Liberal Tolerance and Compassion

[Ryan Ruck]

Activists Take Out Frustration on ... Ronald Reagan

June 22, 2012

Victor Fiorillo reports for Phillymag.com:

Last Friday, an attaché of important gay people from Philadelphia made a trip to Washington D.C. as invited guests of President Barack Obama for the White House’s first-ever gay pride reception. There, they danced to the sounds of a Marine Corps band; they dined on crab cakes and canapés; they hand-delivered letters from concerned citizens like this 18-year old who has had four people close to him gunned down, and noted rhyming raconteur CA Conrad; and some of them took advantage of photo opportunities to give the late President Ronald Reagan the middle finger.



“It’s not a gesture that I would use in the White House when representing our city and our community,” opines Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segal (center), who opted for a sarcastic thumbs-up pose in front of the portrait of George W. Bush over the more vulgar one demonstrated by his Reagan-loathing peers, Matthew “Matty” Hart (left), the national director of public engagement at Solutions for Progress, and self-taught photographer turned toast-of-the-town Zoe Strauss (right).

“I have friends who work in that building,” Segal explains. “I’m not going to do something that could embarrass them or that could somehow damage a campaign that is so important. ‘Be on your best behavior,’ my staff told me.’ I think they know me too well.”

This wasn’t Segal’s first trip to the White House, having twice visited during Bill Clinton’s gay-friendly tenure. “One of the things on my bucket list was to dance with my boyfriend at the White House,” remarks Segal.”And this is the second time I got to do it. We come up to the main foyer, and what do they play? Barbra Streisand. ‘The Way We Were.’ And I thought, Are they going to play nothing but Barbra, Bette and Lady Gaga? I was waiting for ‘Over the Rainbow.’ I mean, this is the Marine band!” Clearly, Segal, a dedicated activist but also an astute political hobnobber, wants to be invited back.

But his counterparts couldn’t seem to care less. Hart posted his photo on Facebook with the caption, “Fuck Reagan.” Strauss simply posted hers without commentary. After all, the murderous facial expression and double-barreled bird-flipping seem to speak for themselves. Comments ranged from “you forgot to add with a chainsaw” on Hart’s “Fuck Reagan” note, to my personal favorite, “star wars … up yours,” on Strauss’s. ...

“Yeah, fuck Reagan,” reiterates Hart one week after the reception. “Ronald Reagan has blood on his hands. The man was in the WhiteHouse as AIDS exploded, and he was happy to see plenty of gay men and queer people die. He was a murderous fool, and I have no problem saying so. Don’t invite me back. I don’t care.”

[American Patriot]

“Yeah, fuck Reagan,” reiterates Hart one week after the reception. “Ronald Reagan has blood on his hands. The man was in the WhiteHouse as AIDS exploded, and he was happy to see plenty of gay men and queer people die. He was a murderous fool, and I have no problem saying so. Don’t invite me back. I don’t care.”

Wait a minute, did he just blame Bush for AIDES too!?!?!?!?!?!

[Ryan Ruck]

Video Shows Enraged Man Attacking U.S. Flag-Bearer During Obamacare Protest

July 24, 2012

A video posted by a conservative student group during a recent anti-Obamacare protest shows a man losing his cool and attacking protesters during what they say was a peaceful gathering to oppose the president’s healthcare mandate.

The group, Tradition Family and Property (TFP), was protesting in North Little Rock, AR, on July 17, the group’s website says. Sometime during the protest — with cameras rolling — a man approached the group and eventually attacked.





“First he said, ‘Praise be Mary,’ giving the impression he was friendly,’” the website says. “Next he shouted, ‘Get the hell out of here!’ and rushed our American flag bearer Elias Bartel, knocking him off his feet with a violent blow. Old Glory fell over, but not completely because the 19-foot flag pole caught a power line on the way down and was quickly recovered and set upright again.”

It continues:

The attacker did not stop there. Without pause, he immediately assaulted our second volunteer, Jesus Guerra, who was holding the TFP banner which displays a rampant lion and the motto: “Tradition, Family, and Property.” As the video clearly shows, our young volunteer was pushed with such violence that he fell backward onto a fire hydrant. The banner also fell.

