Posted on 02/26/2014 9:18:20 AM PST by lbryce
CNN host Anderson Cooper battled with Arizona state Sen. Al Melvin (R) on Monday night over the fate of a state bill that would allow businesses to refuse service to lesbian and gay customers.
Melvin is a candidate for governor who voted for the SB 1062 legislation and is urging Gov. Jan Brewer (R) to sign it. Melvin and other proponents of the bill argue it is a protection of religious freedom for individuals whose beliefs condemn homosexuality. However, Melvin had trouble defending the bill to Cooper and struggled when the CNN host asked him to describe an example where religious people had suffered persecution as a result of being prevented from discriminating against gays and lesbians.
"You can't give me one example of this actually happening?" Cooper said.
"No, I can't," Melvin said. "But we've seen it in other states, and we don't want it to happen here."
"No, I can't," Melvin said. "But we've seen it in other states, and we don't want it to happen here."
"But you can't cite one example where religious freedom is under attack in Arizona," said Cooper.
"Not now, no, but how about tomorrow?" Melvin responded.
Cooper took exception to this line of argument.
"Well I dont understand what that means," he said. "I mean, if you can't cite in the entire history of Arizona, one case where religious freedom has been under attack or even in the last year where it's been under attack is this really the most important thing for you to be working on?"
Later in the interview, Melvin insisted that he didn't know anybody in Arizona who would discriminate against a "fellow human being."
"Really? Discrimination doesn't exist in Arizona?" Cooper asked incredulously.
See Video
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I’ve seen his interviews with Paul Krugman and they seem quite the pair.
Will someone please explain to me how a muzzie who because of religious beliefs, as a cab driver refuses to transport alcohol, a passenger who has been drinking, as a checkout clerk refuses to handle pork or alcohol, etc.
Brett LoGiurato
Business Insider Forced to Apologize for Falsely Claiming RNC Chairman Thinks Mitt Romney Is Racist
August 17, 2013
Liberal media bias can turn up in some very unlikely places. One example of this concept is an article on the Business Insider website in which Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus was quoted as saying that the concept of illegal immigrants self-deporting back to their native countries — as proposed by 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney — was racist.
Soon after, the following message was added at the top of Brett LoGiurato’s article: An original version of this story said that Reince Priebus referred to Mitt Romney’s comments as “racist.” He said it “hurts us.” Business Insider regrets the error.
http://newsbusters.org/people-and-organizations/brett-logiurato#ixzz2uSI6F4rN
I neglected to add, appearing as the fruity kind as well (although spelled differently).
“Being homosexual, Anderson is blatantly bias for the Gay Agenda should not be allowed to work on a story concerning gays.”
Using your logic, a handicapped reporter shouldn’t work on a story about the handicapped, a Native American reporter shouldn’t work on a story about Native Americans, etc.
My favorite is the new libearl meme of “anti-gay bill”.
If it was truly an “anti-gay bill” it would make it illegal to do any business with gay people. Just like Jim Crow laws (passed by Dems) made it illegal to do business with blacks.
Liberals; ignorant of the meaning of words since the beginning of time.
Dear Anderson Cooper, here is your example...as if you didn’t already know about it, or should have known about it. It was on Fox NEWS!
*******
The Bureau of Labor and Industries released a statement on the matter, noting that the lesbian couple in question, Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman, had filed an official complaint with the government under the Oregon Equality Act of 2007 a law that protects gays and lesbians using public venues.
Under Oregon law, Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity, read the release. The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private business owners to discriminate based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot legally deny service based on race, sex, age, disability or religion.
The next step in the ongoing case will be for the Klein family and Cryer and Bowman to try and come to a settlement. If that is not achieved, then the bureau may bring formal charges and move the issue to BOLIs Administrative Prosecution Unit, responsible for processing contested civil rights division cases pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and BOLI contested case hearing rules.
A known Klan Wizard walks into a black bakery to buy a birthday cake for his wife. Why can’t the baker refuse him?
An atheist wants a cake for a “Freedom from Religion” party with God crossed out on the cake....still has to bake it?
A prostitution business (where it’s legal) or a porn shop wants to celebrate 20th anniversary of teh busniess with a cake....has to bake it?
What sort of a totalitarian is Anderson Cooper, if he believes that once free Americans should be forced to do business under those conditions? Can you imagine what the brave men who forged our institutions would have had to say about this? Would any of them have tolerated this incursion against personal freedom--the freedom not to be forced to violate one's beliefs--the right to be left alone?
Refusing to do business does not equate to overt action. It does not wrong anyone. The Left has been trying to recondition us over this sort of thing, since the 1940s--pushing the envelope, every further. But enough is enough.
William Flax
Does this mean that a public photographer can’t refuse to take a picture of whatever he is asked to take by the LBGT community?
The Christian couple, Aaron and Melissa Klein, became national news a year ago after citing their religious beliefs in refusing to bake a cake for the wedding of lesbian couple Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman of Portland. Last September after an abrupt shutdown of their business the couple charged that gay activists killed. it with “mafia tactics.”
