I Was Wondering

++As we wait to see whether Jan Brewer will veto another Arizona atrocity enshrining discrimination in law, I have been wondering and a poster Jank 212 at the Daily Kos had the same question.

++How do you enforce anti-gay laws based on "sincere religious belief"?  Now Georgia is going to pass a law so gays can't eat in diners. Sounds awfully familiar,hey? (P.S. I really would like a good diner around me.)

++This is a similar to a question I have about how Hobbyland, a corporation can be a religious institution.

++Let's start with "sincere religious belief". How can we tell? Because you have been baptized, confirmed, take communion, or Tithe? Does a different religion count? Can Jews invoking Leviticus refuse to serve gays? Or even gentiles? Dan Savage pointed out that the way the Arizona law is written a Satanist could discriminate against Christians. Do you have to prove that you are a member of an organized religion or can you say you are a Pastafarian? Does the expert witness have to come from a theology school that has the same prejudice you have? Does your pastor testify that you come to church every Sunday and never miss?

++The Law like Kansas and Georgia have terrible precedents in American history. The Southern Baptists fought the civil war on the grounds that the Bible approved of slavery. Under the present Arizona law a Mormon could discriminate against blacks because they are the people of Ham.

++Then we come to the issue of how does the "religious one" know the people he is discriminating against "gay". Do they have a divine Gaydar? Must a gay person or couple explicitly say they are? 

++Andrew Sullivan wanted to be tolerant of this homophobia considering that it dealt with those who might cater or bake for same sex weddings and that let them be because the market will take care of itself.  To be fair,Andrew did object to codifying this in law because it would be unconstitutional. 

++But these measures speak at a deeper illness. The Concerned Women of America said that the Enlightenment caused the Holocaust and we were better off before the Enlightenment like in the Middle Ages. Let's forget that the United States wouldn't exist except for the Age of Reason. This strange line of thinking is found in Tom Delay's recent statement that the Constitution came from God. And Vishnu Jindal,a 2016 presidential aspirant,declared this past week that there is a war on Christianity in this country.

++If you laugh at this, this only proves their point they claim. Is there any difference between these anti-gay laws and the Westboro Baptist Church?

++The Young Turks on a totally separate subject,reviewed recent polls on religious beliefs in this country. From the days when only 5% were religious unaffiliated, we have gone to 20%. 24% of men and 16% of women were unaffiliated. 40% of liberals and only 9% of conservatives. A whopping one-third of those under 30% have no religion. This news has evangelical denominations freaking out. The main critique of religions in this poll was that they want money and power and are too involved in politics. 

++And you wonder why the young aren't religious. 

++But if Arizona's bill is signed,No Super Bowl for you.