Monday, March 10, 2008

Oklahoma State University Columnist Responds to Rep. Sally Kern's Anti-Gay Rant

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, is rapidly becoming a national joke.

Kern's idiotic and rabidly anti-gay comments, released a couple of days ago in a YouTube audio file, have been widely and soundly ridiculed, making her (and the entire state of Oklahoma) look foolish and mean-spirited.

Searching the web tonight, we found dozens of commentaries of Kern's remarks, almost all of them highly critical.

We want to highlight one of the best Oklahoma responses we found. It's by an Oklahoma State student writer named Breanne Schmidt. Here's part of her letter to Rep. Kern:

I must congratulate you on your recent speech. In it you achieved levels of hatred, ignorance and intolerance I once thought unreachable, even by Oklahoma’s incredibly conservative standards. Kudos to you, ma’am.

All joking aside, I just thought I’d let you know that you have effectively made quite the fool of yourself.

This letter has taken me quite a while to write. I’m so mad I’ve been at a complete loss for words since the tape of your speech was released. But I have moved past anger and entered a state of confusion.

I want to know how you can compare homosexuality to cancer.

I want to know how you can ignore science and claim people choose homosexuality when there is clear evidence to the contrary.

* * *

I want to know how you can claim to be such a good Christian while defying the Bible that tells you not to judge, to treat others as you want to be treated and to love the sinner and hate only the sin.

I want to know how you can hate other human beings for something that has absolutely no effect on you whatsoever.

* * *

I am also wondering if you’re aware that the United States is not a theocracy. If you weren’t, I highly suggest you look into doing some research on the separation of church and state.

As a journalist I am a firm believer in free speech and the First Amendment.

I know you have every right to say what you want and what you will, but as a representative of others, you have to be smart about running your mouth.

I know your comments certainly do not represent my views, and I wish you to stop speaking on my behalf.

I hope others are as inspired by your speech as I am and show their outrage at the polls in the next election. I will be sending money to your opponent’s campaign.

Thanks to you, Oklahoma is yet again the butt of jokes. I hope you’re as ashamed of yourself as we are of you.

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