Florida high school student forced to put band aids on her nipples. Say, what?

Courtesy of Law and Crime:  

A student in Bradenton, Florida says she was forced to put band-aids on her nipples because she wasn’t wearing a bra, according to a WPTV report. The school district admits the situation shouldn’t have been handled that way. 

17-year-old Lizzy Martin told the outlet she went to class in a grey Calvin Klein shirt Monday morning at Braden River High School. A dean said she was violating dress code and distracting male classmates. Martin was made to put on a second t-shirt under the other one. It wasn’t enough. The dean told her to stand up and move around for her, Martin said, but the official wasn’t pleased. 

“So we went to the clinic and she gave me band-aids in there, and told me to X out my nipples,” Martin said. She followed the command, saying she felt she had no options. 

Her mother told the outlet the school dean made a big deal about nothing: “This was a shirt that was unisex, that was too big, that was not form fitting.” She said there is a double standard, and that a male with “excessive breast tissue” wouldn’t be asked to “confine the movement” of his chest. 

Lizzy Martin asked rhetorically that if the problem was that the male classmates were distracted, then why weren’t the boys “educated about the situation” as opposed to her being taken out of class?

Look I understand that we live in country founded by Puritans, but damn it is 2018!

If young men, or even older men, are distracted by a nipple covered by clothing that is their fucking problem, not the owner of the nipple.

Not to be too crude here, but I had a perpetual erection from middle school, all through high school, and partway through my twenties.

I saw a nice rear end, schwing!

I saw some cleavage, schwing!

I saw nipples poking through a shirt, schwing!

I saw a female flip her hair behind her ear....well you get the drift.

But that was MY problem, and I handled it without staring and making the young women uncomfortable, saying crude things to them, or blaming them for distracting me from my school work.

This young women did nothing wrong, and to humiliate her in this way is simply ridiculous.

Report finds that LGBTQ community is losing ground under Trump presidency.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

This is GLAAD’s fourth annual Accelerating Acceptance report and the first to find that fewer Americans say they are comfortable with LGBTQ people in public, in schools, and in places of worship. 

“Less than half of non-LGBTQ adults (49 percent) reported being ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ comfortable with LGBTQ people across seven situations. This is a significant decline from 53 percent last year and the first time the Accelerating Acceptance report has shown a drop in acceptance for LGBTQ people,” GLAAD notes. 

According to the poll, taken in November of 2017, three in ten Americans (30%) now say they are very or somewhat uncomfortable with learning a family member is LGBT, up from 27% over the prior two years.

......

Reports of anti-LGBT discrimination have increased significantly.

55% of those surveyed say they experienced sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination. That’s an increase of 11 points, up from 44% over 2016. 

“In the past year, there has been a swift and alarming erosion of acceptance which can only be fought by being visible and vocal,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “This report puts numbers to the bias that too many LGBTQ Americans have recently experienced. GLAAD is fighting the rollback by enlisting philanthropic leaders like the Ariadne Getty Foundation and global changemakers attending the World Economic Forum to use their platforms and move our community forward.”

And that is only in one year.

So now we know that it is not simply women, minorities, and non-Christians that are suffering under Donald Trump.

Which is kind of a shame because a lot of LGBTQ folks thought that since Trump was from New York and came from a show biz background that they would be largely unaffected by his presidency.

And then right out of the blue, halfway through his first term, he tries to ban transgender folks from joining the military.

Fortunately the courts have blocked that so far. but the message is clear, unless you are a white heterosexual male Christian, this  administration has no interest in protecting your rights.

MSNBC hits number one in cable news ratings while Fox News flirts with the number three spot.

Courtesy of Variety:  

For the first time in its history, MSNBC ranked number one in both total viewers and the key adults 25-54 demographic during primetime for a full week among the big three cable news networks, according to Nielsen data. 

For the week of May 15, MSNBC averaged 2.44 million viewers with 611,000 in the key demo from 8 p.m.-11 p.m., beating out CNN and Fox News in both measures. In total day viewership for the week, CNN has ranked number one in cable news among adults 25-54 for six straight days (May 14-19), marking the network’s longest winning streak in that measure in six years. Fox News finished first in total viewers with 1.5 million and second in the demo with 321,000. MSNBC was second in total viewers with 1.2 million total viewers and third in the demo with 281,000. CNN finished third in total viewers with 1.05 million but first in the demo with 353,000. 