You can watch the video below:



It’s unclear what, if anything, may have prompted the outburst. Was the group in a verbal argument with the man before the events on the video? Was the attacker provoked? Did the police get involved?

We reached out to the organization to ask a few questions but have not heard back. We’ll update the story with any additional details if they become available.

UPDATE:

In an email to TheBlaze, group member John Ritche said the protesters did not provoke the man.

“The attacker walked up totally out of the blue, shoved our American flag bearer down, then hit Jesus Guerra who was holding our group’s banner,” he said. “There was no verbal discussion before the video started rolling. Our volunteers were always respectful and did nothing to provoke him or anyone else in any way, nor had we seen him before. He attacked us from the rear.”

According to Ritchie, the group did contact the police and the police did respond.

“The police arrived shortly after, filed a report about the attack, and collected information,” he explained. “We managed to get a photo of the license place number of the vehicle the attacker used. The video footage was also helpful to the law enforcement officers who said they would locate the man and talk to him.”

At this time, however, Ritchie said the group has yet to hear back from the authorities.

UPDATE II:

We’ve reached out to the local police department for more information on the investigation into the incident. Additionally, TFP has provided us with the police report number and the badge number of the responding officer.

[American Patriot]

Tolerance...



I am truly perplexed that so many people are against a mosque being built at Ground Zero.

I think it should be the goal of every American to be tolerant.

Thus the Mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance.



That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened next door to the mosque, thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque.



We can call one of the clubs, "The Turban Cowboy", which would be gay and the other a topless bar called "You Mecca Me Hot".



Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an open-pit barbeque pork restaurant, called "Iraq o' Ribs".



Across the street there could be a lingerie store called "Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret" with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods.



Next door to the lingerie shop, a liquor store called "Morehammered."


All of this would encourage the Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us, so the mosque problem would be solved.

[MinutemanCO]

Did you just come up with those, Rick? You missed your calling.

[American Patriot]

No, I can't take credit for those. LOL

I've said stuff LIKE that before, just not as well said as that was. (Someone forwarded it in an email to me)

[Ryan Ruck]

Sick: Wikipedia Entry Calls Mia Love ‘Dirty, Worthless Whore’ And ‘House Nigger’

August 29, 2012

Lyndsey Fifield @lyndseyfifield

And yes, someome edited Mia Love's wikipedia page last night and called her a whore. Liberals love women so much.

29 Aug 12

Tuesday night after rising GOP star Mia Love brought down the house with her inspiring convention speech, the stomach-turning Left labeled the black conservative a “token” and an “Aunt Tom.”

Meanwhile, revoltingly racist, woman-hating Wikipedia vandals were hard at work updating her entry with disgusting slurs like “House Nigger” and “dirty, worthless whore.” The page called her a “total sell-out to the Right Wing Hate machine and the greedy bigots who control the GOP.”

Glenn Reynolds reported the defacement of Love’s Wikipedia page last night.

Instapundit.com @instapundit
KEEP IT CLASSY, DEMS: Mia Love’s Wikipedia Entry Now Being Defaced. bit.ly/SQiob7 via @instapundit

28 Aug 12

Most of the sick attacks on Love have been deleted from the Wikipedia entry, but the Franklin Center’s Tabitha Hale captured a screen shot. The seedy underbelly of the Internet is forever:

Tabitha Hale @TabithaHale
This screenshot is from Mia Love's Wikipedia page after last night. Most of it's been deleted. yfrog.com/ody7wiup @TexAg_FLB

29 Aug 12

But it’s the Right that’s waging a war on women and minorities?

Repulsive.

Bethany Mandel @bethanyshondark
Whomever hacked @MiaBLove page has no sense of irony. They call GOP bigots on one line & Mia a "nigger" on next. yfrog.com/ody7wiup

29 Aug 12

Ann Coulter @AnnCoulter

Isn't this more than a "dog whistle"? Liberals deface mia love's wikipedia page -http://t.co/JLQiDd6l

29 Aug 12

More screen grabs at Gateway Pundit.

