Arkansas determined to turn back the clock on discrimination

[Jon82]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he would sign into law a religious protection measure that opponents have said would open the door to state-sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Hutchinson told reporters Thursday that he supports the latest version of a bill prohibiting state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a "compelling government interest." The Senate could take up the legislation as soon as Thursday afternoon.

Hutchinson said he believes the measure balances concerns about protecting religious beliefs and worries about discrimination.

This is terrible. Has Arkansas not been paying attention to what is happening in Indiana? Why are the law makers of this state determined to open the door to discrimination being protected by law? Government twisting religion to use as a tool for the practice of hate is immoral, unethical, and clearly hypocritical. I am embarrassed to call this state my home.

http://www.katv.com/story/28623593/arkansas-governor-says-hed-sign-religious-protection-bill

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/03/26/human-rights-campaign-hopes-to-fight-arkansas-religious-freedom-bill-by-scaring-away-silicon-valley/

[Skittles]

1. stupid bigots should be careful what they wish for

me, I will boycott any state that pulls this backwards bullshit

[still_one]

2. Discrimination

[Jon82]

4. right on mispelling

[still_one]

6. I understand typos, I make enough of them

[RKP5637]

3. Another state to avoid, not to invest in, not to live in, and definitely not to locate a business in,

and employees, they can refuse to work if it affects their religious belief/principles. The bullshit it getting so deep it's going to drown these states. And these fools have some notion it's all about christianity. So, that means any of religious belief can be denied anything, because it can infringe upon an agnostic belief to deal with them. We, for example, already will not solicit business from any individual/company that wears the badge of religion on their sleeve.

[janlyn]

5. I've lived here for 30yrs.

And have never been ashamed of making Arkansas my home, until now! The republicans are having a field daynow that they have control!!

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Their hero must be Paul Van Dalsem

“We don’t have any of these university women in Perry County, but I’ll tell you what we do up there when one of our women starts poking around in something she doesn’t know anything about. We get her an extra milk cow. If that don’t work, we give her a little more garden to tend to. And then if that’s not enough, we get her pregnant and keep her barefoot."

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4771

[Jon82]

8. Must be

Trying to live the dreams of a bigot and his ideals. Well, maybe they will completely follow his example and switch positions on equal treatment in order to stay in office (did not work for him) when people finally stand up and say enough. Of course, it will only be after hate groups and those that sympathize with them exercise their new found freedom, commerce suffers, and the nation once again uses Arkansas as an example of stupidity that this will happen. Whatever happened to allowing all people to pursue happiness?

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Arkansas had long been the butt of jokes

starting with, perhaps, Mark Twain's less than complimentary assessment of Arkansans in Huckleberry Finn, to the Slow Train Through Arkansas, to the Arkansaw Traveler (the local yokel was too busy playing his fiddle to fix his leaky roof) to Hillbilly Hare (Bugs Bunny takes advantage of two Arkansas yahoos) to the Flintstones (feuding relatives living in Arkanstone) to the Wacky Races (the Arkansas Chug-a-bug driven by moonshine-swilling Rufus the barefoot hillbilly and his mascot Blubber Bear). By the '70s, the state's image was finally starting to get better, although the Today Show took one last jab when during its Bicentennial feature on Arkansas, it just featured hillbilly musicians. Now the yahoos in the legislature are doing everything they can to make the state once again the butt of national jokes.

[Jon82]

11. I hear it all the time from family in my home state of California.

It is just another brick in the wall (not a Floyd reference here) of reasons to ridicule Arkansas. Normally, I laugh it off and tell people about the good things but this time all I can and will do is agree. This is not a step back but a great leap in the wrong direction. The voters in Arkansas need to step up and get rid of Representatives and a governor that is willing to promote bigotry

[Art_from_Ark]

13. We're stuck with the current governor for nearly 4 years

The legislators are in there for at least 2 years.
And Tom Cotton is in the Senate for at least 6 long years.

[LiberalArkie]

10. Being from Union county and now living in Perry county, I am hoping someone in the state

will deny a black person service "because I believe the Nig**Rs are the spawn of satan, that is what my preacher tells me" That will be fun when it hits the news. Maybe a christian scientist won't serve people who go to doctors.

[Jon82]

12. Is that a coke in your hand? Get out of my store. Caffeine is evil.

[Wella]

14. I'm gonna say it again, even though you hate when I say it: you go after little bakers and florists

and you get people mad. Crappy legislation like this is the result.