10/25/2011 City Council - Discrimination Based Upon Sexual Orientation

[BDK]

Thanks for posting these videos, Doug. I am currently watching the citizen response section and wondering why people from out of the city feel entitled to meddle in the business of Oklahoma City. As a current Normanite, I would not feel it appropriate to come speak at the city council meeting...

[MikeOKC]

Thanks. I'll be working up a blog post on this today, but Shadid's resolution contained some unexpected surprises for me ...

1. Given the bad vibes which I perceive existed on several other previous matters between Shadid and Ryan, Marrs & Salyer (particularly Ryan & Marrs), I was pleasantly surprised, if not amazed, that all 3 supported the resolution.
   
   
2. Given the pretty decent history between Shadid and Kelly, and given that Skip is a black person, I was surprised, if not astonished, that he opposed the resolution.

Life is strange.

Thanks, as always, for the videos. Congratulations to Shadid and kudos to those who supported the measure.

About Skip.....there is a very simple explanation. The history between black churches and gays are complicated, if not hostile. The base of support for black candidates in Oklahoma City is still the church. For Skip, this vote was about politics and his base - period.

[jbrown84]

This is great news, and so surprising that it went 7-2. Definitely will help our image nationally.

[soonerguru]

Thanks for posting these videos, Doug. I am currently watching the citizen response section and wondering why people from out of the city feel entitled to meddle in the business of Oklahoma City. As a current Normanite, I would not feel it appropriate to come speak at the city council meeting...

Well, the good kind people of Edmond, Bethany and Warr Acres are there to save us from ourselves!

Great work, Doug. You provide an outstanding public service.

[ljbab728]

Paul Blair's comments have been unreasoned at best but I saw something even more disturbing on the news tonight. His Fairview Baptist Church has been receiving some very threatening phone calls. There are threats against the church and his family. There is no way at this point to know who is behind the calls but if anyone in the gay community is envolved they are setting their agenda back drastically. That would be playing right into Sally Kern's hands.

[Doug Loudenback]

Where did you hear this, ljbab? If a video is available, I'd like to see it.

[okcisok]

Doug,
KFOR aired the audio of phone messages left at the church on this mornings newscast.

[MikeOKC]

Paul Blair's comments have been unreasoned at best but I saw something even more disturbing on the news tonight. His Fairview Baptist Church has been receiving some very threatening phone calls. There are threats against the church and his family. There is no way at this point to know who is behind the calls but if anyone in the gay community is envolved they are setting their agenda back drastically. That would be playing right into Sally Kern's hands.

Very good observation. But also the possibility exists of a hoax. Sometimes certain groups like to turn things around and make it look like they are the victims. It could be anybody actually supporting him but making the calls to make the "other side" look evil. On the other hand, if they're genuine - that's a shame as there's no excuse for such things.

[Doug Loudenback]

My summation and blog article is here.

[ljbab728]

Very good observation. But also the possibility exists of a hoax. Sometimes certain groups like to turn things around and make it look like they are the victims. It could be anybody actually supporting him but making the calls to make the "other side" look evil. On the other hand, if they're genuine - that's a shame as there's no excuse for such things.

Anything is possible, Mike. The calls certainly sounded very genuine, but, unless they can be traced to someone, we may never know.

[kevinpate]

After seeing the report on 9 last night, I can see where reasonable people might differ on whether the calls seemed more real or more hoax. I agree with ljbab's last point .. there's an absence of certainty either way.

[ljbab728]

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-...,7851042.story

[kevinpate]

I don't recall 9 mentioning there being a caller's number left.

Oopsey, unless it was also faked. Then again, perhaps the phone system has a record of actual info on the multiple calls. Real or hoax, someone will have some explaining to do. I lean toward the latter. A hoax doesn't have to be clever, and these calls certainly were not.

[Doug Loudenback]

If the matter of the calls proves to be well-founded in fact, it should be prosecuted. It's as simple as that.

