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2022 Martini Awards Part 4: Best Idea, Worst Idea, Boldest Tactic

December 28, 2022 by GregC

Listen to “2022 Martini Awards Part 4: Best Idea, Worst Idea, Boldest Tactic” on Spreaker.

More year-end awards today!  Jim and Greg embark on the second half of their six-episode saga known as the 2022 Three Martini Lunch Awards. Today, they offer up their selections for the best political idea, worst political idea, and boldest political tactics for the year. Their selections range from the campaign trail to the halls of Congress to the biggest land war in Europe in more than 75 years.
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Filed Under: congress, Constitution, Education, Elections, Energy, Foreign Policy, History, Humor, Immigration, Marriage, Religion, Russia, School Choice, Transgender, Ukraine Tagged With: 3MartiniLunch, democrats, energy, marriage, midterms, religious freedom, Republicans, russia, schools, Ukraine

Manchin Caves, Biden’s Insane Prisoner Swap, Devaluing Marriage

July 28, 2022 by GregC

Listen to “Manchin Caves, Biden’s Insane Prisoner Swap, Devaluing Marriage” on Spreaker.

Join Jim and Greg as they serve up three very bitter martinis. First, it’s a double shot of bad as Sen. Joe Manchin abandons his inflation concerns to push corporate tax increases and hundreds of billions in climate change programs – and it’s all going to happen because the GOP got outsmarted by Senate Dems. They also fume as the Biden administration offers to free one of the world’s worst terrorists in exchange for two Americans held in Russia. And they lament a new Gallup poll showing that just 29 percent of Americans think couples with children should be married. And the numbers aren’t that much better among conservatives.

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Filed Under: Climate, Economy, Elections, Energy, History, Humor, Inflation, Journalism, Marriage, News & Politics, Podcasts, polls, Russia, Spending, Taxes, Terrorism Tagged With: 3MartiniLunch, BBB, Biden, Bout, children, CHIPS, conservatives, Gallup, Griner, Manchin, marriage, McConnell, russia, Schumer

‘A Significant Win for Religious Freedom’

June 4, 2018 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/6-4-STAVER-BLOG.mp3 http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/6-4-anderson-blog.mp3

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to customize a wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony, exciting defenders of religious liberty but leaving some of the broader issues of free speech and religious expression unresolved.

The 7-2 decision reversed a decision by the Colorado Court of Appeals and resolved a six-year legal dispute between Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips and the same-sex couple who allege Phillips discriminated against them.

“This is a significant win for religious freedom and it’s a great decision from the court that affirms the basic freedom for everybody to live and work according to their religious beliefs, without fear of unjust punishment from the government.  That’s a great thing for Jack and that’s a great thing for everybody today,” said Kate Anderson, legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented Masterpiece Cakeshop in this case.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who authored the majority opinion legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015, also wrote the ruling this case.

“I was in the courtroom when this decision was handed down and when Anthony Kennedy was the one reading the decision, it really made me nervous,” said Liberty Counsel Chairman Mathew Staver, a fierce critic of Kennedy on many cases related to marriage over the years

“You couldn’t tell which way he was going at the very beginning, but as his discussion of the case moved forward it was clear the court ultimately sided with Jack Phillips,” added Staver.  “To get seven justices to agree on this particular issue, whether it’s narrow or broad, is a spectacular event, and it’s a good day.”

The legal battle began in 2012, when Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins entered the shop, looking to order a cake for their same-sex ceremony.

“He offered to sell them anything in his shop.  He just explained that he cannot create custom wedding cake designs that send a message that violates his conscience, in this case a cake that is custom in nature and sends a message celebrating a vision of marriage that violates his conscience,” said Anderson.

The Colorado Civil Rights Commission came down very hard on Phillips.

“The commission ruled against him and showed a great deal of hostility in that ruling.  They ordered him to create cakes for same-sex weddings despite his religious beliefs if he created any wedding cakes, so he has had to stop creating wedding cakes.  It’s been about a 40 percent hit on his business.

“The commission also ordered him to re-educate all of his staff in accord with the commission’s views on marriage.  Mostly it’s his family that works for him, so he was ordered, essentially, to re-educate his family on these issues,” said Anderson.

It was that “hostility” that drove Monday’s court ruling.

