Tag Archives: Politics

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The conservative Christian base of the Republican Party clearly wants to have a fight over what it calls “Religious Freedom” in the upcoming election cycle.  No longer able to defend their flawed logic on why same sex couples will destroy the institution of marriage they’ve moved on claiming their 1st Amendment rights are being infringed.

I’m not going to address that equally flawed logic in this post, but I am going to share that I was happy to see the results of last Thursday’s Reuters/Ispsos poll, which found that a majority (54%) of Americans believe businesses should not be allowed to refuse services based on their religious beliefs.  I believe this trumped up issue of “religious freedom” is going to be repeatedly used by conservative Christians to shape the Republican primary in an attempt to dupe the public into thinking the community that is being discriminated against (the LGBT community) is somehow at fault.

Earlier this week I wrote a post, Why the “Religious Freedom” discussion is both disingenuous and dangerous.  Considering the fact that those most obsessed with the need to protect “religious freedom” are also some of our country’s most homophobic political leaders should make you think. Couple that with the fact that the discussion is a reaction to marriage equality laws and one need not be Sherlock Holmes to read these clues.

This latest debate on ‘religious freedom’ is nothing more than an escape clause for homophobic business owners to refuse service to the LGBT community.  If Christian business owners were really concerned (for their immortal soul) about having to serve people who violated their religious convictions then why are they serving customers who are divorced, practice a different religion, known adulterers or liars (and the list continues)?  Why is it that only the LGBT community that seems to be causing this crises of conscious?  It is because they are bigots using religion as a shield to disguise and and confuse the debate.

Did you know that divorce is identified as a sin approximately two dozen times in the Bible? By contrast homosexuality is discussed less than ten times so why is divorce not considered twice the sin of homosexuality? These devout Christians should be focused on all the divorcées in their community who have made a mockery of “traditional marriage”, which they supposedly hold so dear.

The Bible is riddled with all sorts of “sins” like getting your hair cut, eating shellfish, getting a tattoo, etc… yet these behaviors don’t seem to offend the supposedly ‘devout’ Christian business owners. It seems to me if religious freedom is being called into question then only business owners who truly observe every tenant of their faith should be allowed to claim this need for an exemption.  For all those who are picking and choosing their religious convictions, it sounds more like an excuse to get the government to approve discrimination – and that is unconstitutional.

I know I’ve been hammering away at this Indiana law but the responses from the supposedly moderate Republicans contemplating a run for President of the US I find as sickening as Governor Pence response to America’s reaction to the law.

Gov. Jeb Bush – Monday, March 30, 2015
The Hugh Hewitt Show:  “I think if they actually got briefed on the law, they wouldn’t be blasting this law,” Bush said. “I think Governor Pence has done the right thing. Florida has a law like this. Bill Clinton signed a law like this at the federal level. This is simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs. I think once the facts are established, people aren’t going to see this as discriminatory at all.”

Gov. Scott Walker – Monday, March 30, 2015
FOX:  Governor Walker has been uncharacteristically quiet preferring to have spokespeople speak for him which makes me think he probably disagrees with the law but refuses to speak out against it.  Rather he had spokeswoman AshLee Strong issue the following statement, “As a matter of principle, Gov. Walker believes in broad religious freedom and the right for Americans to exercise their religion and act on their conscience.”  I have no idea what he is saying and I think that is intentional.

Carly Fiorina – Monday, March 30, 2015
USA Today:  Fiorina said it was “shameful” how, in her view, liberals have fanned the furor over the Indiana law. “I honestly believe this is a set of liberal political activists who practice a game of identity politics and divisive politics to whip people into a frenzy, and I think it’s very destructive to the fabric of this country.”

Gov. Chris Christie – Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Wall Street Journal:  When asked about the law Wednesday, Mr. Christie said that there should not be “a situation where people perceive that anybody would be denied service.” But he defended Mr. Pence’s character. “I know Mike Pence and he’s got nothing but love in his heart for people,” Mr. Christie said. “I just do not believe that in any way Mike Pence would intend for anything that happened in his state under his watch would be discriminatory toward any person.”  

Today The Center for American Progress distributed a release, indicating that the state of Indiana now stands to lose at least $250 million for passing their “religious freedom” legislation, which is widely seen as legalizing discrimination against the LGBT community.  Despite the fact the legislation is only a week old, the ‘religious freedom” law has tarnished the state’s reputation and made the state a pariah.  As of April 1st, The Center for American Progress details the lost and at risk revenue as follows:

Lost Revenue:
Angie’s List: $40 million
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, conference: $500,000

At Risk Revenue:
Big Ten football, 2016–2021: $96 million ($16 million per year)
Big Ten men’s basketball, 2020: $8 million
Big Ten women’s basketball, 2017–2021: $10 million ($2 million per year)
NCAA Men’s Final Four, 2021: $71 million
NCAA Women’s Final Four, 2016: $25 million
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 2017 General Assembly: $5.9 million

One should assume this is no joking matter for the state as more companies are now coming out condemning the legislation and indicating their plans to essentially create an embargo on all activity in their state. I think it is safe to say that Governor Pence and the Republican led State legislature in Indiana have done more to harm their state’s reputation and lose more money than they ever expected.  I hope the scrutiny remains and the losses continue to mount.

More than five years has passed since U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy passed away at his home in Cape Cod.  Tomorrow, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute will open next door to the JFK Presidential Library in Dorchester.  The Institute includes a full scale replica of the US Senate chamber – a place Kennedy served for 47 years.

Edward M. Kennedy Institute

Senator Kennedy’s legacy will hopefully continue through this institute, igniting the imagination and inspiring future generations to embrace civil service and help to build a better community by focusing on those who need help the most; not just those who can afford attorneys and lobbyists.

Although Aaron Schock gave his farewell speech to a mostly empty House of Representatives last week, tomorrow is his last day serving in the U.S. Congress. Earlier this month, he announced his resignation after a series of scandals regarding misappropriation of funds and questionable expenses put him in the spotlight.

Rep. Schock is a handsome 30-something bachelor who has been dogged by rumors that he is gay since he started serving in the US Congress in 2009.  I have no idea if that is true, but I would prefer not to believe them because of how terribly he has treated the gay community; supporting (and championing) every anti-LGBT piece of legislation that has come up for a vote.

Some in the media think the gay community and gay bloggers in particular are behaving poorly by gloating at Schock’s misfortune; such as James Kirchick who wrote in the Daily Beast, Hey Gays: Leave Aaron Schock Alone.  To Mr. Kirchick and others who see the LGBT community’s Schadenfreude responses as bitchy, mean or cruel, I say, “Cry me a river”.  Representative Schock has reveled in every setback the gay community has suffered so I’ll be gloating all day tomorrow as he packs up his office and leaves the US Congress.  For Schock’s sake I truly hope he isn’t gay because he’ll not find an ounce of sympathy from me should he come out in the future.  I have only have one thing to say to Mr. Aaron Schock, “Buh-bye“.