It would be a mistake to assume anything, at least until charges are filed. If meritorious, the caller should be prosecuted,

If the charges prove to be false, the prosecutors' eyes should shift to Paul Blair or his church.

[BDK]

My summation and blog article is here.

Hey Doug, I tried to post this on your blog, but it didn't show or perhaps there is a delay. The first proponent you have posted is named Muneer Awad. He is the plaintiff in Awad v. Ziriax, the challenge to State Question 744 (the sharia law measure). Great work as always.

[soonerguru]

Paul Blair's comments have been unreasoned at best but I saw something even more disturbing on the news tonight. His Fairview Baptist Church has been receiving some very threatening phone calls. There are threats against the church and his family. There is no way at this point to know who is behind the calls but if anyone in the gay community is envolved they are setting their agenda back drastically. That would be playing right into Sally Kern's hands.

I saw that too. I think Blair is lying. He is a total douchebag.

[Doug Loudenback]

Hey Doug, I tried to post this on your blog, but it didn't show or perhaps there is a delay. The first proponent you have posted is named Muneer Awad. He is the plaintiff in Awad v. Ziriax, the challenge to State Question 744 (the sharia law measure). Great work as always.

Thanks, BDK. Because of a large volume of spam posts, I read every comment before allowing comments to be posted. As long as they are not spam, I allow them. Your comment has been posted by now.

[soonerguru]

Doug, I really enjoyed watching your videos. James Cooper's comments were outstanding.

OKCTalkers, if you don't think hate exists, look into the eyes of the "Christians" when Cooper speaks for Council. He looked them right in the eye and addressed them as humans, but you can literally see the hatred in their eyes and faces. They are really creepy looking. They look like the Westboro Baptist Church crowd.

What's more is that Blair and his band of idiots and the others there en masse to protest the anti-discrimination vote aren't even Oklahoma City residents.

[Bunty]

Considering how the highly bigoted church people present gay people as such a highly dangerous menace to society, I would think they would support ordinances that would encourage gays that it's okay to come out. That way the bigots would know who to keep their eyes on and to watch out for from behind.

[White Peacock]

Some of the discussions on local news channels' Facebook pages regarding this issue have been pretty disturbing. The way so many people dismiss this as unnecessary is bad, but even worse is the way in which several people declare that there's a greater "gay agenda" and the horrible things that fundamentalists say about homosexuals. Any time that the word "sin" is used in a discussion about politics and civil rights, that argument should be thrown out immediately. Certain Christians play the victim role so well that they insist that their civil rights are being violated by being told that they can't violate other groups' civil rights. They're perhaps the most discriminating social group in existence, and definitely the group with the most voting and governing power, yet they have a minority complex and feel that the country is pushing them into a little hole, silencing and oppressing them.

One argument I saw was that gays don't deserve civil rights recognition because being gay is a choice (I don't believe it's a choice, but that's another matter altogether), yet they feel they deserve full protection for their religion - which is most definitely a choice. Too bad religious people don't understand this.

The next earthquake or storm we have in Oklahoma will be blamed on this resolution.

[ljbab728]

I came across this by accident and had to share with everyone for a good laugh. This was at a Lincoln, Nebraska city council meeting where they were debating a similar ordinance. This woman makes our own dear Sally look like a radical left winger.

[Soonerman]

I came across this by accident and had to share with everyone for a good laugh. This was at a Lincoln, Nebraska city council meeting where they were debating a similar ordinance. This woman makes our own dear Sally look like a radical left winger.

LMAO the guy in the background.

[soonerguru]

I saw this too. Hilarious. She is totally deranged, but what's weird is how calmly she makes these bizarre comments.

[Garin]

Is lgbt a race? Someone please explain because i've never understood this arguement.

[Cocaine]

Well certain people want it to be like race but it's not. Especially t, like to the point of being able to use certain restrooms even though you may not have those certain parts.