April 6, 2016 6:39 AM

Mississippi: Just another anagram for "pathetic and hateful"

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Tuesday signed into law a measure affording wide protections for actions considered discriminatory by gay rights activists. The far-reaching law allows people with religious objections to deny wedding services to same-sex couples. It also clears the way for employers to cite religion in determining workplace policies on dress code, grooming and bathroom and locker access. Bryant, a Republican, said in a statement that he signed the law “to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions of individuals, organizations and private associations from discriminatory action by state government.”

And Jesus said, “Verily, we don’t want none of them their homos gettin’ no special rights and forcin’ The Homosexual Agenda © upon good, God-fearing, Conservative White Christian patriots…so if y’all need to pass a law to put them in their place, then by all means do it. You have my blessing. Amen…and God Bless the Confederacy!!

Yep, it’s right there in the Bible, Bubba 3:14-15, don’tchaknow?

That there are those in Mississippi’s legislature who honestly believe that protecting “religious freedom” means passing legislation which green lights discrimination against those who are different because your prejudice religion says it’s OK is disturbing enough. Then again, this is the same legislature that’s currently considering a bill which would allow churches to set up what in effect are their own private armies.

I know; there’s simply no rational explanation. The stoopid, it is strong in these “Christians.”

It’s almost overwhelmingly tempting to look at what’s happening in the Mullet State and ask, “WTF is wrong with Mississippi??” I’m not at all certain I’d be able to answer that question. Equal rights aren’t “special rights.” Nor should the “right” to engage in discrimination and officially-sanctioned oppression be considered by any fair-minded and/or reasonable person to be “religious freedom.” Let’s face it; if your religion allows you to treat those whose sexual orientation and/or lifestyle you despise as “less than,” you have no religion. You’re a hypocrite so addled by your self-righteousness and hyper-religiosity that you see nothing amiss about using a bastardized version of Christianity as cover for your hatred and bigotry.

EXACTLY What Jesus Would Do…amiright??

To refer to what Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R-16th cent.) just signed into law as a pathetic attempt to legalize discrimination and provide the cover of legality to religious oppression wouldn’t begin to adequately describe the damage this law could potentially do. Among other things, it will now be legal to discriminate against couples who have sex outside outside the bonds of marriage.

Yeah, I know…WTF???

Yesiree, nothing says “small government” and “getting government off the backs of the people” quite like imbuing your narrow moral/religious/ideological agenda with the force of law. Republicans, who’ve screamed loudest and longest for what seems like forever about “government overreach” and “tyrannical government,” seem to recognize no contradiction inherent in their efforts to create a social environment redolent of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

It seems Republicans want to create a government just small enough to get all up in everyone’s business. Perhaps it’s just about ensuring that if they’re not getting any, then no one else should or will be allowed to.

Remember, it’s only “tyranny” and “government overreach” when someone’s doing it to you. When you’re the ones dishing it out, it’s “family values” and “protecting religious freedom.”

EXACTLY What Jesus Would Do, don’tchaknow???

Silly me; I would have thought that Gov. Bryant would have looked at the backlash currently being directed at North Carolina (and that Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal wisely decided to sidestep) for their “religious freedom” law and made a smarter decision. Hatred and bigotry do have consequences for those who grant themselves license to discriminate against those they define as “less than.” Then again, the Republican culture warriors who comprise the American Taliban usually don’t give a damn for what anyone else thinks about what they’re doing. I suppose you can grant yourself that luxury when you’re convinced God is on your side and that your faith is The One, True, and ONLY Faith ©.

Here’s something the good, God-fearing, Christian culture warriors in Mississippi (and North Carolina) might want to consider: Jesus never preached (or even intimated) that hating in His name was acceptable. He never taught that discriminating against those whose lifestyle and/or sexual orientation might be deemed offensive to some is an eminently Christian thing to do. In fact, even I (who doesn’t even believe in Christianity) understand enough about the teachings of Jesus Christ to understand that He was all about love, tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion. None of these qualities are exhibited to any appreciable degree by the American Taliban and their culture warriors. If anything, the culture warriors of the American Taliban more closely resemble Pharisees than true, Bible-believing Christians.

If you believe that hatred and discrimination in Jesus’ name makes you a good Christian, you’re doing it wrong-WAY wrong. If you have to pass a law that gives your prejudice, bigotry, and homophobia the force of law, you haven’t the slightest idea what it means to live a Christ-like life.

Mississippi, like North Carolina before it, has become a parody of itself and an embarrassment to the rest of the country. Things will only become worse when businesses and governments begin to boycott the Mullet State and move business to states which don’t hate. Of course, when you’re the closest thing America has to a Third World country, an economic boycott probably doesn’t seem like a big deal.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on April 6, 2016 6:39 AM.

Special rights for people unclear on the concept was the previous entry in this blog.

Unbeknownst to The Donald, people called him "Boner Killer" behind his back is the next entry in this blog.

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