23 March 2017

A Voice of Reason

Retired US Senator Alan Simpson wrote a thoughtful and well reasoned op-ed in yesterday's New York Times (link here) with the title "How a Trump Turnabout on Gay Rights Hurts Republicans."

In the piece, Simpson begs the President not to sign his pending executive order that would allow government workers to discriminate legally against LGBTs, women, and other minorities on "religious grounds."

I find no fault with Simpon's arguments.

The problem I have with this piece is this: even if Trump does not sign this executive order, he has promised to sign the deceptively titled "First Amendment Defense Act" (FADA), which would allow business and their employees to discriminate legally against LGBTs, women, and other minorities on "religious grounds."

So while arguably it is good news that LGBT Americans would not face discrimination in veterans hospitals or national parks, every place else outside government property could be open season.

You might visit a national park, for instance, but service stations could refuse to allow you to use their bathrooms when you fueled up on your way to the national park. Hotels, motels, and restaurants could also refuse to serve you on your journey.

The federal government integrated government services and opportunities in the 1950s, but that was not enough because a wide swath of American businesses refused service to minorities and people of color. Only when the Supreme Court struck down discriminatory state laws nationwide to all people of color achieve equality.

A nation that allows some discrimination with separate but unequal treatment is not a free society. It's all or nothing at all.

2 comments:

  1. I so much agree with you.

    As USA claims to be the «Land of Liberty» must admit that this is another «fake fact» when we see how minorities like latinos, black people and LGBT are treated in your country.

    When a «future president» act on a stage in making fun of a handicape man or is negatively speaking of muslims in the army, HE isn't worthy to get in office to represent ALL USA people.

    Two brother countries as ours and such two different ways to manage with our people.
    It's not concevable here to forbid a service, what ever, to a gay guy or any other minorities because we are protected by our «Canadian Rights and Liberty Chart» for so many years.

    Anyone in Canada can prosecute against such assholes in front of the People Rights Court to make his rights recognized and have justice.

    As I always told here, Canada is so much different than USA in regard of «Human Rights» because religion is no more ruling our civil lives.

    When will USA put RELIGION lobbying out of your way of making laws and put the rights of your population in front of ALL your preoccupations.

    PS. I have a gay couple of my friends that are «ferocious republicans» and when they come to visit me in Montreal, they are complaining about CNN news, the only channel I had. Now, as I was curious to really see that FOX News was, I added it on my TV cable channels.
    OMG! I listened to some news or journalists there on Fox News and I was flabbergasted of what I heard there.
    These are like total assholes when interviewing someone that try to explain their point when it isn't the «republican» way of thinking.
    Saw Baltimore mayor trying to explain why is city is a «shelter city» for illegals. That interviewer was such insisting to say that ALL latinos were rapist in regard of that «only» young one who rapped a young girl in a high school in Baltimore. The mayor had no chance to say his point of view and was reduced to silence all the time.

    Not to mention all what I've noticed about Fox News «alternative facts» which seems to make them trilled....

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  2. I felt the urge to share this with you.
    As I told you, we are so different than you up here in Canada.

    http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/03/22/parliaments-first-ever-lgbtq2-secretariat-announced

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