WTF Kansas....and Arizona.....and Missouri.....and Georgia....

[Seshmeister]

In 2014?


http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/13/us...-sex-services/

Kansas House passes bill allowing refusal of service to same-sex couples

By Ben Brumfield and Dana Ford, CNN
February 13, 2014 -- Updated 1259 GMT (2059 HKT)


(CNN) -- Denying services to same-sex couples may soon become legal in Kansas.
House Bill 2453 explicitly protects religious individuals, groups and businesses that refuse services to same-sex couples, particularly those looking to tie the knot.

It passed the state's Republican-dominated House on Wednesday with a vote of 72-49, and has gone to the Senate for a vote.

Such a law may seem unnecessary in a state where same-sex marriage is banned, but some Kansas lawmakers think different.

They want to prevent religious individuals and organizations from getting sued, or otherwise punished, for not providing goods or services to gay couples -- or for not recognizing their marriages or committed relationship as valid.
This includes employees of the state.

The law claims to protect the rights of religious people, but gender rights advocates such as Equality Kansas are dismayed.

"Kansans across the state are rightly appalled that legislators are spending their efforts to pass yet another piece of legislation that seeks to enshrine discrimination against gay and lesbian people into law," state chairwoman Sandra Meade said.

"HB 2453 is a blatant attempt to maintain second-class citizen status for taxpaying gay and lesbian Kansans."
Despite the blowback, its chances of passing seem pretty good.

Republicans dominate the state's Senate and Gov. Sam Brownback is a conservative Christian known for taking a public stand against same-sex marriage.

Brownback has already praised the bill in an interview with a local newspaper.

"Americans have constitutional rights, among them the right to exercise their religious beliefs and the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity," he told The Topeka Capital-Journal.

HB 2453 is titled "An act concerning religious freedoms with respect to marriage" and covers many bases.
It reads, in part: "No individual or religious entity shall be required by any governmental entity to do any of the following, if it would be contrary to the sincerely held religious beliefs of the individual or religious entity regarding sex or gender:
"Provide any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges; provide counseling, adoption, foster care and other social services; or provide employment or employment benefits, related to, or related to the celebration of, any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union or similar arrangement."
Anyone who turns away a gay couple not only can't face a civil suit, but if anyone tries to sue, they could get nailed with the other side's legal fees.

There are some small concession in the bill to gay couples.
If an employee at a nonreligious or government business refuses to serve a gay or lesbian couple for religious reasons, the manager is obligated to find another employee who will oblige.

It also explicitly says that the law does not authorize discrimination against anyone, including clergy, who performs or supports same-sex unions.

The Kansas bill would seem to buck the trend.
Laws approving same-sex marriage have recently passed in many parts of the United States, bringing the total number of states where it is legal to 17. Add to that the District of Columbia.

Worldwide, 16 other countries (and parts of Mexico) also have laws allowing same-sex marriage and domestic partnerships. Most of the nations are in Europe and South America.

[FORD]

Geezus.... did the Phelps KKKult get elected to the state legislature?

[cadaverdog]

Seems a lttle ridiculous whether you like homos or not. Now if they passed a bill that you didn't have to serve liberals I'd be all for it.

[Nickdfresh]

Seems a lttle ridiculous whether you like homos or not. Now if they passed a bill that you didn't have to serve liberals I'd be all for it.

Yeah, but that's because you're a lazy fast food worker...

[cadaverdog]

Yeah, but that's because you're a lazy fast food worker...

No, I'm a lazy bum. Haven't you been paying attention? I just don't like liberals. But if it makes you feel better I like assholes like the people from the Westboro Baptist church even less. I'd vote for Hillary Clinton before I'd vote for anyone they'd back for president or anybody who doesn't think they're the scum of the earth too, liberal or otherwise.

[Nickdfresh]

No, I'm a lazy bum. Haven't you been paying attention? I just don't like liberals.....

You ought to get on your knees and suck liberal-asshole everyday of your life, most of your income is dependent on them!

