Family values. That’s a dog-whistle euphemism for one thing: Hate and discrimination. Okay, so that’s two things.
Hey, Indiana Republicans. I’m talking to you.
You just passed a lie euphemistically known as the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” now more simply referred to by the acronym — “RFRA.” Get used to seeing those four letters, America. They’re about to become a very hot topic.
Here’s essentially what RFRA does. I’ll borrow this description from Daily Kos which appeared yesterday, which goes as follows:
Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which Governor Mike Pence signed into law today, does not create a de jure right or license to discriminate against gay people (or anyone else) on the basis of one’s “religious” “beliefs,” but it will create a de facto license to discriminate as such by emboldening discriminators and discouraging victims from suing.
Indiana’s RFRA Creates a De Facto, Not De Jure, License to Discriminate
I’ll let others speculate as to the devastating, and apparently deleterious impact this will have on some citizens of Indiana, visitors to the state, and some segments of the economy. For instance, some companies are already calling for a statewide boycott. Major conventions which were scheduled long ago have begun contemplating changes of venues to other states. Even the NCAA, which oversees all college sports in America, is seriously worried and issued its own official statement warning that championship basketball games might not be played in Indiana anymore. However, I’m going to forgo all that discrimination and its impact talk, at least right now. Instead, what I intend to do today is assign the blame, point a finger, and call out some real fucking assholes who deserve to be bitch slapped with a rant of epic proportions.
Brace yourselves.
We often hear that both major political parties are just alike. No, they are not. While I dislike and mistrust many Democrats, they’re nowhere near as dangerous as Republicans, and certainly nowhere close to being as reactionary in their thinking, nor as supportive of social policies that are anti- just about everything other than White Protestant Males. Let’s take a really close look at the party breakdown of Republicans versus Democrats who voted for or against this monumentally dangerous legislation:
INDIANA SENATE — All 40 Republicans in the state senate voted in favor of RFRA. Not a single Republican voted against it. Not one. Meanwhile, of the 10 Democratic state senators in office, all ten voted against it.
INDIANA LEGISLATURE — Next, when the bill shifted over in the legislature, 58 out of 63 Republicans voted in favor. Meanwhile, 26 out of 31 Democrats voted against it.
INDIANA’S GOVERNOR — Republican Gov. Mike Spence signed the RFRA into law on March 26th in a ceremony that was closed to the press and public, which raised some eyebrows. He voiced his unwavering support for the bill throughout the process.
Indiana Governor Signs Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill At Private Ceremony
By my count, that’s a total of 99 Republicans for this bill and only 5 against it. Meanwhile, 36 Democrats were opposed and just 5 supported it. So, still think there’s no difference between the two parties? Okay then, you’re full of shit.
But it’s not the elected officials of Indiana at which I’m targeting my outrage. It’s all the rest of you. It’s the millions of everyday citizens who voted for these religious-minded Neanderthals, who are intent on rolling back the clock by at least seven decades and killing the very reforms which were designed to protect those who need legal protection the most.
I’m talking to you, Republican voters.
How could you do such a thing? What on earth could possibly motivate you to pull the lever inside a voting booth for someone who won’t fight to protect the rights of all our citizens? Haven’t minorities and gays — those who are very likely to face renewed discrimination and open hostility due to this new law passing — the very citizens in our midst who have struggled so mightily to gain equal access and respect in society…haven’t they suffered enough already? Good grief — is this what you call “religious freedom,” legally being able to humiliate a fellow human being? Borrowing the old line from the days of McCarthy Hearings, “Have you no decency, Sir?”
Really, have you no decency, Indiana?
Now, with the passage of RFRA — which happened almost entirely with the enthusiastic support of Indiana Republicans and was signed into law by its Republican Governor — the backlash has already begun while the rest of you presumably rational people are left scurrying around trying to come up with excuses. You poor things, you’ve ridden this merry-go-round before, haven’t you? Many, many times. Indeed, yet another Christian-oriented, right-wing contingent of extremists professes to stand for freedom, yet, in reality, does anything but stand for freedom when those same principles apply to those who are different. And it’s not just Indiana. It’s a national epidemic inflicted with Middle Age thinking, and unwillingness to vaccinate. That mindset just so happens to represent nearly half of the American electorate — about the same number that believes in ferries and still thinks “Barry” Obama is a Muslim spy. Shudder.
You can run, but you can’t hide. Voting for this brand of Republicans puts you squarely into their camp and gives you stripes, from which there’s no escape so far as judgment goes. Sure, you insist that you accept gay people. You don’t hate. You profess to support civil rights. You’re not a racist. When yet another ugly Republican-backed initiative or plank in the party platform rears its ugly head which harms those very people you view with suspicion, you keep your distance. Sort of like avoiding the crazy uncle at the family reunion. You pretend you’re not related. But you are. You’re one big family of quacks, because you step into the voting booth and vote for monsters, over and over.
Yes, Republicans. You are all related. You are enablers. Your actions — whether working for candidates or voting for them, or posting stuff on Facebook, or retweeting links to false bullshit news stories, or defending what’s indefensible in a bar debate — you are them. It’s you that enables Ted Cruz to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. It’s you that once made Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry primary frontrunners just a few years ago. It’s you who asked the rest of us to take you seriously when you nominated a dimwit named Sarah Palin to potentially be one heartbeat away from the presidency. It’s you who allows the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson to set your national agenda and screen your candidates. Yes, it’s you who elected 99 Republicans throughout the state of Indiana to abdicate their moral and legal responsibilities as beacons of leadership, choosing instead to prioritize the rights of bigots who will be free to discriminate. Freedom of speech is one thing. The right to deny good people the right to equal access and opportunity is quite another.
Yes, it’s time to call out all those who vote for bigotry. It’s now time for fingers to be pointed. It starts here with mine. And, if you have any decency, Sir — the next pointed finger should be yours.