Minny gots just the thing.
Posted on 07/09/2015 7:46:17 AM PDT by xzins
Two Christian bakers who refused to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding have been ordered to pay $135,000 in damages by July 13 or else the state of Oregon could place a lien on their home.
Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were punished by the state's Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) for unlawfully discriminating against a same-sex couple.
The Kleins, who are devout evangelical Christians, argued that baking the cake would be a violation of their religious beliefs.
The BOLI ruling ordered the mom-and-pop bakers to pay $135,000 to the lesbian couple. They were also slapped with a gag order that prohibits them from speaking publicly about their refusal to participate in or bake wedding cakes for same-sex unions.
And now they have until July 13 to pay the damages or else face additional fines and a possible lien on their home.
"This is intimidation and bullying—that's exactly what it is," Klein told me in a telephone interview." They are trying to strong-arm me into handing over $135,000 to the two girls and if I win on appeal—they will never pay me back."
A BOLI spokesman confirmed they sent a standard payment letter to the Kleins' attorney.
"The letter informs them that if we do not hear from them, we may turn the matter over to the Department of Revenue, which can place a lien on real property," the spokesman told me.
BOLI said they would also be willing to accept either a full payment or payment arrangements.
"Of course, they can also ask for a stay of enforcement while they pursue their appeal," the spokesman said.
But there's a catch. The person who will determine whether or not to stay the order—is BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian—a vocal supporter of the LGBTQIA movement.
"The judge, jury and executioner are all in one place," said Anna Harmon, the Kleins' attorney. "He is intent on using his office to root out thought and speech with which he personally disagrees."
Harmon, who is affiliated with Alliance Defending Freedom, said they were expecting the payment letter that came from BOLI.
"This letter, while it's the normal procedure, continues to show the state is not backing down," she told me. "They don't think they did anything wrong here."
Avakian's strong arm tactics against the Christian bakers have outraged Christians across the nation.
"This guy would make Mussolini proud," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research council. "This is a wannabe dictator."
It certainly appears that Avakian and the state of Oregon have declared war on the Klein family.
"Not only do they want to drive them out of business, but they want to make them homeless," Perkins told me.
The Kleins say they are filing a stay and do plan on appealing the state's decision.
"Brad and his cohorts at BOLI have overstepped their constitutional rights in requiring me to cease and desist from my constitutional freedom," Mr. Klein said. "I will fight them with every last breath I have."
Mrs. Klein said she would not be intimidated by Avakian's hard line tactics.
"We are so going to fight this, oh my gosh," she said. "It's making us stronger and emboldening us to stand up to this. Aaron and I are fighting for every American out there—for their freedom. We are not backing down at all."
And while the viciousness of the attacks against the Kleins might be unsettling—Harmon said it really should serve as a source of inspiration.
"What a time to be an American," she said. "It's a hard time—our freedoms are challenged—but what a time to be able to stand and have courage and say, 'I have a moment in time where I can be a voice for that.'"
And the Kleins are not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
"He definitely messed with the wrong Christians," Mrs. Klein told me.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter. His latest book is God Less America.
all that can be done to collect an uncollateralized judgement is sue again
There are noe. There will never be any.
Leftists become rich, and then rail against the very system that provided them their lifestyles.
"Wealth for me, but not for thee..."
The Gay Gestapo (i.e. atheistic socialists) hates Christians because Christianity is the truth.
Islam is a lie and they’re just fine with a lie. Especially with a lie that serves their narrative that religious persons are terrorists, like Muslims are.
That's what a good lawyer is for...a judge can order the lien removed...
The Klein's have an excellent case for their own civil rights violation...
They need to sue the State, the agency and Avakian for civil rights violation...
A $135,000 fine when the typical fine is $1,000 should be easy to prove their rights are being trampled on...
What’s with the husband’s big hoop earrings and the wife’s nose stud?
Yeah. If it weren't for the principalities in high places, the very small handful of homosexual activists wouldnt have ever been able to do this to free Americans in a free country. Our Constitution and our civil rights laws are suppose to forbid this type of discrimination and oppression.
Where is our military? Why are they not protecting us from these rouge elements? We're being attacked from within. This nation needs help.
???
Destroy Administrative Law and you’ve chopped the head off this monster. Minorities in big cities are hardest hit, toss in cabbies, small businesses and you’ve got a winning issue in urban locations.
Administrative law is what Human Rights Commission use to implement this tyranny. They’re prima facie unconstitutional because they violate the separation of powers.
And their gay cake was in the oven at the time.
You’re right, I wasn’t thinking far enough. The kind of true Christian who would be willing to stand against this would be the same kind who would never amass personal wealth. So we have a conundrum, in financing shows of support to people like the Kleins, unless we ourselves are willing to dig deep and take a hit to do so. I’m willing, but I’m a housewife, I can leave my “job” without drastic repercussions. We need a lot of us, a whole lot of us. The media is very good at ignoring even large masses of conservatives showing up in support of conservative causes, remember how they downplayed if not outright ignored many Tea Party gatherings? The only time the media gave them any attention was when when they found the most spurious, even deceitful, of “hooks” to spin a negative story.
“I’d add some ingredients...”
Like 3 or 4 boxes of Ex-Lax.
I know this will be pulled by the moderator but BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian needs to meet an inglorious end and soon.
There were news stories about this same problem with legal representation in the supreme court case that ended up recognizing homosexual marriage. The traditional marriage side has been successfully marginalized with the bigot-racist-homophobe tags.
Special news for Brad Avakian and for other petty tyrants who follow in his footsteps: “Deprivation of rights under color of law” carries the death penalty, and “there is no statute of limitations for federal crimes punishable by death”. Thugs in office who trample the Bill of Rights can (and will) face justice at whatever time that the rule of law is restored in the future.
AIDs (Romans I)
Give them the cake with large icing letters ....Eat SH__ LEZBO Bitc__es
There’s no other way to put it than fascism.
That judge can go piss up you know where.
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