NBC station: Will acceptance of gays bring downfall of America?

An east Texas NBC affiliate devoted a segment on its morning show Wednesday to ask viewers and listeners if acceptance of gays will bring the downfall of the country.

"The acceptance of homosexuality, pushed hard by the gay rights activists, will it be the fall of this country?" asked Garth Maier, host of KETK's morning radio program. The segment was broadcast on KETK's TV channel as well.

The channel's TV hosts introduced the segment with a reference to an Associated Press report Tuesday that President Obama has appointed a record number of openly gay individuals to posts in the administration -- more than 150 so far.

"And he's only been in office for two years," one of the morning hosts said, adding that the news has "not really gotten any coverage ... but that's what we're talking about."

The reporters are "clearly taking their cue from the Westboro Baptist Church," quips the Joe.My.God blog.

"When ... KETK says their slogan is 'News You Won’t See Anywhere Else,' they mean it," says Mediaite's Ray Rahman.

Many of the listeners and viewers who called in objected to Maier's premise.

"Gays should have the same rights as anybody else," said one caller. "Homophobnia is the new racism," said another.

"I think the true downfall of this country will be because of the religious right," another caller asserted.

But plenty took the opportunity to vent their dislike of the gay rights movement.

“Yes, the gay issue definitely will be a downfall of America," a caller said. "Obama has to go.”

"Pretty soon we're going to have a gay president, and that would be the worst," another caller said.

Within hours of word of the discussion spreading online, a Facebook group appeared to "stop this station (KETK-NBC) from spreading and legitimizing homophobic hate."

The following video was broadcast on KETK in east Texas, Oct. 27, 2010, and uploaded to YouTube by Joe.My.God.