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Christians ‘Stand With Hobby Lobby’ As Company Faces Fine of 1.3 Million Daily for Defying Obamacare
ChristianNews.net ^ | 1/2/13

Posted on 01/03/2013 4:53:48 PM PST by rhema

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Christians across the country state that they will be standing with Hobby Lobby this weekend as the popular craft chain continues to defy the abortion pill mandate in Obamacare.

Joe Grabowski of StandWithHobbyLobby.com has named Saturday, January 5th as the official appreciation day for the company, when supporters will shop at their local Hobby Lobby outlet to show their support.

“On Saturday, January 5th, all Americans who value freedom of religion and oppose the HHS mandate’s unfair impositions upon religious individuals and corporate entities are called upon to show their support for Hobby Lobby by shopping either at their local retail Hobby Lobby store or online,” he writes. “[T]he justices of the Supreme Court will be watching on January 5th, be assured, and they’ll know the minds and hearts of the American people as to this matter — but only if we get the word out and stand up in large enough numbers to make an impact!”

As of press time, over 4,000 people stated that they would be participating in the event.

“I will be there spending my $$ to back this company,” writes supporter Eric Coval. “They are one of the few who are taking a stand against a federal government that seems hell bent to trample on our liberties, and when we cry foul they tell us to be good little subjects and that we are too extreme. Hobby Lobby, fight the righteous fight!”

“We love Hobby Lobby!” commented Beth Collins. “I won’t be able to make it in person, but I will shop online that day to show my support!”

Others stated that they have never shopped at their local Hobby Lobby outlet before, but will do so this Saturday in order to make their voice heard and support the cause.

Emily Hartman, Communications Director for The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, told Christian News Network today that the company is standing by its previous statement issued after the Supreme Court’s rejection of Hobby Lobby’s request for an injunction.

“To remain true to their faith, it is not their intention, as a company, to pay for abortion-inducing drugs,” stated attorney Kyle Duncan on behalf of the company. “Hobby Lobby will continue their appeal before the Tenth Circuit. The Supreme Court merely decided not to get involved in the case at this time. It left open the possibility of review after their appeal is completed in the Tenth Circuit.”

“The company will continue to provide health insurance to all qualified employees,” he added.

While Hobby Lobby states that it has been covering, and will continue to cover, birth control for its over 13,000 employees nationwide, it refuses to pay for two pills that are included in Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate: the morning-after pill and the week-after pill.

“These abortion-causing drugs go against our faith, and our family is now being forced to choose between following the laws of the land that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and have supported our family and thousands of our employees and their families,” CEO David Green wrote in a statement earlier this year. “We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate. … By being required to make a choice between sacrificing our faith or paying millions of dollars in fines, we essentially must choose which poison pill to swallow.”

Hobby Lobby has opted to rather risk paying $1.3 million per day in fines — over $40 million in January alone — rather than to violate its convictions regarding drugs that it believes cause abortions.

As previously reported, Hobby Lobby, owned by evangelical Christian David Green, has been seeking an emergency injunction from all available venues since its request was first turned down by a federal district court in Oklahoma City. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton, appointed by George W. Bush, ruled against the company last month, opining that Hobby Lobby and its bookstore chain Mardel are not entitled to an exemption from the national healthcare law because “Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations.” He stated that while churches and non-profit entities may qualify for an exemption under Obamacare, a secular business is not a religious institution.

The company then appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, asking the court that it overturn the lower court’s decision and grant the injunction. However, the three-judge panel refused to issue the restraining order, stating similar reasoning as Heaton.

Hobby Lobby then took its request to the nation’s highest court, but earlier this week, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that it was not “indisputably clear” that Hobby Lobby’s request met the very high bar needed for an injunction. She pointed to the fact that the lower circuit courts have been divided on the matter, insinuating that the craft chain still has a chance at eventually winning.

“Even without an injunction pending appeal, the applicants may continue their challenge to the regulations in the lower courts,” Sotomayor wrote. “Following a final judgment, they may, if necessary, file a petition [in the Supreme Court].”


