Joe Sudbay (DC),
AmericaBlog.com: Turns out that religious groups are having a rough time implementing their homophobic policies these days.
The Washington Post reports:
Faith organizations and individuals who view homosexuality as sinful and refuse to provide services to gay people are losing a growing number of legal battles that they say are costing them their religious freedom.
The lawsuits have resulted from states and communities that have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those laws have created a clash between the right to be free from discrimination and the right to freedom of religion, religious groups said, with faith losing.
Wow. That sucks for them, doesn't it? Really awful when religious groups and licensed professionals aren't allowed to practice hate. That's so un-Christian. Oh, wait. It's supposed to be hate that is un-Christian.
Our society is changing rapidly. The right wingers know it and it's freaking them out. Their days of controlling the social issues agenda will soon be over once and for all. Winning on Prop. 8, with that huge infusion of Mormon money, is going to turn out to be one of their last gasps.'
NOTE FROM JOHN: What's really going on here is that the religious right wants a complete exemption from civil rights law for anyone who claims that their bigotry is inspired by God. Are you a conservative Catholic ambulance worker who doesn't want to save the dying gay man in your gurney? Invoke God. How about the Baptist fireman who finds it distasteful to save the child of the lesbian couple burning in their apartment? Or the Mormon pharmacist who thinks the black customer having an asthma attack before his eyes can just carry his ass over to the next pharmacy ten miles away, since, you know, under the Mormon faith blacks turned against God and that's why God burned their skin black - to mark them as evil.
In each and every case above it would absolutely positively be impinging on the religious freedom of each of those individuals by forcing them to save the lives of the people they took their jobs to help. Then again, most major religions consider the Mormons a cult, so does that mean ambulance drivers could refuse to help Mormons under these proposals? Could firemen refuse to save the Mormon Temple? Could anyone refuse to work with anyone else who doesnt believe in their particular religion? After all, you're all going to hell - why should I save your lives, do your taxes, or teach your kids in public school?
And finally, if the religious right gets its way, then all civil rights laws applying to blacks and other minorities will be gone. How long before the Southern Baptists revisit all those Bible provisions they used to use to justify slavery? And the Mormons revisit the teachings they held only 30 years ago about blacks being chidden of God?
TMZ: We have lots of exclusive details on the Portuguese Water Dog President Barack Obama and Michelle are getting for Sasha and Malia. The pooch will make its grand entrance on Tuesday, and it's coming from a prominent Texas kennel, with the help of Senator Ted Kennedy's family.
