(OKLAHOMA CITY) Are the mayor and public library Commission going on the homo-hating warpath in 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 attend "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.
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