[cadaverdog]

You ought to get on your knees and suck liberal-asshole everyday of your life, most of your income is dependent on them!

If I was thankful to liberals for anything I'd merely say thank you.

[WARF's Vagina]

Yeah, but that's because you're a lazy fast food worker...

with a one legged friend

[cadaverdog]

with a one legged friend

That's one more friend than you have biatch.

[FORD]

Seems a lttle ridiculous whether you like homos or not. Now if they passed a bill that you didn't have to serve liberals I'd be all for it.

There are no liberals in Kansas. That's why all this fucking 12th century bullshit is allowed to happen there.

Hell, even my Bible thumping sister couldn't stand to live in Kansas for more than a few months.

[cadaverdog]

There are no liberals in Kansas. That's why all this fucking 12th century bullshit is allowed to happen there.

Hell, even my Bible thumping sister couldn't stand to live in Kansas for more than a few months.

I meant here in Cali. I'd never have to wait for a table again. Movie stars would have to pay regular folks to order their food for them if they could find anyone willing. Sean Penn would starve to death.

[FORD]

Sean Penn would starve to death.

Nah... he'd just order a pizza.

[fraroc]

Incidentally, I'm seeing Kansas in May at Westbury Music Fair.

[cadaverdog]

Incidentally, I'm seeing Kansas in May at Westbury Music Fair.

Is there even one original member still alive or in the band or do you care? There's a few bands touring with no original members out there. I saw a rendition of Foghat that didn't have any original members and they sucked.

[fraroc]

Is there even one original member still alive or in the band or do you care? There's a few bands touring with no original members out there. I saw a rendition of Foghat that didn't have any original members and they sucked.

There are three out of six originals still in the band. Steve Walsh the keyboardist and lead singer, Rich Williams (AKA Eyepatch dude) the lead guitarist, and Phil Ehart the drummer. Kerry Livgren is out doing his own thing, Robbie Steinhardt is pretty much retired, Dave Hope is doing other things with his church and stuff.

Great live band, btw. Even to this day.

[SunisinuS]

"exercise their religious beliefs and the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity"

So we respectfully and with dignity deny to "Provide any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges; provide counseling, adoption, foster care and other social services; or provide employment or employment benefits,

I am sure the Gays will get it. After all, being denied food at a church "soup kitchen" is obviously honoring "....the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity".

And then basically forcing the more "liberal" members of the congregation to single themselves out as "gay lovers" is a nice capper.

lol red letter "G" anyone?

[Seshmeister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/...ation-law.html


Kansas Republicans Violate The Constitution By Passing Anti-Gay Segregation Law


There are different concepts of liberty, or the quality individuals have to control their own actions and how it relates to life under a social contract. In a civilized society, liberty requires boundaries to prevent a person who claims their right to control their own actions means imposing on other members of society’s right to liberty. There is a war going on in America where one specific group of Americans is claiming their religious liberty affords them power to abridge other Americans’ rights in spite of state and federal laws or guarantees of freedom in the U.S. Constitution. What the religious right and their Republican enablers are pushing in Congress and GOP-controlled states under the guise of religious liberty is religious tyranny, and now another group of Republican fascists are passing legislation to violate the Constitution and other Americans’ rights. Americans should not be deluded for one second that theocratic-driven laws denying Americans their Constitutional rights will stop until this country’s rule of law comes from the Christian bible and the people are ruled by a theocracy along the lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Every politician that holds elected public office swears an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution, but Republicans in Kansas swore allegiance to the right wing extremist version of the bible and pledged to nullify the 1st and 14th Amendment. The Kansas House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a piece of legislation crafted to legalize anti-gay segregation under the guise of “religious liberty” that any respectable American would admit is religious tyranny. The bill will pass the Republican Senate with ease and be signed into law by the Republican religious tyrant Sam Brownback. The consequence of the law to gay and straight people in Kansas is that every area of their lives will be controlled by religious bigots and the bill is written in such a manner that the victims have no recourse but to accept religious tyranny or leave what is rapidly becoming a Christian dictatorship in Kansas.