“[I]t must be concluded that the State’s interest could have been weighed against Phillips’ sincere religious objections in away consistent with the requisite religious neutrality that must be strictly observed. The official expressions of hostility to religion in some of the commissioners’ comments—comments that were not disavowed at the Commission or by the State at any point in the proceedings that led to affirmance of the order—were inconsistent with what the Free Exercise Clause requires,” wrote Kennedy

“The Commission’s disparate consideration of Phillips’ case compared to the cases of the other bakers suggests the same. For these reasons, the order must be set aside,” he added.

Anderson says the ruling is great vindication for Phillips.

“Now he can live according to his religious beliefs, which is a great thing for everyone.  The court was clear that the government cannot be hostile to religious beliefs and that the government, in applying the laws,  must be fair and respectful of people’s religious beliefs,” said Phillips.

But the decision is being characterized many many as narrow, not due to the margin in the court’s vote but to the impact of the ruling.

“The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts, all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved
with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market,” wrote Kennedy at the end of his opinion.

Staver says that means the battle goes on.

“One thing for sure is that it didn’t settle once and for all this issue of the clash between the first amendment and the LGBT agenda.  That will be saved for another day,” said Staver.

Anderson agrees in principle but says the condemnation of hostility could apply to other cases, such as Washington state florist Baronelle Stutzman, who is also on the legal ropes after refusing to service a same-sex wedding for clients she served for other purchases for years.

Anderson contends Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson demonstrated very similar hostility to Stutzman, moving forward with a case before he even had a client.

Staver says the court could add additional heft to Monday’s decision when it rules on another hot-button issue later this month.

“I think what we’re going to see between now and the end of June is a case out of California, involving crisis pregnancy centers and forced speech.  The state is forcing them to give a pro-abortion message.  I believe the court is going to come down on the side of the crisis pregnancy centers against the forced speech,” said Staver.

While the broader issues have yet to be resolved, Anderson says all Americans should celebrate what happened on Monday.

“Civil liberties run together so when one person’s rights to live according to their beliefs are violated, everybody’s beliefs are at risk.

“I hope that everyone can see that, that this strong decision that government needs to respect people’s ability to live and work according to their beliefs is something that goes both ways.  It means that everybody’s protected in their particular beliefs,” said Anderson.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: First Amendment, Jack Phillips, LGBT, marriage, Masterpiece Cakeshop, news, religious liberty

Freitas Champions ‘Individual Liberty’ in Virginia Senate Race

May 25, 2018 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/5-25-freitas-blog.mp3

Virginia Del. Nick Freitas is racing to the finish line ahead of the commonwealth’s June 12th U.S. Senate primary and says his message of individual liberty, smaller government, and thriving markets is resonating with voters.

Freitas got a major political boost in March when his passionate defense of the second amendment on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates  went viral.

“When 40 million people see something, that helps with your name ID,” said Freitas.

While recent polling is scarce in the GOP primary, the viral video is helping Freitas raise his profile against primary rivals Corey Stewart and E.W. Jackson, both of whom have run statewide before.  Freitas has dwarfed his rivals in fundraising in recent months and he recently secured the National Rifle Association endorsement.

Stewart, who currently serves as chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, is known for his aggressive, confrontational style of politics.  He says that approach will be necessary to defeat incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine in November.  He also claims that his ability to win in a blue part of Virginia makes him the natural choice for a nominee.

Freitas strongly disputes that.

“Donald Trump does not need a cheap imitation of himself in order to win in Virginia.  There’s only one Donald Trump.  Let Trump be Trump.  What the Republican Party needs in Virginia is someone who can go around and explain and advocate for the positive, substantive policies that have made people’s lives better,” said Freitas.

“He thinks it’s a divide and conquer campaign.  I think it’s more of a divide and lose campaign.  It’s unfortunate because there are good things about Corey Stewart and there are good things he’s done in Prince William County.

“But there’s other things he’s done there that have really given people pause.  He’s voted to raise taxes several times in Prince William County, and there’s other things that people are just skeptical of,” said Freitas.

Freitas believes he has the ability to bring people together to get things done.

“We need to be able to unify Virginians around a central message and that message is we’re going to empower you, not government programs,” said Freitas.

