse grounds near the state’s display of the 10 Commandments. These are the dadaist religious trolls who made “God hate Fred Phelps’s mom last night back in July. Best of all, the epic trolling appears to be sanctioned under the 2009 law that erected the 10 Commandments at the statehouse. We hope the Pastafarians will be next, because noodles are yummy. . .

Read more at Wonkette

Oklahoma National Guard Drops ALL Spousal Benefits to Avoid Dealing with Gay Marrieds

Gov. Mary Fallin (R-Of Course) looking mighty
Liz Cheney-esque. Image from Think Progress.

I can't even. . . This is just so pathetic and immature. Grow the hell up, Oklahoma! Those "Oklahomo" jokes just can't be that bad.

[Excerpt]

Oklahoma Drops National Guard Benefits For All Couples To Avoid Serving Same-Sex Couples
 
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) announced earlier this month that state-owned National Guard facilities will no longer allow any married couples to apply for spousal benefits, regardless of whether they are same-sex or opposite-sex. The Supreme Court’s decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act means that servicemembers with same-sex spouses are now eligible for federal benefits. Fallin’s unusual tactic is designed to avoid having to recognize those couples, which she asserts would violate Oklahoma’s constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Right Wing World Tries to Tie Murder of Australian Man to Trayvon Martin Case (?!)

I really shouldn't overthink some of the stranger things to come out of the Right Wing World alternate reality machine. But it can be so strange what gets them cranked up, and how it echoes through the right-wing blogosphere. Drudge or Rush or some lucky also-ran will come up with a eureka idea--nearly always an over-reaction to something, or even a manufactured outrage--and suddenly it's everywhere, even leaking into the so-called liberal media.

Image from source, the great NewsCorpse

This time, I'm really scratching my head. Three boys in Oklahoma were "bored," and decided to kill somebody. They picked an unlucky Australian young man named Chris Lane, a good looking guy out for a jog. For no other reason than something to do, as far as any report I've seen has to say. Most peoples' reactions were astonishment, disgust and horror. "Wow, what's wrong with kids today," was my initial reaction. Later, the boys (aged 15, 16 and 17) were apprehended, put in jail and charged as adults. Their races--something that hadn't even crossed my mind--were black, black and white going by their photos, though as with any person, there could be other nationalities in the mix.

For some reason, the powers-that-be in Right Wing World have decided that this story is somehow analogous to the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case. It's being pushed all over the place, and causing little flame-wars on Facebook and Twitter. But I completely don't get it. I mean, I know that conservatives can be really, really bad at analogies. But where is the comparison here? George Zimmerman killed an unarmed kid, and the cops let him go, using his flimsy story as justification for "stand your ground." Absent a public outcry and media firestorm, we wouldn't even know about the case. The outrage--initially, and throughout the developing story--was the botched investigation, and lack of scrutiny to the death of the kid, and the sketchy character of the killer.

How this compares to three teenagers killing a guy for sport is anyone's guess. As far as we know, there was no racial motivation. The boys were not let go. There's not much ambiguity about exactly what happened (other than sheer disbelief). Nobody is jumping to the defense of the boys, calling into question Chris Lane's character, or calling him a "thug." Nobody is setting up a legal defense fund for them, and donating money (and guns!) to them. Nobody from any side is sticking up for kids who killed a man just to watch him die! There is almost nothing here to analogize to the Trayvon Martin case.

[Excerpt]

Still In The Dark: Fox News Continues To Misunderstand The Tragedy Of Trayvon Martin

When news broke about the brutal and senseless killing of Chris Lane, a young Australian studying in Oklahoma, there was universal disgust and sympathy. It was the sort of random crime that leaves everyone struggling to comprehend how it could occur. Everyone except Fox News, who immediately set out to politicize it to advance their racist agenda. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

CNN's Wolf Blitzer Embarrassed On Camera by Atheist

Image from source, Raw Story

As an atheist, I can get tripped up on language, so I shouldn't be too hard on Wolf Blitzer. I had to train myself to say gesundheit when somebody sneezes, rather than "god bless you." But not all nearly automatic religious phrases are so easy to extract from the vocabulary. There are so many, most people probably don't even realize they come from the Bible. "Oh, god," and "Jesus Christ" are just the most obvious ones. But then, I'm not a high-paid journalist on CNN, I'm a hobbyist blogger.

What Blitzer does in this clip is make the assumption that if you are from Oklahoma, you must be a Christian. And while it is kind of the default there, and in much of America, it's not something you should assume. It's like assuming that the person you are talking to is heterosexual, it's not always the case, and could be embarrassing, depending upon the question. Anyway, part of Blitzer's mindset may have been that so many people when commenting upon a tragedy automatically resort to "prayer."