The Kansas law is not the first of its kind sweeping Republican-controlled Christian dictatorships, but it is certainly vying for the most extreme. According to the legislation, any private business, government entity, individual, public servant, or group has the legal right to refuse to provide services to gay couples if “it would be contrary to their religious beliefs.” The bill gives any private employer the right to terminate gay employees, stores can deny gay couples goods and services, hotels can throw gay couples out or deny them entrance to the building, and businesses providing public accommodations such as theaters or restaurants have the right to deny gay couples admittance to their businesses. The bill is set up to punish any gay person who dares filing suit for discrimination because they will automatically lose and forced to pay the defendants legal fees, but it is worse.

Christian lawmakers give government employees the right to deny services to gays in the name of “religious liberty,” and every government employee will receive explicit permission to discriminate against gays including any Kansas government worker. For example, if a gay person calls the police because they are being assaulted, an officer can refuse to help them if interacting with gays violates their religious principles. State hospitals can prevent gays from entering and deny them treatment with impunity, and gays will be barred from public parks, public pools, or any institution operating under the aegis of Kansas state theocracy; including the public school system.

The theocrats supporting the religious law claim it only applies gay couples, as if that makes the edict acceptable, but the text of the bill is absent any principles limiting it to gay couples, or straight people, whose very existence Christians feel violates their religious liberty. It is true there is a blanket clause that allows businesses and government employees to discriminate against gays if the discrimination is in any way “related to, or related to the celebration of, any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union or similar arrangement,” and it is that loophole that gives Christians a free pass to discriminate so long as they claim to “believe” their service is linked to gays in any form. Subsequently, since anyone denying service to any person is completely shielded from any legal charges because they cannot be sued, they will never have to prove their actions fell within the soon-to-be law because they exercised their religious liberty and it puts every citizen in Kansas at great risk.

The Kansas law is similar to an Arizona bill that gives any Arizonan the legal right to break any law if they claim it conflicts with their religious belief and they exercised their religious liberty to execute their personal religious edict. There is nothing to stop a hospital from refusing to admit an unwed pregnant woman hemorrhaging to death if any hospital employee claims it violates their religious liberty to provide medical treatment to an unwed woman. An ambulance driver can refuse to administer emergency medical care to a Latino if they claim doing so violates their religious belief that America is a white Christian nation and they exercised their religious liberty to withhold treatment for an injured person suffering a heart attack. When religious fascist governor Sam Brownback signs the legislation into law, and he will sign it into law, there is nothing to prevent a homophobe from claiming they were exercising their religious liberty in capturing and stoning a gay person to death, or a parent from murdering their disobedient child because it is their biblical duty under the bible’s Ten Commandments. These examples may sound extreme, but these are Christian extremists passing extreme religious laws under the banner of exercising religious liberty they claim is protected by the First Amendment.



There is a sense of irony in these foul abominations of religious law in that extremist Christians proposing and voting for them are using the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom to restrict other Americans religious freedom as well as their constitutionally-guaranteed equal rights. But that is the new definition of “religious liberty; the dog-given religious freedom of extremist Christians to control other Americans based on their bastardized interpretation of religious liberty. Their religious liberty is sheer religious tyranny and yet no judge, no politician, or civil rights group filing suit to stop the extremist religious right has the fortitude to cite the laws violate the First Amendment’s prohibition on laws respecting the establishment of religion. It is all well-and-good to cite the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal rights under the law, but the biblical laws are patently unconstitutional because they are purely religious laws. Commenters often take issue with claims these discriminatory statutes are religious laws, but like the Arizona and Kansas laws legalizing discrimination, using the justification of “religious liberty” based on Christianity makes them abject religious edicts and it is damned high time it is called what it is; unconstitutional religious tyranny.