Carl Warner @CarlRWarner

Imagine how different the internet would be if people signed their real names to posts. Look what happened to MiaLove thegatewaypundit.com/2012/08/haters…

29 Aug 12

If you’d like to support Mia Love in her Utah congressional race, you know what to do.

Melissa Clouthier @MelissaTweets


A money bomb going for @MiaBLove -- and fully endorse her! bit.ly/PsVzLi Also, lefties defacing her wiki should be ashamed.

29 Aug 12

When she was on Mark Levin's show after this happened, I went ahead and sent $25 her way.

[American Patriot]

[Ryan Ruck]

‘Mother F***er Racist Sons of B**ches From Hell’: Wedding Venue Gets Threats, Fears Shut Down After Refusing Gay Couple’s Nuptials

August 9, 2013

Another business is facing retribution for declining service to a same-sex couple. Betty and Dick Odgaard, owners of Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa, are catching the ire of gay rights advocates after they declined offering their venue to Lee Stafford and his fiance Jared.

Now the owners, who are Christians, are receiving vicious and threatening emails and phone calls — and they fear that their business could shut down because of the fierce reaction.

It was less than one week ago that the Lee and Jared entered Görtz Haus looking for additional information about holding their wedding there. After Dick realized that it would be a gay ceremony, he told the couple that they would not be able to hold their nuptials at the establishment — and that’s when the controversy erupted.

“It started with emails and we noticed the emails were from a person with a name that looked like a man’s name. We’re a little suspicious about it and … two fellows walked in and that’s where it all began,” Dick told TheBlaze on Friday. “It was obvious what the situation was. I had to confirm it. I asked if this was a gay marriage celebration and I said we can’t take your money for this.”

From there, news spread that the Odgaards turned the couple away. Before long, phone calls and emails came streaming in. Betty said that some people have promised that the furor won’t stop until the business, which is a bistro, flower shop and a wedding destination, shuts down. Detractors have called Betty and Dick “haters.”

“I wish all people well. I have love for all people,” Betty, who was visibly distraught on the phone, told TheBlaze.

The family shared some of the e-mail responses they’ve received with TheBlaze. And the contents weren’t pretty.

One angry e-mail said that the family is “finished” and “doomed.” “You are mean, rude, selfish, mother f***er racist sons of b**ches from hell,” it read, with the writer later adding, “F**k you, f**k your God, f**k your religion.” Another person who goes by the name “Micky” wrote, “Betty, you’re very old and almost dead. How do you both feel, knowing that America, and the world, will be a better place without you?“

Further, someone claiming to be with the Westboro Baptist Church, a virulent anti-gay group, wrote to the owners claiming that members would soon be in the area to support the business. In sum, Betty and Dick report getting between 50 and 60 emails and about 20 to 30 phone calls per day about the incident, although a majority of these are actually positive. But while verbal support has been great, there hasn’t been an influx of people coming in, the couple said.

On the legal side of things, Lee and Jared, who believe they were unfairly discriminated against, have apparently filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Betty and Dick have consulted with their lawyer, who believes that they are within their religious rights to decline the wedding. On the flip side, Lee and Jared claim that the law is on their side.

Iowa law does prohibit service refusals based on sexual orientation, but religious sentiment often makes these scenarios more complicated.

The business has already experienced the impact of its decision. Betty said that two weddings are canceled for next summer and that some people want their down payments back. Additionally, an artist has pulled out from working with Görtz Haus Gallery.

“We will lose considerable money … it will impact us though, no doubt,” she told TheBlaze.

As far as their reasoning for the refusal, the couple is candid and wants to ensure that people understand their views on the matter — reasoning that they feel has not been adequately conveyed through media coverage. Betty called it “totally a faith-based issue” that is rooted in the family’s Christian religious convictions.

“We believe a marriage is between a man and woman,” she said, with Dick adding, “To us, it’s a sacrament.”

