Sunday, March 29, 2015

On which point is he unclear exactly?

Like that time on Three's Company when
Mr. Furley called Jack a godless deviant and
had him arrested on charges of sodomy.
Don't worry everybody, Indiana Governor Mike Pence's Religious Freedom Restoration Act isn't about discrimination and this whole thing is just a big misunderstanding.

"I just can't account for the hostility that's been directed at our state...I've been taken aback by the mischaracterizations from outside the state of Indiana about what's in this bill." 

-Governor Mike Pence,
taken aback by the abundantly obvious

But seriously, he really doesn't see the problem everyone's having with this? Here, let me try and account for the hostility. First of all, nobody wants their healthcare options limited by their boss's religious convictions, that's just bullshit that will lead to further bullshit.
"Ok team, as you know our CEO has converted to a new religion. You've probably never heard of it, but he's
legally devout as required by the RFRA. Since he no longer believes in doctors we've gone ahead and cancelled 

your insurance plans and anyone who is menstruating is now considered unclean and will have wait out their periods in the hut of shame in the rear parking lot. And yes, it will count against your sick days. Questions? Concerns?"
"Yeah, you can't order the fettuccine, my
religion is gluten free. Maybe try the salad?"
Also, it's stupidly vague. All anyone has to do get out of complying with parts of the Affordable Care Act, or to refuse service to someone they have a theological issue with is to say that their exercise of religion is being burdened. Like, what the shit does that mean? Do they need a note from their reverend? Do they have to bring in an excerpt from the applicable holy book? Does this apply to any religion? Because I can make one up. In fact, I did make one up and it specifically states that you can't be a dick to people. So where's my law?

"Let me be clear, I don't hate gay people,
I'm just looking out for people who do."

-Governor Mike Pence
Anyway, the biggest issue here is the way the RFRA divides people up into two categories: business owners with religious beliefs and the people they find so morally objectionable that even doing business with them will "substantially burden their exercise of religion." Holy shit. I mean, it's not just that the bill provides businesses legal cover from accusations of discrimination, it's that in doing so, it presupposes that these moral objections are valid in the first place. That's why people are getting hostile Mike, your law basically calls gay people objectionable and, by extension, un-cake-worthy.

Look, nobody wants to trample on anyones religious freedom, that was never the point. In fact, most people don't give a shit what others do or do not believe in. What most people do want however is not to be legally classified as a substantial burden and I'm pretty sure that's not asking so much.
"But my exercise of reli-i-i-i-igion..."
-RFRA supporters,
you know, metaphorically

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