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: donttreadonme; hhs; hobbylobby; moralabsolutes; obama; obamacare; waronliberty
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A Facebook page commenter writes, "No Hobby Lobby near you? No problem! You can still shop online at http://shop.hobbylobby.com/ on January 5 and help us make it a record day of sales for the company, and send a strong message to President Obama's administration that there is a united front against the unfair HHS Mandate!
1 posted on 01/03/2013 4:53:59 PM PST by rhema
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To: rhema

They should change their name to “Holy Church of the Immaculate Hobby Lobby” and appeal. </sarcasm>


2 posted on 01/03/2013 4:58:49 PM PST by Sparticus (Tar and feathers for the next dumb@ss Republican that uses the word bipartisanship.)
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To: rhema

Funny thing is I was planning on going to Hobby Lobby on the 5th anyway because I need more glass paint for my wineglass painting hobby. I guess I won’t be surprised if I see a huge crowd. Our chik-fil-A had lines wrapped around it during the last “expression”. I am lucky to live in the area I do. Guess now I have incentive to buy a little bit more.


3 posted on 01/03/2013 5:03:45 PM PST by austinaero
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To: rhema

Hmmmm .... planned on taking up crocheting again this year, something I used to do in my younger days. I think I’ll buy my supplies at Hobby Lobby .... store just down the road.


4 posted on 01/03/2013 5:11:15 PM PST by MissMagnolia (.)
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To: rhema

Hopefully they can follow up on it by a trip to Chik-fil-A!


5 posted on 01/03/2013 5:12:10 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: rhema

There’s a simple solution for Hobby Lobby to get around this......

... just tell the Government they’re worship Islam.... then they won’t ever be bothered again.


6 posted on 01/03/2013 5:12:59 PM PST by LMControl
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To: Mrs. Don-o

ping


7 posted on 01/03/2013 5:24:32 PM PST by Gene Eric (Demoralization is a weapon of the enemy. Don't get it, don't spread it!)
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To: rhema

This whole ordeal has little sissy-boy barry licking his chops. He can send the BIG boys in, to show what POWER he has, while he cowers behind the cow.


8 posted on 01/03/2013 5:26:01 PM PST by jivin gene (Breakin' up is hard to do)
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To: rhema
“We love Hobby Lobby!” commented Beth Collins. “I won’t be able to make it in person, but I will shop online that day to show my support!”

I'm not a big fan of these support days. Today I ate at Chick-fil-A again, as I've done at least weekly since the totalitarians started to attack them. Those who support HL, should do it aggressively and consistently, not just once or twice for symbolic value. We are in a war between good and evil, and at the moment good is losing. If HL has to pay any fine at all over this, I will never (for life) vote for or in any way do business with anyone directly responsible for the passage or implementation of ObamaCare. All the Congressmen and Senators who voted for it, will be (politically) dead to me. As for democrat voters, I will for any significant purchase or pattern of purchases try as hard as I can afford (which is pretty hard now) to avoid spending any money at any democrat-owned business ever again.

9 posted on 01/03/2013 5:33:26 PM PST by Pollster1 (Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. - Ronald Reagan)
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To: rhema

Look, I’m not a Christian but I am against the government harassing Christians in this manner. So -

My thoughts are this: Even if people shop at Hobby Lobby the government still gets the fine money. Surely there are enough wealthy Christians that could band together and perhaps break the corporation off into some kind of independently owned franchise deal that would make the stores still part of Hobby Lobby but keep each store separate financially for the purposes of maintaining an employee count low enough to avoid Obamacare and these fines.

It is not the ideal solution but it would deprive the government of the fine money - if lawyers could figure out a way to do it. That way the stores would remain in Christian hands and at the same time free themselves of this (IMO) violation of their religious freedom.

What do you think? Can it be done?


10 posted on 01/03/2013 5:50:17 PM PST by nolongerademocrat ("Before you ask G-d for something, first thank G-d for what you already have." B'rachot 30b)
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To: rhema; 185JHP; 230FMJ; AKA Elena; APatientMan; Albion Wilde; Aleighanne; Alexander Rubin; ...
Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

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[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

Rhema's comment has a link for shopping at Hobby Lobby online.

11 posted on 01/03/2013 6:12:32 PM PST by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: rhema

Thanks!!!!! Closest HL is 150 miles, will buy online Jan 5.


