Monday, January 03, 2011

Wingnuts List ENDA as "Anti-Christian" - Meanwhile Obama Gives Christianists Special Rights

This blog talks frequently about the special rights and privileges that the Christianists and professional Christians demand for themselves - rights and privileges that trump the rights and civil liberties of other citizens. Worse yet has been Barack Obama's willingness to go along with the Christianists and allow them to continue to receive government funds while enjoying an exemption from non-discrimination policies applicable to others. In short, Obama is in effect forcing taxpayers to fund Christianist faith based initiatives while allowing such organizations to openly discriminate against the same taxpayers forced to fund their oppressors. It's beyond f*cked up yet another example of Obama throwing supporters under the bus to please Christianists. My view is simple: you want government funds, there are NO exemptions from non-discrimination laws and policies. If you want to be a discriminatory bigot, fine - just don't expect to receive a dollar of government funds. Karen Ocamb looks at this disturbing situation on her blog LGBT Pov. First, here are some highlights on the Christianists anti-ENDA batshitery:
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Defend Christians.org, a San Diego-based “ministry” of the self-styled Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, just-released a list of the “Top Ten Anti-Christian Events in 2010.”
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Defend Christians’ Chairman and CEO Dr. Gary Cass said in a press release that the poll results “demonstrate a double standard is being applied against Christians and their faith, values and liberty.”
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[G]iven all the choices, poll participants picked the introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as the number one anti-Christian “event” of 2010. The group describes ENDA as “a proposed federal bill that would force ministries, including churches, to hire people who oppose their beliefs or who live in open defiance of their values.”
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Yep, it's all about them - who cares if hard working citizens are subjected to being fired at will based on religious discrimination. A situation that leads to the continued special rights principally being afforded to Christian bigots. The LGBT Pov article continues by reviewing recent action by Obama to benefit the gay haters. Here are more highlights:
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[L]aw professor Nan Hunter of the Williams Institute, . . . . , exposed on her blog Hunter of Justice that the Obama Administration extended the Bush Administration’s discrimination exemption for faith-based organizations that receive federal funding.
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Hunter pointed out Monday that President Obama issued Executive Order 13559 last November that modified President Bush’s 2002 Executive Order 13279, “establishing criteria for federal agency funding of social services provided by religious organizations.” However, Hunter noted, Obama made no changes to Bush policies allowing federally funded faith-based charities to continue discrimination in hiring.
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Hunter wrote: “Under both the Bush and Obama orders, religious organizations receiving public funds are allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion in their employment policies. Also under both orders, funding recipients are prohibited from discriminating against beneficiaries on the basis of religious affiliation or belief or the refusal to hold a belief or to attend services.
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Under Title VII, religious organizations have long had the same kind of exemption allowing them to discriminate based on religion in their hiring and firing decisions. However, the Bush and now the Obama executive orders have extended that exemption to include organizations that are supported with government funds.
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Personally, I am over the special rights and privileges afforded some of the worse bigots and purveyors of anti-gay prejudice. Isn't it about time Obama and others take away special handouts to those who practice religious based discrimination?

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