Here’s the front page of today’s Indianapolis Star:

[kpete]

:large
https://twitter.com/markalesia/status/582729433607376896
http://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/2015/03/30/editorial-gov-pence-fix-religious-freedom-law-now/70698802/

[RKP5637]

1. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[spanone]

2. and this is NOT a liberal paper!

[daleanime]

22. Which is why it says both can coexist....

but still

[nichomachus]

34. I have no idea what that means

Coexist what? The purpose of the law was to discriminate against LGBT people. What is there to "fix?"

They're trying to pretend that there is some other necessity or rationale for the law. There isn't.

[Blanks]

38. It's named such that it appears to 'protect religious freedom'...

As with all of these 'freedom laws' for example 'Right to Work', 'Freedom to Farm' etc. They are named such that they seem like good things

I hope what comes of this is that folks will look under the hood when the next 'freedom law' comes down the pike.

[nichomachus]

45. Freedom to work

Really means freedom to not be paid

[Blanks]

46. Freedom to Farm

Protects big Agra against small farmers.

That's the way they all work. Protect the big guy at the expense of the little guy.

[greiner3]

36. Hell;

The paper used to be owned by Dan Quayle's father.

[Mr. Evil]

44. Dan Quayle...

Now there's a blast from the past. What a great bastion of logic, knowledge and rationale. /s

He probably could be best known for helping the careers of at least 100 comedians.

[morningfog]

3. WOW!

[mnhtnbb]

4. Notice that the 'fix' only extends to certain things:

"Gov. Mike Pence and the General Assembly need to enact a state law to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accommodations on the basis of a person's sexual orientation or gender identity."


That's the solution in the editorial, or, in other words, wedding businesses can continue to discriminate unless they are
privately owned 'chapels' or locations used for weddings. They would fall under the public accommodations, but I don't know
if a florist or bakery would.

[daleanime]

23. Wouldn't any business be consider a 'public accommodation'?

[jeff47]

25. No, that "wedding business" is a public accomodation

They'd have to change to a "members only" sort of business model in order to continue to discriminate.

[lark]

32. The article is some common sense and a lot of BS

That #WeareallIndianaians or whatever they are calling themselves is such crap. No, I would never show solidarity with a state that would implement a heinous law like this and no one other than a teacrazy fundamentalist would. This was done for discriminatory reasons and to promote and institutionalize hate, that's the basic reason. Of course, they thought this would play well with the teacrazies and give Pence some momentum for his run for president as a bonus. Those are the true reasons, the rest is pure garbage.

The paper is only concerned about the economic hit, not the heavy emotional toll this will take on people who are facing the legal discrimination. They were fine with the law until corporate America correctly said they wouldn't condone or tolerate this hate and would move their business elsewhere. That's when the paper started freaking, and the rest about politiicans doing this inadvertently is just MSM covering up for the RW.

[skepticscott]

37. +100 Nailed it

No one who thought this law was a good idea but is now waffling is having second thoughts because they've been enlightened about how decent human beings treat one another. They would still love to see homosexuals shut out of everything possible, but they are faced with a much higher cost for indulging their bigotry than they ever expected.

[cprise]

43. Indeed. You can't just carve out exceptions to something like this

Otherwise, bigots will keep using the law to find new ways to exclude and abuse other people.

And why are gays the only focus, anyway? I personally know more people than, on most days, I'd like to admit to myself who believe God meant for different ethnicities to be kept separate and unequal; that blacks are the 'marked' descendants of Cain; etc.

That accursed law could be used to excuse almost any antisocial behavior.

It should be repealed, period.

[rurallib]

5. little I know of the Indy Star that probably had to hurt

to have to publish that, but what was their real choice?

Is the Quayle family still knee deep in the Star?

[kmla]

9. I don't believe they are.

I believe they are owned by Gannett.

It's pretty much USA Today-lite...

[City Lights]

6. Holy shit!

[HereSince1628]

7. I would like to believe the rightwing has found its bridge too far.

I can't be sure of that. But I would like to believe it.

The FIX means stepping back. THis may mean later taking two steps forward to compensate...

If we don't see similar responses to Arkansas' bill has real change taken hold?

[sarge43]

8. That's the problem for the greedy and the fanatics

They can't stop themselves.

[salin]

11. Great phrase

I think the difference here is that the Star and Indianapolis are much more business friendly than teaparty religious right friendly. I don't know if that rift is big in Arkansas.

[George II]

16. Indianapolis is to Indiana what New York City is to New York State....

...it is nothing like the rest of the state.

Indianapolis' representation in their legislature is dwarfed by the rightwing population of the remainder of the state. That's why we read that the people of Indianapolis may be appalled by this law but the rest of the state probably supports it.

[LittleGirl]

19. Not really

South Bend and northwestern Indiana are very progressive as they are close to Chicago. It's the area around and south of the Kokomo area and Indy that has rednecks although they do live all over the state. There is a huge population of Amish in north central and north eastern Indiana.

As someone that grew up there and left, there are many liberals there. They just didn't show up to vote when that Gov was elected along with the GOP controlled congress.

Most of the northern Indiana was industrial and populated with southern folks that came up there during and after the war (WWII) to work in the factories. RVs are made in central Elkhart county which has many Amish employees. The southern folks never left but brought their bigotry to the state. Those folks are anti-union and why companies like Toyota have factories there (it's a right to work state). There's a suburb south of Indy called Greenwood but locals call it Greentucky because of the rednecks.

I'm so happy that this stupid bill is making national news.

[George II]

14. I don't know if its a bridge too far, but its certainly a bridge to nowhere.

[handmade34]

10. "REPEAL THIS NOW" n/t

[niyad]

24. repeal is the only answer.

[AlbertCat]

12. "fix"?

It's complete junk through and through.


Repeal. "Nix" it.

[Oilwellian]

13. They used a lotta ink!

[oldandhappy]

15. Splendid!

The fourth estate stands up!!

[Cryptoad]

17. But, But ,,,, But,,,,,

the law serves no purpose without if the Gay Folk have equal protection status .

[zentrum]

18. It can't be fixed.

"Fixed" is what you do to a dog. It has to be thrown out in its entirety. If some bigoted store keeper doesn't want to serve LGBT, that's her/his stupidity and private loss.

But such a thing should never be enshrined in a governmental regulation or law. Ever.

[ffr]

20. You can't fix a Republis

Headlines like this should be broadcast to paint Republis for what they are, far off fringe weirdos.

[Fred Sanders]

21. "Find a way to make hate legal" is the message from the Star.

Because the fix is both hard and easy....pass anti-discrimination laws like most states have...presto!

Hard on the extremists, easy on the Constitution and human rights.

It is a human rights issue, like Jesus advocated for, remember?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

26. in 2004 Republicans ran on being anti-gay....

They actually think it's a winner.

[Hekate]

27. Seems to have gotten their attention

[Gothmog]

28. That is a great editorial

[samsingh]

29. kick

[vssmith]

30. Religion doesn't need protection in our country individuals do

[Dont call me Shirley]

31. REPEAL THIS MESS

[one_voice]

33. Repeal would have been better.

K&R

[Avalux]

35. Sorry - there is no FIX. REPEAL the fucking law. n/t

[raven mad]

39. Political pressure works. n/t

[Roland99]

40. Isn't the RFRA redundant with the U.S. Constitution?

[Cha]

41. FIX THIS NOW. Mahalo kpete

[sheshe2]

42. KnR!