In addition, Fox News ranked number three in primetime in the key demographic for five straight days with 497,000 viewers, the longest streak at number three the network has had in that measure in 17 years, since June 2000. CNN finished second in the demo with 588,000. Fox was second in total viewers, however, with 2.41 million, beating out CNN’s 1.65 million.

This is just more bad news for Fox News who was hit with three new claims of discrimination this week, as well as an op-ed by Monica Lewisnky who specifically called them out for building their reputation by trashing hers.

I really am starting to believe that we are seeing the end of Fox News.

Or at least the end of Fox News as we have known it.

Which cannot be a bad thing in my mind.

California Catholics upset about a bill which would no longer allow them to discriminate against gays. Oh the humanity!

Courtesy of the National Catholic Register:  

Catholic and other Christian educational institutions in California face the loss of existing protections that allow them to carry out their educational mission in line with their religious principles, due to a new bill working its way through the California Legislature. 

The Golden State’s bishops have opposed the bill as both a violation of the Church’s religious liberty and an attack on poor students. 

State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, the author of S.B. 1146, has argued that the bill closed a “loophole” that allows religious-based institutions of higher learning to discriminate against homosexual and transgender students, thanks to existing religious exemptions from state and federal non-discrimination statutes. The bill affects all institutions of higher learning in California accepting public funding, either directly from the state or through students. 

“California has established strong protections for the LGBTQ community, and private universities should not be able to use faith as an excuse to discriminate and avoid complying with state laws,” Lara explained in an April statement to constituents about the bill, which has the backing of the LGBT lobby group Equality California. 

Apparently the bill has already passed the senate and is now headed toward the assembly. 

Gee what is this country coming to when Christian schools can no longer hate on the gays while hiding behind their holy book?

You know didn't the Pope JUST ask the Catholics to stop being such dicks to the LGBT community?

Why, yes he did.

North Carolina sues the Federal government for interfering with their fear mongering over transgenders.

Courtesy of CNN: 

North Carolina casts its so-called bathroom bill as a "common sense bodily privacy law." The federal government calls it discrimination, pure and simple. 

The two will face off in federal court in North Carolina after two of the state's top officials Monday sued the U.S. Justice Department, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and one of her assistants. 

The lawsuit calls last week's demand that the state "remedy" its Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act by Monday or risk being in violation of federal law "a baseless and blatant overreach." 

The act bans individuals from using public bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex, as dictated by their birth certificates.

"Goddamn it Federal Government we don't care WHAT century it is we want to discriminate against people not like us as is our right according to a very loose translation our Bibles! Stop stopping us!"

You know first they made them let black people use their whites only restrooms and now they want these people to have human rights as well. When oh when will it ever stop?

Adult site blocks North Carolina's access in response to anti-gay legislation. Okay now things just got real.

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This is why they call him "The Boss."

Courtesy of Bruce Springsteen's website:

As you, my fans, know I’m scheduled to play in Greensboro, North Carolina this Sunday. As we also know, North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the “bathroom” law. HB2 — known officially as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act — dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace. No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards. 

This is usually where I would say something like, "Well I guess I better go buy a little Springsteen music for my I-Pod."

That does not work this time because my I-Pod is already bursting with Springsteen music.

I wonder now North Carolina feels about their discriminatory policies now?

Well at least one North Carolina Congressman is fine with Springsteen cancelling, after all they still have Justin Bieber: 

"It's disappointing he's not following through on his commitments," said Rep. Mark Walker, a Republican freshman congressman. 

"We've got other artists coming soon — Def Leppard, Justin Bieber," the congressman told The Hollywood Reporter. 

"I've never been a Bieber fan, but I might have to go. Maybe artists who weren't 'born to run' deserve a little bit more support," he said, referencing one Springsteen's most famous song titles.

Oh yeah, people who are coming expecting to see Bruce Springsteen will be just fine listening to Justin Bieber. 

That may be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard in my life.

And I've covered Sarah Palin for the last ten years.

North Carolina just lost 400 jobs due to new anti-LGBT laws. And that is only the beginning.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

PayPal announced Tuesday morning that it has abandoned its plans for a massive global operations center, which would have brought 400 new jobs to Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was unequivocal that the decision was made because of the state’s passage of HB2, a sweeping law that blocks cities from enacting LGBT nondiscrimination protections and mandates that transgender people use the wrong bathrooms for their gender identities. 

