I have often been mystified by how some people justify the most base or hateful acts with religion. That seems to be the case with two truck driver Ken Shupe, 51, who was called to an accident where he found a disabled woman, Cassandra McWade, next to her car. He was reportedly preparing to tow the car when he spotted a Bernie Sanders sign in her Toyota Camry. He then announced that he was a conservative Christian and would not help her because she supported Sanders.
McWade was was hit by a tractor trailer the front of her car. McWade has psoriatic arthritis, impaired mobility, early stage Crohn’s disease, severe fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Her car would not start after the accident and was moved to the side of road when Shupe of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, arrived. That is when things took a turn for the worst. He is quoted as saying “I’m a conservative Christian, I’ve just drawn a line in the sand . . . I’m not going to associate or conduct business with them.”
He later insisted that she was not in any danger and was “sitting there in a very safe area … with her air conditioning on.” Curiously, while denying that he knew she was disabled, he insisted “there’s a huge difference between being disabled and drawing disability.” Yet, he said that, had he known, he might have stayed with her but still would not have helped her. In a curious attempt to show principle, he noted that he would also have abandoned anyone with a Clinton sticker.
Shupe said he supports Donald Trump “110 percent” even though he first supported Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee. He says that the last couple of times that he served someone from this political viewpoint, he was stiffed — a rather bizarre and sweeping claim. There is no cognizable difference in the degree to which conservative versus liberals tip or give to charity, for example. To put it bluntly, there are jerks of every political stripe. Saying that you once met a couple of stingy Sanders supporters is hardly a basis for a refusal to help anyone with liberal views. Moreover, Shupe not only said that he would refuse to help a Clinton supporter but reportedly stressed that he is a religious conservative.
As for being a Christian and abandoning a woman on a roadside, that is something that is well covered in the Bible when you are asked to treat others as you would wish to be treated. Then there is this:
John 4:20-21 ESV
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
I wonder how this jerk would feel if the next ER doctor he runs into is an insane liberal who refuses him service? Or maybe he just goes to a grocery store owned by a card carrying ACLU member. Or maybe his landlord….or his plumber…or his dentist…
Anybody missing where this is going?
Henry S – remember Reagan hoping that everyone in the operating room were all Republicans before going under the knife.
Interesting notation about no difference in giving between conservatives and liberals. The study actually shows conservatives give more than liberals, until you factor out religion and household income. Once religion and household income is factored out, then there is no difference. Not a fair study at all. It is statistical sleight of hand.
This particular situation of not helping the woman directly seems to be more political than religious, but somehow a lot of religion is brought into it. Why?
It is too bad this blog has become the equivalent of the Jerry Springer show with nothing but slurs and stupid opinions being offered. i would hope that some lawyers would give the legal problems this tow truck driver can face for his refusal to assist the woman. My take is that he is operating under a state license and may or may not have the legal artifice of a corporation that has been granted by the state. So he is operating under the legal protections granted by the state and using PUBLIC works in his business. Thus it would appear that he has no justification for not serving ALL of the public. If she had been black or Hispanic, think he would have been able to deny her service? My understanding is that the Civil Rights laws prohibit such things.
If that is the case, I would hope that this woman would go to the US attorney in SC and demand that charges be filed against him. Then I would hope that she would sue in civil court for damages as well. The state or city that granted him his medallion should also force him to lose it so he has no more opportunity to force his political and religious beliefs on others.
randyjet – one of the few things left you can refuse service for is political philosophy. She has NO damages against him.
Why turn away business?
Darren – “No shirts. No shoes. No Bernie posters.”
tolbuck
Exactly.
Liberals single out people for persecution all the time. Liberals are demanding conformity. What do you think the student protests on campus are all about? It has little to do with defending the weak and defenseless.
We cannot debate what causes climate change. Some liberals are demanding criminal charges against people who do not agree with their position about climate change. There is nothing about defending the weak and defenseless about this. And please don’t give me the line that 97% of scientists believe in AGW. That has been debunked. But even if it wasn’t the fact that 97% of scientists believe in something doesn’t make it true. More than 97% of scientists once debunked the germ theory. Will you argue they were correct?
If liberals want you to do something you must do it or they will attempt to destroy you. A baker doesn’t want to associate with a gay wedding? You will submit or you will be destroyed. Gays in 2016 America cannot claim to be weak and defenseless. They are getting just about everything they want.
The freedom of association must include the freedom of disassociation. You cannot have one without the other. If you demand people cater to your needs regardless of what they believe you are the intolerant one.
You’re right. Liberals hate to see bullies pick on the weak and defenseless. They have no tolerance for those who single out people for persecution and ridicule based on their difference.
Christians and conservatives demand conformity, they despise independent thought, and are mean people overall. That’s hard to tolerate.
I see yet another person accuses Christians and conservatives of using hatred and intolerance, but makes no mention of the hatred and intolerance shown by liberals and atheists. But then again I’ve come to expect this. Only the other side is angry and intolerant. Nothing to see here. Move along.
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Christianity is a religion of hatred and intolerance. Conservatism uses hatred and intolerance to further its ideology of greed and corruption. Therefore, this tow truck driver is no hypocrite, but simply obeying dog whistles.
We simply were a much better country when…
We were a much better country when we kept our politics and religion to ourselves.
I live in NC and it *is* a banana republic, but you should correct the title because the tow truck driver lives in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. He drove about 45 miles to the location near Asheville, NC where the Bernie supporter was stranded, and there he decided not to tow her because of her Bernie sticker.
Wait a minute! He was from SOUTH Carolina? There is a big difference. It is like going across the border from Germany into Strausbourg, France and right away you see humans eating frogs.
1. How many errors can you spot in this sentence taken verbatim from the article? ” McWade was was hit by a tractor trailer the front of her car.”
2. The headline says a ““North Carolina Tow Truck Driver…” while the article clearly states that he was from South Carolina.
2. I am a believer that people should be able to choose with whom they do business. This includes choosing to use a particular business as a patron or choosing not to do business with a person as a proprietor. Sadly with the current state of the U.S Supreme Court rulings this is becoming less and less possible.
‘Wake up AMURICAH!!!
And NOT fully functional. . .
He can’t argue that he was unaware of the fact that she was disabled and fully functional. He admits that he saw the Bernie sign in her window, didn’t he?
You leave our some important details. He also said that the last two times he towed a vehicle for a socialist supporter, they had stiffed him and not paid the fee, so his experience was that he would not get paid if he towed a vehicle for a Bernie supporter. He also called another truck that arrived within 20 minutes.
Just another manifestation of our fractured politics. The other side is not just wrong, but must be punished. Like Paypal pulling 400 jobs from North Carolina, or the gay couple who don’t just go to the baker who would be happy for the business but instead goes to court to force another baker to provide a wedding cake or go out of business. So many people who play the bully for their “principles”.
This is exactly why I don’t put political stickers on my car. Besides they are hard to get off. And that Sanders poster is blocking her rear view mirror. That is illegal in Arizona.
Perhaps this “Christian” should pick up his bible and read the story of the Good Samaritan or may be he should consider Christ’s admonition that “whatever you do to the least of these you do to me”. But the truth is he’s no Christian he just a prejudice bigot who uses Christianity as a crutch to support his hate.. Jesus called and he wants his relgion back!
This man is a disgrace to both his alleged relgion and the human race. He is no better than a member of ISIS or the Taliban. He is also dangerous to humans. No one should do business with him.