Indiana governor Mike Pence (R) stepped out in defense of the newly signed “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” and, like a good Republican, he blamed the media for reaction to the law.
The law, which some say will permit open discrimination against gays and lesbians in Indiana, was opposed by the state’s Chamber of Commerce, as well as many major businesses. The outcry over its passage has been loud, and not confined to Indiana. The NCAA, the governing body for college sports, has indicated its opposition to the law. Salesforce.com, which is in the business of cloud computing, has cancelled any programs that would require customers or employees to travel to Indiana. Even the Christian denomination “Disciples Of Christ” is threatening to move their 2017 convention from Indianapolis because of the law.
But Pence says that everyone needs to calm down, and “read the bill.”
Pence sat down on March 26 for an interview with conservative talk show host Greg Garrison. During their conversation, he tells Garrison,
If you read the bill instead of reading the papers, you would see that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which is now law in Indiana, is simply about giving the courts guidance and establishing the same standards that have existed at the federal level for more than 20 years.
Garrison presses Pence throughout the interview on why Indiana would need such a law. He tells Pence that he just doesn’t see the need for it. When Pence replies with the examples of Hobby Lobby, and Notre Dame, both instances where those entities objected to providing contraception coverage under Obamacare, Garrison observes that those cases are covered under federal law. He then presses Pence to give examples of cases where he thought a state law would be necessary.
Pence admits that he knows of no examples of cases that would currently make this law necessary.
I’m not aware of cases in controversy. . . This isn’t about any present controversy, as much as some people want to make it about that.
Here’s the conversation, via WIBC:
Image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Kind of like the impossible to find voter fraud problem, right Gov Pence? You cannot find any reason for this law, but your base is demanding it. What a joke.
We all KNOW what this law is for. And any attempt to apply it outside of that narrow intent would be quashed instantly. Fortunately, any attempt to apply it AS INTENDED will be quashed by the appeals process.
Oh, it’s the media! And here I thought this had something to do with bigotry, intolerance, and homophobia, not to mention catering to the brainless cabal that make up your base. Thanks for straightening us out Governor Putz.
What a lamebrain. Wish I could debate him.
It’s a stupid law that will cost the state tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars and countless jobs. It’s going to be much harder to attract large businesses to locate here, and it’s going to drive existing businesses out.
The purpose of these and all the laws like this was exposed in
Georgia. When Georgia was debating an identical law, proponents of Georgia’s
bill (as did Mike Pence) have tried to argue that it has nothing to do with
discrimination. Rep. Mike Jacobs, an LGBT-friendly Republican, decided to test
this theory by introducing an amendment that would not allow claims of
religious liberty to be used to circumvent state and local nondiscrimination
protections. Supporters of the bill, like Rep. Barry Fleming (R), countered
that the amendment “will gut the bill.” This proves the only purpose of the
bill is to circumvent nondiscrimination protections. It serves no other
purpose. The amendment was approved. And the sponsors of the bill moved to
table the bill, effectively killing it. If they couldn’t use the bill to
discriminate, they didn’t want it any more.
Mike Pence is an idiot
Why didn’t anyone protest when Bill Clinton signed a nearly identical law in 1993? Why didn’t anyone protest when 19 other states also extended the federal law to the state level? All those “claims” of what the law is going to do is just hogwash.
1. President Clinton regrets that he signed it, and wishes he hadn’t.
2. Twenty two years ago was a different time, nearly a generation ago. Things have changed in this country and the world drastically since then. If someone had told you back then there would be such things as Al Qaida, Boko Haram, the destruction of a good chunk of Manhattan but some guys flying airplanes, airplane cockpit doors that would cause fatal plane crashes, HD cell phone cameras, black people being choked to death in the street by cops for misdemeanor acts, Twitter, Facebook, etc etc… what would you have told them?
Then is not now. Then, that was the attitude of this country. Now, it is not.
22 years. Keep that in mind. This law is bullsh*t, it is discriminatory, it has no place in 2015 America, and they know it. But rest assured… they will learn. They will learn.
Yes, Clinton was guilty of pandering to the Religious Right. So that makes it OK? So how can you look at what is going on in FL, TX, GA, SC, AK and not see that this is an attempt to bring “Sharia Law” to the US… Oops, I meant “Christian Law.”
Because that was over 20 years ago. And there were protests. They just weren’t covered very well by the media, and social media was in its infancy so there was little pressure for corporations to get involved.
I must have missed the verse in Matthew 14 where Jesus refused to serve the fish and loaves to any of the 5000 because they were gay.
Jack Handy . The same argument your using small children use too - Well joey does it, andy does it EVERYBODY does it so WHY can’t I…Answer - BECAUSE IT IS WRONG to DO THAT!!!
What the voter turnout that let this human tumor on the body politic take office? Cancer surgery is a messy job, but it’s got to be done and better done sooner than later.
Sharpen your political scalpels, do a RECALL ELECTION, and get your butts to the polls.
If you don’t, Indiana’s economy will start shrinking from businesses not relocating there, leaving, and from any number of boycotts.
Folks, have you SEEN the picture of this jerkoff signing this bill “in private?” If so, then you see an entire squadron of priests, nuns, Rabbis, and pastors grouped around him. If you look REAL hard, you’ll see the strings on Mr. Puppet Pence. This is shameful GOVERNMENT PANDERING TO RELIGION. Watch out—a Dominionist theocratical movement is on the march to turn this country into the Christian version of Iraq!
Sharia Law… oops, I meant “Christian Law” is coming.
Soooo…..you signed it, you deal with the consequences.
Uh… if it’s the standard on the federal level why would you need to even have a law on the state level?
Once again, a member of “The Party of Personal Responsibility” refuses to take responsibility for anything whatsoever. Pence and his ilk are so firmly entrenched inside the bagger hate bubble that they think their “reality” IS reality. It’s the same deluded mindset that had them convinced in 2012 that Romney would beat Obama in a landslide. Pathetic.
I think we should introduce a new bill regarding some peoples professing their religious freedom of choice to not to sell items, or services, based upon religious beliefs. … i.e. Gay, or Lesbian, or Coptic, or Jewish, or Baptist, or any other stupid religious reason for denying anyone service.
If you will use religious belief to ban ANYONE, you MUST ban EVERYONE who is not your from your OWN Church. …
FOR EXAMPLE, if you are Baptist, and you choose to ban Gay and Lesbians because of your religious belief, you would need to ban ALL people, even Baptists that are NOT from your own Church. … You could not sell to Presbyterians, Catholics, Muslims, or ANYONE Else, except for people that you know from your church.
You must, also have a sign placed in your window, in very large letters, which says,
“This is a very strict religious store and, based upon our religion, we can only sell to people that we know share our beliefs. For us to know that with any certainty, you must be from our own church. We will not sell to anyone else. If you come in here, and are not people in our church, we will shun you, and not wait upon you because that is the law of religious prejudice.”
So let me get this straight. A gay couple walks into a bakery where the owners are obviously Christian and orders a wedding cake from them? And the Christian baker, who according to the gays is full of hate, will NOT take a dump in the cake before serving it to the gays? And the gays and their guests are going to eat The Dump Cake (I presume it will be chocolate.) Am I missing something here? Its like Eddy Murphy’s Special Wonton soup for you! Why would the gay couple — or ANYONE — want to buy a cake or other food product from someone who hates them??