As backlash against Indiana's license-to-discriminate law grows, damage control is failing

[Veilex]

Indiana legislators are scrambling to do damage control on the state's new license-to-discriminate law, but that damage control definitely won't extend to repealing the law. In fact, mostly what they're doing is continuing to make discredited claims about the law being similar to existing religious freedom laws in other states and at the federal level. With Gov. Mike Pence repeatedly refusing to say that the law won't mean discrimination, the economic consequences have really piled up for the state.

Companies including Angie's List and Salesforce responded quickly, with Angie's List changing its plans for a major Indiana expansion and Salesforce cancelling a conference in the state. The outcry against the Indiana law is having a ripple effect in other states, as well. A Montana bill similar to the Indiana one failed to pass the state House, while in Georgia, a state House Judiciary Committee meeting on such a bill was cancelled. Since there are just days left before the Georgia legislature's 2015 session ends, it's not clear the bill will advance.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/30/1374318/-As-backlash-against-Indiana-s-license-to-discriminate-law-grows-damage-control-is-failing?detail=facebook_sf

[closeupready]

1. As the internet has made the world smaller, medieval societies like Indiana's

will have to modernize, or face widespread criticism and boycotts, since, in the absence of oil or other goods and services to offset, the rest of the world will be unwilling to accommodate their cultures of hatred.

[Veilex]

4. "the rest of the world will be unwilling to accommodate their cultures of hatred." - Small favors

[valerief]

13. Indiana will just join the other pre-enlightenment societies, like those in the

Middle East.

[stillwaiting]

16. Iraniana. nt

[valerief]

17. Ha! Indistan. nt

[calimary]

20. closeupready, YOU have just given us a FABULOUS new framing! A new meme!

Last edited Tue Mar 31, 2015, 01:23 AM - Edit history (1)

And it just happens to be BRUTALLY true: "medieval societies like Indiana's" !!!!!!!!!!!!

"MEDIEVAL SOCIETIES"!!! Good HEAVENS, that's brilliant!!! That's EXACTLY what they are. It just nails it! Just totally sums it up. That IS what they are. And it's a SUPERB way to word it.

They ARE a Medieval society. Their thinking is just that: Medieval. What they want is the kind of thing that the Middle Ages were famous for! "Medieval societies." This is what the extreme "right" wants. THAT value system. And remember something else about it: VERY often, the big money was in the church. The church hierarchy, the bishops and certainly the popes - all had power beyond imagining! The very rich were closely linked to the church and usually one or more of their sons were in the priesthood (or higher ranking). THAT was where most of the power and money and influence was.

The Medieval era was really lovely for the rest of the population...
When women were seen and not heard and were only there to produce heirs, and had no say.
When blacks were slaves, and had no say.
When the poor were ignored, and had no say.
When the serfs worked for the local lord and were grateful for their crumbs - and it wasn't their land anyway, which meant their lord got all the profits AND the edibles that were grown thereon - AND they had no say.

Well, the problem there is that THE REST OF US, factually A MAJORITY IN THIS COUNTRY - realize they/we live in the 21st Century. Women certainly do - at least judging from the women I've read, heard, seen, and talked with. That's one of the first things they say when the right to choose comes up for discussion. It's the same thing we're hearing about this:

"I thought this was already settled!"

"I mean - this is the 21st Century for Pete's sake!!!!!"

"Didn't we already have this discussion/fight this battle/win this battle?"

"Why are we STILL fighting this?"

[img][/img]

Oh, and by the way, just to be further annoying, let me just stress again - THIS SHIT is what happens when Democrats stay home on Election Day. INDIANA is what you get. The Indiana legislature, the governor, and nauseating perversions of "law" are what you get. IT'S WHAT YOU GET. For yourself and unfortunately also, for all the rest of us - including those of who did care enough to go vote.

[closeupready]

24. Thanks! And you know, it seems obvious to me, but then again,

I value modern LIBERAL values, like civil rights, protection of the individual at the expense of the state, protection of minorities from discrimination and bigotry ...

Cheers.

[Veilex]

25. +1

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Although it's disappointing to see Indiana hasn't moved to repeal the law,

I'm happy to see the ripple effect in other states. I'm so grateful for the businesses that are taking a stand against discrimination, because lawmakers can't hear if it's not business.

