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Sally Kern must be studying Hitlers play book. Hitler demonized Jews by saying we controlled the worlds commerce and banks. Kern thinks gay money is being used to control the political process. Hitler considered Jews the personification of the Devil. Kern thinks LGBT people are the personification of the sin undermining Americas Christian society. Hitler believed that Jews were the springboard for sedition. Kern believes that good citizenship is not within the realm of LGBT people because we are not good Christians. Hitler believed Jews have always been a people with definite racial characteristics and never a religion. Kern believes all religions are not equal. I could go on and on. So, who exactly is Sally Kern, and why is she getting my back up? Well, shes a Republican member of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives where she chairs the Social Services committee. She is a former social studies teacher and the wife of a Baptist minister. She is also the woman whose anti-gay speech to a local Republican group in her home state was posted on YouTube. She thought she was speaking to about 50 people. Well, over 1 million have listened to her and shes heard from thousands around the country how her words inflame hatred against LGBT people. In her speech, Kern said that homosexuality is a death knell for this country. She went on to say I honestly think its the biggest threat even, that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam. So what is it about us that threatens her so? It seems, like others in the Radical Christian Right, Kern is bothered by our mere existence. Oh, shes not proposing to send us to the type of camps Hitler sent my relatives to. But, she sure does think the fact that were in her community, teaching in her schools, talking about our issues and expressing our democratic options as threatening to the principles of Christianity to which she ascribes. Because of LGBT people, the United State is no longer a civil society because our existence undermines what she considers decent, respectful, moral behavior. Kern thinks the notion of a civil society is a Christian principle. Were also undermining another Christian principle--good citizenship. According to Kern, good citizens know what is right and what is wrong. I dont take issue with that per say. The issue for Kern is that if someone decides on their own, without using her interpretation of the Bible, what is right and wrong well then were on the path to damnation. Using her logic, people who support LGBT rights are not good citizens because what theyre supporting is wrong. Bottom line, were all sinners. Dont be fooled by her love the sinner, hate the sin lingo, Kern thinks we can practice our lifestyle but that the homosexual agendawhatever that isis destroying our nation. So, what exactly is the death knell or the bigger threat than terrorism that is implicit to the homosexual agenda? Plain and simplemoney. Kern thinks its an abomination that gay people are motivated and that some of the wealthier folks in the LGBT community or our allies have used their money to impact elections and public policy. She singles out Tim Gill, the inventor of Quark Express, Pat Stryker, the heiress to a surgical products fortune, Jared Polis, the founder of BlueMountain.com who is now running for Congress out of Colorado and Rutt Bridges, a Colorado-based entrepreneur, for using their personal wealth to impact the state of Colorado politics. Calling them the Gang of Four, Kern credited them with changing the Colorado state house from Republican to Democratic and said that their goal is to intimidate Republicans. Well, I recently spoke with Juan and Ken Ahonen-Jover about Kerns intimidation contention. Juan and Ken run a site called equalitygiving.org which helps LGBT donors make informed decisions about their political contributions. Sally is saying poor us, we dont have power, gays are taking over. Its all part of this whole plan of trying to play the victim. We all know the right has the power. For them to say that they dont is preposterous, said Ken. I wish we were taking overthen I wouldnt have to rail about the indecencies we face every day as LGBT people. But Kern has the drill down. Shes taken her rhetoric right out of Hitlers playbook. Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it. Those are Hitlers words, not mine. Libby Post is the founding chair of the Empire State Pride Agenda and a political commentator on public radio, on the Web, and in print media. She can be reached at
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