Just days after North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law a bill that effectively legalizes discrimination against lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals, companies doing business within the state have come out in opposition to the law.
Dow Chemical, Paypal, American Airlines are only but a few of the companies which have expressed their displeasure with the legislation.
Even organizations planning to do business within the state have voiced their disapproval over the blatantly unconstitutional measure. The NCAA, which had planned to host at least 20 high-profile games in the state in 2017 and 2018, has said it might reconsider its position. The NBA hinted North Carolina could lose the 2017 NBA All-Star game over the anti-LGBT law.
North Carolina’s passage of House Bill 2, as the discrimination legislation is officially referred to, begs a few simple questions: Will there ever come a day when Republicans cease to be the “party of stupid” as Bobby Jindal so accurately diagnosed his party’s condition not too long ago? Will Republicans ever learn from the past or will they forever live in a bubble?
It was only one year ago that the state of Indiana passed it’s own discrimination bill known as the “religious freedom” law. Opposition to the measure was swift and intense.
Following the bill’s signing by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy issued an executive order banning state-funded travel to Indiana and the mayors of San Francisco and Seattle enacted similar bans. Conventions were canceled. Apple, the NCAA and other companies joined liberal activist groups in speaking out against the law.
The Indiana law was eventually “watered-down” by the legislature to stem the uproar it had caused among business leaders and state financial institutions. While the purported “religious freedom” law still held much sway in the state’s legislative body, profits and losses ruled the day.
Odds are good that a similar “watering down” of North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law will take place. When it’s a contest between the Almighty and the almighty dollar, the greenback always wins.
Photo | youtube.com
Charles Sloane says
And one wonders how Drumpf and Cruz are their standard bearers? The party of hate, bigotry, racism and xenophobia will never cease to amaze those of any human intelligence.
John DeProspo says
Republicans really do live in a bubble or they are the stupidest creatures on the planet!
Stephen says
Money and Morality intersect. It is often money that talks when the moralists stop and think about it for a moment.
Our country (hence, the moron majority) tends to have an awful lot of morality imposing folks who have never met a gay person, a Muslim, or any of the other horrific homewreckers they legislate against. When did we become even more nativist and disgusting than we were years ago?
Fortunately, the almighty dollar and the heralded free market actually did make a correction this time.
John DeProspo says
What are these Repugs thinking? Or does that just beg the question? Must be an alternate universe!
Jon says
“Whether Repuklican or Demobrat; wrong is still wrong, bigotry is still bigotry, and the truth is still the truth. Still though, a loooottttt of Repuklicans are Slinky’s kinked. They appear to have permanent echoes between their ears. During evolution their ancestors were in the control group. Many are about as sharp as a “soup sandwich.” They appear to be skating on the wrong side of the ice; or perhaps sitting in the “right” pew, but in the wrong church.” – Jon B.
“Dear, Gov. Pat McCrory,
I believe that there’s a place on this earth for all of God’s children.
Have you thought of space exploration?
Seek help immediately.
Jon.” – Jon B.
John DeProspo says
I’ve come to believe Republicans live in an alternate universe.
Jon says
Just because I like Trump, and shall probably vote for him, doesn’t blind me to his faults, either. He, as the Repub frontrunner, wants to do away with GLBT rights and Marriage Equality. As an ex-Marine and a gay man, I fought for my country right along side my comrades in arms. Why should someone who never was in the war; who never did risk his life for his country be allowed to take away the rights that I fought for in war? Bullshit! How fucking unconstitutional can you possibly be?!
I’m more or less an Independent anymore. Hatred, bigotry, lies, greed, selfishness, foul-play, evil and stupidity seem to reign and rain on all sides, therefore, to retain any sense of balance, justice and civility anymore, I’ve self-willingly chosen to remain a Moderate/Independent.
I find that there’s far less head banging that way and you don’t get your ass handed to you so much either.
“A lot of Demobrats and Repuks are precisely the kind of blueprints that I would use to build an idiot! Whenever someone screams, “Drinks are on the house!”, many of them run to grab a ladder.” – Jon B.
