Just before the 1992 election cycle, Vice President Dan Quayle gave a rousing speech about the moral decline of our nation. In passing, he criticized television character Murphy Brown’s portrayal of having a child out of wedlock as a normal lifestyle choice. Of course, the Vice President thought this was a bad prime-time example for teenagers. The media ridiculed the “Murphy Brown” speech and Quayle further became the liberals’ poster boy for foot-in-mouth disease.

The context didn’t matter even though it was just one example in a longer context about the general decline of morality and the weakening of the nuclear family in America. I covered the Murphy Brown speech in The Forerunner, printing the whole speech for people so they could read the context of what Quayle actually said.

A similar occurrence relates to my friend Kathleen Crank who became subject to a slew of media ad hominems. Her offense was voicing her opposition to same-sex marriage as a government subsidized lifestyle. She made her remarks at a public hearing before a Senate panel in Maryland. Kathleen, like most citizens of every state that has voted on it, favors a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage. While most took hold of her one word or one sentence judgment that homosexual marriage would be “devastating” to our culture, no one published the full context as to why she believes this.

If you Google, “Kathleen Crank“ you can find dozens of news outlets and blogs who have commented on her remarks. But none have published the full text of her statement. It’s not surprising. The liberal media wants to function as a fourth branch of government in promoting judicial activism and suppressing the most important democratic instrument of our nation, the ballot box.

Katherine Heerbrandt wrote a piece for the Frederick News Post called “Redefining Marriage Again“ in which she falsely claims that Kathleen “didn’t say” why she thinks homosexual marriage is devastating to western culture.

Here’s Kathleen’s letter to this writer and then the full text of her remarks below.

Hi Katherine,

Since my daughter is also named Katherine as was my grandmother, and I happen to be partial to that name, I thought I would respond to you directly. Your article reminds me of the telephone game, where one person says something and by the time it gets to the end it is virtually unrecognizable. First I am going to attach a full copy of my testimony before the Senate committee. In it you will see that I did in fact, state exactly who is devastated by the homosexual lifestyle, drawn from my personal life. I also discussed the global devastation of AIDS.

Also, it mentions my legal background. I am a lawyer though I have chosen to put my career on hold to raise my children. I have done quite a bit of research on this issue and I wonder how much you have done. The endless and empty rhetoric (such as yours) just keeps getting repeated over and over as though no one is really thinking. The facts are conveniently ignored. The sheer number of illogical arguments you made in your op-ed combined with the total inattention to small details like checking your facts should make you blush. I have also contacted your editor to complain about your false statement about my testimony.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Crank

Here is the original testimony

Senate Bill 169: Contitutional Amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman – Support

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Kathleen Crank, and I was reluctant to testify today because I am not a president of an organization or a pastor of a church. I have a legal background but have been a stay at home wife, mother, and friend, for eleven years. I believe I represent that vast majority of ordinary American citizens and Marylanders as I stand before you today to defend my most deeply held values; those also shared by so many others.

As a friend and close family member I have much personal experience with those who are or were involoved in the homosexual lifestyle. I have shared the heartbreak and pain of those family members and friends, and their children who were abandoned by their spouses who wished to pursue a homosexual lifestyle. I have shared the pain of a friend left behind with no support money, and her and her child having to fight deadly disease in their bodies as a result of their spouses homosexual involvements. I have shared the pain of another friend whose ex-husband is actively seeking to encourage a homosexual lifestyle as an option for their young preteen daughter. I have seen the difficulties faced by my nephew as he seeks to grow up into a man since his father left and since has had many multiple male partners. I have sat beside the bed of a female friend as she was dying a horrible death of AIDS. My experience as a friend and family member to those currently involved in the homosexual lifestyle and those who come out of it is that it is personally devastating, causes devastation to others , and on a global scale is completely devastating and a huge public health risk. AIDS is now ravaging more and more people and leaving an entire continent (Africa) full of orphans. Drugs to treat AIDS are unbelievably expensive and the cost of these treatments will untimately be borne by the taxpayers. In Europe, legalizing same-sex marriage has caused devastation and a decline in marriage overall. In every other area we seek to prevent unhealthy behaviour, not bless it with the force of the law.

Redefining marriage is an activity undertaken to the peril of our civilized society. This cultural experiment undertaken in Europe has been a dismal failure. I encourage each of you to look at the research and ask yourself if we really want the cultural chaos they are experiencing.

Marriage is an institution that goes back to the beginning of the human race. In every culture, in every religion, all throughout the world and down through the many centuries, marriage and families have provided stability for men and women, cultures and nations. Marriage between a man and a woman should be blessed, recognized, and upheld as that which best nurtures the next generation and provides stability in our society. As a society and a people, we must encourage strong marriages and families as the very glue that makes our nation and state great. Children need both fathers and mothers.

America is blessed to be a nation in which we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. I urge passage of this Constitutional Amendment so that the people can decide. This issue is far too important to be decided by such a small number of people in this state legislature.