Free Republic

The owners of an Oregon bakery are refusing to pay state-ordered damages to a lesbian couple after a dispute over a same-sex wedding cake, reports say. Aaron and Melissa Klein, who own Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were ordered by the Bureau of Labor and Industries to pay $135,000 to Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, reports OregonLive.com. The Kleins have filed an appeal of the ruling, claiming financial hardship even though crowdfunding efforts have raised more than $500,000 for the couple, according to OregonLive.com.

Score one for the good guys, even if it's only a partial victory. The State of Oregon has failed in its attempt to bankrupt Aaron and Melissa Klein for the crime of declining to bake a cake - as the preposterous $135,000 fine it levied was no match for the willingness of good people to help out the Kleins and their now exclusively online business, Sweet Cakes by Melissa. Through a campaign via Continue to Give, people who still respect both faith and freedom have responded to the following appeal by contributing more than $200,000: