ACLU sues Jindal over 'religious freedom' order

Story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/aclu-sues-jindal-over-religious-freedom-order/ar-AAcm5aL?fb_action_ids=10207513033173120&fb_action_types=og.comments

My Comment:

Religious liberty does not undermine US Law. The Supreme Court was correct in its ruling using the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. Equal rights with equal protections for all tax paying citizens was the only decision the Supremes could have made. Those who think the Bible comes before our Constitution are the real menace in America.

If the Supremes had decided the other way, based on a religious view, discriminating against tax paying citizens, all civil liberties would be at risk. In all the history of humanity, there has never been a successful religious government, no matter what the religion.

Christianity would fail miserably trying to rule America. As in the past, in all parts of the world, Christianity would have to impose a religious dictatorship on the American people. That won't go over so well in this part of the world. Can you imagine a Dominionist telling a bunch of Catholics or Jews how they are supposed to live? No way! Not without dictatorship.

Religious Liberty can potentially destroy all our Civil Liberties. Religious Liberty, misused can destroy the second Amendment. That's for all you gun nuts out there. The only reason you own guns is because a Secular government is protecting your right to do so. There are plenty of religions willing to take your guns from you in the name of Jesus.

Recently, elected officials breaking their oath to defend the Constitution have made all the headlines. Candidates for the Presidency are encouraging sedition in the name of their bible. Just we need, don’t you think? A President like Mike Huckabee, supporting sedition would be nice. This points out the need for better clarification of the term "Separation of Church and State".

In order to preserve our union, we need to make it very clear there will be no mixing of religion with government. A Constitutional Amendment needs to be drafted explaining what “Separation of Church and State" means. Changing our government from a secular government to a Christian based body would be a disaster.

Witness all the talk of treason coming from the lovers of Jesus and how if they got their way the Supreme Court would become irrelevant and we can look to a thousand church councils for guidance on every law congress passes. People better be finding ways to make the Supreme Court better and quit trying to nullify it. Beware of what you desire. You may get it.

A response to a writer on Face Book

Christina Stauffer on Face Book Wrote:

Thank you, Gary. Nice to read something intelligent on this subject. By the way....exactly when did we start equating religious freedom to the right to discriminate against others who don't share the same beliefs? So....does that mean Christian clerks can refuse marriage licenses to Muslims? How about to an interracial couple....I mean there's lots of stuff in the Old Testament about "mixing" being a no no. Then maybe Protestant clerks can start refusing licenses to Catholics or to folks from that strange church across town. How far is Mr. Jindal going to carry this stupidity?

You defined the problem exactly. Countries, which are slowly taken over by religion (any religion) soon discover that if given an inch, religion will take a mile. A secular nation cannot let religion get as much as a toehold on a secular society.

Letting people decide which civil liberties they will grant based solely on their religious beliefs opens Pandora’s box and leads to chaos. Discrimination must be stopped on a secular level. Personal religious beliefs should never dictate public policy.

Once civil liberties are decided by religious views, religious war break out and the surviving religion imposes its religious beliefs on all the rest of society. Losing religions soon find their religious beliefs banned and discriminated against.

Claims of religious freedom, for discrimination purposes, cannot be tolerated in a free society. The consequences are always bad. Civil liberties are always sacrificed. Religious dictatorships always form. History has many examples of this destructive cycle on people and nations. We must not allow religions to make public policy.

NY Gov. Cuomo: Captured convict 'critical but stable'

From a story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ny-gov-cuomo-captured-convict-critical-but-stable/ar-AAcgwNV?pfr=1

My comment

This has been a case of overkill by the media. This story is not nearly as big as they made it out to be. The police got to dress up in their costumes, blood thirsty Americans got to salivate at the prospect of killing these guys and the American public got to be scared again.

It is so easy to manipulate public reaction in our country. This story never had any relevance on a national scale. Maybe it had some interest to those in the local area but people in Texas didn't have to hide in their cellars and shake in fear.

Americans are such chickens today. It makes one wonder how today's society would have held up when the Soviets had 10,000 nuclear warheads aimed at us during the Cold War. Brave people in those days did not shake in fear and they prevented a nuclear war. If people were as scared back then as they are today, people exploiting that fear would have destroyed mankind.

Just imagine what would have happened if Cheney/Bush were in charge during the Cuban Missile Crises. Who is elected president does matter. We all like to brag about how tough we are as a nation. Let's start showing some of that bravery.

Bristol Palin on pregnancy: 'I made a mistake,' but 'I do not regret this baby'

From a story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/bristol-palin-on-pregnancy-i-made-a-mistake-but-i-do-not-regret-this-baby/ar-AAcfH2I

My Comment:

     She's a cute girl and I believe she has her heart in the right place. Truth be known, she probably wishes she hadn't gotten pregnant. I am a pro-choice individual but respect her decision to have the child. There’s nothing wrong with that.

     As far as preaching abstinence goes, it is a little hypocritical on her part. One can't really blame her for making money with an easy gig. Many people do exactly what she has done. Like mother, like daughter.

     Musicians with no moral values have learned to praise Jesus while singing a song and playing some instruments. They get rich doing it. Religious minions flock to their concerts and buy their albums. The minions go home and play all the wonderful Jesus music while the musicians make fun of their stupidity and laugh all the way to the bank.

     Golden-tongued con artists learned a long time ago, all you have to do is praise Jesus with a little style and people, one taco short of a Mexican plate, will give you lots and lots of money. Tell all the lies you want. Just be sure to sprinkle in a few "Praise Jesus" words and those people will give you all their money and follow you down a rat hole, if you want.

     I spanked a few Christian churches a few years ago. I had a print shop and 90% of my business was printing for churches. All I had to do was speak their version of Jesus and I had all the business I could handle. Sure, I was a whore. However, Christian money was as green as atheist money and it was easier to get from people who didn’t know as much.

     All the Republican candidates for President know this little trick too. Just pull out your magical flute and play the tune the Christian nitwits want to hear and they will vote for you. Mitt Romney was one of the best con artists ever. He wasn't even a Christian and millions voted for him. They loved Mitt Romney more than they loved Jesus.

     Ronald and his wife Nancy broke into the movie business wearing out the casting couch. They were both absolute whores. Ronald never went to church, yet he said all the right things about Jesus and the fundamentalists want to put him on Mt. Rushmore to this day. What a con artist.

     George W. Bush managed to kill a half million people for no reason at all and among the Christians he’s a hero. Obama extracted us from two wars we should never have been in and he’s the bad guy. Oh that’s right, Obama is black and Bush Jr. is white. It’s getting more clear now.

    So Bristol, you go girl. After you have your next baby out of wedlock, you may have to change your gig. That shouldn’t be too hard. Just follow your mother’s lead. Lie through your teeth and praise Jesus. Everything will be all right.

Cruz: Supreme Court justices should face elections - Part two

From a story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cruz-supreme-court-justices-should-face-elections/ar-AAcccu4?fb_comment_id=fbc_699791506816111_700064963455432_700064963455432&pfr=1#f21d0e95d4b3ee

Richard Davis When I first started reading your comment I thought to myself, "here's a guy I can talk to". Upon reading more, I discovered you engaged in invective and insults to make your argument. You say you are an atheist, yet you use the exact same arguments against gay marriage that any self -righteous Christian would use. A right wing atheist! Now there's a uncommon arrangement. Alternatively, are you indeed an atheist?

Just for argument sake, religion has nothing to do with marriage in America. That's why a couple has to get a marriage license from the government and the preacher has to file paperwork with the government upon completion of the ceremony.

That's why you can get married in Las Vegas on a moment’s notice or you can just do the ceremony with the justice of the peace. Whatever the process, the marriage is not legal without government involvement. A church is not required for a legal marriage. Government is. Churches are nice but not necessary.

Getting married legally with the government entitles the married couple to certain legal privileges. Tax advantages with the IRS, inheritance rights and the ability to make medical decisions for a spouse are just a few of those privileges.

A couple cannot just proclaim they are married and enjoy any of the privileges afforded by a marriage, sanctioned by the government. Try filing a joint tax return with the IRS without a registered marriage certificate.

Because the government is the only entity able to grant marital privileges, marriage becomes a civil liberty. Denying civil liberties only a secular government can grant is discrimination by the government. A secular government cannot discriminate against tax paying citizens. A secular government cannot deny advantages to one group of taxpayers and then grant those same privileges to another group based on a religious interpretation or preference.

Your other arguments about polygamy, incest or any other perversion is nothing more than a right wing scare tactic and you should peddle your allegations to those who are afraid of their own shadow. You are corresponding with an adult Democrat who doesn't believe right wing propaganda. Your dog and pony scare tactics don’t work with me.

Nevertheless, your input was interesting. The most entertaining aspect of your correspondence was your claim to an atheist belief system. Har-Har-Har! That was a good one. You are missing a good opportunity though.

Those Republicans would pay you a lot of money if you would claim you are an atheist and tell them you are against gay marriage. You could run around making your argument and really take advantage of people that would give anything to hear you talk like that. It’s kind of like hearing a black or a Latino use Republican talk. It’s an easy way to get rich off of uninformed scared people.

U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage nationwide

Story located at

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-gay-marriage-nationwide/ar-AAcaBM5?pfr=1

my Comment

I marvel at the notion States Rights should determine issues like Marriage Equality. There are some issues, which must be equal in application in every state. Among those equal protections is our Bill of Rights.

Can you imagine the chaos if each individual state were allowed to determine what Freedom of Speech or Religion means on a local basis? Recent history has shown each state would have very different interpretations of our Bill of Rights. Many of the Republican controlled states have demonstrated a propensity to step all over individual rights for religious reasons.

In my mind anyway, one of the most important jobs the Supreme Court has, is to insure the universal application of Civil Liberties across America. Although Marriage Rights is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, this right to marry whom you want is a Penumbra Right we all take for granted. Shadow rights of the Constitution are very important to all of us.

Privacy and Choice are not mentioned in the Constitution but we all expect a certain amount of privacy in our lives and we all enjoy choosing where we work, live, whom we associate with and what we read, listen to or watch. Shadow rights are very important and marriage rights fall into the same category.

We cannot allow states to determine and define our Civil Liberties or our shadow rights. Doing so would defeat the purpose of States being united in our Civil Liberties and our Shadow Rights. We cannot call ourselves the United States of America if one can get married in one state, only to discover their marriage is not recognized in another state.

Civil Liberties is not up to an individual state to determine if that state has been temporarily taken over by extreme religious views. One of the main jobs of the Supreme Court is to insure Equal Protection under the Law, Due Process and the equal application of Civil Liberties coast to coast. The Supreme Court ruled correctly in this issue.

New York Escaped Prisoner Richard Matt Is Reported Killed

Story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/new-york-escaped-prisoner-richard-matt-is-reported-killed/ar-AAcc9qF

My comment:

That's right...cheer for a killing. Killing people always solves problems. Hooray!!!!!! Kill 'em all.

Take a picture and publish it so all the gun nuts can masturbate over the image of his dead body.

Hang his body over a bridge and let the local kindergarten class hold hands, sing songs and praise the people who shot the guy dead. Let the kids pose with the dead body.

Show his dead body on all the news networks at the dinner hour so your whole family can rejoice and thank God for the killing. Just after saying grace, of course.

Don't capture the other guy and put him back in jail. That costs too much money. If he gives up and surrenders, show a live video of someone blowing his brains out. Do the video in enhanced color so everyone can get the full effect of the killing.

Pose cops in army uniforms standing behind the executed escapee so the blood splatters on their face and take close-ups of the cops wiping the blood from their faces and licking their fingers.

Going by the comments attached to this story, the above scenario seems appropriate.