Whether it's a sincere belief that it will somehow do some good, or it's just a reflexive thing to say, "I'm sending my prayers" and similar phrases just filled Facebook and Twitter, not to mention the news channels*. Most people probably mean well, and surely some are in the same situation as I am, with a religion-saturated mental English phrase book. It has something to do with why I haven't blogged about the Oklahoma tornadoes until now. What can I add to this discussion?

Sure, I'm sorry, and it's heartbreaking to see and hear the details of what's going on. I can say "my heart goes out to the survivors," of course, which is exactly as helpful as prayer, which is to say, not much. So, I donated to the Red Cross. And I'm asking you to do it too. It's not even difficult.

Just get out your cell phone, start a new text to 90999 (where you'd ordinarily put a phone number), with the message:  REDCROSS   That will automatically donate $10 to the American Red Cross, and will be added to your phone bill. It literally couldn't be easier.

[Excerpt]

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer tells atheist tornado survivor: ‘You gotta thank the Lord’

With the number of atheists continuing to rise, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday afternoon learned the danger of assuming on live television that his interviewee is a Christian.

“I guess, you gotta thank the Lord, right?” he told the survivor of a deadly tornado that ripped through Oklahoma. “Do you thank the Lord?. . .”

Read more at: Raw Story

*As an aside, I've got to say that I find the notion of prayer in these situations to be hard to fathom. To me, prayer is basically wishing, hoping, begging to get what you want, with the intensity going up according to the direness of the wish. When something good comes to pass (survival, good health, good fortune), "God answered our prayers." When something bad happens, you have to get down on your knees and pray some more. And have people pray for you, even if who you're praying for is already dead, or missing. For the missing, prayer is really perplexing. It's almost like a Schrödinger's cat exercise. Since we don't know whether the missing person is alive or dead, offering up a prayer essentially makes them that cat in the box, and our prayer can decide its fate. When in reality, that person is either really alive or dead. The prayer isn't going to change that. And you're offering these prayers to a deity that is responsible for the natural disaster in the first place! Further, what are the implications of being saved by a prayer, when there is death and devastation all around you? They didn't pray (or have loved ones who prayed for them) hard enough? They weren't worthy? 

So, now maybe you understand why I have such difficulty expressing myself and dealing with others' expressions after tragedies like this. When you are a person who puts "God" (as a concept and a being) on more or less equal footing with Superman and Yosemite Sam, it is difficult  to hear this imaginary being invoked repeatedly as though it does any good. Besides making the person who expresses the sentiment feel better, of course.

All About Rep. Sally Kern (R-Okla.), Anti-Gay Bigot

I'm still not convinced she isn't a clever
Rachel Dratch character. Image from Mediaite.

As he often does, friend and contributor Stupid Monkey Planet sent me a few blogging ideas (I was running short). But a bunch of them are all on one topic, Oklahoma Congresswoman Sally Kern (R-Obviously). So bear with me, I'm going to try to work them all into one post.

For a while now, Sally has been famous for saying incendiary things about gay people. But like a lot of the tea baggin' GOP these days, when she gets called on her outrageous remarks, she doesn't backpedal, she doubles down.  But also like many of her contemporaries (think Rick Perry's "Social Security = Ponzi Scheme"), Sally goes too big. Prime example:


[Excerpt]


GOP state legislator: Homosexuality worse than terrorism 




Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R-84) recently defended remarks she made in 2008 that homosexuality was a bigger threat than terrorism or Islam…by explaining that homosexuality is more dangerous than terrorist attacks. . .

Read more at: Mediaite


But what exactly makes Sally so anti-gay anyway? There's gotta be something. You know, like Michele Bachmann's anti-gay comments and migraines must come from (Cough! Marcus! Cough!) somewhere. And you might be right. Much like Mr. Bachmann, Mr. Kern seems to specialize in "praying away the gay." You can let history and intuition be your guide on what drives Mr. Kern.

[Excerpt]


The Untold Story About Sally Kern 

. . .Does it make sense to you to label someone who actually helps people who struggle with homosexuality as hateful, bigoted, anti-gay and an evil homophobe? The untold part of this story – which I delight to tell you now – is that behind the scenes, Rep. Sally Kern and her husband, Dr. Stephen Kern have supported First Stone Ministries for many years. Dr. Stephen Kern is the senior pastor at Olivet Baptist Church, which actually hosts some of First Stone Ministries’ support groups. The Kern’s have a special place in their hearts for our ministry to those who struggle with same-sex attractions and homosexuality. For several years before all this controversy erupted, they had put action to their love for those who are struggling and for their families. The next part of this untold story is from a current staff member with First Stone Ministries. . .

Read more at: First Stone Ministries

Sally Kern would clean up at "Really Bad
Analogy" if it were a game show.
Image of Oklahoma City Bombing from Wikipedia.

