Comments on Advance Indiana™: Pence Issues Signing Statement On RFRA

To those wondering who those are in the photo: I m...

2015-04-04T20:26:58.605-05:00

To those wondering who those are in the photo: I met many of them (I'm a 4th Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus). The nuns in the brown habits and the brothers in the brown cloaks are members of two Catholic religious orders. I forget the name of their respective orders but I know the brothers are based out of Fort Wayne. They were probably invited for the photo signing because they testified before the General Assembly about the bill. We served them dinner the night before they testified.

I was on the fence about RFPA until Sulu and Hanah...

2015-03-27T20:26:51.916-05:00

I was on the fence about RFPA until Sulu and Hanah Montana came out against it. I have seen the light and now am also against it.

In the name of tolerance, open mindedness, progres...

2015-03-27T12:56:58.876-05:00

In the name of tolerance, open mindedness, progress, and equality we're going to force you and your business to participate and condone others sin.

I looked up the Bill of Rights. First and Ninth l...

2015-03-27T10:06:48.761-05:00

I looked up the Bill of Rights. First and Ninth looked interesting.

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petitition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Ninth Amendment
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Sieg Heil Guvenor Pence. Sounds like the Nurembur...

2015-03-27T09:53:19.942-05:00

Sieg Heil Guvenor Pence. Sounds like the Nuremburg Law of pre-war Nazi Germany (also see "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" in 1933) which were anti-Jew. Mississippi and Arkansas are both looking more appealing and a "better place to live". Homophobia is alive and well in Indiana.

The picture looks like a bunch of cultists who pre...

2015-03-27T09:24:20.757-05:00

The picture looks like a bunch of cultists who pressured Pence to do something to offset their paincreatis. Shades of Jim Jones.

Hint for Anon 7:54: They're not back up singe...

2015-03-27T08:08:45.382-05:00

Hint for Anon 7:54: They're not back up singers for Smiley Virus.

This morning's Star News showed a picture of s...

2015-03-27T07:54:23.737-05:00

This morning's Star News showed a picture of several people with Pence at the signing of the bill. Pence's office released the photo but refused the name the people in the picture. Why the secrecy? So much for transparency.

In answer to anon and gas masks...the employee mus...

2015-03-27T07:28:55.753-05:00

In answer to anon and gas masks...the employee must be clean shaven as this is required for a good fit on that device. There is case law already on this...

The minority mafia lost any support I had when the...

2015-03-27T06:53:43.994-05:00

The minority mafia lost any support I had when they decided to demand marriage instead of CIVIL UNIONS. That in itself made me realize it wasn't about marriage it was about an agenda against religious beliefs. And to further rile you up, you are being used by the extremist communists/Marxists to further the real transformation of America. Sorry, you are a minority and most people do not care about your bedroom activities but we do care that you demand we give up our beliefs for your sexual proclivities which you want to name marriage. People know gay individuals and have them as friends not judging them and liking them but you have transformed this into a hate issue. The real problem is your agenda. Leave us alone, live as you want and leave us out of it. We really do not care what you do in your personal lives, nor do we hate you. This mess is your fault not ours. So why are you surprised about the push back. By the way, just stop it trying to turn the argument as though this is something we started.

I'd say that getting insulted by Miley Cyrus w...

2015-03-26T19:49:29.429-05:00

I'd say that getting insulted by Miley Cyrus would be a badge of honor.

Cyrus is a member of the il-literati; inarticulate...

2015-03-26T19:00:05.516-05:00

Cyrus is a member of the il-literati; inarticulate vomitribe.

"Gay marriage is the law of the land in India...

2015-03-26T17:53:06.444-05:00

"Gay marriage is the law of the land in Indiana."

What's the cite in the Indiana Code for it?

Nonsense Governor Pence. Nothing but a bunch of d...

