The House of Delegates passed the bill making it legal to discriminate for religious reasons.
According to the Washington Post:
The Virginia House passed a bill Tuesday that would block state agencies from punishing discrimination against people who are in same-sex marriages, transgender or have sex outside marriage.
Supporters say the Government Nondiscrimination Act is needed to protect what they call religious freedom in the face of shifting cultural attitudes toward gay rights and the legalization of gay marriage. Opponents say it amounts to a license to discriminate, with broad-reaching consequences.
The bill passed the Republican-controlled chamber 56 to 41, with seven Republican members voting “no,” two not voting and one absent. Although the vote is a win for the socially conservative wing of the party, the fact that some Republicans voted against it reflects a divide within the Republican Party in Virginia and the nation.
The bill’s sponsor, Gilbert of Rockingham have the following impassioned lame excuse:
The bill’s sponsor, Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah), defended the bill, which he said would provide reasonable accommodation for deeply held religious beliefs.
“We find ourselves constantly under attack by the shifting cultural winds . . . that blow against us,” Gilbert said.
Oh such bullshit. You would think that someone was asking Gilbert to become a wife or something. I don’t get it. Why on earth do these people care what someone else does? No one is compelling anyone else to have a same sex marriage. No one is attacking Gilbert or his band of narrow-minded followers. People just want to live and let live–you know, peaceful coexistence.
On another note, the House of Delegates voted to defund Planned Parenthood. This means that Medicaid women can no longer use the organizations medical services and receive reimbursement. How incredibly stupid. What other facilities can provide services for the women of Virginia.
Terry McAuliffe should veto both of these bills if they reach his desk. I guess everyone is getting Their conservative cred on.
Feel free to read about Bob Marshall’s bill.
What about the Rastafarian that wants to smoke marijuana?
And Muslims sects that feel woman are inferior?
This bill is nothing but bad – it is legalizing hatred, fear and discrimination.
I never know how much of this kind of thing I should attribute to ignorance and stupidity on the part of local pols, and how much is just pure manipulative opportunism based on scamming the uninformed sector of the electorate into thinking that these guys are looking our for them. Either way, it’s a great blight on governance and civilized society. I don’t know how one measures it, but I fear we are seeing more and more, rather than less and less of it.
@Scout
I think the politicians know exactly what they are doing. i think they are preying on the ignorance and stupidity of some of their constituents.
The Planned Parenthood defunding is pure stupidity also.
If women and men have limited access to contraception, there will be more abortions. Its that simple.
Only 3% of the services provided by PP are abortion services. Additionally, not all facilities provide abortion services.
Removing access to contraception, especially for Medicaid patients has all sorts of implications. Don’t like paying for SNAP and other forms of welfare? There ya go.
Bob Marshall is driven by ignorance, superstition and religious zealotry on the subject of contraception and abortion. He and Judie Brown of American life League go back decades. Ms. Brown and Marshall were both vehemently against contraception.
Doh doh!! If you want to end abortion, make sure everyone has access to contraception. Don’t try to legislate the oppressive part of your religion in my state.
I am appalled. This is a disgrace to Virginia
Planned Parenthood, like other health providers, works on a reimbursement system. There’s not a line item in the budget that says “this money goes to PP”, so the argument is quite silly to defund them. And based on the way the reimbursement system works, passing a law to disqualify PP from receiving reimbursement that other health providers can still receive is called a bill of attainder. If you reach way back to your civics class, you’ll remember that bills of attainder are prohibited (by Congress and state legislatures) by the Constitution. http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/currents/20150928_Congress_violates_Constitution_with_Planned_Parenthood_vote.html
Game
Set
Match
Has someone explained this bills of attainer concept to Bob Marshall?
Hopefully, Terry McAuliffe will veto the entire bill should it reach his desk.
I know that Jeremy McPike plans to vote against it should it reach the senate.
This is election year and no better way to energize the base than to file bills that have zero chance of becoming law. However if they can get a TMac veto that can be used as attack ads should he be so lucky as to be selected a VP candidate.
Every year is an election year.
Quite true.
I don’t live in Bob Marshall’s district, so I am spared much of his mail-bombing. However, inevitably someone will forward something from the man to me thinking that it has great humor value (which, alas, I have to admit, it sometimes does, although completely unintentionally). One thing that I notice about these Marshall-grams, though, is that they frequently (perhaps always) seem to ask for money at the end. I assume that Marshall’s mentality is essentially that of the panhandlers I see at fixed locations around the city – have some schtick to get attention from passers-by and then hit ’em up for money.
Well, except for Trump, don’t all the politicians panhandle in the same way? One can hardly keep up with the constant fundraisers, from POTUS on down to the village council.
To borrow from Tolstoy – all dysfunctional pols panhandle in different ways. Marshall has his particular brand, as do many others.
Marshall is pretty unbeatable. I have studied his style for years. He goes to the General Assembly and makes a perfect ass of himself, year after year. However…and this is a huge however….he also picks up the plight of the common man back home. He threw himself into the Dominion power line struggle and worked right along side of Elena (who is about as far from Elena politically as one can get and still remain on earth.) He didn’t let “other politics” stand in his way. Perhaps he compartmentalizes better than most politicians. He was also extremely active in the protest against the bi-county parkway. People overlook the assiness in the GA because when they needed him over every day issues, like having a 120 foot power tower in your front yard, he was there for them, regardless of their political beliefs or party.
It’s a shame that the assy part of him is still there. Actually, if you could remove that part, he would be great. Sort of the role model for politicians. But alas….
I am now in his district. I did not move. He did. Actually, I don’t hear much from him. If he sends out stuff, my name is left off, which given our track record, might be a really good idea. He once called me “Choice.” My retort: That’s Miz Choice to you, sir. There is more…..
He’s an ass and it’s a shame those in his district don’t see it. Anyone else would provide the same level of constituent services without the excess baggage he brings. The Republicans can’t stand him; he’s an embarrassment to what’s left of their brand. The Democrats can’t stand him because of his extremist views, yet they’re unwilling to put enough firepower behind their candidates against him. Maybe it’s because they enjoy fundraising off his shenanigans too much?
He’s not doing any favors for the folks who live where he “represents”. Traffic is horrible and everyone’s in it because there are no jobs in his district to speak of. Maybe he keeps getting reelected because he sold his soul to the devil many years ago and must continuously shill hatred and divisiveness in the GA to continue.
At any rate, he has to be getting tired of continuously driving back and forth to Richmond, violating campaign finance laws, and living on the government dole. When he’s finally gone from elected office, it won’t be a day too soon.
I don’t know that he can be beaten. My husband worked tirelessly for Don Shaw and Jeremy McPike. I don’t know what people can do. I tell you, he gets his good will from not just constituent services but from stepping outside his own constituents into other jurisdictions.
BTW, I am not agreeing with his methods, just recording my observations. I didn’t move. He did. I used to be in Jackson Miller’s district. I think the end result is the same.
Marshall sold his soul to the devil? No kidding? And here I thought the devil’s schedule was already overextended by his roundup of liberal Democrats.
I swear. You learn something new every day on these blogs.
Way to go Wolve. Nothing like derailing the discussion with an ad hominem attack on a whole group of people not even addressed in the discussion.