[Veilex]

3. Indeed

[phantom power]

5. And it will continue to fail

It's a bill specifically designed to allow people to discriminate, and it's exactly the bill they wanted, so they don't want to fix it, or repeal it. Which is the only kind of damage control that would actually be damage control. Instead, they will attempt to do "damage control" by straight up attempting to deny reality and hope nobody notices. Which isn't working, and will reliably continue to not work.

[Veilex]

7. It was a big enough issue that George Takei felt the need to ask people to boycott the state...

Considering the following he's got, that's a big deal.

[mstinamotorcity2]

6. As McDonald's say

I'm Loving it.

[Veilex]

8. +1

[Half-Century Man]

9. They wanted to left free be wallow in their religious expression

Okay, they can wallow away; they just need do it far away and downwind. Their religious expression smells like shit to the rest of us.

[daleanime]

10. K&R.....

[wiggs]

11. What will and should happen is that when the law goes into effect, Indiana

business owners who wish to exclude certain kinds of people from their publicly licensed operation will be tested soon and often. The first person...or the first 100 people....who are told they won't be served/helped due to religious intolerance will seek protection of the courts. As they should. There will be either a class action suit or a steady filing of individual suits claiming damage....and I can't imagine that courts will allow this kind of discrimination.

Additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if those businesses known to discriminate in this way will suddenly be visited more often than ever by the exact type of customer they don't want to help. There may even be many, many new customers who are 'visiting' from out of state.

This law will be short-lived.

[central scrutinizer]

31. Lawsuits take time - the internet will strike in minutes

Remember the viral shitstorm that hit F&R Autos in Massachusetts when they fucked with the pizza delivery guy?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/01/14/westport-car-dealership-messes-with-pizza-delivery-guy-feels-internet-wrath/zXO7rV6jreriD63xG0bj5L/story.html

They ain't seen nothing yet.

[salin]

12. S.F., Seattle, and now the state of Connecticut have put travel bans per city/state business

Chicago Mayor is reportedly trolling CEOs of a number of big companies to move to Chicago.

It is bad for Hoosiers. But, I sincerely hope the backlash stops more other teaparty-controlled state houses from passing such laws.

[Contrary1]

14. AFSCME just pulled out

This is going to cost Indiana plenty...and it's only just begun.

[Veilex]

27. Nice!

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/afscme-mike-pence-religious-freedom

[Roy Rolling]

15. Wow

The time machine idea didn't work out either so they are scrambling for fresh ideas on how to unring a bell.

[lark]

22. They want to unring the bell

while it is still kept ringing. Mike Pence was the embodiment of this yesterday. He deeply wants to fuck over the LGBT community, but he wants everyone else to ignore the whole purpose of this law and say it's OK because of his lies about non-discrimination. So, he wants it clarified that discriminating about LGBT is not really discriminating because ..... well, just because he wants to ignore truth.

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. good

[ybbor]

19. I think the NCAA should move their HQ out of Indy

Their student athletes should begin to demand that they do, or refuse to play for them until they do.

These student athletes need to realize the clout they hold.

I do understand that many of them may hold the same feelings as the dense one, but the bulk of them do not.

[marym625]

26. GLSEN

Has already put this out

Fucking kills me that college students AGAIN have to feel like they need to hide in the closet

[DefenseLawyer]

21. Mike Pence is really stupid

Not just "his politics are stupid" but like he's not a smart person. We throw around terms like "idiot" a lot with politicians we don't like, but this guy is truly dumb as a post. I'm from Indiana and I know a lot of people here that know him personally, that went to law school with him and such, and even among Indiana republicans everyone agrees he's a dolt.

[jeff47]

23. Sarah Palin with a Y chromosome. (nt)

Last edited Mon Mar 30, 2015, 04:43 PM - Edit history (1)

[Veilex]

28. ...

[Chellee]

32. Truth.

Nobody has even mentioned the fact that Pence believes that abortion causes breast cancer.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/indiana-women-abortions-breast-cancer_n_833388.html

[immoderate]

29. Indiana -- the cheese stands alone!

--imm

[eppur_se_muova]

30. "If you can't say something good, don't say anything." OK -- I'll just say "good". nt

[Skittles]

33. fuck those backwards pieces of shit bigots

there, I said it for you