CEO Dan Schulman explained in a statement that “the new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture.” 

Schulman asserted that the decision to not proceed with the Charlotte center “is a clear and unambigous one” that reflects the company’s “deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect.” Because PayPal’s employees would not have equal rights under North Carolina law, employing them there is “simply untenable.”

Pay Pal is not alone in rethinking plans to do business in the hostile environment of North Carolina.

Courtesy of USA News:   

New Jersey-based Braeburn Pharmaceuticals said it is "reevaluating our options based on the recent, unjust legislation" whether to build a $20 million manufacturing and research facility in Durham County. The 50 new jobs paying an average of nearly $76,000 a year were announced two weeks ago. 

Lionsgate, the California-based entertainment company, had been lining up hotel and equipment rentals and hiring more than 100 workers in North Carolina, but decided to shoot its pilot episode for a comedy series in Canada instead, said Jennifer Irvine, a Charlotte production coordinator. 

Charlotte convention officials and the organizers of one of the world's largest furniture markets say some customers have pulled out, also citing the new law.

One would think that this kind of potential economic impact would have other states thinking twice about passing their own laws discriminating against the LGBT community.

But thinking twice, or even once for that matter, has no place when your religion urges you to hate.

Courtesy of the LA Times:

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a controversial bill into law on Tuesday that could allow businesses and government workers to deny services to lesbian and gay couples. 

Bryant said in a statement that he was signing HB 1523 “to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions of individuals, organizations and private associations from discriminatory action by state government or its political subdivisions.”

Somehow I think that this will inspire a whole lot of anti-discrimination cases which will eventually find their way to the Supreme Court.

Which means that we really need to get Antonin Scalia's replacement seated just as soon as possible.

Anti-gay Kentucky clerk sent to jail. Where's your God now?

Courtesy of ABC: 

A federal judge ordered a defiant county clerk to jail for contempt Thursday after she insisted that it would violate her conscience to follow court orders to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. 

Rowan County clerk Kim Davis and her deputy clerks were summoned to appear before U.S. District Judge David Bunning after she repeatedly denied them marriage licenses, cited her religious beliefs and "God's authority." 

The judge said his only alternative was to jail her because he did not believe she would comply with his order even if she were fined. She was escorted out of his courtroom by a deputy, although not in handcuffs, to be turned over to the custody of federal marshals. 

Just goes to show that stubborn superstition will always give way to intellectual progress eventually.

This woman was not only an anti-gay bigot hiding behind the Bible, but she was also stunningly hypocritical: 

Court records detail Kim Davis’ turbulent marital history: She has been married to her current husband twice, with a divorce and another husband in between. 

She married her first husband, Dwain Wallace, when she was 18, and divorced him in 1994. 

She acknowledged in a 2008 divorce filing having had two children in 1994 while she was not married. 

In 1996, at age 30, she married Joe Davis for the first time. They divorced in 2006. 

The next year, at 40 years old, Davis wed Thomas McIntryre, though their marriage lasted less than a year. She re-married Joe Davis in 2009. 

I have no use for religion anyhow, but I have to say that a person like this does not do Christianity any favors. 

Though the Boy Scouts are now accepting gay scout leaders there is one group that is still banned. Can you guess which one?

Courtesy of Pink News:  

The BSA confirmed this month that it would end a ban on gay adult leaders, after agreeing to lift its ban on gay youth back in 2013. 

However, the organisation – which moved to change its policy after a warning that it could lead to costly legal action – has not shifted to remove another ban. 

The BSA will continue to enforce rules that ban open atheist from serving – meaning you can be open about being attracted to men, but not about not believing in God. 

All members of the Boy Scouts must sign a ‘Declaration of Religious Principles’, which states “The Boy Scouts of America maintain that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing his obligation to God.

You want to talk about oppression? Try being an Atheist. 

However we are learning from the example set by our LGBT brothers and sisters, and someday we will also be able to come out of the closet and practice our critical thinking skills openly without fear of losing our jobs, being ostracized by society, having our families turn their backs on us, or being rejected by the Boy Scouts.

#thestruggleisreal

#openlyatheist

Monday the Boy Scouts officially decided to stop discriminating against gay scout leaders, however they allow church affiliated scout troops to continue hating "teh gays." Still not good enough for the Mormons though.

Another idiot who equates homosexuality with pedophilia. Not true.

Courtesy of The New York Times: 

The Boy Scouts of America on Monday ended its ban on openly gay adult leaders. 

