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Category Archives: Freedom

Ted Cruz Young America’s Foundation Freedom Conference New Hampshire 3/27/15 – Video

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Ted Cruz Young America #39;s Foundation Freedom Conference New Hampshire 3/27/15
March 27th, 2015 Sen. Ted Cruz campaigns for president at the Young America #39;s Foundation #39;s Freedom Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire. Cruz held a brief Q A with his young audience...

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Ted Cruz Young America's Foundation Freedom Conference New Hampshire 3/27/15 - Video

Hate On The Rise: Could a So Called ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill Become Law in North Carolina? – Video

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Hate On The Rise: Could a So Called #39;Religious Freedom #39; Bill Become Law in North Carolina?
Could North Carolina become the next Indiana or the next Arizona when it comes to a so-called "religious freedom" bill? This week, Republican Rep. Paul Stam (R-Apex) filed a bill similar to...

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Hate On The Rise: Could a So Called 'Religious Freedom' Bill Become Law in North Carolina? - Video

Indiana's religious freedom law: What it means

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The law has businesses and civil rights groups up in arms and threatening -- or in some cases pledging -- to boycott the state.

What's so controversial about religious freedom?

It's not so much that religious freedom has suddenly become controversial, but rather critics of the bill assert the law could be used by individuals and businesses to discriminate on the basis of religion -- particularly against the LGBT community of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

That's a claim Pence has thoroughly rejected: "This bill is not about discrimination. And if I thought it was about discrimination I would have vetoed it."

But civil liberties and gay rights groups assert that the law could be used by businesses to deny service to people based on their sexual orientation and justify that discrimination based on their religious belief.

The law asserts that the government can't "substantially burden a person's exercise of religion" and that individuals who feel like their religious beliefs have been or could be "substantially burdened" can lean on this law to fend off lawsuits.

So what qualifies as a substantial burden?

Well, that's not entirely clear and would likely have to be litigated in the courts if cases involving this law come up.

Supporters of these laws bring up the example of a florist who refuses to sell flowers for a gay wedding or a baker who won't make that couple's wedding cake -- and it's clear this law is aimed at fending off lawsuits that florist and that baker might face.

But what about a restaurant that refuses to serve a gay couple simply wanting to sit down for a meal?

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Indiana's religious freedom law: What it means

Indiana religious freedom act: how big a backlash? (+video)

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The backlash against Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act has come thick and fast.

As soon as Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed the bill into law Thursday, vocal opposition came from businesses, organizations, civil rights groups, the Republican mayor of Indianapolis, and at least one church asserting that the law would lead to discrimination against gay people.

The bill allows business owners to refuse to serve gay and lesbian customers or clients based on religious objections. For example, a bakery, florist, or photographer could refuse on religious grounds to provide their services for a same-sex wedding, which is legal in Indiana.

Faith and religion are important values to millions of Hoosiers and with the passage of this legislation we ensure that Indiana will continue to be a place where we respect freedom of religion and make certain that government action will always be subject to the highest level of scrutiny that respects the religious beliefs of every Hoosier of every faith, Gov. Pence said in a statement accompanying the bill signing.

"There has been a lot of misunderstanding about this bill," Pence told reporters after the private bill signing in his office. "This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way I would've vetoed it."

The bill generated widespread opposition before and after Pence signed it.

The new law comes just days before the Indianapolis-based NCAA holds its final four mens basketball tournament in that city. Will it do so in the future?

"The NCAA national office and our members are deeply committed to providing an inclusive environment for all our events. We are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student-athletes and employees, NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. We will work diligently to assure student-athletes competing in, and visitors attending, next weeks Mens Final Four in Indianapolis are not impacted negatively by this bill. Moving forward, we intend to closely examine the implications of this bill and how it might affect future events as well as our workforce."

The Human Rights Campaign in Washington (HRC), which works for LGBT rights, warns that the law sends a dangerous and discriminatory message regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Theyve basically said, as long as your religion tells you to, its ok to discriminate against people despite what the law says, HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement. Astoundingly, Indiana representatives ignored the warnings of businesses and fair-minded Hoosiers, and now businesses owners and corporations are forced to consider other options when looking at states to invest in.

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Indiana religious freedom act: how big a backlash? (+video)

Freedom Riders revved for annual bike show

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Freedom Riders of North Dakota brought bikes, beer and brotherhood to its 35th annual Motorcycle Classic bike show and fundraiser auction, filling the Ramkota Inn's ballroom -- and parking lot -- to the brim with wheels and more.

Walking the isles of the show studying each bike as if it were a masterpiece in a museum was Dan Guenzi, of Glendive, Mont. Along with the two bikes he entered in this year's show, he had his two grandchildren in tow. On Saturday, he stopped and pointed to the details worthy of the kids' attention.

