Governor Mike Pence: Indiana ‘Not Going To Change’ Anti-LGBT Law
SEE: http://the-trumpet-online.com/gov-mike-pence-indiana-going-change-anti-lgbt-law/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Washington (CNN)
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says concerns that his state’s new “religious freedom” law will allow businesses to turn away LGBT customers is the result of a “tremendous amount of misinformation and misunderstanding.”
But he refused Sunday to answer at least six yes-or-no questions about whether the measure legalizes discrimination against gays and lesbians.
And he said he won’t support legislation that would clean up the public relations mess by adding protections based on sexual orientation to Indiana’s anti-discrimination laws.
READ: Indiana’s religious freedom law: What you need to know
“That’s not on my agenda, and that’s not been an objective of the people of the state of Indiana. And it doesn’t have anything to do with this law,” Pence said in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
“We are not going to change this law,” he said.
Pence’s decision last week to sign into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that allows Indiana businesses to cite their religious freedom as a legal defense has triggered an intense backlash against his state.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest blasted Pence during the same segment on ABC’s “This Week,” saying that the Indiana Republican “is in damage control mode this morning, and he’s got damage to fix.”
“It should be easy for leaders in this country to stand up and say that it is wrong to discriminate against people just because of who they love,” Earnest said.
Tech companies have also taken aim at Indiana. Apple chief executive Tim Cook tweeted that “Apple is open for everyone. We are deeply disappointed in Indiana’s new law.”
Salesforce.com head Marc Benioff said his company would stop its travel to Indiana and help its employees move out of the state.
Salesforce.com head Marc Benioff said his company would stop its travel to Indiana and help its employees move out of the state.
The mayors of San Francisco and Seattle issued statements announcing bans on the spending of public funds for employees to travel to Indiana. San Francisco makes an exception for travel “essential to the public health and safety.”
Seattle will also inspect city contracts to see any are with businesses located in Indiana.
The mayor of Indiana’s capital Indianapolis condemned the new law.
“I had hoped the Statehouse wouldn’t move in this direction on RFRA, but it seems as if the bill was a fait accompli from the beginning,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “We are a diverse city, and I want everyone who visits and lives in Indy to feel comfortable here. RFRA sends the wrong signal.”
The NCAA, which is headquartered in Indianapolis and set to host its men’s basketball Final Four in the city this week, said the law could lead it to move events elsewhere in future years. The NBA, WNBA and NFL issued critical statements. And groups like the gamer convention GenCon and the Disciples of Christ, which holds a meeting in Indianapolis each year, have said they could move their events, too.
Even popular culture figures have weighed in. Miley Cyrus called Pence an “a–hole” on Instagram, while M.C. Hammer tweeted that Indiana’s law is “barbaric and inhumane.”
Pence told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that it was “absolutely not” a mistake to sign the law — and noted that President Bill Clinton signed a similar one nationally, and then-state Sen. Barack Obama supported one in Illinois.
Pence told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that it was “absolutely not” a mistake to sign the law — and noted that President Bill Clinton signed a similar one nationally, and then-state Sen. Barack Obama supported one in Illinois.
“I’m just determined to clarify this: This is about protecting the religious liberty of people of faith and families of faith,” Pence said.
Stephanopoulos noted that Illinois also had a state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation — which Indiana does not have.
He asked Pence about the comments made by Eric Miller, the head of Advance America and a powerful lobbyist on socially conservative causes in Indiana who was in Pence’s office for the private bill signing ceremony last week.
As examples of situations where the law “will help,” Miller wrote on his website that “Christian bakers, florists and photographers should not be punished for refusing to participate in a homosexual marriage!” and “a Christian business should not be punished for refusing to allow a man to use the women’s restroom!”
The Indianapolis Star reported that one of the bill’s chief legislative sponsors, state Sen. Scott Schneider, agreed that the law would protect those businesses.