2015-03-26T17:02:54.304-05:00

Nonsense Governor Pence. Nothing but a bunch of double talk talking points you guys are using to justify this discrimination. Do Republicans in the Statehouse think we can’t read. 16 law professors sent the legislature a legal opinion saying the law would be used to turn customers away from business. This legislation is being talked about in the national media from every angle and the one Indiana Republicans keep repeating ad nauseum is called a thinly veiled justification for state sanctioned discrimination by business against homosexuals. No matter how many ways you try to put lipstick on it you can’t obscure its true function. Is this justification all you have to offer your constituents who no longer believe that this type of discrimination is tolerable. Gay marriage is the law of the land in Indiana. How many ways do you plan to punish these homosexuals; to insult them, to belittle them. These are members of my family. God didn’t give you the right to insult our young people by authorizing Indiana businesses to deny to serve them, to photograph them, to prepare them food because of their religious beliefs. It is being used for these purposes in State after State. In the U.K. a gay couple on holiday showed up at their bed and breakfast and was told by the owners that they couldn’t stay there because it was against their religion to have two men sleep in the same bed in their home. The couple complained to the board that regulated hotels, and it issued an opinion that the owners right to do business would be revoked. They could be religious, of course, but once they opened a hotel that catered to the public, they didn’t have the right to pick and choose their customers based on their religious preferences. You, Mr. Pence, are codifying a law that would, in essence, allow these proprietors, if in Indiana, to turn this couple away, and it isn’t right. Not for the gay children in my family. If anyone turns away our children away from a business based on these laws the Republicans are passing now I’m going to be loudly indignant. Its wrong and I kind of resent the intentional mischaracterization and whitewash. We all know that these religious freedom bills, and at least 5 have been voted down here recently in neighboring States, are aimed squarely at the homosexual community. They’re some kind of desperate payback for same sex marriage, and they have nothing to do with the original intent of Bill Clinton’s legislation. And I think its embarrassing that you and the rest voted for it. Its sad. If you think you are going to pass ugly legislation targeting our gay children and that I am still going to vote for you you’re mistaken. I may just be one voice, but I’ll damn well tell you what I think. This is not the Republican party I know and it has nothing to do with fiscal conservatism. Its ugly, hateful discrimination because somewhere someone wants to tell a gay person they won’t bake a wedding cake for "their kind". And you signed it. Is that really what you think Jesus would do? You’ve just lost my respect.

So how exactly will this work when there is a dire...

2015-03-26T16:29:41.172-05:00

So how exactly will this work when there is a direct conflict with existing law ?

So for example, in order to wear a tight-fitting respirator (rubber with the 2 circular filters on each end) you must be clean shaven. What if the person's religion permits them to wear facial hair ? Can this person be fired for insubordination at the workplace ?

The irony is that Indiana is employment at will and employers can fire you for any reason except "protected activity" which makes the State ultra-business friendly to do whatever they permit to the employer to do nearly whatever they want. This could conflict with the 'employment at will' current labor law.

I am inclined to agree that this law will have few...

2015-03-26T14:38:55.472-05:00

I am inclined to agree that this law will have fewer consequences than liberal types fear (I am one of `those' who appreciates this blog calling things pretty fairly, even if Gary has strong theories and opinions). But context matters. The federal law is 20 years old, and a lot of tastes have changed. It is one thing to raise the ante, another to let some earlier careless legislation continue. Just think---barely a year ago we were talking constitutional amendment, and now we have this, where no one can point to anything other than extremely hypothetical cases where it might be relevant. Hysteria leads to bad legislation, consider the Patriot Act. At best, this is cluttering up the lawbooks. As a comparison, Illinois passed this law in 2012, and all I see are commenters mentioning this fact, without citing any situation where this has made any difference. I would think conservatives would be reluctant to introduce what is likely to be gratuitous legislation.

The world would be much better if he signed the Fr...

2015-03-26T14:27:38.463-05:00

The world would be much better if he signed the Freedom Restoration Act, which eliminated government altogether.

Surely FI has a list of all the organizations who ...

2015-03-26T11:36:01.296-05:00

Surely FI has a list of all the organizations who fled neighboring Illinois, when they signed this same legislation...