'Sweetcakes' owner defiant in face of $135,000 fine

Washington Examiner ^ | 7-3-2015 | Barbara Boland

[sheikdetailfeather]

After getting hit with a financially-crushing $135,000 fine Thursday for their decision to not bake a cake for a lesbian wedding, the owner of the Oregon "Sweetcakes by Melissa" bakery has a dire warning for Americans.

"For years, we've heard same-sex marriage will not affect anybody," Aaron Klein said in an interview with The Blaze. "I'm here firsthand to tell everyone in America that it has already impacted people."

Aaron and his wife Melissa are required to immediately write a $135,000 check to the lesbian couple they refused to bake a wedding cake for, Rachel Cryer-Bowman and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, to compensate them for emotional damages.

Aaron Klein says that Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian's order requires the couple to use "personal property" rather than only business assets to pay the vast sum and that it "has the potential to financially ruin" the family of five. Avakian "knew that full well going into this," said Klein.

[Vaduz]

Nothing kills freedom like a liberal they are full of self hate and expect others to be the same.
MSM is a prime example of it toss in race and some sex add a dash of failure and you have a progressive liberal.
They are losing the battle to kill freedom it’s why they are so radical.

[RikaStrom]

Here is the donation link if anyone would like to contribute.

https://www.continuetogive.com/helpsweetcakesbymelissa

[x1stcav]

Brad Avakian deserved to be tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. Or be the guest of honor at a necktie party. Which would be more appropriate?

.It's time we starting teaching these public turds to feel fear.

Remember Solzhenitzen:

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”

[BykrBayb]

Offense? What offense?

[elcid1970]

Brad Avakian is a chubby balding bureaucrat & failed Democrat candidate. He does not look like a fighter, so he relishes exerting his governmental power over others.

[sheikdetailfeather]

One would hope so!

[voicereason]

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I keep thinking about John Ross’, ‘Unintended Consequences’ or Vince Flynn’s, ‘Term Limits’; and wonder what the spark will be that begins a course of correction.

[proudpapa]

You can buy a lot of ammo with $135,000

[bboop]

This has not even gone to court. The jerk is a labor commissioner. He really can order folks to not be protected by the First Amendment?? All this stuff, imho, is done to cost people money and time. Libs don’t care if they win, eventually. They won’t apologize anyway. But what a hassle. Chaos > Order, NOT the Lord’s plan.

[WildHighlander57]

Aaron Klein, don’t ever back down!

He is following in the apostles’ footsteps; recall in the book of Acts they were told not to preach, but they did anyway.

Apostles told the authorities they would obey God rather than man.

[erlayman]

Reasonable people can and do agree they broke the law, but fining a small business that amount is grandstanding. The Oregon law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private businesses to discriminate or deny service based on sexual orientation. I don’t agree but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a minimal penalty.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I wonder if this administrative law judge is a Sodomite? His ruling seems savage and vindictive. I’m surprised he did not decree death.

[jughandle]

So they’re out $135,000 worth of their personal property for being Christian in politically correct America.
Seems these militant gays are more interested in punishing straight people than getting their special rights. Serious psychological issues if you ask me.

[Sioux-san]

You do understand that the whole purpose of this was to put the Christians out of business? They did nothing wrong...just illegal in the People’s Republic of Oregon.

[ripnbang]

Should have been around $1,000 for a first time offense.

---

Absolutely not! Should have been no case. No one should be forced to do anything that is against their faith/conscience, and furthermore, a private business should not be compelled to conduct a transaction with someone they don’t wish to. They don’t have to say why, either. It should be their decision. Accepting a lesser fine is admitting to the charge and giving approval to what amounts to thought police.

[PubliusMM]

“Reasonable people can and do agree they broke the law...”

What? No. Reasonable people do NOT agree they broke the law.
Reasonable people DO agree that this ‘law’ is absurd, and anti-Constitutional.
A merchant should always be free to refuse service to anyone. The free market will decide if he or she has a viable business enterprise. It doesn’t take government to tell us what to sell, to whom it should be sold, or what to charge.

[freedomfiter2]

Of course there shouldn’t be a penalty. It’s an unjust law
.

[DoodleDawg]

A merchant should always be free to refuse service to anyone.

Should a merchant have to post a sign listing who they will not serve? Otherwise it's a crap shoot for those they don't want to deal with.

[wintertime]

Fine = Extortion

The only tool the left has.

Let's call it what it is! ...... JIZYA!

Yeah! I am shouting.