Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Weekend Contributor
Mark Fiore said he was thankful that Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Arizona’s “religious freedom” bill last week. If the bill became law, Fiore said, it “would’ve given people carte blanche to discriminate against gay people (and others, for that matter).” Fiore also said what he found most baffling about the whole thing was the existence of a state legislature that would pass such a bill.
Jan Brewer’s Office Helped Craft The Anti-Gay Bill She Later Vetoed
DYLAN SCOTT
MARCH 10, 2014
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/brewer-office-worked-anti-gay-bill
Excerpt:
Before it attracted any national attention, advisers to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) offered guidance on the anti-gay legislation that she eventually vetoed at the end of February — a veto that came down even though the bill’s drafters say they made every change that the governor’s office requested.
Capitol Media Services reported Monday on the meetings that Brewer’s advisers, Michael Hunter and Joe Sciarrota, had with the Center for Arizona Policy, which drafted and pushed the bill. They began in January before the legislative session commenced; the bill was introduced Jan. 14.
CAP president Cathi Herrod told the news agency that her organization made every change Brewer’s aides asked for. One of the biggest alterations was a three-pronged test to determine if somebody’s exercise of a religious belief was covered by the proposed law.
Bron:
Because the sign in the front door says “Open.”
Mike, I am a huge baseball fan and being a Dodger fan is something to be proud about. Funny how Cub fans LOVE to announce their fandom. I would be ashamed. Maybe they should be required to wear a Scarlett ‘C.’
Mike Appleton:
why should you have a right to enter a private business? A business owner should be able to deny service to whomever he chooses for whatever reason or none at all.
I wouldnt force a Jewish American to serve a neo-nazi skinhead nor a black American to serve a KKK member. In fact I would applaud them for not doing so.
What Mike A. said earlier. Especially item number 6!
nick:
I saw that piece. You are undoubtedly right. However, until this moment I have never revealed online that I am a lifelong Dodgers’ fan. Whoops. Now I really have no secrets left.
Sixty Minutes did a piece last night on how much information is gathered on you when you make purchases. I am willing to bet their are databases that would include your religious beliefs, sexual identity, politics, favorite baseball team, and much more. But, that’s a topic for some other time.
I also saw the propaganda puff piece they did on the situation in the Ukraine and the coup there. I learned virtually nothing about the facts from that one. It was incredibly uninformative, but met the low standard of US propaganda which is not too surprising.
The comments on this thread are reflective of the state of jurisprudence on religious freedom. It might be helpful to set out some of the underlying principles for the smooth functioning of society:
1. It is well established that freedom of religion is no more absolute than freedom of speech. There are many examples of positive laws which have been held to trump religious belief. I have posted numerous examples over the years, and will not repeat them here.
2. It is also well established that in order for a pluralistic society to survive, it is necessary for people to adjust to the fact that others may have very different views on many topics, but that we must still live and work together. That does not require that we agree with, or even respect, dissenting views, but it does mean that we respect the personal dignity of others.
3. In an effort to enforce respect for personal dignity, we have gradually enacted laws to prevent categories of disfavored persons from becoming subjected to degrading and humiliating treatment.
4. Conducting a business subjects the owner to a variety of laws and regulations, from health and safety requirements to licensing to zoning laws. And we have determined as a society that offering to provide goods and services to the public for profit requires that those goods and services should not be denied to any member of the public who is lawfully on the premises (a business invitee) and tenders the required consideration.
5. Every generation has a new group that segments of society love to hate. At present that group is the gay population, and the growing legal recognition of gay people as full-fledged citizens has driven opponents into near fits of hysteria. The Arizona statute and similar proposals in a dozen other states (so far) are part of an effort to enlist religious freedom as a last defense in another ignoble cause.
6. It has been over 40 years since the final edition of the “Negro Motorists’ Green Book,” a sort of travel guide to let black citizens know where they could eat, sleep and get gas for the car when traveling in their own country. We don’t need a “Green Book for Gays” in order to accommodate the religious feelings of those who just can’t bring themselves to accept the fact there are more than two sexual identities.
7. The tired shibboleth called the “homosexual agenda” needs to go as well. Want to know what that agenda is? It’s simple. Gay people want to be treated like everyone else, which means that they do not have to hide their identity to prevent discomforting certain straight people, or resort to passing for straight, as black persons sometimes felt compelled to pass for white, in order to get along.
8. Finally, I have read much about “common sense” on this thread. How about this for common sense? My religious beliefs (or lack of them), sexual identity, political opinions or favorite baseball team are none of your business. When I walk into your store, just give me my purchases and have the common decency to keep your own views to yourself.
Bron,
I know some of the money I pay in taxes is wasted–and that bothers me. That said, I also appreciate a number of governmental services and programs that my tax dollars pay for that benefit me/and or others. I can’t imagine a country where no one pays taxes for anything–maybe you can.
Elaine:
I am not happy about paying taxes, most of the money is wasted. If you are ok with waste, fraud and abuse, more power to you. I dont have that kind of pysche.
I want government to spend money like I do, buy a printer for 200 bucks fix it once in 5 years before buying another. Or keep a car for 150k to 200k miles, that kind of thing. Oh and when you go on business trip, dont have the venue Vegas, how about a college town during the summer.
Where’s DavidM……
Excessive taxes.