A week or so back, I noted that Kansas had partially passed, and then shelved, a pro-discrimination law under the rubric of "religious liberty". Unfortunately, it seems that Arizona looked at that experience, and said, "Hey, that looks like a fantastic idea".
Arizona apparently had no trouble getting that through both houses of their legislature; the only bits of encouragement are that the bill hasn't been signed into law yet and Arizona's junior Senator (Jeff Flake, a Republican, even) expressed hope that she wouldn't.
The courts will, of course, treat anyone trying to take advantage of the "protections" in the bill pretty harshly, as they should. But in the meantime, it makes for a very uncomfortable environment for people at the fringes (most notably the LGBT community).
Showing posts with label homophobia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homophobia. Show all posts
20110224
DOMA-ciliation
I heard yesterday, I think, that Obama had decided not to defend DOMA in court. I must admit, I'm very conflicted on this, on several levels.
On the one hand, I think DOMA must go. I think it's pointlessly discriminatory, and doesn't actually help anyone (though the homophobes certainly will claim it helps them. And I suppose if their peace of mind is a priority, I can't really argue with that).
But it isn't the President's place to decide that a law is unconstitutional; this is part of why the courts exist. Plus, the DoJ is basically admitting that Obama is giving them an order. Given that a significant part of the why the DoJ exists is to make sure that the executive branch is actually following the law, the President giving them orders certainly sounds like the DoJ doesn't believe in their own mandate. And that disturbs me greatly.
If the President does something clearly illegal, who else is going to pursue it? If the President is calling all the shots, then it seems to be nobody.
On the one hand, I think DOMA must go. I think it's pointlessly discriminatory, and doesn't actually help anyone (though the homophobes certainly will claim it helps them. And I suppose if their peace of mind is a priority, I can't really argue with that).
But it isn't the President's place to decide that a law is unconstitutional; this is part of why the courts exist. Plus, the DoJ is basically admitting that Obama is giving them an order. Given that a significant part of the why the DoJ exists is to make sure that the executive branch is actually following the law, the President giving them orders certainly sounds like the DoJ doesn't believe in their own mandate. And that disturbs me greatly.
If the President does something clearly illegal, who else is going to pursue it? If the President is calling all the shots, then it seems to be nobody.
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