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Posted on 04/28/2013 4:03:27 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
I am troubled by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s crackdown on florist Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, for refusing to make a flower arrangement for a same-sex wedding.
#I’m not arguing here against gay marriage. I voted for it. I’m not even sure that Stutzman has a legal right to refuse the business. Ferguson says that under Washington’s anti-discrimination statute, she doesn’t, and probably he’s right. She might, however, have a superior right under the state constitution, depending on how you interpret it.
#The constitution has nothing in it about freedom from private discrimination. But Article 1, Section 11 does say, “Absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment, belief and worship shall be guaranteed to every individual ...”
#This doesn’t refer to commerce, but in 1889, when it was written, nobody questioned a person’s right not to deal with someone in a matter of commerce. America made an exception to that principle in the 1960s to end racial segregation in the South, where African-Americans could often not eat at lunch counters or rent rooms in motels. Those practices put blacks at a social and economic disadvantage that visibly harmed the race. This pervasive disadvantage was the reason for setting aside the long-standing principle that any business owner could say “no” to a transaction.
#We’ve extended the nondiscrimination principle for 50 years and now arrive at its nether regions. With gay marriage there have been a handful of publicized cases of discrimination — by a wedding photographer in New Mexico, the baker of wedding cakes in Oregon, and now this wedding florist in the Tri Cities. Most of these cases have been about wedding ceremonies. Should a gay couple’s extra hassle in finding wedding professionals matter to the state?(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at union-bulletin.com ...
As long as I didn’t have to attend I would fix their flowers.
I wouldn’t cater their meals ,because I would have to be there and watching these two fags swap spit would make me puke.
I wouldn’t take their pictures because then too I would have to be there.
But sure I would fix their flowers.Deliver them and get the hell out.
Flowers for ‘gay’ funerals would be acceptable.
Whatever happened to being to refuse service to someone if you are a business owner? I remember when most stores would refuse to serve someone if they went in shirtless or barefoot. It’s just common decency. Oh yeah I forgot (holds head down in disgust at what has happened to our society)....
Sounds like the Westboro Florists.
And the jokes just continue to write themselves...both with the unintended funny above and the concept that two people of the same sex could actually become married in the true sense of the word, never mind today's invalid re-construct of the concept.
Seems odd that it’s that hard to find a GAY FLORIST who would happily do the job.
I’m hoping you forgot the sarc tag
Yes...soon judges will sentence those not cooperating with current dogma to “classes”.
In these “classes”...folks will be required to “confess” their thoughts, which are deemed “irregular” in regard to the dogma. After “confessing” they will be “freed” to reenter the world, but will have to check in periodically with “counselors” who will require “updates” to see the formally “sick” clients are making sufficient “progress”.
Those not making “progress” will need further “reeducation”.
It’s coming...and there will be “special” camps for former Christians, after their churches are closed.
We are headed in a bad direction.
I read the article, and unless I missed something, there is no detail/background, other than what the author claims, that explains the florist’s reason for not serving the gay couple’s wedding. Interesting enough - it does reference that the florist had served them before. So, does the florist really have a problem with gay marriage, or is the couple asking for something unrealistic/extravagant/off-the-wall (either in design, price, or method of payment) that the florist is unable to provide as a business person? I’ll admit that I don’t agree with gay marriage, but this article is so lacking of detail about the florist’s refusal that it makes me wonder if the author is purposefully presenting it this way to advance the anti-gay marriage agenda.
Thought the same thing about the post I responded to.
Bingo note the worh right.
I interviewed the president of the nation’s fifth largest home builder. He said, “I get sued by environmentalists five times for every 100 homes I build. Mostly, it’s about trees. Many times it’s from people who have already moved into their new home and now that they’ve got theirs they want all those beautiful trees preserved. We’ve evolved a new view of property. What’s mine is mine. What’s yours is ours.”
Forcing a private business to perform some service they don’t want to perform is an evolution of serving the public. If we allow this to continue, how can a proprietor not be forced to do virtually anything? Let’s suppose an HVAC installer doesn’t want to do a particular job. He gets taken to court and ordered to. Or, worse, he simply gets a judgment against him and he goes out of business.
I can see forcing a government agency to serve all costumers regardless of whether the clerk at the desk wants to or not. But a private business is private property and the proprietor should be able to decide to pass on a job; regardless of reason.
The Florist Refused to do the Gay Wedding. So instead lets see whom supports the Gay Agenda - Flowers can be purchased at Target and Walmart. So what is the problem, go purchase themselves and make their own floral arrangements.
Because not everyone supports the Gay Agenda they have to be penalized by an activist judge whom is an actual idiot.
No. Flower shops should be PENALIZED for servicing gay weddings. We need to go on the offensive and stop being DEFENSIVE.
Anyone with any common sense should know where this whole homo issue is going. "Gay" marriage is NOT about homosexual marriage "rights." The homosexual activists have one goal and that is to prove that their "god" is superior to the Supreme Judge of this world. They want Christians bowing before their homogod "Buttapuss." They want their god to be superior to the Supreme Ruler of the universe.
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