Obama vs. religious freedom

happy jack wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

If you're in a government job and you can't separate your official duties from your religious bias then it might be time to look for anther job.

…. or if you can’t separate your classified e-mails from your personal e-mails.

You mean like Colin Powell?...yes?

Republican Colin Powell Deals a Death Blow to Hillary Clinton Email Scandal
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03/08/republican-colin-powell-deals-death-blow-hillary-clinton-email-scandal.html

This sums it all up....

Artie60438 wrote:

Hillary Clinton On Jailed KY Clerk: 'Officials Should Be Held To Their Duty'

Quote :

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined her 2016 rivals in weighing in on the decision by a federal judge to hold a Kentucky clerk in contempt of court for not issuing gay marriage licenses.

   Marriage equality is the law of the land. Officials should be held to their duty to uphold the law—end of story. https://t.co/9WfxgULBga

   — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 3, 2015

Kim Davis, a clerk in Rowan County, has stopped issuing marriage licenses to all couples after the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

She's spot on. If you're in a government job and you can't separate your official duties from your religious bias then it might be time to look for anther job.

chuckmo48 wrote:

Where's the rethuglicon candidates rallying for the muslim stewardess that refused to serve liquor and subsequently was suspended because of her religious beliefs?  

Great question for the moderators at the next clown car debate. There would be some major league squirming having to defend a muslim.
Paging Jake Tapper...paging Jake Tapper..please pick up the CNN courtesy phone!

Ben Carson: Christians Can Refuse To Do Their Jobs Because 'This Is A Judeo-Christian Nation'

Quote :

Last night on Fox News’ “The Kelly File,” Ben Carson defended Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk Kim Davis’ decision to prevent her office from issuing marriage licenses because she has religious objections to gay marriage.

Ironically, Carson said that gays are trying to force their “way of life” on Davis: “I don’t actually believe that they have the right to force their way of life upon everybody else, nor would I want to force my way of life upon everybody else.” Of course, it is actually Davis who is using a public office to impose her religious views on others, and gay couples are only asking that she follow the law.

When host Megyn Kelly asked Carson if he believes that a Muslim county clerk should have a right to “refuse a marriage license to Muslims who want to marry Christians,” the GOP presidential candidate said that Christians can cite their religious beliefs to refuse marriage licenses because “this is a Judeo-Christian nation in the sense that a lot of our values and principles are based on our Judeo-Christian faith.”

Me thinks #2 Clown candidate is going to be asked to explain this in the next debate. Keep up the good work wingnuts and keep this issue front and center. Your imbecilic
audience will eat this up while everyone else watching cringes.

Carson is also a young earth creationist. That's not getting talked about nearly enough.

Heretic wrote:

Carson is also a young earth creationist.  That's not getting talked about nearly enough.

It may when they have the official "raise your hand if you believe in evolution" question in one of their debates.

No wonder Pence rhymes with dense
Survey: Religious objections law cost Indiana as much as $60 million

Quote :

Indiana may have lost as much as $60 million in hotel profits, tax revenue and other economic benefits when a dozen groups decided against hosting conventions in Indianapolis last year due at least in part to the controversy surrounding the state's religious objections law.

A document prepared by the tourism group Visit Indy shows that the 12 out-of-state groups were surveyed and all said that the state's controversial law played a role in their decision to hold their events elsewhere. The document was obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its formal release Thursday.

The Republican-backed law garnered quick and largely negative national backlash after it was signed by Gov. Mike Pence in March, with critics saying it sanctioned discrimination against gay people on religious grounds. Lawmakers hastily made changes days later, after the NCAA, the gamer convention GenCon and other business interests raised the possibility of moving events, but critics said the law still doesn't go far enough to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination.

The findings by Visit Indy are among the first to quantify the law's financial effect, an impact that social conservatives have skeptically downplayed. Visit Indy also is among several prominent Indiana business voices advocating for statewide protections for anyone fired from a job, denied service or evicted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In the group's surveys, Indianapolis tourism officials asked the conventions why they chose to locate in other states, without specifically mentioning the controversial law. All 12 cited the law — and the backlash it provoked — as one reason for choosing another city, said Chris Gahl, vice president of marketing and communications for Visit Indy.

"We'd say, 'Why didn't you select Indy?' and they proactively cited (the law) as a reason they did not select Indianapolis," Gahl said when asked about the document. "That is not news you want to hear when you are in the business of marketing a city."

In an emailed statement Monday, Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks said Indiana was a "welcoming" state with a strong economy. She noted that multiple organizations that have expanded their role or recommitted to hosting conventions and events in the state, including the NFL scouting combine and the Future Farmers of America group.

Gahl declined to name the 12 conventions or detail their individual financial impacts. Visit Indy typically considers hotel room rentals, meal purchases, entertainment expenditures and shopping figures, as well as state and local taxes, when calculating those figures.

The AP independently confirmed that one organization, the International Association of Fairs and Expositions, bypassed Indianapolis due in part to the law. Indianapolis was a finalist after the group decided to no longer hold its four-day event in Las Vegas, said Marla Calico, the association's president and CEO.

"There were some of our members who were aware that the city was under consideration, and a few were very vocal that they didn't think it would be appropriate," Calico said.

She said the uproar over the new law was "a piece of the equation" when her group decided not to choose Indianapolis, which she said was appealing because of its amenities and central location.

The Indiana Senate is expected to debate two bills Wednesday addressing LGBT issues. One would offer statewide protections for anyone fired from a job, denied service or evicted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The other would do the same but exclude transgender people. Both offer exemptions for clergy, small businesses and religious organizations.

Passage is far from certain. The governor said during his recent State of the State speech that he would prioritize religious freedom over LGBT rights and that not everyone believes that the state's business climate has been harmed.

"There are states with (religious objections) laws on the books right now that are doing quite well with regard to business," said Pastor Kevin Baird of the Indiana Pastors Alliance. He said arguments made by the business community about the impact of the law and the need for LGBT protections were a "false narrative."

Still, Visit Indy estimates that the actual amount of money lost could be greater than $60 million because fewer convention prospects are in the pipeline compared with years past.

"We work with a sense of urgency to make sure that Indianapolis tourism and the region's tourism is healthy," Gahl said. "Hopefully something will be done at the Statehouse."