But the new policy allows church-sponsored units to choose local unit leaders who share their precepts, even if that means restricting such positions to heterosexual men. 

Well that is very good news indeed!

Now the Boys Scouts can finally join the21st Century and start treating people like people instead of focusing on their sexuality.   

Wait, there's a catch isn't there?


Despite this compromise, the Mormon Church said it might leave the organization anyway. Its stance surprised many and raised questions about whether other conservative sponsors, including the Roman Catholic Church, might follow suit. 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is deeply troubled by today’s vote,” said a statement issued by the church moments after the Scouts announced the new policy. “When the leadership of the church resumes its regular schedule of meetings in August, the century-long association with scouting will need to be examined.” 

Dammit! What is with the Mormons and their fear of  all things non-heterosexual?

Wait didn't they say earlier that they would go along with this decision? 

Only two weeks ago, the Mormon Church hinted that it could remain in the fold so long as its units could pick their own leaders.

Gee, the Mormons lied, how unpredictable.

Well I guess we can look forward to another hundred or so Mormons making a mass exodus from the church in the near future.

One Colorado Republican lawmaker was so outraged by this change that he has suggested that gay scout leaders should be "drowned in the depths of the sea."

Seems a bit severe, don't you think?

Personally I think the Boy Scout charters should be restricted to secular sponsors and never be associated with any religious institutions. But hey that's just me.

Apparently not yet convinced that he has destroyed his candidacy Jeb Bush decides to support discrimination against gays based on religious faith.

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

Likely Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said that Christian business owners should not have to provide services for gay weddings if it goes against their religious beliefs. 

“Yes, absolutely, if it’s based on a religious belief,” he said when asked by the Christian Broadcasting Network in an interview Saturday if businesses should be able to decline services to same-sex weddings. 

The former Florida governor justified his position by claiming that not providing a service does not count as discrimination if business owners feel that it violates their religious rights. 

“A big country, a tolerant country, ought to be able to figure out the difference between discriminating someone because of their sexual orientation and not forcing someone to participate in a wedding that they find goes against their moral beliefs,” he said. “This should not be that complicated. Gosh, it is right now.”

Damn what is Jebbie going to do next, strangle a kitten?

By the way this "moral beliefs" argument is the slipperiest of slippery slopes in that it can be used to discriminate against all kinds of people.

If you're a pharmacist who doesn't like abortion.  Refuse to fill prescriptions for the morning after pill.

If you are a pharmacist who doesn't like people having premarital sex, don't fill birth control scripts.

A wedding planner who is morally outraged by infidelity? Don't help plan the second marriage of a man who cheated on his wife with his secretary.

A cake decorator who takes Deuteronomy 7:3 and 7:4 literally and doesn't believe a Christian should marry a non-Christian can simply refuse to make their wedding cake, based on their "moral beliefs."

And it goes on, and on, and on.

Simply put if you are a business providing a service to the community, then you are supposed to treat ALL customers the same despite your deep seated prejudices or holier than thou attitudes.

For instance I myself am morally opposed to starting wars based on lies that lead to the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of people in other parts of the world, but I am not against Jeb Bush for simply being related to his brother.

No I am against Jeb Bush because he is a fucking moron and I would not trust him to watch my dog over the weekend much less lead this country.

Fox News blatantly exhibits their bias against the non-religious.

So the clip above is from Fox and Friends, which is the Fox network's attempt at a Today Show like format if everybody on the set huffed paint during the commercials.

Now for quite some time Fox and Friends have been stamping their feet and holding their breath in support of laws that would allow religious people to discriminate against people who refuse to think exactly like they do.

However in Madison, Wisconsin they flipped the script and decided that perhaps the rights of Atheists deserved to be protected as well.

"What?" said Fox News.

Well hell Fox and Friends aren't going to sit still for that (Well they're still sitting down but you get what I mean.)

Here is my favorite quote from this segment, "You know there's a lot of reasons why Christians or Jews might not want to hire an Atheist. In fact it's in the New Testament. It says things such as 'avoid them,' 'disassociate with them,' in Romans, Thessalonians, Corinthians."

This Jay Christian Adams guy goes on to suggest that you would want a person of faith for certain jobs such as for an airline hiring a pilot, because apparently believing in hell makes it so much less likely they will fly a planeload of innocent passengers into the side of a mountain. (Spoiler alert: It doesn't.)