Freitas also believes he separates himself from Stewart and Jackson in three critical ways, starting with his service as a Green Beret in Iraq.

“I’m the only combat veteran in the race, which means I understand a key component of the federal government, which is providing for national defense.  I fought counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and unconventional warfare.  President Trump needs more people in the Senate that share his view that we are not the police force in the world but we need a strong military and I can provide that kind of advice,” said Freitas, who believes the U.S. does need to be a leader on the world stage but does not need to deploy the military unless absolutely necessary.

He also says his time in the Virginia House of Delegates sets him apart from Stewart and Jackson.

“I’m also the only candidate that’s served in the legislature.  So I understand what it’s like to take an idea from concept all the way through the legislative process.  I know how to effectively engage constituents in the process when there’s that critical vote in the subcommittee or full committee,” said Freitas.

Third, Freitas says his message distinguishes him from the rest of the field.  He says his goal is not to gain power to reward friends and punish political foes but to return power to where it belongs.

“My goal is to get in a position where we can disperse power back where it belongs and that’s to the people, that’s to states, and that’s to localities.  And then if we keep the federal government within its proper boundaries so it can do its intended jobs well instead of doing a hundred other jobs poorly,” said Freitas.

But what does that look like for a candidate who embraces major strains of both conservative and libertarian thought?  Where does he come down those beliefs conflict?

On the role of the military, Freitas believes in having a strong military and using overwhelming force whenever force is absolutely necessary.  He also wants to see Congress return to its constitutional role of authorizing war.

On cultural issues, Freitas says his deeply-held Christian beliefs inform him on the definition of marriage but he believes much of the political debate over it misses a key point.

“You’ve got some people wanting the government to define marriage one way.  You’ve got other people who want that government to define marriage another way.  And I’m sitting here going, ‘Why is the government defining marriage?’

“I understand why government has to handle civil contracts, but I certainly don’t understand why the government needs to be in the process of coercing people to accept a particular definition that they may not want to,” said Freitas.

Freitas did introduce religious freedom legislation that would protect conscience rights for Virginians.

“(Former Virginia Gov.) Terry McAuliffe had signed an executive order which essentially prevented any religious organizations that happened to hold the viewpoint that marriage is between one man and one woman from being able to team with the government to help hungry, sick, and addicted people.  I said that was ridiculous,” said Freitas.

On abortion, Freitas says science and the law make it clear that unborn life deserves protection.

“At the moment of conception, we’re talking about life.  If we use science to determine between human life and other forms of life, we find at the moment of conception we’re talking about human life.

From a legal perspective, I don’t think there’s any doubt that we’re also talking about innocent human life.  So the question for me is does the government have an obligation to protect innocent human life?  I think it clearly does,” said Freitas, who was born out of a crisis pregnancy.

“I don’t know what it’s like to be that young woman who finds herself pregnant and completely unprepared for it, but I do know what it’s like to be her son,” he said.

On fiscal matters, Freitas is appalled by the $1.3 trillion omnibus shepherded through Congress and signed into law – all by Republicans.  He says Congress desperately needs transparency and open debate on what is worthy of taxpayer money.  He also says Congress, like the Virginia government, fails to use common sense on spending issues.

“On the things that we agree on – that are legitimate functions of government – the military, law enforcement, public safety, certain things with transportation and others – great, let’s fund them.  But let’s not hold those things hostage because certain congresspeople have different goodies that they’ve got to hand out to various constituents to help their re-election chances,” said Freitas.

Freitas says he’s also ready to tackle health care policy, especially after fighting against Gov. Ralph Northam’s efforts to enact Obamacare Medicaid expansion in Virginia.  In addition to stating that medical care for Medicaid patients is not much different than it is for the uninsured, he says government intervening in health care is a guaranteed failure.

“What’s so frustrating to me is that what wee clearly need in health care is more competition and more market forces, which always have a tendency to increase quality and drive down prices,”said Freitas, noting that the cost of vision correction surgery, such as Lasik, has dropped from $2,500 per eye to $500 per eye while the reliability of the procedure has improved drastically.

