The Norman Transcript

Local news

March 22, 2013

Lt. gen. speaks out about marriage equality

NORMAN — Keynote speaker Ret. Lt. General William “Jerry” Boykin spoke out about marriage equality Thursday night at the Cleveland County GOP Luncheon Club’s annual Helen Cole Awards Banquet.

Boykin told the Republican crowd that the personal health of the community is better when there are intact families composed of a mother, father and child.

“Intact families are the strongest indicators of the health of your community,” Boykin said. “Family is the cornerstone of our society.”

The retired general said he does not care what people do behind closed doors, but he does care about the American family.

Boykin said the values and morals the country was built on are decomposing.

“We’re in a very serious culture war,” he said, “and the other side is winning.”

Boykin said the most dominant influence in America today is the homosexual community which, at the highest poll taken, only accounts for 3.8 percent of the population. He attributed their dominant influence to the ability to push their agenda.

“If we could unify, we could have a far greater impact than they do,” he said.

Regarding the homosexual poll, Boykin said at one point in history, only 3 percent of Russians were communists and only 3.4 percent of Germans were Nazis.

“If we could get leadership, we could be the most dominant influence in the country,” Boykin said. “Right now, we’re on the losing side.”

The speaker said he has no intention of compromising the values the country was built on.

“I will not walk away from what I believe to be Biblical values,” he said. “Those values built America and those values will restore America.”

He also said the Constitution is under attack. People involved in Muslim brotherhoods are crossing our borders, but the U.S. refuses to seal its borders, he said. Then, citizens go after governors who try to seal U.S. borders.

Boykin said a revival is needed in the country — a third Great Awakening — and he can feel one coming. It is now up to the people to save the country, he said, adding that he believes the U.S. will be saved at the state level.

“I demand that the 10th Amendment be followed,” Boykin said.

He also said many are uninformed about the concept of separation of church and state. People left England because the king of England took control of the church. The concept of separation of church and state was to protect the church, Boykin said.

“(That concept) is so poorly understood in this nation,” he said.

Boykin was one of the original members of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force and ultimately commanded those elite warriors in combat operations. Later, Boykin commanded all the Army’s Green Berets as well as the Special Warfare Center and School.

In all, he spent 36 years in the Army, serving his last four years as the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. He is also an ordained minister.

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