I love how these people are all for freedom so long as it benefits people who think like them, but the second that the freedoms extends to those outside their tribe, well that is simply intolerable.

Pro-gay Christian choir sings outside of closed pizza parlor in Indiana to demonstrate compassion. Sadly compassion not returned.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

A gay-friendly Christian choir called “The Ripple Effect” is attempting to heal the small town of Walkerton, Indiana, which has been torn apart since the owners of Memories Pizza declared that they would discriminate against the LGBT community. 

The pizzeria closed after allegedly receiving “death threats” that turned out to be overblown online rhetoric, but that has not stopped its owners from pocketing nearly $1 million from a GoFundMe page set up for them. 

Although the intent behind performance by “The Ripple Effect” was not to condemn the behavior of the O’Connor family, the contrast between O’Connors’ actions and those of the choir could hardly be more stark. 

Some of the members of the choir are gay, and WSBT’s James Fillmore said that “the issue is tearing Walkerton apart, so they wanted to do something to try and fix it.” 

Standing in front of a giant rainbow flag, the choir’s director, Sherry Klinedinst, told WSBT that “we are not here to condemn or condone the establishment — we’re here to show them and the community that we can show love in spite of our differences.” 

Gail Bannister, who is both a Christian and a lesbian, said that she was singing in front of the closed pizzeria because it allows her to show the community that people can live together despite their differences. 

“We just have different opinions,” she said, “but that’s OK. We’re supposed to have different opinions. That’s what diversity’s all about.”

Aw that's nice, trying to demonstrate that not all religious people are bigots, and trying to bring a little light into the darkness of discrimination. 

I'm sure they were received by their fellow Christians with open arms.

Or not:

Oh well, it was a nice try.

Georgia florists don't need no stinking law to tell them to discriminate against gay couples. Their Bible is more than enough.

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

Days after the owners of Indiana's Memories Pizza made headlines for declaring they wouldn't cater to same-sex weddings, other companies have followed suit, this time in Georgia. 

Flower shop employee Jennifer Williams told CNN's Gary Tuchman that she "couldn't" serve a same-sex couple who sought arrangements for their union. 

"It doesn't mean that I love them any less, because I don't," Williams said. "You can still love someone even if you don't serve them."

So much for that whole "Tell them you love them with flowers" idea.

A second florist, Melissa Jeffcoat, felt similarly. 

"I would respectfully tell them that I'm sorry, I just don't want to do it because of my beliefs," she said. "[Jesus] died on the cross for me, so that's the least I can do for him." 

So to honor Jesus supposedly dying on the cross you would honor his sacrifice by discriminating against others? I think somebody skipped a chapter or two of the New Testament.

Interestingly, she said that she would willingly serve a customer who committed adultery, but not a gay person: "It's just a different kind of sin to me, and I just don't believe in it." 

And there you have it. This has NOTHING to do with faith, and EVERYTHING to do with homophobia.

Jeffcoat's son, Carlton, echoed those sentiments, noting, "I serve a God who's higher than any Supreme Court judge."

Unlike Indiana, Georgia's so-called religious freedom bill died in the Congress. 

Of course as demonstrated by these two florists, people don't need the state's permission to discriminate against others.

 But hey, who needs legislation? After all according to them, it's God's will. 

Coming soon.

Even freaking NASCAR comes out against Indiana's anti-gay law. Update!

Courtesy of Deadspin:  

Here is the statement from NASCAR: 

"NASCAR is disappointed by the recent legislation passed in Indiana. We will not embrace nor participate in exclusion or intolerance. We are committed to diversity and inclusion within our sport and therefore will continue to welcome all competitors and fans at our events in the state of Indiana and anywhere else we race."

I'm sorry but if you are a Republican politician in a red state and you lose support from NASCAR you might as well call it a day.  Because you are toast!

However rather than learn from Indiana's mistake, yesterday the Arkansas Legislature have stumbled into the exact same briar patch:

Arkansas passed a religious freedom bill on Tuesday that is similar to an Indiana law that has faced national backlash for legalizing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. 

The bill cleared the Arkansas Legislature and now heads to the governor's desk, where it is expected to be signed.

Damn these people are slow to learn!

Update: I may have to take that last line back. Apparently the Governor of Arkansas has refused to sign the bill.