The couple noted that they have business associates, former staff members and friends who are gay and that they have nothing against them. There is no hate, they claim, as media and activists have charged. They simply disagree with the lifestyle, but respect the personal decisions that people make.

“I would serve them in every other way — we simply don’t want to take part … it just comes down to that final line of taking their vows in our facility,” the wife added, noting that she would have gladly provided flowers or cake (something more detached from the actual nuptials). “I do not hate these people and they have the right to do what they want to do under the law and in humanity.”

If the law requires the couple to comply and marry gay couples, they said that they will stay true to their convictions and will simply stop performing ceremonies at the location all together.

The future, considering the threatening e-mails and calls and the outrage, is uncertain. Betty said she’s looking for advice and guidance on how she can keep the business open.

“We don’t want to shut our doors. But financially it could shut it down,” she said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen.”

Betty and Dick aren’t alone. Other businesses have faced similar problems in the past, which TheBlaze has covered extensively.

[MinutemanCO]

One angry e-mail said that the family is “finished” and “doomed.” “You are mean, rude, selfish, mother f***er racist sons of b**ches from hell,” it read, with the writer later adding, “F**k you, f**k your God, f**k your religion.” Another person who goes by the name “Micky” wrote, “Betty, you’re very old and almost dead. How do you both feel, knowing that America, and the world, will be a better place without you?“

They're such friendly, loving people.

I think it's interesting that the threat-makers believe the world will be a better place without the loving Christian couple rather than their angry, hateful, self-absorbed carcasses.

Remember when tolerance meant: to suffer to be or to be done without prohibition or hinderance; to allow or permit negatively, by not preventing; not to restrain; as, to tolerate opinions or practices.

At some point in the last couple decades, tolerance has been corrupted to mean all must agree with or go along with the viewpoints of others no matter how aberrant.

[American Patriot]

Tolerate, Ryan, still means what you said it "originally meant".

It's the corrupted Leftists that don't get it. It's well past time to stand up to this people.

[Ryan Ruck]

Slight typo in your post Rick, that was MMCO.

[Ryan Ruck]

Moved the thread to this existing thread. Not sure why it didn't dawn on me to post it here originally.

[American Patriot]

Slight typo in your post Rick, that was MMCO.

All you white guys look alike on the computer to me....

lol

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

New Mexico Supreme Court: Photographers Can't Refuse Gay Weddings

August 22, 2013

In a closely watched case on gay rights, religious freedom, artistic freedom, the speech rights of businesses, and a host of other legal hot button issues, the New Mexico Supreme Court today ruled that wedding photographers could not refuse to shoot gay ceremonies.

"When Elane Photography refused to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony, it violated the [New Mexico Human Rights Act, or NMHRA] in the same way as if it had refused to photograph a wedding between people of different races," the court said in a unanimous verdict.

The court rejected each of photographer's Elaine Huguenin's arguments, particularly one in which Huguenin had argued that her refusal did not discriminate against same-sex customers. Huguenin had argued that she happily photograph gay customers, but not in a context that seemed to endorse same-sex marriage. Likewise, she said, she wouldn't shoot heterosexuals in a context that endorsed same-sex marriage.

The court rejected any legal differentiation between homosexuality and homosexual conduct.

"The difficulty in distinguishing between status and conduct in the context of sexual orientation discrimination is that people may base their judgment about an individual's sexual orientation on the individual's conduct," wrote Justice Edward Chávez. "To allow discrimination based on conduct so closely correlated with sexual orientation would severely undermine the purpose of the NMHRA."

In the court's view, saying you'll photograph gay people but not gay marriages would the same as a restaurant offering a full menu to male customers, refusing to serve entrees to women, and defending itself by saying women could order appetizers.

The court also rejected Huguenin's free speech argument, saying that the NMHRA does not compel speech. "They may, for example, post a disclaimer on their website or in their studio advertising that they oppose same-sex marriage but that they comply with applicable antidiscrimination laws." Likewise, the court said, the law doesn't regulate the content of the photographs. "The NMHRA does not mandate that Elane Photography choose to take wedding pictures; that is the exclusive choice of Elane Photography."

