Sen. Mike Lee. (AP Photo)
Posted on 06/12/2015 2:44:09 AM PDT by markomalley
Republican Sen. Mike Lee, strongly suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to approve same-sex marriage this month, warned Thursday that liberals will use the victory to impose other restrictions on those opposed to gay weddings including churches, colleges and military chaplains.
"They seem tempted by the intolerant impulse to punish Americans," Lee said in a thoughtful speech at Hillsdale College's Kirby Center in Washington.
Lee, of Utah, used the speech to preview legislation he is drafting to protect religious-affiliated schools and institutions that don't support same-sex marriage from federal attack if the court approves the ceremonies.
President Obama's top lawyer told the court that the institutions might be targeted if the court makes gay marriage constitutional and that could threaten the tax status of over 25,000 colleges and schools.
Lee seemed to suggest the Left will win. "At the very moment this campaign appears to be on the brink of success," he said, adding, "sometimes in a democracy, the other side wins."
And, he warned what could happen next if supports of religious freedom don't respond:
Regardless of how the Court rules in this particular case, it is becoming increasingly clear that the next controversies will not be over whether gay couples should receive marriage licenses, but:
-- Whether people who don't think so may keep their business licenses.
-- Whether colleges that don't think so will be able to keep their accreditation.
-- Whether military chaplains who don't think so will be court-martialed.
-- Whether churches who don't think so will be targeted for reprisal by the state.
-- Whether heterodox religious belief itself will be swept from the public square.
Lee, called the GOP's ideas factory in the Senate, however said he sees opportunity and said conservatives should focus on equality just like those promoting same sex marriage.
"Political conservatives and religious traditionalists may not like how the gay marriage debate is going. But it is no small thing that the gay marriage movement has succeeded in recent years only by adopting our principles – of tolerance, diversity, and equal opportunity," he said.
He called on conservative to demand a debate on religious freedom, and even quoted former President Bill Clinton who signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and said it protects the "space of freedom between government and people of faith that otherwise government might usurp."
That's where his still unnamed religious liberty bill comes into play. He explained:
If we want to reinforce religious liberty in America, our first step must be to protect that crucial "space of freedom" from undue government interference. That is the principle behind a bill I will soon introduce in the Senate.
It would protect the tens of thousands of religiously affiliated schools in America – preschools through college – from government discrimination. And it would prevent any agency from denying a federal tax exemption, grant, contract, accreditation, license, or certification to an individual or institution based on a belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.
Moving forward, the debate will be less and less about marriage and more and more about freedom of conscience. Those of us who value that basic human right have the better of the argument. But that matters only if we have the courage to make that argument at every opportunity, before every audience.
You mean we need a law to enforce what the Constitution already guarantees?
As Hillary says,what difference does it make at that point?
The Constitution is supposedly the Supreme law of the land,guaranteeing all our God Given rights,if they just get trashed by Communists it’s over FOLKS,no new law will save you
Liberals never stop after a victory. Heck, they don’t stop after repeated losses either. But a victory emboldens them to fight even harder.
They will not stop unless they have silenced those who speak the truth.
They want Christians and Jews to stop telling people that homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God. They will keep up the pressure until there is persecution against anyone who does not accept their lifestyle.
They think that when all opposition has been silenced they will feel accepted and normal. This will not happen, as deep down inside, they know that what they are doing is wrong.
If they get control of the Supreme Court next year, any bill that Mike Lee and the GOP passes is dead. It won’t matter what legislation is drafted. Conservatives will pass laws - state or federal, it doesn’t matter - and those laws will be challenged and knocked-down by liberal goons in black robes.
If they win the judiciary, they basically get a super-veto, in the form of court challenges. And this is one instance where the people holding veto power are in place for decades, not subjected to elections or threats of removal.
Gen 19:4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
Yes, you are absolutely right.
But we live in a time when the Supreme Court is itself ruling against the plain language of the Constitution.
We must attempt to turn public opinion, which in turn must lead to electoral victories, which then must lead to better appointments on the court.
Mike Lee, with this type of legislation is attempting to do two things.
First to slow and retard the slide...and the ability for the left to continue to gain ground while they have these people on the court.
And second to accomplish the types of education necessary to lead to what I spoke of above.
I initially thought Lee was talking about poligamy. The next uncharted territory - group marriage.
The gay fascists are already pushing to ease laws concerning pedophiles.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg once wrote a paper supporting lowering the age of consent to 11 I think it was for sex between an adult and a minor.
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