Posted on 06/04/2014 7:23:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
An order handed down by Colorado's Civil Rights Commission on a local Christian baker forcing him to undergo sensitivity training after he refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding citing his faith is "vague," "lousy" and pointless, says his lawyer.
Last Friday, the commission ruled that Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, could not refuse to bake cakes for gay weddings citing his Christian faith and ordered him to undergo sensitivity training.
In an interview with The Christian Post Wednesday, his lawyer, Nicolle Martin, said the sensitivity training was pointless, because her client does not discriminate against gays, and the order for sensitivity training, which became effective on June 2, cannot be seriously implemented because it is "vague" and "lousy."
"The [sensitivity] training is really for the entire staff and it's for him to conduct training for his staff. It's kind of vague. He just has to report that he's done it. It's very vague," said Martin, who lamented that the haphazard order was as a result of unqualified people sitting on the commission.
"This is the problem where a bunch of lay people are making decisions about someone's livelihood and other people's jobs where the state has decided, has told Mr. Phillips, you don't have any First Amendment rights," explained Martin.
"You must express our message, we are the investigator; we are the prosecutor; we are the judge; we are the jury. And this is what you end up with. A lousy order that is vague and lacking specificity," she added.
When asked why she did not seek clarification from the commission, Martin said she and her client were not allowed to speak.
According to Martin, Phillips is also required to keep a log of every person he refuses service and document the reason why and present that log to the commission on a quarterly basis.
"The order says he must report on any orders — whether it be a cake or a brownie or cookies — turned away and the reason for doing so," said Martin, who explained that the commissioners had, at one point, suggested that Phillips provide a log of every single transaction highlighting the sexual orientation of the customer.
"Even though the commission [had] suggested that he report on every single transaction and whether the customer was gay, the Attorney General reminded the commission that that would be illegal for Jack to ascertain a customer's sexual orientation," said Martin. "Thankfully, the order was clarified to say report quarterly on any celebrations or orders turned away and the basis for doing so."
CP reached out to the commission for comment Wednesday but did not receive a reply at the time of publication.
According to the commission's website, the bipartisan seven-member group of commissioners are citizens of Colorado appointed by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and confirmed by the state's Senate to serve voluntary four-year terms.
"They are selected from across the state to represent both political parties. Two represent business (one of whom represents small business), two represent government, and three represent the community at-large. At least four of the members are members of groups of people who have been or who might be discriminated against because of disability, race, creed, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, religion or age," the website noted.
The commissioners are Katina Banks (D), chair; Raju Jairam (Un), vice chair; Diann Rice (Un); Marvin Adams (R); Heidi J. Hess (D); Dulce Saenz (Un) and A. Susie Velasquez (D).
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO...
RE: What will they use to enforce the payment of the fine?
Denial of a business license perhaps.
does this “Civil Rights Commission” have such power?
How supremely ironic. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission violating the civil rights of Mr. Phillips. Why do the so-called bogus rights of an extremely tiny minority trump the rights of all God-fearing righteous citizens? Who the hell empowered this “commission” to do such dastardly things?
Mr. Phillips did, by incorporating his business.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. You do a deal with the Devil, don't be surprised when the payment comes due.
Does Christianity allow a person to refuse responsibility for their actions? Yet that is exactly why people incorporate - to refuse to take responsibility for their actions. If they are incorporated, and they screw up, the corporation did it - not them.
Well, everything has a price. And no - the price is NOT that you can't do wedding cakes only for Christians. The price is that you have to LEARN HOW TO MAKE NARROW CORPORATE CONTRACTS. Because that's what the corporate law you invoked for your protection REQUIRES.
And if you don't specify under corporate law?
Then you use general terms that have already been specified by the government - and if you violate them, you answer to the government.
I'M NOT SAYING THE SYSTEM IS GOOD.
I'm saying DAMMIT, wake up and accept what the system IS instead of getting punched in the teeth and claiming you did nothing to earn it.
Anyone who took this attitude towards gun ownership would get NO sympathy from firearms owners, who would point out that if you own a gun, it is your responsibility to learn how to use it safely. No one would be claiming a violation of 2nd Amendment rights because you claim innocence over "not meaning" to fire your weapon, or that you did so "accidentally."
SAME THING.
/rant
This is ridiculous. How is this even constitutional?
My reply brief would have 3 words: “That’s so gay!”
GeronL
Good question.
And I’d like to know how that commission are gonna know the training got done . Spy on the merchant?
And can they in reality fine a business owner; how they are gonna collect the funds.
In actuality, not conjecture. Real world methods.
Most importantly, what is the track record with this commission, what have they succeeded in doing?
Knowing this will show us how to face them down and back em off.
Ping to #48
“Political correctness trumps 1st Amendment rights.”
Only if you let it. It’s better to go to jail than to rot in Hell for all eternity.
Since when does the state get to tell PRIVATE CITIZENS what to believe?!
We really are living in “1984”!!!!
Sensitivity training = brain washing.
2 + 2 = 5
Vague? Lousy? How about that it is government imposed thought control indoctrination?
I should find a orthodox jewish sculptor in colorado to sculpt a marble bust of adolph Hitler for my racist democrat uncle for his birthday?
And when I am denied I should sue the crap outta them...
Or maybe find a black tailor and have him custom fit some white sheets with eye holes for a re-enactment of robert byrd’s promotion to grand cyclops or centar or whatever the hell the dirt bag was promoted to when he was in the kook kluck klan.
And sue some more.....
I would think a custom cake would fall under artistic license and thus production or non production determined at the whim of the artist no matter how reasonable or unreasonable the artist may want to be.
Liberals hate free artistic expression.
(RE: Many stores post signs saying something along the lines of, “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.”
What if anyone includes black people? Should the law step in?)
Jim Crow WAS the government stepping in and forcing businesses to segregate. Also it was the government that ran the bus lines and discriminated there too. There were even laws that forced private businesses TO discriminate even if the business owner did not want to.
A lot of businesses that were ran by racists closed after jim crow law because not having government there to back racism is bad for racist business.
Freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and the authority of the states all went out the window with the 14th amendment. It’s been a wrecking ball to traditional society, make no mistake about it.
The 14th amendment trumps all others. Especially now in the age of fascist leftists. It matters little that these are private citizens owning their businesses. The courts will just twist the verbage around to suit their purposes.
Why is there not a law that says Christians can sue Gays for lack of sales of Christian objects?
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