Charlie Burr, a spokesman for BOLI said Friday that investigators found significant evidence that the Kleins discriminated against the couple unlawfully because of their sexual orientation, according to The Oregonian.
“We received papers from BOLI yesterday (Thursday) and they have made their decision that we have apparently discriminated. From what we have gathered we now have to wait to find out what the fines will be within 60 days. I can’t say much more but will update when I’m able to. Please continue to pray for our family. God is great, amazing and all powerful. I know He has a plan,” she added.
A conciliation process between the lesbian couple and the Christian bakers is expected to be facilitated by the state, and if a settlement cannot be reached BOLI might pursue charges before an administrative law judge.
bump
Where is all this illegal? Germany? In other nations in Europe?
Repugnant groups such as neo-Nazi groups and the KKK still exist and still have free speech rights.
I would have told him that while the bill may prevent a Southern Baptist from being forced to cater a gay wedding, it also prevents a black caterer from being forced to cater a Aryan Brotherhood wedding.
Anderson...Should Jews be forced to cater a Nazi Skinhead wedding?
I would have fed that Homo bastard his argument on a stick!
For me it comes down to whose rights are being trampled and a common sense answer (I know we don’t have these in politics) is who has a choice and who is being forced to do something. A gay customer who wants a service generally will have a choice to get something elsewhere or someone will open a business catering to that business. A business owner who wants to refuse business, especially when there are competing businesses should not be forced to provide a service otherwise it is involuntary servitude. What ever happened to “My Body, My Choice”?
The complaint stems from an incident which occurred Jan. 17, when a woman came in with her mother to test wedding cakes. I did my normal thing, where I asked what the bride-and-grooms first names were to write down on our wedding cake contract, Klein told CNSNews.com.
She the girl giggled a little bit and then informed me it was two brides. At which point, I looked up from my paper, and said, Im sorry. I hope I didnt waste your time, but we dont do same-sex marriages. We dont believe it is right.
Klein said the woman and her mother looked at each other with a little bit of a disgusted look and got up to leave. Ten minutes later the mother came back in and told me I got to say my piece and I have a right to my opinion, but she wanted to give me hers, or say her opinion, and I said, OK, go ahead. She proceeded to tell me that she used to think like I did, then her daughter told her she was gay, and she realized that God had made her daughter that way. And disagreed with her.
I told her the Bible doesnt say that. She told me that I needed to read my Bible, and I quoted Leviticus 20:13, at which point she told me I was wrong, and stormed out.
Jeff Manning, communications director for Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, confirmed for CNSNews.com that the complaint, which had been filed by Laurel Bowman of Portland, was being investigated by the consumer protection division of the Oregon Department of Justice.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/oregon-ag-investigates-bakers-refusal-make-wedding-cake-lesbians
The state labor department said it found during its investigation substantial evidence of unlawful discrimination when the bakery refused to bake a wedding cake for the couple.
The department said private businesses are not allowed to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.
While there are exemptions for religious organizations and schools, the labor department determined that Sweet Cakes is not a religious organization and it violated the Oregon Equality Act of 2007.
The department said it may bring formal charges against Sweet Cakes if the parties cant come to a settlement.
The Klein’s closed their Gresham store-front in August after sales plummeted, and moved the bakery back into their home when it started.
I was debating a work colleague about how as a “widget” business owner I could refuse to sell my widgets to a person just because I felt like it. And, I didn’t have to state why I didn’t want to sell. My colleague refused to believe it, thinking it was against the law. We let a lawyer friend of mine arbitrate. Here’s how he answered.
“While legally correct that a business can refuse service and does not have to state why; in civil court, the burden of proof falls on the business to PROVE they were not discriminating based on gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. so they’re basically guilty until proven innocent. It’s not right, not fair, but that’s just the way it is.”
I’m recalling this from memory, but believe I have it correct.
Holder just said yesterday that state attorney generals do not have to enforce any law that says sodomite “marriage” is illegal. He said even if a state has a constitutional amendment voted into law by the people, it can be summarily ignored. And Republicans sit back and let this worthless character do whatever he pleases without ever saying a word about it or even attempting to hold him accountable. He has told all state attorney generals to break their oath office, which means nothing to him and his boss because they break it all time anyway and they are never held accountable. The NC attorney general is a democrat and was asked the other day would he fight the state constitutional amendment saying marriage was a union of a man and woman (like the VA attorney general just did). He said he was elected to fight for state laws and as long as he was AG of NC he would defend the law in court. He said it made no difference at all what his personal views were, that as long as it is the NC law, he will represent the people in court. There needs to be more democrats like him, and no democrat or republican that will ignore whatever law they don’t personally like or whatever law the worthless US Attorney General tells them to ignore.
You're out of your mind if you think there is a more important issue than protecting religious freedom. That was the issue, first and foremost, the nation was founded upon.
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