And now Mississippi has passed Religious Freedom Protection Bill

[Indy Texas]

Anything described by its supporters as "common sense" is almost invariably a bad idea.

This is surprisingly accurate.

     It shouldn't be that surprising. If they had good justification for their proposals, then they would not fall back on "common sense". Like the call of "that's immoral", it means that they know they don't have a leg to stand on.

"Common sense" is the first crutch that weak conservative arguments try to lean on, in the way that "fairness" is the first crutch that weak liberal ones struggle to stand on.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

"The bill will also add "In God We Trust" to the state seal."

I am now truly convinced we are in the death throes of the Christian Right.  A smile forms across my face and a single tear flows down my cheek. 

Was the Christian Right in its death throes when they forced Teddy Roosevelt to add that bit of sacrilegious triteness to the double eagle in 1908?

[Indy Texas]

"The bill will also add "In God We Trust" to the state seal."

I am now truly convinced we are in the death throes of the Christian Right.  A smile forms across my face and a single tear flows down my cheek. 

Was the Christian Right in its death throes when they forced Teddy Roosevelt to add that bit of sacrilegious triteness to the double eagle in 1908?

I think I'll run for the Texas Legislature as a Republican and make my signature legislative platform be to revise our state seal to show Baby Jesus pistol-whipping an abortion doctor while a pair of bald eagles hold a banner overhead that reads "FAITH. FAMILY. FREEDOM."

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

This is a state version of the federal law passed in the 1990s that stopped the feds from prosecuting peyote use in the Native American Church.   Of course it couldn't be passed today because gay rights.

I swear the left's memory is getting shorter and shorter.

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I guess you just ignored the fact that THIS EXACT EXAMPLE is specifically excluded from protections in this bill, per its authors? I guess all you cared about was getting in your little quip, facts be damned...

For it to be specifically excluded from protections of the bill it would need to be specifically excluded in the bill itself.  Some of the people who voted for this bill probably aren't interested in government accommodating the religious freedom of Muslims, but legally that's what this means, and religious minorities are disproportionately likely to need these protections when it comes to state law.  Instead of decrying this bill, anyone who believes in pluralism and tolerance should be pushing for something like this to be put in the state constitutions.

[MaxQue]

Be sure than as soon a Muslim wins something because of that law, it will be amended to include exceptions.

[Indy Texas]

This is a state version of the federal law passed in the 1990s that stopped the feds from prosecuting peyote use in the Native American Church.   Of course it couldn't be passed today because gay rights.

I swear the left's memory is getting shorter and shorter.

...
...
...

I guess you just ignored the fact that THIS EXACT EXAMPLE is specifically excluded from protections in this bill, per its authors? I guess all you cared about was getting in your little quip, facts be damned...

For it to be specifically excluded from protections of the bill it would need to be specifically excluded in the bill itself.  Some of the people who voted for this bill probably aren't interested in government accommodating the religious freedom of Muslims, but legally that's what this means, and religious minorities are disproportionately likely to need these protections when it comes to state law.  Instead of decrying this bill, anyone who believes in pluralism and tolerance should be pushing for something like this to be put in the state constitutions.

That's why Republicans in Oklahoma and other states passed laws to ban Sharia law.

[DC Al Fine]

This is a state version of the federal law passed in the 1990s that stopped the feds from prosecuting peyote use in the Native American Church.   Of course it couldn't be passed today because gay rights.

I swear the left's memory is getting shorter and shorter.

...
...
...

I guess you just ignored the fact that THIS EXACT EXAMPLE is specifically excluded from protections in this bill, per its authors? I guess all you cared about was getting in your little quip, facts be damned...

That's completely irrelevant to my point, which is that the the time between "bad idea" and "inalienable right" keeps shrinking.

Besides as shua said, its more important what a bill says than what some legislator wishes it to be.

[7,052,770]

This is what the bill says:

     (5)  (a)  Government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection.
          (b)  Government may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person:
              (i)  Is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and
              (ii)  Is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.


Every supporter of the bill says that 5.b.i. will prevent any religious-based drug use since preventing drug use in Mississippi has always been considered a "compelling governmental interest."