The religious right is wont to claim, ad nauseum, that opposition to their religious edicts are tantamount to waging a war on Christianity, but they have it completely backwards; extremist Christians are waging a war on democracy, the Constitution, equal rights, and other Americans’ freedom to not be burdened with biblical edicts that have no place in America. There is a religious war in America, and Americans loyal to the Constitution have to go on the offensive and take the war to the extremists because if any American thinks extremist Christians will stop at passing biblical edicts targeting gays, women, or science, they need to peruse the historical record and understand that there are no bounds religious extremists are willing to acknowledge. Remember, according to Republican bible laws in Arizona and Kansas, all a person has to claim is they exercised their religious liberty to avoid a lawsuit, or prosecution, for any action they claim is a violation of their religious beliefs and it applies to discriminating against gays, unwed couples, pregnant women, or employee’s using prescription coverage in their health plans for contraception. There is no reason to believe Christian extremists will let Democrats, African Americans, or immigrants exist if they are allowed to claim exercising their religious liberty justified killing or imprisoning them. The Founding Fathers fled religious persecution and set up the Constitution to ensure that no American would ever face religious oppression again, and although their protection endured for over two-hundred years, 21st century Americans face a religious right crusade and inquistion that will not stop until Americans start acting like Americans and not frightened villagers in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

[Seshmeister]

What's the point in sending troops to die fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan when they are running Kansas...

[Nickdfresh]

What's the point in sending troops to die fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan...

Some of whom are gay...

[cadaverdog]

It also explicitly says that the law does not authorize discrimination against anyone, including clergy, who performs or supports same-sex unions.

Unless of course you're actually in a same sex union. Then you can go fuck yourself.

[FORD]

[Nitro Express]

I like money. I will do business with anyone as long as they don't pose a future threat to me. I will gladly do business and take money from gays. Who the fuck cares what goes on in Kansas? Who in the fuck would want to live there?

[ashstralia]

You know why we don't have groups like the WBC here? Because they would get shouted down in the street, that's why. A few years ago, a religious group (decorum prevents me from mentioning which) decided that we are all heathens, and should, as a country, follow their path. So they staged a massive protest, complete with violence and inflammatory rhetoric. Needless to say, the good men and women of the New South Wales Police Force shut it down big time. Prosecutions are ongoing to this day.

Seriously, who gives a tinkers cuss if two men or two women want to love each other as 'normal' heterosexual couples do? FFS.

[Hardrock69]

This crap does not surprise me. The politicians and businessmen in Kansas are a bunch of goddamnable brain-dead idiots who somehow think Jebus is still alive, and wish to GOD that it was legal to string up darkies on Saturday night.

What would be the result if someone dropped an A-bomb on Kansas?

Well, it would be 20 years before anyone knew about it, as that is how far behind the times those fucking assholes are.

And secondly, it would be good riddance. That fucking state is a worthless piece of land occupied by Nazi/KKK-wannabees, and blowing that fucking shithole off the face of the earth would do the human race a great service.

[Nitro Express]

This crap does not surprise me. The politicians and businessmen in Kansas are a bunch of goddamnable brain-dead idiots who somehow think Jebus is still alive, and wish to GOD that it was legal to string up darkies on Saturday night.

What would be the result if someone dropped an A-bomb on Kansas?

Well, it would be 20 years before anyone knew about it, as that is how far behind the times those fucking assholes are.

And secondly, it would be good riddance. That fucking state is a worthless piece of land occupied by Nazi/KKK-wannabees, and blowing that fucking shithole off the face of the earth would do the human race a great service.

It would do the human race good making the nation's bread basket radioactive?

[cadaverdog]

It would do the human race good making the nation's bread basket radioactive?

Liberal hate the conservatives because they hate the homos. They refuse to tolerate people who don't tolerate what they want them to tolerate and vice versa. In other words everybody wants to tell everybody else how to think.

[FORD]

Liberal hate the conservatives because they hate the homos. They refuse to tolerate people who don't tolerate what they want them to tolerate and vice versa. In other words everybody wants to tell everybody else how to think.

Liberals hate "conservatives" (who conserve NOTHING, by the way) because they have spent the last 33 years systematically destroying this fucking country. Their irrational hatred of people due to sexual orientation (or race, gender, etc.) is a "bonus".

