From libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara:
Former Senator Barney Frank, who is gay, defended the U.S. Supreme Court’s narrow procedural ruling in favor of a Christian baker who refused to serve a gay wedding cake. From Barney Frank to LGBT Voters: ‘People Have a Right to be Bigots,’ Don’t ‘Trash Them in Return’:
Reacting to the Supreme Court ruling in favor of a baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple, former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said that people “have a right to be bigots,” which is not “a license to trash them in return.”
“He was moved to decide this in part because people on the Colorado Human Rights Commission may have been well-intentioned, but they were mean-spirited when they made nasty comments about religion. And so there’s a very important point for people on our side to understand: You can’t have a one-way standard,”
My emphasis.
Strictly speaking, the Colorado Masterpiece Bakeshop case is not fundamentally about bigotry. Bigotry is certainly part of it. Fundamentally, it’s really about faith—which is actually worse.
“A bigot can be persuaded. Faith precludes persuasion because it is based on blind acceptance of an idea from the authority of a holy book.”
A book, eh? Like Atlas Shrugs or The Fountainhead.
“Why is it wrong for Christians to force their values on LGBT persons through bans on gay marriage, but right for LGBTs to force their values on Christians by compelling them to provide that cake?”
What’s a “value” in this context? People being gay and performing a legal ritual where purchasing a cake is routine for that ritual is not a “value”
A person who provide their baking services in exchange for money refusing to do so to people explicitly because they are gay isn’t a value. It’s bigotry. Hiding behind one’s faith like it were some sort of Constitutional shield isn’t a value either.
If I made cakes for a living and sold them as a licensed and registered business, but Mr. Intentionally Misreading or Excluding the Context of what Barney Frank said wanted a cake for his marriage, he would certainly find issue with me refusing to sell him said cake.
“But, why Trey? I want to get married and you sell wedding cakes!”
“Why, Mr. Digs up Two Year Old Articles and Writes Commentary On Them Hoping People Don’t Read the Source Material? Because, It’s my belief old people shouldn’t get married, so no cake for you”
“But that’s discriminating against me based on my age!”
“No, it’s my opinion and my values and it’s hollow to have an opinion if I can’t act on it. I view you as unworthy of my business based on the unfortunate reality that you were born when you were born. Too bad, so sad.”
And…. scene. This may be a bit hyperbolic and I took a little creative license in putting words in Mr. LaFerrara’s mouth, but it’s really no different from what he does. Taking quotes out of context of the larger speech in order to back up the opinion he formed via jerk of a knee rather than critical thought.
Then there’s this gem: “The right to think and the right to act on one’s judgement are indispensable corollaries of a free society.”
He always forgets about the ‘consequences’ of doing things. Just cause you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. And just because you do do something, doesn’t mean there can’t be an adverse reaction to it. He’s whining about the consequences, and like those bakers in Colorado, he’s hiding behind his “faith” and “values” which are as made up for on the spot reasons as the bakers’ bigotry.