Even Arizona national Republicans oppose the Gay Hate law Arizona Congressional Delegation Speaks Out Against Anti-Gay SB 1062 WASHINGTON -- Members of Arizona's congressional delegation, including its two Republican U.S. senators, are speaking out against the controversial anti-gay legislation known as SB 1062, urging Gov. Jan Brewer (R) to veto it. On Monday, Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) tweeted that they oppose the legislation, which the state House and Senate passed last week. The bill would allow business owners to refuse service to same-sex couples on the grounds of "religious freedom."
Looks like I'm not the only one who sees the parallel Former Bush Strategist Matthew Dowd Equates Arizona's Anti-Gay Christians To Islamic Terrorists President George W. Bush’s former chief strategist Matthew Dowd equated Arizona’s anti-gay Christians in support of SB 1062 -- newly passed legislation discriminating against LGBT people on the basis of religious liberty -- to Islamic terrorists during Sunday’s "This Week" on ABC. "We’ve used religion to go to war. People have criticized Islam because they use religion to fight people and kill people," Dowd told host Martha Raddatz. "This is the problem with that [bill]."
I'm posting this here rather than starting a second thread. This basically shows why it is a bad idea to legalize discrimination even under the guise of religious freedom. When businesses decide to operate in the public realm they need to serve the whole public. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/big-business-arizona-gay-discrimination-bill-bad-economy-n37711 Big Business to Arizona: Gay Discrimination Bill Bad for Economy By Miranda Leitsinger Apple, American Airlines and Marriott delivered a message to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday: State legislation allowing companies to discriminate against gays on religious grounds would be bad for business. The conservative Republican governor is facing growing pressure over the bill, which the statehouse passed last Thursday. Opponents have called it "state-sanctioned discrimination" and an embarrassment. Apple and a slew of big-name firms issued letters and made phone calls to Brewer on Monday telling her the state would take a financial hit if the law passed, according to CNBC. Apple is just about to open large new glass manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona. Marriott, meanwhile, noted that their bottom-line could suffer as a result of the bill. This measure "would have profound negative impacts on the hospitality industry on the Arizona and on the state's overall economic climate for years to come," the hotel chain said in a statement. American Airlines noted how deeply Arizona suffered during the recession and said: "Our economy thrives best when the doors of commerce are open to all. This bill sends the wrong message." The state's to U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Republican, also weighed in on Twitter, asking for a veto, and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee — the state will host football's premier event next year — said it didn't support the legislation. A trio of Republican Arizona state lawmakers even urged a veto on Monday, despite earlier supporting it. The three state senators, who initially voted in favor of the measure, said in a letter to Brewer that the proposal had been mistakenly approved in haste and had already caused "immeasurable harm" to Arizona's national image. "While our sincere intent in voting for this bill was to create a shield for all citizens' religious liberties, the bill has instead been mischaracterized by its opponents as a sword for religious intolerance," read the letter by state Senators Adam Driggs, Steve Pierce and Bob Worsley. The measure, which passed the state Senate 17-13 in a party line vote, would have failed in the Senate had those three voted against it. Brewer said over the weekend that she's "got plenty of time," to make a decision on whether or not to sign or veto the bill. She has until Friday.
Watch Anderson Cooper absolutely destroy a member of Arizona's state senate: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M9-J0c1oXvE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Ouch. That was HARD to watch. Seen it and its like before, many times, but still.... "Render unto Caesar..." indeed.
Wow... did Cooper say the state senator was running for Governor? Could they have found someone worse than Jan Brewer?
This guy can't even answer basic questions. But that ending though. I don't quite get that ending. Why didn't he just say "Yes, that's discrimination" ? Do Repubes want the freedom to fire gay people now? I just they just want to stop gay marriage these days.
So conservatives in Arizona have to choose between two masters, God and business. I think God is going to lose this one.
Businesses lash out over Arizona's anti-gay bill http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/25/news/economy/arizona-anti-gay-bill/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 Businesses are lashing out over an Arizona bill that would allow retailers to refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers based on the owners' religious convictions. The Arizona Legislature passed the bill last Thursday, and it is now awaiting Gov. Jan Brewer's signature. While proponents say the legislation was introduced as a way to afford religious freedom to business owners, critics say it opens the door to discrimination. "When the legislature passes bills like this, it creates a reputation that Arizona is judgmental and unwelcoming," states a letter that more than 80 businesses sent to Gov. Brewer on Monday. "This will haunt our business community for decades to come." National corporations including American Airlines (AAL), AT&T (ATT ), Delta Airlines (DAL, Fortune 500), Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), Marriott (MAR, Fortune 500), PetSmart (PETM, Fortune 500) and Yelp (YELP) are among those urging Brewer to veto the bill, saying the law would be bad for the state's reputation and bad for business -- repelling tourists, potential employees and current workers who live in the state. "I can assure you that this proposed legislation is causing tremendous concerns for our employees, particularly those who live and work in Arizona," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker wrote in a letter to Brewer. Meanwhile, Intel, which has nearly 12,000 employees in Arizona, said the bill directly conflicts with its own non-discrimination policy, which "values and welcomes diversity in the workplace." A local Tucson pizza shop, Rocco's Little Chicago Pizzeria, has received national attention for opposing the bill by putting up a sign saying it reserves the right to refuse service to Arizona legislators. Meanwhile, business development groups fear that new companies will no longer want to relocate to the state -- dealing a huge blow to an economy that is only just beginning to recover from the recession. Barry Broome, president & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, said in a letter to Gov. Brewer that four companies that were considering expanding to Arizona have already threatened to cancel their plans unless the bill is vetoed. Even Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), which recently announced plans to build a new glass plant in Mesa, Ariz., and bring 2,000 new jobs to the state, reportedly called on Brewer to veto the bill. There are also questions about whether next year's Super Bowl would still take place in Arizona if the bill is passed, with the event expected to be a big boon to the economy. "This legislation has the potential of subjecting the Super Bowl, and major events surrounding it, to the threats of boycotts," Broome's letter states. The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee said it did not support the legislation. "We share the NFL's core values which embrace tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination," the committee said in a statement. "We have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential."
Edit: McM beat me to it. Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed SB 1062. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Moments ago, I vetoed <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SB1062&src=hash">#SB1062</a>. <a href="http://t.co/gdQn0dG2vB">pic.twitter.com/gdQn0dG2vB</a></p>— Jan Brewer (@GovBrewer) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovBrewer/statuses/438838664928325633">February 27, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Somewhere the GOP establishment breaths a sigh of relief. They did not want this to be an issue in November. But forget the politics for a second. As an American it was the right thing to do.
One more thing: I think this was a great moment for sane republicans to finally step up and tell the crazies that no, they won't be running the party anymore. I see this as a good thing for the GOP.
All of you are falling for the liberals' distraction technique here. As America's foreign policy continues to be the embarrassment of the world; as the NSA increases their spying on us; as economic growth remains paltry; as Obamacare continues to leave people with more costly insurance or no insurance... as all of these things are happening, what we we talking about? Gays. Classic wedge issue politics and classic Obama Administration distraction technique. Obama doesn't give a rip about gays, apart from their usefulness in smearing Republicans and distracting people from his policy failures.