Stephanopoulos asked Pence at least four times whether Miller’s claims were accurate — and each time, Pence deflected, refusing to grant the host’s request for a “yes or no” answer.
“People are trying to make it about one particular issue, and now you’re doing that as well,” Pence said.
“Here, Indiana steps forward to protect the constitutional rights and privileges of freedom of religion for people of faith and families of faith for people in our state and this avalanche of intolerance has been poured upon the people of our state,” he said.
In addition to the national outrage, local businesses have said they’re canceling plans to grow there.
The chief executive of Angie’s List — who was also the campaign manager for Pence’s Republican predecessor, former Gov. Mitch Daniels — said his company is halting its plans for a major expansion in Indianapolis.
Pence said he’s open to legislative efforts to clarify the “religious freedom” law — though the state’s Republican-dominated legislature already rejected Democrats’ push to amend it to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination, and Pence said he doesn’t support a new state law with those protections.
“This isn’t about disputes between individuals, it’s about government overreach,” Pence said, “and I’m proud that Indiana stepped forward.”
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"ALREADY THE LAW IN 30 STATES"
TIM COOK, APPLE CEO CONDEMNS INDIANA LAW
APPLE CEO SLAMS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LAW AFTER DOING DEALS WITH COUNTRIES THAT EXECUTE GAYS
Tim Cook's rampant hypocrisy laid bare
Apple CEO Tim Cook slammed Indiana’s religious freedom law after critics claimed it would lead to discrimination against members of the LGBT community, but such concerns didn’t stop him from doing deals to sell iPhones in Islamic countries that execute gays.
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FORMER HP CEO BLASTS APPLE CEO’S HYPOCRISY
(Friday Church News Notes, April 10, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Fiorina blasts Apple CEO’s ‘hypocrisy’ over Indiana law,” The Hill, Apr. 3, 2015: “Former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina on Thursday blasted Apple CEO Tim Cook’s opposition to Indiana's religious freedom law as ‘hypocrisy.’ Fiorina, a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender, said Cook had a double standard and cited Apple’s operations in other countries with controversial laws about gays and women in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. ‘When Tim Cook is upset about all the places that he does business because of the way they treat gays and women, he needs to withdraw from 90% of the markets that he’s in, including China and Saudi Arabia,’ Fiorina argued. ‘But I don’t hear him being upset about that.’ Fiorina said his stance exposed a ‘level of hypocrisy here that is really unfortunate.’ She added that Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act contained ‘nothing objectionable’ and that Cook’s criticism stemmed from ‘narrow special interests’ rather than reality. ‘I think this is a ginned-up controversy by people who play identity politics that has divided the nation in a way that is really unhelpful,’ Fiorina added. Cook, who came out as gay last year, criticized the Indiana measure when it was signed into law last week. The CEO said it ran counter to Apple’s policies on tolerance.”
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Left's mass hysteria and lies about Indiana's RFRA:_______________________________________________________
FORMER HP CEO BLASTS APPLE CEO’S HYPOCRISY
(Friday Church News Notes, April 10, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Fiorina blasts Apple CEO’s ‘hypocrisy’ over Indiana law,” The Hill, Apr. 3, 2015: “Former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina on Thursday blasted Apple CEO Tim Cook’s opposition to Indiana's religious freedom law as ‘hypocrisy.’ Fiorina, a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender, said Cook had a double standard and cited Apple’s operations in other countries with controversial laws about gays and women in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. ‘When Tim Cook is upset about all the places that he does business because of the way they treat gays and women, he needs to withdraw from 90% of the markets that he’s in, including China and Saudi Arabia,’ Fiorina argued. ‘But I don’t hear him being upset about that.’ Fiorina said his stance exposed a ‘level of hypocrisy here that is really unfortunate.’ She added that Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act contained ‘nothing objectionable’ and that Cook’s criticism stemmed from ‘narrow special interests’ rather than reality. ‘I think this is a ginned-up controversy by people who play identity politics that has divided the nation in a way that is really unhelpful,’ Fiorina added. Cook, who came out as gay last year, criticized the Indiana measure when it was signed into law last week. The CEO said it ran counter to Apple’s policies on tolerance.”