“Unfortunately, there are many, especially on the left, (for whom) the only solution they will accept is a government solution.  The problem is government does the opposite of what we need.  Government almost always causes prices to go up and quality to go down,” he said.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: abortion, Corey Stewart, E.W. Jackson, freedom, health care, marriage, military, news, Nick Freitas, primary, Tim Kaine, U.S. Senate, Virginia

‘A Spectacularly Popular First Lady’

April 18, 2018 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/4-18-smith-blog.mp3

The man who wrote more speeches for President George H.W. Bush than anyone else says Barbara Bush was a “superstar,” who endeared herself to the American people through her approachable demeanor and her fierce loyalty to her family and her nation.

Mrs. Bush died Tuesday at her home in Houston at age 92.  Just two days earlier, she announced she was refusing any further treatment beyond comfort care for her congestive heart failure and other ailments.

Prolific author Curt Smith was a speechwriter for President Bush.  He says it was clear in the last month that the end was near.

“I was told she was looking forward in the last few weeks to going to heaven because she was in such pain.  The Bushes, I think, were comforted by their deep faith in God.  They don’t talk a great deal about it.  They don’t have to.  They live it.  Anyone looking at them can understand where their faith comes from and how they live that faith,” said Smith.

In his first public statement following his wife’s death, President Bush echoed that belief.

“We have faith she is heaven, and we know life will go on — as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list,” stated Bush.

The Bush family is receiving an outpouring of condolences and well wishes from former presidents and first ladies and millions of American citizens.  Smith says there’s a reason people felt a connection with Mrs. Bush.

“I alluded to her as ‘Barbara Bush Superstar,’ and certainly I think that would be verified by her ratings in the Gallup Poll.  She was a spectacularly popular First Lady,” said Smith, who believes Bush’s down-to-earth personality was the key.

“She took her role as First Lady with extraordinary severity.  She demanded perfection from her staff.  She supplied it almost to a T as First Lady,” said Smith.

“Great poise, totally unflappable, totally imperturbable, and yet with a pixie sense of humor, never took herself seriously.  I think it was this total lack of pretention that endeared her so to the American public,” said Smith.

Barbara Pierce was born on June 8, 1925.  At age 19, she married Bush in January 1945.  Their 73 years together is the longest presidential marriage.  Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter will mark 72 years in July.

Smith says Mrs. Bush was known to needle her own family, even in public, but was ready to pounce if anyone outside the family took a critical tone.

“But boy, let anyone else say anything rough about them and you paid for it,” said Smith.

Smith described George and Barbara Bush as “married at the hip.”

“They were spectacularly close.  It stuns that one is gone.  She was George Bush’s best friend, best pal, great protector,” he said.

Mrs. Bush was known as “The Enforcer” in the family, showing a steely resolve that came more naturally to her than the president.  Smith says Barbara was an indispensable factor in Bush winning the presidency.

“He never would have been president without her.  There’s no question in my mind, nor I think in anyone that knew them.  A perfect match in every possible way, which is why they were so close to the end of their time on earth,” said Smith.

Smith says Mrs. Bush and Nancy Reagan were similar in that regard, encouraging their husbands to seek the highest offices in the land.  He says world history changed because of how deeply Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Bush believed in their husbands’ abilities to change the world for the better.

“We would not have had the triumph of democracy and the collapse of Communism and the triumph of freedom throughout the world in the 1980’s and the nineties.  That’s how important Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush were,” said Smith.

While Mrs. Bush was sometimes derided as being old fashioned and out of touch with modern women, Smith says many more saw her as a role model of independence and strength.

“She was a feminist in the best sense of the term.  She lived her life exactly as she wanted.  She married the great love of her life and she lived with that man every step of the way, enriching that life, being a spectacular success every step of the way,” said Smith.

“She was outspoken, independent yet always dignified, always a woman of great character, of great honor, of great faith.  What’s not to like?  What’s not to admire?” said Smith.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Barbara Bush, feminism, George H.W. Bush, marriage, news

Basic Beliefs Under Assault

April 13, 2018 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/4-13-grabowski-blog.mp3

Traditional marriage is in the cross hairs of the progressive left again this week, as a sitting U.S. senator suggested Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo was unfit for office because he opposes gay marriage, and a New Yorker column expressed horror about the successful expansion of Chick-fil-A in New York City.