But it is Justice Richard Bosson's concurring opinion, not the majority opinion, that is already getting the most attention. The Huguenins, he wrote "now are compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives. Though the rule of law requires it, the result is sobering. It will no doubt leave a tangible mark on the Huguenins and others of similar views."

He continued:

The Huguenins are free to think, to say, to believe, as they wish; they may pray to the God of their choice and follow those commandments in their personal lives wherever they lead. The Constitution protects the Huguenins in that respect and much more. But there is a price, one that we all have to pay somewhere in our civic life.

In the smaller, more focused world of the marketplace, of commerce, of public accommodation, the Huguenins have to channel their conduct, not their beliefs, so as to leave space for other Americans who believe something different. That compromise is part of the glue that holds us together as a nation, the tolerance that lubricates the varied moving parts of us as a people. That sense of respect we owe others, whether or not we believe as they do, illuminates this country, setting it apart from the discord that afflicts much of the rest of the world. In short, I would say to the Huguenins, with the utmost respect: it is the price of citizenship.

In a press statement, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence, who represented Elane Photography in the case, said the decision was a step toward tyranny. "Government-coerced expression is a feature of dictatorships that has no place in a free country," he said. "This decision is a blow to our client and every American's right to live free."

Christianity Today earlier looked closely at the issues involved in the Elane Photography case last year after the court of appeals ruling. We also looked at similar cases where professionals' consciences were clashing with state requirements.

[American Patriot]

Oh, goodie... the government is now telling companies what they can and can't do.

Galt....

[Ryan Ruck]

Christian Bakery Closes After LGBT Threats, Protests

September 3, 2013

A family-owned Christian bakery, under investigation for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, has been forced to close its doors after a vicious boycott by militant homosexual activists.

Sweet Cakes By Melissa posted a message on its Facebook page alerting customers that their Gresham, Ore. retail store would be shut down after months of harassment from pro-gay marriage forces.

“Better is a poor man who walks in integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways,” read a posting from Proverbs on the bakery’s Facebook page.

“It’s a sad day for Christian business owners and it’s a sad day for the First Amendment,” owner Aaron Klein told me. “The LGBT attacks are the reason we are shutting down the shop. They have killed our business through mob tactics.”

Last January, Aaron and Melissa Klein made national headlines when they refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple.

Klein tells me he has nothing against homosexuals -- but because of their religious faith, the family simply cannot take part in gay wedding events.

“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “I don’t want to help somebody celebrate a commitment to a lifetime of sin.”

The lesbian couple filed a discrimination with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and told their story to local newspapers and television statements.

Within days, militant homosexuals groups launched protests and boycotts. Klein told me he received messages threatening to kill his family. They hoped his children would die.

The LGBT protestors then turned on other wedding vendors around the community. They threatened to boycott any florists, wedding planners or other vendors that did business with Sweet Cakes By Melissa.

“That tipped the scales,” Klein said. “The LGBT activists inundated them with phone calls and threatened them. They would tell our vendors, ‘If you don’t stop doing business with Sweet Cakes By Melissa, we will shut you down.’”

To make matters worse, the Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries announced last month they had launched a formal discrimination investigation against the Christian family.

Commissioner Brad Avakian told The Oregonian that he was committed to a fair and thorough investigation to determine whether the bakery discriminated against the lesbians.

“Everybody is entitled to their own beliefs, but that doesn’t mean that folks have the right to discriminate,” he told the newspaper. “The goal is to rehabilitate. For those who do violate the law, we want them to learn from that experience and have a good, successful business in Oregon.”

In other words, Christians who live and work in Oregon must follow man’s law instead of God’s law. But in a show of benevolence, the state is willing to rehabilitate and reeducate Christian business owners like the Kleins.

Klein said the closing of their retail store was a small price to pay for standing up for their religious beliefs.

“As a man of faith, I am in good spirits,” he said. “I’m happy to be serving the Lord and standing up for what’s right.”