Anyway, this is only the most recent rehash from Sally about the gay being worse than terrorism. She said something similar as far back as 2008. It didn't sit well with a high school senior there, who--understandably, being that it is Oklahoma--had personal experience with terrorism, and didn't appreciate the comparison:

[Excerpt]

A letter to Sally Kern from a senior in high school in Oklahoma.

. . ."As you were not a resident of Oklahoma on that day, it could be explained why you so carelessly chose words saying that the homosexual agenda is worst than terrorism. I can most certainly tell you through my own experience that is not true. I am sure there are many people in your voting district that laid a loved one to death after the terrorist attack on Oklahoma City. I kind of doubt you'll find one of them that will agree with you. . ."

Read his letter at: Equality Florida 


Obviously, Sally was not swayed by this boy's letter. But that is not surprising. After all, she very well may be in a serious state of denial and/or cognitive dissonance, because. . .

Not--as far as I know--Sally Kern's Son.

[Excerpt]


Sally Kern Scrubs Gay Son?

Uh-oh! Could foul-mouthed Sally Kern’s secret be out of the bag?
The Oklahoma lawmaker’s homophobic remarks have been the talk of the town recently, especially her assertion that gay folk are infiltrating schools to indoctrinate children. And, sensing a critical national spotlight, Kern made a very suspicious change to her official government homepage. . .

Read more at: Qweerty

Sally Kern's Most Outrageously Offensive Statements

Sally Kern, or (hopefully), Rachel Dratch doing an
offensive bigot character. From source, BuzzFlash

Right now, the NAACP is trying to get Representative Sally Kern (R-Ok.) to resign for making outrageous statements about black people and women. Kern thinks both categories of people don't work hard enough, and probably should have kept that little butt nugget of information to herself, whether she thinks it or not. Since she said it (and believe me, I put it nicer words than she did), she's had a lot of backlash, understandably. And she's offered up a lame "oopsie, that's not what I think" half-assed apology of sorts. According to Sally, it came out wrong, and she's not really a sexist bigot. Funny, considering how often she says horrible things.

Below are examples of this woman's blinding nastiness (though whoever collected the statements seems to be allergic to apostrophes).

[Excerpt]

22 INSANE Things Representative Sally Kern Has Said

A collection of quotes from the worst, most horrible, bigoted woman in the US government. Sally Kern makes Sarah Palin look like a smart, sane lady. If you want, you can email Sally at sallykern@okhouse.gov. BE CIVIL, this woman is crazy. . .

#2 - “Not everybodys lifestyle is equal, just like not all religions are equal, gays are an even bigger threat than terrorism or Islam, which I think is a big threat. . .”

Read them all at: BuzzFeed

Oklahoma Accidentally Removes Protections for Race & Religion

So, some homophobic jerks in Oklahoma wanted to rip protections away from gay people. . .and they sorta missed. By a mile.

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for pointing me to this hilarious story.

[Excerpt]

IN SEEKING TO STRIP LGBT OKLAHOMANS OF HATE CRIMES PROTECTIONS, OKLAHOMA REMOVES PROTECTIONS FOR RACE AND RELIGION

In October, President Barack Obama signed The Matthew Shepard Act, expanding the reach of the 1969 hate crimes law to "authorize the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability." Previously the law only allowed for the federal prosecution of anyone who "willingly injures, intimidates or interferes with another person, or attempts to do so, by force because of the other person's race, color, religion or national origin. . ."

Read more at: Out in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma's War On Terrorism Plate

Image from OnlineDMV.com

Let me start by saying, I don't hate America. I don't love, coddle or want to appease terrorists or terrorism. Thinking that over-the-top, wrapped in the flag patriotism is silly doesn't change those facts.

I work at a sign company, and right after 9/11 we immediately started making American Flag decals and other patriotic signage, both for our own vehicles, and for our customers (often for free). Nothing too over-the-top, but we were festooned like it was the bicentennial. But very shortly after that, we started getting requests for things like the crying eagle in front of the burning towers surrounded by the flag. Even more puzzling, "God Bless America 9-11-01" surrounding the Pentagon with burning towers in the middle.

Even though it was that same month of September, I was slightly nauseated. I mean, I know these people were motivated by the same impulses we were with our flag stickers, but there was something about these messages that just seemed somehow off to me. It was the same feeling I had when, right after the Gulf War started, I spied people wearing desert camouflage, and T-shirts with "Operation Desert Storm!" logos on the front.

We brand wars and even terrorist attacks just as much as we brand our food (see post below).

But somebody please tell me this is somebody's idea of a bad joke. Oklahoma just can't be offering this "special" license plate, can they? It isn't just the sentiment, it's the design. It is just beyond amateurish. A clip art eagle? CLIP ART?!? Pixelated cammo? This is just wrong on so many levels. . .