12 posted on 01/03/2013 6:19:20 PM PST by svcw (Why is one cell on another planet considered life, and in the womb it is not.)
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To: rhema; David; AmericanVictory

Hobby Lobby has automatic standing to challenge Sonya Sotomayor’s appointment to the Supreme Court on the basis of Obama not being Constitutionally able to “act as President” according to the 20th Amendment, because Hawaii has confirmed that he has no legally-determined birth facts and therefore could never have “qualified” by Jan 20, 2009 as required by the 20th Amendment.

They can show that they have suffered particularized harm from Sotomayor being illegally nominated by a man who is forbidden by the 20th Amendment from “acting as President”. Obama has no legally-established birth facts (since the HI state registrar could not verify to AZ SOS Ken Bennett the following birth facts for Obama: male, Aug 4, 1961, Honolulu, Oahu, Stanley Ann Dunham, Barack Hussein Obama). Without a legally-established birth date, birth place, and parents, there is no way that he could “qualify”.

IOW, HI registrar Alvin Onaka indirectly told us that Obama has never qualified for office, and the only person who could Constitutionally act as President all this time is Joe Biden. Only the person acting as President can nominate SCOTUS justices. Sotomayor and Kagan were not nominated by Joe Biden and thus cannot Constitutionally be on SCOTUS.

Hobby Lobby has suffered particularized harm by Obama’s illegal “acting as President” because Sotomayor denied them a stay of the enforcement of the HHS mandate.

If Hobby Lobby attorneys have the courage, we now have the legal certification which could open this wide for them and for the country. Because Sotomayor and Kagan would be the particular subjects of the court case that Hobby Lobby could file, they would have to recuse themselves, and some semblance of lawfulness might be restored to the SCOTUS for this particular issue.

Does somebody know who the legal eagles are around here, to see if there’s anything that could be done to encourage Hobby Lobby attorneys to do this, for the sake of themselves, the freedom of religion, and the survival of this country?


13 posted on 01/03/2013 6:20:17 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: Gene Eric

Thanks!!! I’ll ping this out to more folks tomorrow!


14 posted on 01/03/2013 6:45:41 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o ("You can observe a lot just by watchin'." - Yogi Berra)
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To: rhema

Hmmm, I might take up model rocketry like I did when I was 9/10 in 1976.


15 posted on 01/03/2013 7:14:37 PM PST by Nowhere Man (Whitey, I miss you so much. Take care, pretty girl. (4-15-2001 - 10-12-2012))
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To: butterdezillion

Maybe if Hobby Lobby sold “Snap-on “tools for ladies. Soda Jerk might have ruled for them.


16 posted on 01/03/2013 7:19:40 PM PST by Venturer
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To: Venturer

lol. I doubt it.

But if the owners of Hobby Lobby think about the the babies’ lives they could save by challenging Sotomayor and Kagan’s place on the court, and Obama’s very place in the White House..... I really, really hope and pray they will give this serious consideration. SO MUCH is at stake. Simple “embarrassment” is piddles next to what’s at stake here.


17 posted on 01/03/2013 7:28:51 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: rhema

I hope all Christians and ProLifers on FR will participate and will help spread the word elsewhere.


18 posted on 01/03/2013 7:37:29 PM PST by Robwin
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To: rhema

I notice that their brand of cotton yarn, “I love this cotton,” is on sale this week. I will go stock up on it to make chemo caps for MD Anderson. It is, by far, the softest cotton yarn I have ever used and is perfect for this type of project.


19 posted on 01/03/2013 7:46:01 PM PST by RedWhiteBlue (Mama tried)
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To: rhema
Once again, I'll point out the obvious regarding the lower court decision regarding this. The court as well as the Obama administration is essentially saying that our rights are forfeited if we as citizens engage in "for-profit" activity! I don't recall anything in the Bill of Rights stating these God-given rights only apply to those whose vocation is with a religious organization.

Would anyone dare apply the same standard to any of the other rights enumerated? Do our leaders really want to take the position that the self evident rights of man are subjective? If so, it should be noted that this is a two-way street. The same Bill of Rights grants them a right to life. Should we look at this as a subjective right of theirs?

20 posted on 01/03/2013 9:38:51 PM PST by optiguy (Winter is coming.)
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