Posted on 02/25/2014 9:44:23 PM PST by lbryce
Arizona has resisted national pressure before to its controversial laws. But this time leaders are urging Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill that would allow businesses to refuse service to gay patrons.
TUCSON — When Arizona took controversial stands in the past — refusing to create a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and enacting a tough anti-illegal immigration law — state leaders shrugged off the criticism from out of state as the meddling of outsiders. But now, after the Legislature passed a measure to bolster the rights of business owners to refuse service to gays and others on the basis of religion, Arizona leaders seem to be listening to a national outcry and are urging the governor to veto the bill. So what's different this time? Political insiders and observers say the change can be attributed to a number of forces at work: A growing acceptance of gay rights sweeping the nation, the power of social media and an economic backlash unleashed by the passage of the anti-illegal immigration law that is still fresh in the minds of those in the business community.
Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has said she has not made a decision on the bill, SB 1062, which the GOP-dominated Legislature approved last week. But some of her longtime advisors have said they believe she will veto the measure because of the negative reaction to the bill inside and outside the state.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I remember how Arizona stood proudly alone nationwide against the celebration of Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday when first enacted in 1986 signed into law by Ronald Reagan.
Arizona fought tooth and nail against the holiday.
Years of political fighting over the holiday had created an image of Arizona nationally as a state locked in a racial battle. Several big-name musicians and national conventions had canceled their Arizona events.
But the cancellation that really panicked Phoenix-area business interests came from the National Football League.
The NFL had already cautioned that if a holiday was not approved, it would consider relocating the 1993 Super Bowl planned for Sun Devil Stadium. The league wanted to avoid the racial controversy. After the ballot measures failed, the league followed through, moving the game to Pasadena, Calif.
Arizona voters approved a state King holiday in November 1992, making Arizona the only state that put it to a vote of the people and saw it pass.
We need an exemplary divorce lawyer to aid us through this split. Who gets what? Will some states join Canada or Mexico? Where will the borders be? How do we split the military & nuclear weapons?
Boy, did Jesus know what he was talking about when he said we would either worship him or money.
Boy, did he get that right, among many other things.
And I think that AZ is slated to host the next Super Bowl in 2015, or maybe 2016.
Recently the NFL has positioned itself as a politically correct organization, eager to embrace all things ‘progressive’ so I would expect the pressure to be on this time as well.
There’s no way she signs this bill.
There are things she stands tall on, and things she goes weak in the knees on. I see the knees folding on this one.
Don’t trample on my religious rights-this is a warning Left Wing!
(Not aimed at you), but a STRONG Warning to them...
No, it may heed the pressure of big sports and the thugs at Apple. Pathetic governor, pathetic members of the legislature. These commies passed this bill for her to veto in order to close down the legitimate effort in other states. It’s a shameful spectacle where a red state is actually undermining the other red states.
And what exactly is this "national outcry" mentioned in the article? Is the media possibly trying to give the impression that gay supporters are a larger group of people than they may actually be?
Note that the states have never amended the Constitution to protected so-called gay rights. So the states are free to make laws which discriminate against such "rights," as long as such laws don't also unreasonably discriminate against constitutionally enumerated protections.
Also, speaking of discrimination against gays, I found it interesting the the US Mail Service used to refuse to handle homosexual-related material.
Comstock laws
This one article proves that the threats by the NFL to move the Super Bowl and the threats Apple to cancel a plant in Arizona are more important than the voters.
Divorce attorneys have stopped salivating over this and are now power-drooling.
Such an enormous increase in potential profit for the legal sector might seem to indicate that there may be some sort of gigantic lobbying campaign going on.
Thanks goodness state, local and national politicians aren’t predominantly lawyers!
Oh ... Wait.
Apparently even some Republicans who voted for it are now against it seeing how upset some major businesses are.
It is a “national outcry” only in that LGBT and its leftist politicians are spread around the country. It is surely not an “outcry” by any substantial number of real people. It is actually an MSM/LGBT outcry, but I guess these are the official Elite of the country.
Principles or money? Such a choice! I think I read something about this in the Bible.../sarc
I suspect a gross misrepresentation of the bill, though I don’t know what it’s supposed to say. Probably a defense of non-collaboration with a known sin situation, and it’s being read as ah, now “Christians may refuse service to ‘gays’” which wouldn’t be applicable in the vast majority of cases.
I am not a lawyer, but that seem like extortion to influence legislation, maybe Joe should make some arrests.
What would Phil of Duck Dynasty do? He didn’t fold A&E did.
“I am not a lawyer, but that seem like extortion to influence legislation, maybe Joe should make some arrests.”
Not only extortion, but a manipulation of a democratic process thus giving the NFL control of the state’s legislative power.
But, I do not think arrests of NFL officials would be possible, but a lawsuit against the NFL and other corporations that threaten to deny Arizona business would seemingly be possible.
Srpaio its about time to spring that surprise that’s supposed to reveal Obama as the Anti-Christ.../s
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