Posted on 04/12/2008 4:34:14 AM PDT by Man50D
ROSWELL, N.M. — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund say they will appeal a ruling by the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission Wednesday because of its “stunning disregard” for the First Amendment. The commission found an Albuquerque photography company, run by a Christian husband and wife, guilty of “sexual orientation” discrimination under state antidiscrimination laws for declining to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony.”
“Christians in the marketplace should not be penalized for abiding by their beliefs anymore than anyone else should,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence. “The Constitution prohibits the state from forcing unwilling people to promote a message they disagree with and thereby violate their conscience. The commission’s decision shows stunning disregard for our client’s First Amendment rights, and we will appeal this ruling in state court.”
A same-sex couple asked Elaine Huguenin, co-owner with her husband, Jon Huguenin, of Elane Photography in Albuquerque, to photograph a “commitment ceremony” that the two women wanted to hold in Taos. Neither marriage nor civil unions are legal between members of the same sex in New Mexico.
Elaine Huguenin declined because her and her husband’s Christian beliefs are in conflict with the message communicated by the ceremony. The same-sex couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission, accusing Elane Photography of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The commission held a one-day trial in January (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4369).
Wednesday the commission issued an order finding that Elane Photography engaged in “sexual orientation” discrimination prohibited under state law and ordered it to pay $6,637.94 in attorneys’ fees to the two women who filed the complaint.
“The government cannot make people choose between their faith and their livelihood,” said Lorence. “Could the government force a vegetarian videographer to create a commercial for the new butcher shop in town? American business owners do not surrender their constitutional rights at the marketplace gate.”
A business owner can’t decline a job?
Note that these “Civil Rights” and “Human Rights” Commissions popping up all over our country are NOT courts, there is no due process of law here. The commissions are made up of non-elected appointees and exercise unconstitutional power to penalize people for “hate” crimes. Someone can be dragged before these commissions without having to be formally arrested, Mirandized or charged, based on simply a complaint from anyone. This has been happening in UK and Canada, and now it’s here. It’s called totalitarianism.
Whatever happened to the idea “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone?”
All the blue states are communist and the red states are becoming victims of the much more aggressive communist hostile takeover of their states.
Fascists are very strong, active and aggressive and march goose step lock armed, but conservatives usually do not band together until the rubber meets the road.
[It’s called totalitarianism.]
Communism is being forced onto America and only Americans do not know it as they are brainwashed.
Perhaps our most basic freedom is freedom of association. Once the government tells us whom we must have relationships with...business or private, our most basic freedom is gone.
I think the Consitution may have twenty years left. Beyond that...?
Under what constitutional authority does any “Civil Rights Commission” operate under???
This needs to be nipped in the bud hard.
The lid to this particular Pandora’s Box was opened in the 1960s with Civil Rights laws that pretty much made it a federal crime to refuse service to blacks. The homosexual agenda is adopting these tactics to try and get the same result for themselves.
Seinfeld captured the homo/Commie mindset well in the episode regarding the AIDS ribbon.
Walker 1: Hey, where's your ribbon?
Kramer: Oh, I don't wear the ribbon.
Walker 2: You don't wear the ribbon? Aren't you against AIDS?
Kramer: Yeah, I'm against AIDS. I mean, I'm walking, aren't I?
Walker 3: Who do you think you are?
Walker 1: Put the ribbon on!
Walker 2: Hey, Cedric! Bob! This guy won't wear a ribbon!
(Bob and Cedric turn around and glare at Kramer)
Bob: Who? Who doesn't want to wear the ribbon?
Bob: So, what's it going to be? Are you going to wear the ribbon?
Kramer: No, never.
Bob: But I am wearing the ribbon. He is wearing the ribbon. We are all wearing the ribbon! So, why aren't you going to wear the ribbon?!
Kramer: This is America, I don't have to wear anything I don't want to wear!
Cedric: What are we gonna do with him?
Bob: I guess we are just going to have to teach him to wear the ribbon!
(Kramer tries to climb up the fire escape, but he is pulled back down by the mob.)
If this makes it to the Supreme Court, there is no way the Christians can’t win.
It’s like forcing an Orthodox Jew to do work for you on the Sabbath.
Anyone who has ever owned a business understand that there are some clients you just would rather not have. In principal, this is no different than if a woman had asked the photographer to take topless photos of her and she refused. Couldn’t that woman also take it to court? Or perhaps a returning client, one who had taken forever to pay the last time, approaches the photographer and want more photos? This is absolute tyranny - and it may be time for Atlas to shrug.
Anyone in the MSM want to discuss "Quagmire"? More like the bottom of a septic tank that really, really needs pumping out!
Pass out the pitchforks, folks! It's time to dump the tea in the harbor again!
Whatever happened to the idea “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone?””
That might become the new tag line in every yellow pages ad in the future...
This is absolute tyranny - and it may be time for Atlas to shrug.”
Am I the only reader of that book who sees more and more examples of what it contained popping up every week??
ping
10 years later, and things are much worse.
No, because the entire idea of homosexual rights is built upon the foundation of special rights, based solely on where one chooses to put their sexual organs.
A bit crude, but you need to say it that way to make the point! That’s why “sexual orientation” cannot be a “civil right” like freedom of religion, speech, respect for race or gender, etc. Many people are apparently “sexually oriented” toward molesting children, having sex with animals, or whatever. Are the laws against that behavior going to be abolished because they “discriminate”?
For example
a Christian minister was given a lifetime ban
against saying anything about homosexuality
after he wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper.
A man who criticized an Islamofascist Imam
was required to take 'sensitivity training'
under the Imam he criticized!
Many, many more such cases
which, of course,
never are mentioned in our newspapers.
I should add
that the above two people mentioned
in addition to the ban and sensitivity training
were fined large amounts of money
and had to shell out even more
for substantial legal fees
for the proceedings
which dragged on for several years.
“Christians in the marketplace should not be penalized for abiding by their beliefs anymore than anyone else should,”
Since the ACLU is involved you can bet this is a setup to get a certain ruling. Should it be found that Christians should not be penalized, the ACLU will immediatly use the ruling to support hundreds, possibly thousands, of lawsuits where someones religeous “beliefs” are offended. Good people getting burnt for the wrong reason is an ACLU trademark. I think I’ll go buy some pork chops and find a muslim checker while its still legal.
Sadly, that right was pushed aside in favor of the "right" to enforce "community standards".
This case should serve as a warning to those conservatives who favor broad powers for state and local governments to fight minor nuisances, indecency, etc. When you empower the government to fight things you don't like, you also empower the government to fight things that *others* don't like.
I think that a lot of Christians and Conservatives will be sending Checks to the Alliance Defense Fund
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.