Razing Arizona

Just when we think we're making some progress in this country with our 'gay agenda', this crawls out from under a desert rock like a scorpion to sting you in the ass.  Last week, The Arizona House voted 33-27 to give its approval to a bill (already approved by it's Senate) that would allow businesses to refuse service to gays (among others) based on their religious beliefs.  The bill is sitting on Governor Jan Brewer's desk to be signed or vetoed by week's end. 

According to the bill, it would allow businesses sued in a civil case to claim they have a legal right to not provide service to an individual or group because it would “substantially burden’’ their freedom of religion.  Supporters claim that this bill is not targeted at gays and it's not about discrimination, it's about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly 'living out their faith'.  Wait... what?  So, it's not about them discriminating against everyone else... it's about everyone else attacking them?  Opponents say this bill may also open the door to discriminate based on race, familial status, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability, as well, and that it permits discrimination under the guise of religious freedom.  Similar religious protection legislation has been introduced in Ohio, Mississippi, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee and Oklahoma, but Arizona’s plan is the only one that has passed so far.  And, oddly, even the businesspeople of Arizona don't want this bill passed because they don't want to be involved in lawsuits and see loss of business.  The tourism board is already seeing people cancel their plans for next years Super Bowl, of which Arizona is hosting, and a company that would have been hiring 1000 local people backed out of moving into the area because of the bill.

Personally, this not only disgusts me, it puzzles me.  Someone please give me an example of how the Christian religious (the ones pushing the bill) are discriminated against throughout their day, let alone in a retail establishment.  First of all, if anyone should be backing this bill, it should be all the other religions in America that Christians discriminate against on a daily basis... the religions that aren't allowed to 'live out their faith' because it's not the Christian way... the ones they belittle and protest and picket at every chance they get.  And how, as a gay man coming in to buy a Big Mac, does that infringe, discriminate against or threaten someone's religion freedom?

The problem with the religious is that they don't even follow the true message of Jesus and just can't be happy that they have found the eternal light and salvation or whatever the hell else they are bribed with or promised for their contribution towards the priest's Lincoln Continental.  Instead, they poke and prod and rile everyone else with their absurdities and antiquated ways of thinking, sticking their noses in everyone else's business, until there can't help be a backlash.  It reminds me of the scenario where, if you rattle a bee's nest and you get stung, you have no one to blame but yourself.  If they feel discriminated against (which is laughable), it's because they have brought it on themselves because everyone is sick of hearing them force their beliefs down everyone else's throats.  This is no different than the controversy that surrounds Christmas... they refuse to acknowledge anyone else's beliefs to the point that others have to get forceful to stand their ground and all of a sudden, there's a war on Christmas.  They are the victims.

I get it, it's a scary world when you have to start thinking for yourself because the 'Church' as you know it is crumbling around you and you realize that the world has changed and you are still in the 1950's.   Newsflash:  This is 2014, some 65 years later... the Bible isn't the law of the land, it's the man-made book that your club uses and not everyone's a member.  Your cult leader didn't write the Constitution and our founding fathers didn't want religion anywhere near our laws.  Membership in your club doesn't give you the right to discriminate any more than did membership in the KKK.  There's no difference.

I travel quite a good deal in the southwest, but will avoid Arizona like the plague in the future if this bill passes.  Between building the mile-high wall to 'protect' the border and now this, one thing is clear... there should be a wall around Arizona not only to protect us, but to protect it from itself.  I would, however, love to be sitting there sipping a coffee when an Atheist/gay/Muslim-owned business denies service to a Christian... that would be the show of shows to watch.  Hypocrisy, showing on the big screen.  There would be no bad seats.  It would be a shot heard around the world.