One of two bikes entered this year was his 2006 Shrine Fire Fighter Limited, which he has been customizing since the first snowfall of last year. Guenzi is a regular at the show, participating for the past 10 years.

When asked why he rides bike, Guenzi replied, "Because I can, two wheels and the wind in my face." Guenzi said he has been riding and working on bikes for more than 50 years.

Another participant had a personal story to share about the custom 2010 Harley Davidson Road Glide he had entered in the show. Shawn Strand said the bike had once belonged to his friend, Brian Gebeke. When he died, Strand wanted to keep the bike within their circle of friends, so he bought it from his pal's wife and decided to customize it in his memory.

"It's not just one individual component that makes this bike unique; it is all the components working together that make it unique. But what makes this bike special is the fact it was my great friend's bike," Strand said.

The bikes, ranging from classics to sport bikes, competed in 11 divisions, with the top three in each being awarded. Non-division trophies were also given in such categories as people's choice and best paint.

Bike enthusiasts were not the only winners at the event. The Freedom Riders put together an auction of items, ranging from televisions to bike collectibles and a guitar. Last year's event brought in $53,000.

"Bikers do more than just ride bike. They do amazing things for our community. They raise money to help other people," said president and founder of Carrie's Kids, Carrie Grosz. "When you see the Freedom Riders come in to help, they take you by storm. They are going to move boxes, they open up doors, impeccable manners. There is just so many awesome and amazing things that the Freedom Riders and other biker clubs do."

The annual show continues 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 per person. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with a paying adult.

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Freedom Riders revved for annual bike show

Africa Today – Can Economic Freedom Fighters be voice of the voiceless? (P.2) – Video

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Africa Today - Can Economic Freedom Fighters be voice of the voiceless? (P.2)
Part 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU4yW_EhGec Part 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOUvlRgjrqI Economic inequality remains an unresolved problem in the black continent, but is the ...

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Africa Today - Can Economic Freedom Fighters be voice of the voiceless? (P.2) - Video

Businesses fear costly backlash from Indiana's religious freedom law

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At the Corner Wine Bar and Wellington Pub in Broad Ripple, the menu board outside proclaimed service for everyone.

Its a slogan that began popping up across Indiana on Thursday, in doorways, on windows and other spots, in response to Gov. Mike Pence's signing of Indianas hot-button religious freedom law.

The Broad Ripple restaurant and pub also posted the slogan in Facebook posts that were quickly greeted with multiple likes, its general manager Ashley Daubenspeck said.

The slogans meaning, she explained: We dont discriminate, and we are happy to serve anybody.

Hours after Pence signed the measure, dozens of calls by reporters to Central Indiana businesses couldnt find one willing to admit it planned to use the new law to discriminate against some customers for religious reasons.

That was the fear expressed most often by opponents of the measure, including gay rights groups and others.

Most businesses contacted Thursday insisted they had no desire to discriminate against any of their customers. For many, the law brought a new worry: that it will spawn a backlash of negative public reaction that will discourage tourists from coming to the state and some residents from spending money for certain services.

One scenario sketched out by opponents of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was that the law would give wedding-related businesses the legal right to refuse to serve same-sex weddings. In 2014, an Indianapolis cake shop thats now closed did just that. Years earlier, an Indianapolis bakery wouldnt sell its baked goods to a gay customer.

But several businesses in the wedding industry didnt see the new law causing a rise in such practices.

Taylors Bakery of Indianapolis and Fishers, one the oldest bakeries in the state, said it has made many wedding and commitment cakes for gay couples, and plans to continue.

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Businesses fear costly backlash from Indiana's religious freedom law

The Fix: Indiana is the battle over religious freedom that Arizona never was

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Indiana Gov. Mike Pence vigorously defended the states new religious objections law. Businesses and organizations including the NCAA pressed concerns that it could open the door to legalizing discrimination against gay people. (AP)

In 2014, Arizona's so-called religious freedom bill never stood a chance.The bill sought to giveindividuals and businessesexemptions from laws that burdened their religious beliefs, but was criticized for being too broadly worded -- with all sorts of legal loopholes and the possibility of legalizing discrimination against people because of their sexuality or gender identity. It wasopposed by a host of companies, both Arizona'sRepublican U.S. Senators, Mitt Romney, and even three of the Republican lawmakers who originally voted for it but changed their mind.When Gov. Jan Brewer (R) vetoed the bill six days after it was passed, it seemed likethe end of the road for such legislation. It was opposed by a host of companies, both its Republican U.S. Senators, Mitt Romney, and even three of the Republican lawmakers who originally voted for it but changed their mind.

