Our infamous anti-gay legislator, Sally Kern, spoke at a meeting of the University of Central Oklahoma’s College Republicans this evening at the Edmond campus to a crowd of around 75 people. The event was covered by the local ABC and CBS affiliates, and it appeared progressives who heard about it through the grapevine outnumbered the future conservatives of America.

I need some more time to digest the speech, and to go through the audio I recorded. What jumps out strikingly in her pedestrian oratory was the overall intellectual poverty of her remarks, conclusions that flowed from one faulty premise into the next, and an utterly uncompromising world view. It was a different experience hearing and seeing the bigotry in person.

I actually had a close encounter of the Sally kind and managed to find myself in the elevator with her on the way to the speech. I was totally distracted and didn’t have time to get in a great question about her thoughts on gay stoning, and other Old Testament favorites, because I was busy averting my gaze, lest I end up like one of her victims from Clash of the Titans, and trying to protect my personal space from her security detail.

She did not mention the “homosexual agenda” or even say the word “gay” during her speech, and instead focused on how, in her words, our system of government is founded on Christianity and a biblical world view, thus - we need leaders and laws that reflect this reality. It was an oblique way of arriving at her previous conclusions, though in a far less incendiary manner. In the end, nothing has changed, and everything she said was utterly specious.

The best stuff was during the Q&A when she called those who did not believe in Christianity, “infidels,” and that Islam is a real danger to America because Christianity is the only path to salvation, and that if we doubted the “Homosexual lifestyle” was bad for people’s health, all we had to do was look at the CDC website. Likewise, If we doubted that gays are indoctrinating kids in school, just Google search “homosexual agenda” and behold the proof that pops up. Additionally, she really did seem to lay it on Islam rather hard tonight, even though she couldn’t even pronounce the word “Sharia.” I had to help her out with that one from the audience. (Just wait for the audio).

She was well challenged during the Q&A, and she only got one softball question that I counted. When given the opportunity (again) to apologize, she refused, and at least two students got up, left, and flipped her off on the way out. I’m glad they gave her their best gay face.

This may be surprising to some, but that’s the first time I’ve actually been subjected to those arguments by a true believer in person - I didn’t grow up in a religious household, and was never exposed to it along the way, mirable dictu. Obviously, in college and into adulthood, I only surrounded myself with fellow travelers and kindred spirits.

The United States of Michael may be in Oklahoma, but on nights like these, girl, I realize the US of MH is really a world unto itself. My own Private Idaho. I’m glad I went for that reason.

As an aside, KWTV’s Rusty Surette asks when we should call it quits on coverage of the village idiot  (my words, not his). We don’t want to be following her around everywhere, do we? It’s gotta end at some point.

I have a feeling unless she throws some more rhetorical hand gernades that we may not see much more of her. As she continues to be blog worthy, I’ve decided I like our Lady Medusa pulled from Queerty to use in lieu of real Sally pictures.