Maybe a judge will provide a different interpretation and turn the tables on the Fringe Right supporters of this law (and that would be awesome), but we don't even have any peyote-smoking Indians in this state, nor do we have liberal judges who would do that anyway. Sure, I guess after a few years some federal judge could use this law to rule in favor of a non-Christian, but this law will almost certainly just be struck down for discrimination purposes long before that.

Why the Right wants to bury their heads in the sand and pretend this isn't about gays (remember, it has already been established by the state that protecting gay equality is NOT a "compelling governmental interest") is beyond me. Remember, this law was specifically written because similar, more-explicitly anti-gay bills were being proposed in other states.

[Indy Texas]

So basically, 5(b) provides cover for the State of Mississippi to only enforce 5(a) when it concerns groups of people and things they happen to like.

If a Muslim opened a halal butcher shop in MS, the local lawmakers would probably swoop in and try to make him offer pork products since not doing so would be "un-American/un-Mississippian."

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

How is this a sign of the religious right dying?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

So basically, 5(b) provides cover for the State of Mississippi to only enforce 5(a) when it concerns groups of people and things they happen to like.

If a Muslim opened a halal butcher shop in MS, the local lawmakers would probably swoop in and try to make him offer pork products since not doing so would be "un-American/un-Mississippian."

No, it means that we have courts that decide if the legislators or a government agency is meeting the compelling interest test, just like in the Federal RFRA that uses this exact same language.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

"The bill will also add "In God We Trust" to the state seal."

I am now truly convinced we are in the death throes of the Christian Right.  A smile forms across my face and a single tear flows down my cheek. 

Was the Christian Right in its death throes when they forced Teddy Roosevelt to add that bit of sacrilegious triteness to the double eagle in 1908?

Were 1/3 of youngs identifying as "non-religious" in 1908?  http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/  Hah!  Doubtful.  The Christian Right is grasping at what they have left... anti-gay legislation with some useless earmark to get God onto the state seal of the most socially conservative state in the nation. 

This is how irrelevant they have become on the national scale, shocking/delightful considering they had a U.S. President running on a platform of theocracy just 10 years ago.   

[DC Al Fine]

"The bill will also add "In God We Trust" to the state seal."

I am now truly convinced we are in the death throes of the Christian Right.  A smile forms across my face and a single tear flows down my cheek. 

Was the Christian Right in its death throes when they forced Teddy Roosevelt to add that bit of sacrilegious triteness to the double eagle in 1908?

Were 1/3 of youngs identifying as "non-religious" in 1908?  http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/  Hah!  Doubtful.  The Christian Right is grasping at what they have left... anti-gay legislation with some useless earmark to get God onto the state seal of the most socially conservative state in the nation. 

This is how irrelevant they have become on the national scale, shocking/delightful considering they had a U.S. President running on a platform of theocracy just 10 years ago.   

Stop using terms when you clearly don't know what they mean.

[Smash255]

How is this a sign of the religious right dying?

I wouldn't say they are dying, but losing influence.  There are exceptions in hellhole states like Mississippi.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

"The bill will also add "In God We Trust" to the state seal."

I am now truly convinced we are in the death throes of the Christian Right.  A smile forms across my face and a single tear flows down my cheek.  

Was the Christian Right in its death throes when they forced Teddy Roosevelt to add that bit of sacrilegious triteness to the double eagle in 1908?

Were 1/3 of youngs identifying as "non-religious" in 1908?  http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/  Hah!  Doubtful.  The Christian Right is grasping at what they have left... anti-gay legislation with some useless earmark to get God onto the state seal of the most socially conservative state in the nation.  

This is how irrelevant they have become on the national scale, shocking/delightful considering they had a U.S. President running on a platform of theocracy just 10 years ago.  

Stop using terms when you clearly don't know what they mean.

I'm well aware of what a theocracy is, Al.  

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Hockeydude is hilarious, I hope he doesn't leave again.

[King]

Does this mean we can practice Sharia Law now?

[Franzl]

Anything described by its supporters as "common sense" is almost invariably a bad idea.

This is surprisingly accurate.

     It shouldn't be that surprising. If they had good justification for their proposals, then they would not fall back on "common sense". Like the call of "that's immoral", it means that they know they don't have a leg to stand on.

Indeed, I meant surprising in the sense that it genuinely surprised me that Snowstalker said something accurate.

[Miles]

Though I normally defend MS, this is just awful.

[rorschach]

Worst. State. in the Union.