But, get ready because the battle over religious freedom isback. Brewer may have backed down but Gov. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) has takenup the fight, and Indiana is turning into the battleground over religious freedom that Arizona never was.

While Indiana has begun to feel the heat from businesses (and the NCAA, which is hosting the Final Four in Indianapolis next week), it doesn't face two particular pressuresArizona did: (1) hosting a Super Bowl the following year and (2) a pre-existing narrative that it's an intolerant state. Arizona already lost Super Bowl hosting duties once before, in 1993, because it didn't recognize Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a state holiday. And coupled with the furor over SB 1070, the controversial immigration enforcement law Brewer signed in 2010, the state was on the verge of becoming known for intolerance, not a good thing for business and tourism. Brewer said she vetoed the bill because it would have created more problems than it solved, but it didn't hurt that the state's economy also could have suffered.

But since the Arizona veto, religious freedomhas also had two major victories: 1) the Supreme Court's decision in the Hobby Lobby case giving the company the right to exercise religious beliefs when it came to contraception and 2) Utah's religious freedom bill which passed with support from LGBT groups.

Pence mentioned the Hobby Lobby case in his statement about his state's bill, and said that while the Court upheld the Religious Freedom Restoration Act at the nationallevel, it didn't protect at the state and local. He positioned his bill as an extension offederal law signed by a Democrat, President Clinton.

The Utah bill shows there is a middle ground for religious and LGBT protections, but it's not necessarily a blueprint for other states since it's specifically tailored to the state's largest religion, Mormonism. It exempts things like religious organization-ownedhousing (like Church-owned Brigham Young University) and Boy Scouts (the Church participates heavily in scouting). Groups like HRC and Equality Utah supported the measure, but the response from social conservatives was muted, in part because it didn't exemptyourcakebakers and photographers.

But Utah's bill is in line with how a majority of Americans feel about the issue. When you ask about specific religious exemptions, people are more supportive than when asked about broadly allowing businesses to refuse services to people because of their sexuality. A January Associated Press poll found 57 percent of Americans thinkwedding-related businesses should be allowed to refuse service to same-sex couples for religious reasons.

But when asked more generally if any businesses, not just wedding related, should be allowed to refuse service to gays and lesbians, a majority are opposed, according to an April Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Indiana's bill is much morebroadly wordedthan Utah's, and so it could be in trouble from a public opinion standpoint. But the landscape is different than it was for Brewer's Arizona veto, which might be why, despite the controversy the Grand Canyon state experienced, Pence signed his bill and sees this asa fight he can win.

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The Fix: Indiana is the battle over religious freedom that Arizona never was

Indiana Governor Signs State Religious Freedom Restoration Act

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INDIANAPOLIS The governor of Indiana signed the state Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law on Thursday, resisting critics who asserted that the legislation would allow people of faith to discriminate against homosexuals.

Gov. Mike Pencesigned SB 101into law in a closed ceremony, with an estimated 70 t0 80 invited guests attending the event.

Today I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, because I support the freedom of religion for every Hoosier of every faith, he said in a statement. The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action.

The bill mirrors the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was signed into law in the 1990s by then-President Bill Clinton. The legislation prohibits the government from substantially burden[ing] a persons exercise of religion, unless there is a compelling government interest and the least restrictive means is used in furthering the interest.

Pence noted that while the federal government provides religious freedom protections, some states do not.

Last year the Supreme Court of the United States upheld religious liberty in the Hobby Lobby case based on the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but that act does not apply to individual states or local government action, he said. In order to ensure that religious liberty is fully protected under Indiana law, this year our General Assembly joined those 30 states [who have passed local legislation] and the federal government to enshrine these principles in Indiana law, and I fully support that action.

States that have preceded Indiana in passing a Religious Freedom Restoration Act include Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois and Connecticut.

While some have stated that the bill will open the door for discrimination against homosexuals, Pence refuted such claims as the law mentions nothing about homosexuality or any particular issue at all.

This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it. In fact, it does not even apply to disputes between private parties unless government action is involved, he said. For more than twenty years, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act has never undermined our nations anti-discrimination laws, and it will not in Indiana.

Indiana is rightly celebrated for the hospitality, generosity, tolerance, and values of our people, and that will never change, Pence stated. Faith and religion are important values to millions of Hoosiers and with the passage of this legislation, we ensure that Indiana will continue to be a place where we respect freedom of religion and make certain that government action will always be subject to the highest level of scrutiny that respects the religious beliefs of every Hoosier of every faith.

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Indiana Governor Signs State Religious Freedom Restoration Act


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