“Studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades. So it’s the death knell of this country.”

“I honestly think it’s the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam – which I think is a big threat, OK?”

When Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern said these disgraceful and disgusting words, she thought no one was listening.

Speaking before a group of her supporters at what she believed was a private gathering, the Republican lawmaker viciously attacked LGBT Americans. But, every word of Rep. Kern’s bigoted tirade was caught on tape. Take a minute to read more of Rep. Kern’s anti-gay diatribe, where she says things like:
 

“The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation.”

“I’m not gay bashing, but according to God’s word that is not the right kind of lifestyle. It has deadly consequences for those people involved in it.”

“You know gays are infiltrating city councils.”

And you can listen to Rep. Kern first-hand on this video:

After she was exposed, Rep. Kern refused to apologize. In fact, she has even appeared on television to repeat her outrageous assertions.

You know that Rep. Kern is not alone in her extremism. Behind her is a legion of right-wing political organizations spreading homophobia. They think it’s a disgrace that I’m in Congress, and they are working hard to silence me and other LGBT public officials, who as Rep. Kern puts it, are “infiltrating” our government.

As the only out lesbian in Congress, I am always a top target of the radical right, and this election year is no different.

They can’t stand the fact I’m working to expand workplace anti-discrimination laws to LGBT Americans. It infuriates them that I’m leading the effort to pass stronger hate crimes laws. And when they hear about my work to extend domestic partner benefits to federal employees, they grow more determined to defeat me.

I’m asking strong supporters, like you, to help show Rep. Kern and her cronies that they can’t get away with this kind of hate speech by offering your personal response to this disgraceful episode in the comment section below.

Make no mistake: our opponents have the resources and the will to make good on their political threats against me.

Please help make a strong statement for equality—one that will stand in stark contrast to Rep. Kern’s hateful words —in the comments below. 

“For the past three years, I’ve urged [Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice] and her senior management team to redress policies that discriminate against gay and lesbian employees.
 
“Absolutely nothing has resulted from this. And so I’ve felt compelled to choose between obligations to my partner — who is my family — and service to my country. That anyone should have to make that choice is a stain on the Secretary’s leadership and a shame for this institution and our country."

“For the past three years, I’ve urged [Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice] and her senior management team to redress policies that discriminate against gay and lesbian employees.
 
“Absolutely nothing has resulted from this. And so I’ve felt compelled to choose between obligations to my partner — who is my family — and service to my country. That anyone should have to make that choice is a stain on the Secretary’s leadership and a shame for this institution and our country."

We’re no strangers to snow here in Wisconsin. Usually even in heavy storms our lives move at the regular pace. But last Wednesday, Madison experienced a blizzard that shut the whole city down. By evening, even the Metro Bus system had to call it quits.

Of course, I was still determined to stay on schedule and get to D.C. But after numerous thwarted rescheduling attempts to get a flight, I gave in and instead did what everyone in Madison, Beloit, and all of southern Wisconsin had to do.

I pulled on my boots and shoveled.

The next day roads were clear and I was on a plane to DC. I made it to the Capitol with just 30 minutes to spare before the roll call on the Higher Education Reauthorization Bill. With the majority of a bipartisan Congress, I voted for the bill, and sent it on to the Senate.

Next up, I had the honor of presiding as speaker pro tem over the Economic Stimulus Bill you’ve been hearing about in the news. Both the House and the Senate passed the bill, which will provide tax rebates to over 100 million Americans and boost consumer spending in this difficult economic slump.

After dinner and a good night’s sleep, I turned around and was on my way back to a beautiful, snow-covered Madison.

It was a whirlwind of 48 hours, but I’m pleased to say that in those two days I managed to clear off both my driveway and my desk.
 

Yesterday President Bush presented his budget proposal for the next fiscal year. The document, which you can download here, is unfortunately more of what we’ve become accustomed to in this administration: missed opportunities and misplaced priorities.
 
The President’s $3 trillion proposed budget cuts vital programs that provide real assistance to Americans, such as Medicare, Medicaid, education and early literacy programs and the low-income home energy assistance program in order to protect his signature tax cuts that favor the most privileged Americans.
 
But the biggest omission?
 
Once again, President Bush did not account for funding the war in Iraq.
 
How, you ask, can he leave out funds for a multi-billion dollar war? By using deceitful and misleading funding maneuvers.  Instead of including the Iraq war in the federal budget, the president uses emergency supplemental funding bills, which are supposed to be reserved only for unexpected events like natural disasters.  
 
By using emergency supplemental funding to pay for the war in Iraq, President Bush is misleading the American public about the real cost of the war and its impact on our deficit, which is currently the largest in American history.
 
I think the nation’s budget ought to reflect our nation’s priorities and values. A quick examination of the budget Bush released yesterday demonstrates that his priorities and values are quite different than those of most Wisconsinites I know. This budget demonstrates how detached President Bush is from the economic realities that families and communities are dealing with because of the failed policies of his administration.
 
If there is good news, it’s that our Democratic-led Congress has the opportunity to fix President Bush’s last budget. We will put forward a plan that reflects the people’s priorities, cleans up the Bush Administration’s mess and restores fiscal responsibility. It’s only too unfortunate that President Bush leaves us and several future generations to recover from eight years of highly irresponsible leadership and spending.