“A lot of politicians make perfect sense…in their own minds. I particularly like hearing about how they’d truly love a chance to face the challenges hitting our society/nation economically, socially and fiscally. However, at the expiration of their terms in office, most of them have rarely accomplish anything more noble, helpful or difficult then placing thousands of M&M’s in alphabetical order; and always at the taxpayers expense. Idiots!” – Jon B.
John DeProspo says
I like that you now say “I shall probably vote for him” referring to Trump! Great!
Frank Little says
It’s fun to watch the death throes of a political party!
John DeProspo says
From your lips to God’s ears!
John Blum says
This is not an anti religious post, it’s actually supporting religion but I am in no sense religious. Please correct me if I’m wrong with this observation. This is in regards to Christians who feel their religious liberty is in jeopardy solely because same sex marriage is legal nationwide. Some feel they are sinning if they in some way serve a homosexual. States are making laws that allow those with deep religious beliefs to follow them and deny services to perform acts that go against their religious beliefs. Religious liberty can be synonymous with following religious beliefs. To make such a law, your expecting Christians to follow their beliefs. The bible expects Christians to accept and embrace the sin. Hate the sin love the sinner. And the expected sin, which I think their wrong, is the physical act of being a homosexual or homosexual acts. If a Christian thinks it is a sin to be gay, then dont be gay. The bible says nothing about not serving homosexuals. Contrary, it is the exact opposite as mentioned prior. The only people that have a legitimate claim is priests if they don’t want to marry them. So… These laws are actually encouraging and supporting Christians or any religious person in ultimately reducing their religious liberty and making a sinner out of those that want to discriminate. And, the laws require their actions to be an actual provable religious conviction. Since religious documents are so vague, contradictory, and improperly translated over and over, this could be a hard thing to prove. And again, it is not a religious conviction to push away the sinner. Religion is supposed to pull sinners close. (But I am not calling homosexuality a sin). Now, anyway, I think these actions are going to turn around and bite them in the ass. Many companies have already said they would retaliate and remove their service from states that enact such discriminatory laws. Also, people are getting disgusted with hate and discrimination. Religion is already on the decline. Things like this are only going to push people farther away from religion especially since the country has been becoming more accepting of her mode duals. So, that is my evening speech.
And anyway, the way these laws are being drafted, religious peoples need to demonstrate that they are following their deep religious beliefs. So a baker does not want to make a cake for a homosexual wedding because that say the bible says homosexuality is a sin. To be legitimate and demonstrate that denying a homosexual wedding a cake, the owner has to show that they bible says that it is a sin to serve/support such. This is not in the bible. Although I do not believe that “God” wanted to ban homosexuals because he created everything and why would you curse your own creation, the bible as written/translated (from when MAN wrote it) says the act of homosexuality (man sleeping with man, etc) is a sin/abomination. So, if these christians want to practice their religious liberty, they should not be forced to be homosexuals and perform homosexual acts.
The bible also says: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God” “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) …By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.etc…..
I think I have provided enough supporting info from the bible to show that those religious that think baking cakes for homosexuals is a sin are wrong. They are not able to show they have a religious belief in not serving homosexuals because their bible dictates to them to do just the opposite. Therefore, as the laws are written, homosexuals can not be denied anything based on the bible because the bible in no way supports this and therefore it can not be there deepest religious belief.
The thing is, the law states that it has to be an actual religious belief. Their bible states homosexual acts are sinful. Their bible does not state that serving a sinner (homosexual in this case) is a sin. It actual (in many verses) advises christians to embrace sinners, love the sinner/hate the sin). Therefore, the law actually will not cover these christians the way its expected to because, again, its not a deeply held religious writting, to avoid, not serve, etc any “sinner”. In all actuality, a christian that refuses to serve a homosexual is actually go against there religion and these laws are engouraging the actual violation of religious liberty, the thing they are trying to protect. As there are court cases on this, I am sure these things will be raised. I also hope that the ligitamicy of the bible is put to the test in these court trials. It most certainly will becasue as said before, the religious are going to have to prove that there actions are truly held religious followings.
John DeProspo says
Well said John! These are not religious people who refuse to serve gays. They are bigots using their version of religion to discriminate against those they’ve been sheepishly programmed to hate.