Huckabee rips 'act of judicial tyranny'

Story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/huckabee-rips-act-of-judicial-tyranny/ar-AAc7d96

My Comment:

The best thing Republicans can do to help elect Hillary Clinton is to continue their opposition to the ACA. The law is working. The number of people joining the ACA is increasing each month. Popularity for the ACA increases each day the bill is in effect. Under our system of law, the ACA is Constitutional. ♫♫ Na-na-na-na-na-na!!!!!! ♫♫♫

By the time election day, 2016 arrives, millions more Americans will be covered. A continuous threat to eliminate the ACA, then provide no replacement that makes sense, only further alienates Republicans from the American people.  In just a little while, talk of repealing the ACA will be as popular as promising to repeal Social Security or Medicare. It's not going to happen.

As popularity for the ACA increases day-by-day, continuous lying by Republicans about the entire law, further compounds the credibility problem Republicans already have regarding this issue. Over time, constant lies will cause Americans to doubt anything Republicans say about any subject. Once deemed a pack of liars by the American people, Republicans will have difficulty convincing anyone of their ideas. Only the most faithful will continue to believe.

Threatening Americans they are going to take away something they have become accustomed too, will not win elections. Mr. wonderful, Mike Huckabee, in his self-righteous manner, is doing more for Hillary Clinton than Hillary can do for herself. Thank you Jesus want to be, Mike. We really don't want you to be President but we appreciate your help getting Hillary elected. She is a lot better than you anyway.

How Antonin Scalia Could Undo A Key Part of Obama’s Green Legacy

From a story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/how-antonin-scalia-could-undo-a-key-part-of-obama%E2%80%99s-green-legacy/ar-AAbYgWa?pfr=1

My comment:

Gary Smith you are right too. It's all about regulation mechanisms. I'm getting pretty old now so I've gathered a few experiences along the road. Opposition to regulation kills people.

I've been in places where you can't drink the water or eat the fish. I've lived in towns where very high cancer rates occurred because the air was killing people. I've seen children die because profits were more important than kids’ lives.

Attending those funerals is very sad. Usually the people, who can do the least to solve the problem, are the ones dying. Throughout the industrial age, corporations have had little regard for people’s lives. When it becomes apparent they are killing people, someone has to step in and do something. Corporations will keep killing people so remote owners can have another mint julep, if something isn't done.

I agree that over regulation can harm job creation. There has to be a middle ground. At the same time, if producing a product, enhancing the financial welfare of stockholders, not having to die because of the manufacturing process, perhaps that product should not be produced.

Somebody along the way has to say, "Human lives matter".

House panel approves $30.17B bill cutting EPA funds, blocking rules

Story located at:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-panel-approves-dollar3017b-bill-cutting-epa-funds-blocking-rules/ar-BBlef4o?pfr=1

My Comment:

When did a Congress, controlled by religious zealots, corporatists, science disbelievers and climate deniers become more knowledgeable than the scientists working for the EPA? It's a little scary to think people with such backward and outdated opinions are putting at risk everyman man, woman and child's life in the United States.

It's as though witch doctors with voodoo magic are now in control of our government. God forbid they get control of all three branches of government. Modern day Republicans are truly a disgrace and millions of Americans vote for them.

It's a little disconcerting to see Republicans threaten the air we breathe and the water we drink in order to increase corporate profits or to place solutions preventing environmental catastrophe in the hands of God. Repeatedly Republicans have demonstrated an inability to govern for the good of the people.

People keep voting for these power hungry people bent on privatizing America and ramming their false beliefs down everyone's throat. They keep voting for these golden-tongued con artists because the tactic of scarring people to death and lying to them about everything works.

Americans have fallen for an age-old con-artist game propagated by the Republican Party. Will we wake up before it's too late? We probably won’t in the near future. Hang on to your rear end. A total takeover is in the works. You haven't seen anything yet. A fascist religious government is just over the horizon. The American people will empower this takeover with their vote.