[cadaverdog]

Liberals hate "conservatives" (who conserve NOTHING, by the way) because they have spent the last 33 years systematically destroying this fucking country. Their irrational hatred of people due to sexual orientation (or race, gender, etc.) is a "bonus".

In other words you refuse to tolerate anyone else's views and their right to have them. The other side thinks people like you are destroying America. Both sides are destroying America, you're just to blind to see it.

[Nitro Express]

Liberals hate "conservatives" (who conserve NOTHING, by the way) because they have spent the last 33 years systematically destroying this fucking country. Their irrational hatred of people due to sexual orientation (or race, gender, etc.) is a "bonus".

Naw naw naw. You can get three months labor out of them in a camp. Then gas them. Arbeit Macht Frei!

[Nickdfresh]

Liberal hate the conservatives because they hate the homos. They refuse to tolerate people who don't tolerate what they want them to tolerate and vice versa. In other words everybody wants to tell everybody else how to think.

Liberals hate conservatives because they think they're homos? WTF?

[FORD]

It would do the human race good making the nation's bread basket radioactive?

Well, it's either going to be that, or it will be forever poisoned by that toxic piece of shit pipeline, or else fracked into earthquake oblivion with other poisons. So might as well get it over with, and get rid of a bunch of fucking morons quickly.

[Kristy]

Hi, Kirsten. Back so soon? You're looking good.

[Kristy]

In the meantime, read here: http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/1481/...r-with-kansas/

[FORD]

You know what "tolerance" has brought us to?

1) Trans Pacific Partnershit (NOT a typo)

2) Keystone X-HELL Pipeline (also not a typo)

3) The end of net neutrality - which will kill the last form of honest media in this country, the Internet.

4) Scumcast/Time Whorener merger - which will make #3 even worse.


Any ONE of those 4 would cripple this country seriously. All 4 of them will KILL it. You really think I give a shit what a bunch of sister fucking (or sock fucking) inbreds think about two people of the same gender getting married right now?

I don't have a shred of tolerance left for ANYONE who has helped to enable any of the above.

Fuck 'em sideways with a chainsaw

[cadaverdog]

You know what tolerance has brought us to?

1) Trans Pacific Partnershit (NOT a typo)

2) Keystone X-HELL Pipeline (also not a typo)

3) The end of net neutrality - which will kill the last form of honest media in this country, the Internet.

4) Scumcast/Time Whorener merger - which will make #3 even worse.


Any ONE of those 4 would cripple this country seriously. All 4 of them will KILL it. You really think I give a shit what a bunch of sister fucking (or sock fucking) inbreds think about two people of the same gender getting married right now?

Where's your "The End Is Near" sign? Drink a beer or smoke a joint. You're going to have a stroke if you don't calm down. When did you become such a drama queen?

[cadaverdog]

Life is over as we know it. They don't like homos in Kansas. We're all doomed.

[FORD]

They also walk into churches and murder doctors in front of the entire congregation. You're probably OK with that too, right?

[cadaverdog]

They also walk into churches and murder doctors in front of the entire congregation. You're probably OK with that too, right?

I never said I approved of any of the shit you're talking about but you're so far out there with your hatred of people who don't agree with you it's frightening. You probably think it would be a good thing if republicans weren't even allowed to vote or run for office. You probably think they should be eliminated like Hitler tried to do to the Jews.

[FORD]

I never said I approved of any of the shit you're talking about but you're so far out there with your hatred of people who don't agree with you it's frightening. You probably think it would be a good thing if republicans weren't even allowed to vote or run for office. You probably think they should be eliminated like Hitler tried to do to the Jews.

Hitler's approach wasn't at all what I had in mind for the pieces of shit who have destroyed this country......




.... don't worry though. When that day comes, it will only be the actual guilty who are punished. Not the idiots who were foolish enough to be duped by them.

[cadaverdog]

Hitler's approach wasn't at all what I had in mind for the pieces of shit who have destroyed this country....
.... don't worry though. When that day comes, it will only be the actual guilty who are punished. Not the idiots who were foolish enough to be duped by them.