Watch Indiana Governor Mike Pence outright refuse to answer any of George Stephanopoulos's questions about his state's new controversial law.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

This Week host George Stephanopoulos absolutely grilled Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R) over the newly-signed “religious freedom” bill, which critics maintain would allow businesses to refuse services to LGBT customers. Pence argued that the bill’s intentions had been misrepresented in media coverage, and insisted he would not change the bill, though he did continue to say he would “clarify” it. 

However, Pence refused to answer two “yes or no” questions posed to him by Stephanopoulos over the potentially discriminatory ramifications of the bill, including whether it would allow a florist to deny services to a gay couple, as its supporters maintain. 

“There’s been shameless rhetoric about my state and this law and its intention all over the internet,” Pence said. “People are trying to make it about one particular issue, and now you’re doing that as well.” 

Stephanopoulos asked the question several more times. “It’s a simple yes or no question,” Stephanopoulos said. 

“The issue here is: is tolerance a two-way street or not?” Pence said. “There’s a lot of talk about tolerance in this country having to do with people on the left. Here Indiana steps forward to protect the constitutional rights and privileges of freedom of religion for people of faith in our state, and this avalanche of intolerance that’s been poured on our state is outrageous.”

Wow that is some of the fanciest dancing I have seen since John Travolta on Saturday Night Fever. 

Pence goes on to say that he would NOT pass a law protecting the rights of the LGBT community, which would of course make people less concerned about this new law. And at one point refuses to answer Stephanopoulos's question about whether or not it should be legal to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

By the way as Pence continues his dance more and more businesses are making the decision that Indiana is now a "no go zone" for them and their employees.

CEO decides to boycott Indiana over controversial new law that allows businesses to discriminate against gays.

Today we are canceling all programs that require our customers/employees to travel to Indiana to face discrimination. http://t.co/SvTwyCHxvE

— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) March 26, 2015

Courtesy of Fortune:  

CEO Marc Benioff and other business leaders are outraged over the state’s “religious freedom” law. 

Business leaders on Thursday spoke out against a controversial law passed in Indiana Thursday that could give businesses the green light to deny service to same-sex couples. 

The loudest opposition so far has come from Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of business tech company Salesforce, who declared on Twitter that his company would boycott the state altogether. 

The outcry is in response to Indiana’s Republican Gov. Mike Pence signing into law a “religious freedom” bill that will free individuals and business owners from abiding by state and local laws that “substantially” burden their exercise of religion, unless the government can prove that it has a compelling interest and is doing so by the least restrictive means. 

Supporters of the measure say it will protect people and business owners with strong religious convictions from government intrusion. 

Opponents, meanwhile, claim it paves the way for discrimination, especially against gays and lesbians. 

In addition to Salesforce’s boycott of Indiana, the state’s hot-button law also received condemnation from other folks with business ties to the state.

Funny thing about laws that support discrimination based on religion, they can end up casting certain religions as hateful, and costing those hiding behind those laws their livelihoods.

Personally I would love to see this spread so far and wide that business leaders all over the country simply remove Indiana from their business plans and simply treat it as some backwater, uncivilized part of the country that is simply not advanced enough to appreciate their products.

Not really that far from the truth if you think about it.

Perhaps that could be extrapolated out at some point to simply "If you have a Republican governor we do not feel we can safely conduct business within your borders."

Might be a costly decision at first, but just imagine the ultimate benefit to the country.

Racist rant results in University of Oklahoma fraternity shut down.

Courtesy of ABC News:  

Sigma Alpha Epsilon's national headquarters closed its chapter at the University of Oklahoma Sunday after a video emerged purportedly showing members of the chapter singing a racist chant. 

The video quickly gained visibility online. It was obtained and posted to Twitter by Unheard, which describes itself as "an alliance of black students organized for change within campus administration and atmosphere." The video shows young men on a bus chanting, "There will never be a n----r at SAE." 

The tweet, directed at OU president David Boren, said "Racism is alive at The University of Oklahoma."

“@OU_Unheard: Racism is alive at The University of Oklahoma. @President_Boren pic.twitter.com/jqGvnGpNtT” SO SICKENING.
— C (@CallieGabrielle) March 9, 2015

As somebody on another site pointed out this is not a made up on the spot chant. This is a chant that was taught to these students and that they repeated multiple times in the past.

It is a good start to punish this fraternity, but let's face it this type of racism is deeply ingrained in that part of the country and it certainly will not stop overnight.

Despite what the Republicans and the Supreme Court might say, racism is still alive and well in 2015 America.