Celebrate Gay Marriage—or Else: Why is Government Coercion Necessary?

National Review ^ | 02/28/2014 | Jonah Goldberg

[Steve_Seattle]

"They have argued that there is nothing in Christianity that would prohibit baking things for a gay wedding and if you use that as an excuse why dont they refuse cakes for other sins or divorced people."

Well, you could say the same thing about the Muslim truck drivers - they might be delivering products to businesses owned by gays or Jews or fornicators, or containing food products not made according to Muslim law.

[Steve_Seattle]

"That crowd believes all good things must be protected by law and all bad things must be outlawed."

There is an old saying that goes something like, "For the Left, everything not prohibited is mandatory."

[thejokker]

there will be a back-lash and I don’t think it will be pretty...

[Phillyred]

This cakes for other sins is nonsense. It isn’t about not serving gay people. It is about serving them a particular cake for celebrations the bakery does not wish to participate in. I would think it is the baker’s right to turn down a cake for a porn shop’s 20th anniversary celebration just the same. or a Free Mumia cake. Does anyone buy a cake for divorce celebrations?

[blastbaby]

I find as the months and years go by I no longer want to participate in this society’s way of life.

---

Wow, exactly how I feel. I am newly retired and have pretty much stopped participating. Other than this forum and a couple of others, I just do my own thing. Live in the boonies, wood heat, no cable, make things and sell them if I need more money.

[Steve_Seattle]

"This cakes for other sins is nonsense. It isn’t about not serving gay people. It is about serving them a particular cake for celebrations the bakery does not wish to participate in. I would think it is the baker’s right to turn down a cake for a porn shop’s 20th anniversary celebration just the same. or a Free Mumia cake. Does anyone buy a cake for divorce celebrations?"

I'm not disagreeing with you. The various business owners made it clear they were not refusing to serve gays altogether, but only in the narrow context of gay marriage ceremonies. What if a liberal baker was asked to bake a cake for a wedding that he knew was basically an arranged Muslim marriage that the bride was being forced in to. Couldn't he refuse to bake a cake under those circumstances? Or would that be called religious discrimination?

[Steve_Seattle]

"Wow, exactly how I feel. I am newly retired and have pretty much stopped participating. Other than this forum and a couple of others, I just do my own thing. Live in the boonies, wood heat, no cable, make things and sell them if I need more money."

It probably won't be long before they come after your wood heat. Wood furnaces are already being banned in some places. In fact, I would not be surprised if rural living is banned someday, on the grounds that it is a luxury incompatible with the fight against global warming, or some such rationale. The planners want to eventually force everyone (except the ruling elite, of course) into high density urban areas close to mass transit. In fact, it's already happening.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Speaking of unreasonableness, according to ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, if Arizona allows bakers to refuse to bake cakes for gay couples, gays may have to wear “yellow stars” like the Jews of Nazi Germany. It would be Jim Crow for gays according to, well, too many people to list."

Tony Kornhole has it backwards - what we are approaching is the day when Christians will be singled out for identification and marginalization. Haven't we already had big city mayors announce that certain Christian-owned businesses are not welcome in their cities? Have we not recently had a prominent governor announce that people with Christian beliefs aren't welcome in his state?

[chris37]

Yep.

I sort of have experience with this when I was younger at my grandma’s fishing camp in slidell, la.

only heat was a wood burning stove or the bonfire out back. Shower was a cold water hose hooked up to an metal portable shower head. Food was caught from the water.

As a kid I thought that was boring sometimes, but as an adult I sort of look back on that longingly.

Simplicity.

For me the best sort of happiness is time spent with dogs. It has come down to a point where I like dogs a lot better than I like people, so I spend more time with them.

Other than that I love walking, going to the beach and swimming, bike riding and a few other very simple activities.

I don’t need a yacht or a mansion or a sports car. I don’t need a trophy wife or power over others or a vast, personal fortune.

Freedom is being able to do what you love, and happiness is loving what you do. That is where I want to be on this earth. If I cannot have that, then I’ll be ready to leave.

[longtermmemmory]

race is a TOTALLY different issue from a behavior.

Race is immutable and you can not conceal it.

A sex fetish is a conditioned behavior and nobody need to know about it.

There is no comparison.

Homosexuals use the “love” test for marriage because the original anti-mixed marriage laws were about children/reproduction. Two homosexuals can not “pair” and reproduct without the intervention of the opposit sex. (somehow)

[TurkeyLurkey]

That’s what it appears to be and I believe is the ultimate objective of this Muzzie in the Whitehouse.

[Count of Monte Fisto]

There is no comparison.

Government coercion is government coercion. You know what they say about the camels nose.

[right way right]

Obama is gathering his troops for the next holocaust against you and I.

Problem for him though, is that we are armed.

[Tradcon]

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. “Behavior” is not pigmented. That is why I find comparing this to the Civil Rights Act so offensive.

[Scoutmaster]

Government coercion has been going on for a long time in this country

And you demonstrated this by posting a photo of the government protecting the rights of its citizens?

[CodeToad]

There is no such thing as ‘gay marriage’, it is ‘homosexuals’ and two men cannot possibly be married.

[little jeremiah]

Placemark.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[Count of Monte Fisto]

And you demonstrated this by posting a photo of the government protecting the rights of its citizens?

How is using armed Federal soldiers to end Freedom of Association protecting the rights of its citizens?

[Scoutmaster]

I'm making what may be imperfect assumptions. I'm assuming this involved a public school, erected and operated with public funds. I don't believe that Freedom of Association was intended to apply to funded public facilities.

If this were a private pool, or a private softball league on a private field, or a private country club, then I'm prepared to bring Freedom of Association into the argument.

If it's a public pool supported by public funds, I don't believe Freedom of Association permits denying use by Jewish citizens; I don't believe Freedom of Association permits a municipal softball league to deny participation by a Buddhist team; and I don't believe Freedom of Association permits a public school to deny access to black students.