Imposing One’s Beliefs On Others Is Not A Religious Freedom
February 29, 2012
By Michael Bryan
The recent concern over "religious conscience" brought into focus by the controversy over mandating contraceptive care by self-insuring religious institutions to their employees, and exacerbated by a pending amendment in the Senate which would allow any healthcare insurer to deny any care that offends a moral sentiment, mistakes religious freedom for religious tyranny.
When relgious practices impose on the choices of others, the government has a legitimate role in ensuring that unequal power relationships do not result in imposition of religious beliefs on others in our society. Obama's contraceptive coverage mandate respects freedom of religious conscience by ensuring that employers cannot impose their religious beliefs about reproduction on their employees. When that employer is a religious institution, obviously the temptation of the employer to impose their views is manifest.
Of course, many in the GOP don't see it that way.
They think that religious freedom only includes the right of religious institutions to impose their views on others, using whatever means of coersion is at hand, including employment, ecomonic power, and contracts. Any move by the government to prohibit such impositions on others is viewed as a "war on religious belief", or some such nonsense…
Here in Arizona, Steve Yarborough and number of primary co-sponsors, including CD4 GOP Congressional Candidate Ron Gould, are bringing this pernicious conceit to Arizona with SB 1365, which would prohibits the government from denying, revoking or suspending a professional or occupational license based on any action deriving from a person’s religious convictions.
When the people we elect despise the voters who elected them – Part 2
February 29, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I posted about this yesterday. When the people we elect despise the voters who elected them:
Our Tea-Publican legislators appear not to believe that they were elected, but were divinely selected for office, which imbues them with power and priviliges far beyond the "citizen legislator" they are supposed to be.
Under the Arizona Constitution the citizens are a "super legislature," whose acts through citizens initiatives and referendums take supremacy over simple legislative acts. And our Tea-Publican legislators hate this because they believe that they have a divine right to lord over us, even though we elected them — they despise the voters who elected them.
It turns out that the Tea-Publican tyranny was busy voting for several more bills they hope to send to the ballot in November in an attempt to reverse the will of the people. The Tea-Publicans really hate the AIRC and Citizens Clean Elections that the citizens of Arizona enacted through citizen initiatives.
Arizona Clean Elections bill advances: Legislators have tried for a decade to repeal the program 51 percent of voters narrowly passed in 1998. On Tuesday, a bill to ask voters this November to defund the program, SCR 1021 passed the Senate. Such bills to take matters to the voters do not require the governor's approval — so Gov. Brewer cannot veto it.
It is also another another attempt by our colonial overlords from the state of Maricopa to dictate to the citizens of Tucson how they must conduct their local elections (you just know that Jonathan "Payday" Paton had a hand in this):
SCR 1021 changes the state Constitution to prohibit the state or any local government from giving any public funds to candidates running for public office or giving a tax credit to individuals who donate to programs that fund candidates. It would apply to both the state's Clean Elections program and Tucson's public campaign-finance program, which is funded with city money.
The bill's title is purposefully deceptive: "No Taxpayer Subsidies for Political Campaigns Act." The bill makes no mention of the program's Citizens Clean Elections title. This is otherwise known as "fraud."
Then there is the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. Arizona redrawn legislative maps sent to Justice:
The submission came as the state Senate gave preliminary approval to a ballot measure that would repeal the independent commission and return redistricting duties to the Legislature.
"There is no accountability by the IRC," said Sen. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, sponsor of SCR 1035.
If the measure passes the Legislature, it will be on the November ballot.
Other bills working their way through the legislature would revise the AIRC, rather than kill it altogether. Does anyone trust the legislature to redistrict after the spectacle they and our Red Queen, Jan Brewer, made of themselves last year in an effort to impose a permanent Tea-Publican majority by executive fiat?
OMG! Steve Yarbrough wants Sharia Law in Arizona!
February 29, 2012
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by David Safier If Steve Yarbrough's SB1365 passes, any devout Muslim professional can deny service to Arizonans simply by saying, "Sorry, that violates Sharia Law." Unless, of course, Yarbrough adds a line saying, "Does not apply to adherents of Islam." While he's at it, he'd better take Mormons who condone polygamy out of the mix … Read more
AIRC Update: Legislative District maps submitted to DOJ for preclearance
February 29, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) submitted the new legislative district maps to the U.S. Department of Justice on February 28 , 2012. The Notice of Submission (.pdf) says that a duplicate copy of the submission will be available for public inspection and copying beginning on Wednesday, February 29, from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. … Read more
(Update) Birther Joe Arpaio to release his findings re: Obama birth certificate – Live! on World Net Daily
February 29, 2012
Posted by AzblueMeanie: I posted about this last week. Birther Joe Arpaio to release his findings re: Obama birth certificate. The Phoenix New Times reports that "Crazy Uncle Joe" Arpaio will broadcast the results of his investigation "Live!" on wingnut conspiracy central World Net Daily. Joe Arpaio's "Birther" Investigation Results Show to Be Streamed Live … Read more
Craig Barrett, BASIS and K12 Inc.
February 29, 2012
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by David Safier I wrote a column appearing in today's Explorer discussing a topic I've posted about often: Craig Barrett's regular bragging about BASIS schools, where he is president and chairman, and his omission of any mention that he sits on the Board of Directors of K12 Inc. Barrett swells with pride when he talks … Read more
Gov. Brewer, others react to ABC15 report on child abuse scandal in Sheriff Paul Babeu’s past
February 29, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
ABC15 news reported on reactions to their investigative report from Arizona's elected officials on Tuesday night. Gov. Jan Brewer, other leaders sound off on ABC15 investigation into Sheriff Paul Babeu's past:
Governor Jan Brewer and other political leaders continue to react to an ABC15 investigation that found Sheriff Paul Babeu was Headmaster at a boarding school with a long history of abuse.
Multiple former students and Babeu’s own sister also told ABC15 that Babeu had a relationship with a 17-year-old male student.
Brewer said that after she read our report Monday night, she "certainly was disappointed.”
“It was a pretty brutal blow if it is true,” Brewer said. "I certainly think that publicly it has done some serious damage to his campaign."
Pinal County Supervisor Pete Rios also responded to our investigation. He renewed his call for Babeu to resign.
“I asked for his resignation even before this story broke,” Rios said in an email to ABC15. “But I had no evidence like your channel got.”
On Monday, State Sen. Ron Gould also called for Babeu to drop out of his congressional race and resign as sheriff.
The Farley Report – a candidate announcement
February 29, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Time once again for The Farley Report, er, well apparently not. The Friends O'Farley web site is now the Farley for Congress web site, as Steve Farley will be making the rounds today to announce his candidacy for Congress. I guess this means the end of The Farley Report from the legislature. Press … Read more