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by Gina Miller
SEE: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/miller/150401
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
If all you had to go on was the reaction of God-hating sodomite activists and their fellow travelers, you might think nothing like Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) has ever happened before in our entire history. Of course, you would be wrong. We've had a federal RFRA in place since President Clinton signed it into law back in '93, with the backing of an almost unanimous Congress, and half the states have identical laws on their books, as well. So, why is the radical Left throwing this massive hissy fit over the law in Indiana?
The answer is that with the Left, the issue is never the issue. Homofascist activists and their duped supporters are lying about the meaning of Indiana's RFRA. They claim it's nothing more than an anti-homosexual law that gives Christians a license to "discriminate" against sodomites. While the merits of being wisely discriminate can be argued, it still remains that this is not what the law is intended to do. It's not the issue. The truth is what it has been from the start. This law, while doing nothing more than reinforcing the protections of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, is a safe guard for people of conscience. That's it.
The real issue here is members of the radical homosexual movement and their Hell-born crusade against Christian freedom and expression. That's it, and it further entails their depraved desire to force the "normalization" of what is a degenerate, unnatural and very unhealthy behavior – homosexuality – at the expense of the rights of those who oppose it. These people have as their mission an end-run around our God-given freedoms. Since it's not feasible, at this time, to simply outlaw freedom of speech and religion in America, these homosexual activists are a handy tool of the communist Left to effectively crush these freedoms through intimidation, lawfare, boycotts and whatever other bullish means they can contrive, short of simply abolishing our First Amendment protections.
Since Barack Obama (or whatever his name is) took office, the militant sodomite movement has made terrible gains for their sordid goals in all areas of our nation, and the homofascists are hell-bent to defend those gains from any real or perceived losses. Thus, the Left's media machine is in full attack mode against Indiana's RFRA. Hollywood liberals are beside themselves with self-righteous indignation. Some large companies are making a stupid scene against the law. We're watching mass hysteria of the Left. I have no way of knowing how many of these screeching and wailing people honestly believe the lies about this RFRA and how many of them are knowingly lying about it, but the result is the same, a giant tsunami of ignorant, misguided outrage that is having the desired effect on Indiana's leadership. Governor Mike Pence and Indiana state legislators are already doing the Republican back-peddle dance in saying they're looking to "clarifying" the law to pacify the homofascist faction. I have news for Governor Pence. There will be no pacifying these people until Christian expression is completely outlawed in the United States.
In this, it is a great temptation for Christians to become enraged or despondent, or both. After all, this is pure lunacy, and we know it. We are truly watching the inmates run the asylum, and we feel powerless to stop it, powerless to speak truth and reason into a gaping, black hole of lies and evil insanity that pervades the air of our nation. It is now as important as ever to remember Jesus' warning to us in Matthew 24. He told us to watch for the signs of the last days that precede His return, and what we're now seeing is what He called "the beginning of sorrows," a time in which iniquity will abound and the love of many will grow cold.
Terrible times are ahead, and I assure you that what we're seeing today – the viciousness of the radical Left and the vile trouble they make for lovers of freedom – will one day be "the good old days." But, take heart, because while all these awful things must come to pass, the Lord has already won the victory. Our job is to remain focused on Him, to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God while we still can. Of course, we will also work to expose and rebuke the works of darkness, but we must endeavor to grab hold of that peace the Lord gives, that supernatural peace that defies understanding in this lost and dying world.
If you don't have that peace, if you've never known the true freedom that comes through Jesus Christ, then I urge you to seek Him today, while He may be found. Grab yourself a Bible, and read it with an open heart. He's easy to find, and He dearly wants you to know Him.