On Thursday, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., questioned Pompeo as part of the confirmation process and used part of his time to pepper Pompeo about his views on tradition marriage and whether be believes “gay sex is a perversion.”  He refused to accept Pompeo’s contention that he did not believe in same-sex marriage but would all subordinates equally.

National Organization for Marriage Communications Director Joseph Grabowski says this is the latest sign of a troubling litmus test on the left.

“I think this is a demonstration of an ideological purity test that unfortunately is becoming common in the Democratic Party.  We’ve already seen it on the life issue and a woman’s so-called right to have an abortion.  Now we’re seeing it also with respect to beliefs about marriage that people can hold personally,” said Grabowski, noting that as recently as 2008, neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton publicly backed same-sex marriage.

Booker couched his comments as being in the interest of State Department employees who might have same-sex spouses, but Grabowski says the implication was clear that “somehow this view that Mr. Pompeo holds as a matter of personal belief, as a matter of religious conviction, disqualifies him from public service.”

Grabowski says Booker could simply look into Pompeo’s record at the CIA, in Congress, or in the military if he really wanted to know if Pompeo has had any problems on these issues.

“It’s clear to be that Sen. Booker doesn’t have any such evidence and that’s why he’s pursuing this line of questioning,” said Grabowski, noting that the National Organization for Marriage has launched a website to call attention to Booker’s questioning and to gather petition signatures in condemnation of it.

Grabowski adds that this sort of badgering by Booker puts the lie to the LGBT’s longstanding public relations efforts.

“The adage of ‘live and let live’ which was claimed as the policy that was underlying the effort to allow for same-sex marriage.  It’s clearly not the intent here,” said Grabowski.

He says this movement was never just about changing the law but about changing the culture and marginalizing anyone with a traditional view of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  According to Grabowski, the goal is “to make that the equivalent in the civic discourse of what racists in the Jim Crow South years ago believed.”

The left dominates the public square on the issue.  Some polls now show a majority of Americans – or even a majority of Republicans – back same-sex marriage.  Grabowski says traditional marriage supporters keep quiet our of fear for the jobs or being ostracized in their social circles.

He also pushes back on the idea that traditional marriage is no longer the majority position in the U.S.  He says the societal pressure is so strong that people won’t even express their true beliefs to a pollster.

However, this is not only an issue in the halls of government.  On Friday, New Yorker columnist Dan Piepenbring vented about the success of Chick-fil-A restaurants in New York City.  Again, the faith-based foundation of the chain was at issue.

“[T]he brand’s arrival here feels like an infiltration, in no small part because of its pervasive Christian traditionalism. Its headquarters, in Atlanta, is adorned with Bible verses and a statue of Jesus washing a disciple’s feet. Its stores close on Sundays. Its C.E.O., Dan Cathy, has been accused of bigotry for using the company’s charitable wing to fund anti-gay causes, including groups that oppose same-sex marriage,” wrote Piepenbring.

“The restaurant’s corporate purpose still begins with the words “to glorify God,” and that proselytism thrums below the surface of the Fulton Street restaurant, which has the ersatz homespun ambiance of a megachurch,” he added.

“Still, there’s something especially distasteful about Chick-fil-A, which has sought to portray itself as better than other fast food: cleaner, gentler, and more ethical, with its poultry slightly healthier than the mystery meat of burgers. Its politics, its décor, and its commercial-evangelical messaging are inflected with this suburban piety,” added Piepenbring.

Grabowski says such a column only confirms what most of America thinks of liberal bastions like New York City.

“This is the kind of elitism we see every election cycle, when people complain sometimes about the values of certain coastal elites who miss out on the real values of the average American.

“This is a perfect example of that.  In a city like New York, where you can walk down any given street and see a several stories-high billboard portraying people barely clad in skimpy underwear and engaged in all kinds of weird poses.  To be offended by something like a homely restaurant is just completely absurd to me,” said Grabowski.

But with the LGBT movement enjoying strong alliances with the media, Hollywood and the rest of popular culture and traditional marriage advocates fearful of reprisals, is there any reason to think this momentum will change?

Grabowski says yes.

