Tri-City Florist declines Settlement Offer [Arlene's Flowers]

KNDU Right Now ^ | Feb. 20, 2015

[steve86]

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A Tri-Cities florist has declined state Attorney General Bob Ferguson's offer to settle a discrimination case involving flowers for a gay wedding.

Barronelle Stutzman on Friday sent a letter to Ferguson rejecting his offer to settle the case by paying a $2,000 fine and agreeing to sell flowers to people planning gay weddings.

Stutzman says in a press release that she continues to believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman.

The 70-year-old Stutzman has earlier said she plans to appeal a judge's ruling that she broke a Washington state anti-discrimination law by refusing to provide flowers for a gay wedding.

Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom on Wednesday rejected arguments that Stutzman's actions were protected by her freedoms of speech and religion.

[steve86]

My town.

[steve86]

[Repeal The 17th]

Can I buy on-line?

[Ingtar]

It takes a 70 year old lady to finally stand up to the oppressors?

[Jane Long]

Good for Arlene!!

Is there a way to support her? Order flowers online, or something? Thanks.

[Robwin]

Mine, too, Steve

[steve86]

http://blog.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/2014/05/23/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-barronelle-stutzmans-story/

[GeronL]

Gay people can buy flowers all day long unless they announce their sex preference and offend the owner.

[steve86]

You can order online but don’t know about non-local delivery.

[steve86]

http://www.arlenesflowers.net/

[Jim Robinson]

The fascist judiciary in action. The Nazi’s had judges who would enforce Satan’s laws too.

[Pajamajan]

Bookmark.

[Springfield Reformer]

Here is her letter:

Attorney General Bob Ferguson
1125 Washington St. SE
P.O. Box 40100
Olympia, WA 98504

Re: State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers and Barronelle Stutzman

Dear Mr. Ferguson,

Thank you for reaching out and making an offer to settle your case against me.

As you may imagine, it has been mentally and emotionally exhausting to be at the center of this controversy for nearly two years. I never imagined that using my God-given talents and abilities, and doing what I love to do for over three decades, would become illegal. Our state would be a better place if we respected each other’s differences, and our leaders protected the freedom to have those differences. Since 2012, same-sex couples all over the state have been free to act on their beliefs about marriage, but because I follow the Bible’s teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I am no longer free to act on my beliefs.

Your offer reveals that you don’t really understand me or what this conflict is all about. It’s about freedom, not money. I certainly don’t relish the idea of losing my business, my home, and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important. Washington’s constitution guarantees us “freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment.” I cannot sell that precious freedom. You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver. That is something I will not do.

I pray that you reconsider your position. I kindly served Rob for nearly a decade and would gladly continue to do so. I truly want the best for my friend. I’ve also employed and served many members of the LGBT community, and I will continue to do so regardless of what happens with this case. You chose to attack my faith and pursue this not simply as a matter of law, but to threaten my very means of working, eating, and having a home. If you are serious about clarifying the law, then I urge you to drop your claims against my home, business, and other assets and pursue the legal claims through the appeal process. Thanks again for writing and I hope you will consider my offer.

Sincerely,

Barronelle Stutzman

Available here: http://www.adfmedia.org/files/ArlenesFlowersSettlementOfferResponse.pdf

[TBP]

They shouldn’t have to sell to gays planning gay weddings any more than a gay printer or baker should have to sell to Christians if he or she doesn’t want to. It’s called freedom.

[deadrock]

The great socialist state will come down hard on her to teach everyone to fall in line and support the unsupportable.

[steve86]

Thanks

[Pollster1]

Good for her. No one should ever pay even one cent over such a lawsuit - fight it until you are dead and direct your children and grandchildren to fight it until the grandchildren of the evil thug filing the case are all dead (well, they’re gay, so they won’t have kids, but until any heirs who want to make a quick dollar from the malice of these people are also dead).

The bullies filing this lawsuit are as malevolent as those in ISIS, trying to control others through force and compel others to obey their sickening commands (a request to sell flowers is not sickening, but a demand to obey regardless of religious beliefs is disgusting at a level for which there are no words). Freedom of religion is an absolute, and to attempt to compel a free American to violate deeply held religious beliefs is an act of unspeakable evil on a scale not seen in our so-called justice system since the Supreme Court sent Dred Scott back into slavery.

In most cases, I feel sorry for elderly people who die alone. However, unless these two repent, make restitution to their victim, and reform, including working to make sure no one else can file such an immoral lawsuit, they are an exception to my normally compassionate and generous disposition. I hope they had no children and will die slowly alone, neglected, and shunned by all decent people in the world, with even their nurses caring for their bodies but unwilling to provide any human companionship to people willing to use force in such a reprehensible manner.

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[OneHun]

ARLENE’S FLOWERS AND GIFTS delivery area:

Benton City, Washington (WA)
Burbank, Washington (WA)
Finley, Washington (WA)
Kennewick, Washington (WA)
Pasco, Washington (WA)
West Richland, Washington (WA)

ZipCode areas:

99352
99301
99336
99337
99338
99354

http://www.arlenesflowers.net/flower-delivery.php

[Steve_Seattle]

On a related issue, has anyone seen the claim that a conservative Christian doctor in Michigan refused to treat a sick infant because the infant's parents were gay? My questions:

1. Is this true, or a hoax?

2. If true, do you support the doctor?

My contention is that most opponents of gay marriage would not advocate refusing medical treatment to an infant just because the parents are gay. I see NO support for this in scripture, in Christian tradition, or in the attitudes of most conservative Christians, which is why I am suspicious of this story.