Klein said what’s happened to Sweet Cakes By Melissa should be a warning to other Christians across the nation.

“This is a fight that’s been coming for a while,” he said. “Be prepared to take a stand. Hopefully, the church will wake up and understand that we are under attack right now.”

Just last month, New Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that two Christian photographers who declined to photograph a same-sex union violated the state’s Human Rights Act. One justice said the photographers were “compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives.”

Denver baker Jack Phillips is facing possible jail time for refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding.

The Colorado Attorney General’s office filed a formal complaint against Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cake Shop. A hearing before the state’s civil rights commission is set for later this month.

In Indianapolis, a family-owned cookie shop faced a discrimination investigation after they refused to make rainbow cookies for National Coming Out Day.

A T-shirt company in Lexington, Ky. found itself at the center of a Human Rights Commission investigation after they refused to make T-shirts for a local gay rights organization.

Klein said it’s becoming clear that Christians do not have the “right to believe what we believe.”

In other words, gay rights trump religious rights.

Aaron and Melissa Klein tell me they will continue to bake wedding cakes from their home. He’s already taken a full-time job to pay the bills and feed their five children.

Mrs. Klein told television station KPTV her philosophy remains unchanged by recent events.

“The Bible tells us to flee from sin,” she said. “I don’t think making a cake for it helps. I guess in my mind I thought we lived in a lot nicer of a world where everybody tolerated everybody.”

The plight of the Klein family exposes the true nature of the left. Those who preach tolerance and diversity are the least tolerant and the least diverse of all.

[Ryan Ruck]

Obama Supporter Arrested After Aiming Gun At Female Impeachment Protesters

October 10, 2013

An 84-year-old Obama supporter was arrested by Gwinnett County Police at his home in Georgia Tuesday, after pointing a gun at two female “Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment” protesters on Sept. 28.

Roy Smith was charged with pointing a firearm at another and three counts of misdemeanor simple assault for driving up and aiming his handgun at protesters Toni Pendley and Marge Moore.

“He was looking straight at me,” Pendley told Channel 2 Action News.

Others near the scene witnessed the incident as well, reporting Smith’s description, vehicle description and license plate number to 911 dispatchers. Witnesses specifically described a black, balding man, with glasses, driving a maroon Mercury Grand Marquis.

“He just showed the ladies the gun like ‘move out of here, I’ve got a gun’,” the witness told the 911 dispatcher.

Smith not only aimed his firearm at the women, but also threw an unknown chemical liquid at Moore.

“I felt it on my foot… it burned, so I thought it was a household chemical,” Moore told WSB Radio.

Amazingly, only moments before the attack, a different vehicle filled with other tolerant Obama supporters threatened to kill Pendley and Moore as it drove past.

Although initial reports claimed that Smith’s licenses plate did not match the vehicle type on record, police were eventually successful in tracking the vehicle to Smith’s home. Upon arrival, police were able to secure a search warrant for the vehicle parked in the driveway, finding a handgun in Smith’s driver’s side door, perfectly matching the description given by witnesses.

After contacting Smith, a police report revealed that Smith admitted to having the gun in his vehicle on the day of the incident, but claimed he did not point it at the protesters. Smith told investigators that “everyone was lying on him in an attempt to get him into trouble.”

“Not your typical suspect,” Gwinnett Police Cpl. Ed Ritter said. “Doesn’t matter what his age was, he still threatened somebody with that gun and he is being held accountable for it.”

According to jail records, Smith is currently free on $1,000 bond.

Incredibly, on Atlanta’s WBS-TV News Facebook page, other Obama supporters applauded Smith’s actions, claiming they have grown tired of people protesting the president.

“I don’t blame this man at all for what he did. It is getting old,” the second most popular comment said, receiving 31 Facebook likes.

Despite the threats, the woman returned to the overpass the following Saturday, defying all attempts made to scare them off.

“We’re not going to let him or anyone intimidate us,” Pendley said.

[American Patriot]

Hang him....