“There is a grassroots groundswell of support for this issue.  You don’t see it reported a lot.  You don’t see it reported a lot, but that doesn’t mean you’re along.  I would encourage people to take heart and  to know there is strength in numbers and to know that we have the truth on our side.  Ultimately, that will win out,” said Grabowski.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Chick fil A, Cory Booker, culture, LGBT, marriage, Mike Pompeo, news

Minnesota ‘Chilling’ Free Expression

July 25, 2017 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/7-25-tedesco-blog.mp3

A Christian couple looking to add wedding videos to their business repertoire is suing the state of Minnesota after official there made it clear that their laws require anyone working as a wedding vendor to accommodate same-sex couples.

Carl and Angel Larsen operate Telescope Media Group.  In a statement provided by their attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, the Larsens contend their business “exists to tell great stories that honor God.”

It also points out the couple is expanding into wedding video services to “reanimate the hearts and minds of people about the goodness of marriage between a man and a woman.”

But the state of Minnesota is placing a major hurdle in front of their business plans.

“They’re unable to do so because the state says if they do them for marriages that are consistent with their beliefs –  marriages between a man and a woman – they have to do them on behalf of same-sex marriages as well,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco, who is lead counsel for Telescope Media Group in this case.

The state is relying on an updated version of it’s Human Rights Act to force vendors into accepting clients for all legal forms.

“The law bars discrimination on a whole bunch of different categories and the state has added sexual orientation to the law.  But [the state] has also announced that it interprets the law to require people in the wedding industry to promote concepts of marriage, including same-sex marriage, that they disagree with, even if that violate their religious beliefs,” said Tedesco.

“The state has put that on official websites.  They’ve announced that in various different places.  They’ve basically put people on notice.  They’re looking out for faithful Christians in the wedding industry, and they’re going to prosecute them if they act in a manner that’s consistent with their beliefs when it comes to marriage,” said Tedesco.

Punishment for wedding vendors refusing to accept same-sex clients can be up to 90 days in jail and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

Tedesco says a pre-emptive lawsuit was clearly needed.

“No one in their right mind , when 90 days in jail is on the line and the state is saying the exercise of your first amendment rights could wind you up in jail is going to exercise their rights.  They chilled their expression.  They go to court to try to get a judgment from the court before that even happens,” said Tedesco.

“Rather than take that risk, Carl and Angel filed a lawsuit to try to get the court to say that it was unlawful for the state to even apply the law to force them to say things they don’t want to say through their films,” said Tedesco.

Tedesco says the Minnesota Human Rights Act is a blatant violation of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“These kind of pre-enforcement challenges are something that’s been used for years in the civil rights context,” he said.

“When laws like this go on the books, the state is saying, ‘We’re going to apply this to expression,’ the courts are very concerned and they’ve said many times in opinions they’ve issued in this area that people will respond to those laws simply by stopping their speech, chilling their expression.  Then everybody loses,” said Tedesco.

Right now the court is weighing competing motions.  Officials from Minnesota are asking for the case to be dismissed.  The Larsens are asking to be able to video wedding of their choice until the issue is resolved in court.

Tedesco says Minnesota is among a growing number of states being pressured by liberal politicians and activists to forbid vendors from acting on their consciences.

“There are activists on the left that are pushing very, very hard for these same kind of laws to be adopted in states that don’t have them.  There’s at least 20 states that have them right now and they want all 50 states to have them.  They want the federal government to have them,” said Tedesco.

“Those activists say there are no compromises.  You have to comply with the law.  Speech is not a defense.  Your speech can be compelled.  You can be forced to speak and act in ways that are completely inconsistent with your core beliefs,” said Tedesco.

“This is very problematic in the marriage context right now.  These laws adding sexual orientation to non-discrimination laws are the tools the other side uses to coerce uniformity of thought and belief when it comes to the marriage institution,” he said.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: ADF, gay, LGBT, marriage, Minnesota, news, Telescope

False Trashing of Tillerson, Flynn Wants Immunity, Pence Protects His Marriage

March 31, 2017 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/3-Martini-Lunch-3-31-17.mp3

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America enjoy watching the Washington Post get called out for false reporting on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by Matt Lee of the Associated Press.  They also wonder what Mike Flynn has to say to congressional investigators based on reports Flynn wants immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony.  And they unload on liberals for sneering at the boundaries Vice President Mike Pence and his wife have established to protect their marriage.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Flynn, immunity, liberals, marriage, Martini, National, Pence, Post, Review, russia, Tillerson, Washington

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