Religious Freedom Allows Discrimination Agiant Ideas...Not People

When Gay Baiting Jerk of a State Senator Stacey Campfield walked into the Bijou restaurant in Knozville he was refused service by the gay owner. This is entirely legal, because he was ejected for his words and actions that were obviously directed against the owner's sexuality. Had she kicked him out because he has red hair, that would have been another situation. At this moment we have the absurd when examined, laws being enacted that would allow religious based discrimination  against people, possibly red haired people among others. Skeptic has an examination of this phenomena:

Imagine for a moment that you are a Jewish baker who owns a small bakery. One day a couple enters your establishment and orders a wedding cake to be adorned with swastikas and the likeness of Adolf Hitler. They explain that they are neo-Nazis inspired by the marriage of the Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, attended by the Führer himself. You are of course offended and decline the job. Is it your legal right to refuse service to a neo-Nazi couple? If you answer in the affirmative, would you apply the same reasoning to a gay couple who requested a wedding cake adorned with two men or two women? Are these not the same moral and legal issues?

I think not. Discrimination on the basis of what you believe versus who you are constitutes different moral categories.

http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/15-04-29/

Crockett 4-27-15: Haslam Caves Signs Bill to Take Away Local Control of Parks

Tennessee at forefront as gay marriage case goes to Supreme Court

Rep. Butt apologizes for ‘mistake’ in saying rape and incest ‘not verifiable’

Haslam Caves, Signs Legislation Nullifying Local Options on Guns-in-Parks

Guns in Parks in Haslam Hands...Crockett Buzz for 4-24-15

Haslam to Decide This Week on Tennessee Guns-in-Parks Bill

Tennessee on notice after feds threaten Florida with potential billion-dollar loss

The GOP’s epic money-groveling campaign has officially begun

Haslam touts education gains as Dems blast GOP priorities

Quote of the Day...Saying EPA Pollution Regulation Kills Jobs is a Big Lie (EPA Administrator McCarthy)

"No peer-reviewed economic literature - no historical record - comes close to supporting the claims of massive job losses from reducing pollution. In EPA's 45 year history, we've cut air pollution 70 percent while GDP has tripled. Environmental protection isn't window dressing - it's foundational to strong, lasting economic growth.

That's EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

The Pope will say the moral thing to do is defeat Climate Change in a new speech.

More from today's Politico Energy Report

CPI Buzz 4-23-15

Tennessee, Kansas Also Get Warning: Expand Medicaid or Risk Hospital Funds

Traffic camera bill survives Holt's jolt

Legislative session comes to quiet end

GOP State Rep DUI, Rural Hospitals and Obamacare, More from Crockett

State Rep. Bill Beck Busted for DUI (This gets printed? Really?  Pants Unzipped and Stain on his tie?)

Rural hospital, town leaders worried without Insure TN

State fights rage over ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion

What the legislature will debate during the last week of the session

Buzz for 4-13-15

We are not that vulgar term you called us, Senator

Crockett News Round Up for 4-10-15

Insure Tennessee town hall blasts no-show Harwell, others

Lawmakers could soon be packing heat on Capitol Hill

Guiding principles for a more enlightened U.S. education policy

Roadblocks to the budget

Best Line of the Day TN Senate on Voting Bible as State Book

“For God’s sake, think about where you’re headed!”


 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, in appealing for members of the Senate State and Local Government Committee to abstain from voting one way or the other on SB1108.

Interestingly, even Ron Ramsey thinks this demeans the Bible.  (Weird, I know)

Politico Morning Energy Report Now "Sponsored" by Big Ethanol Group...Objective Reporting will Continue?

At this time, this is one of the great energy happenings summaries anywhere. If you aren;t careful you might read the ethanol Op - ed at the end as part of the reporting. Darius makes it clear that his part stops before the ad begins. He gives us great stuff, such as...

So why isn't it big news on the national media that the big "Tea Party" demonstration against healing the Everglades was mostly actors hired by the sugar industry?

http://www.politico.com/morningenergy/0415/morningenergy17761.html

Harvard Medical School Study: Coal Costs America Half Trillion Dollars Each Year in Medical Expenses

 Message to Big Coal, "Pay Your Bill to America!"

Each stage in the life cycle of coal—extraction, transport, processing, and combustion—generates a waste stream and carries multiple hazards for health and the environment. These costs are external to the coal industry and thus are often considered as “externalities.” We estimate that the life cycle effects of coal and the waste stream generated are costing the U.S. public a third to over one-half of a trillion dollars annually. Many of these so-called externalities are, moreover, cumulative. Accounting for the damages conservatively doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal per kWh generated, making wind, solar, and other forms of non fossil fuel power generation, along with investments in efficiency and electricity conservation methods, economically competitive. We focus on Appalachia, though coal is mined in other regions of the United States and is burned throughout the world.

More about this here