• "The Canadian Human Rights Commission dismisses the complaint against Maclean's" (via SteynOnline)
• "Gay Rights, Religious Liberties: A Three-Act Story" (via Mere Comments)
• "Spanish parliament to extend rights to apes"
• "The liberal baby bust" (via The Line)
• "Supreme Court Rejects Death Penalty for Child Rape"
• "Moral debate now a public safety issue" (via Some Have Hats)
• "Scottish Schools Ban Father's Day Cards" (via Some Have Hats)
• "The Wheels Are Off the Bus"
• "Black pastors hit political parties on abortion"
• "Will Pro-Choice Women Back McCain?" (via The Corner)

Comments

[Chris Clukey]

A few questions, inspired by the articles in this roundup:

Aren't the phrases "Jewish gay man" and "Jewish lesbians" profoundly oxymoronic?

How is it that the plaintiffs' lawyer in the Ocean Grove Case says "Religion shouldn't be about violating the law," but doesn't seem to realize that he is also saying that the law should be about forcing people to violate their religion?

Is it really true that the statement...

"We do not photograph same-sex weddings. But thanks for checking out our site! Have a great day!"

...is not only an expression of hatred, but is so destructive it requires court intervention?

If the message had said "We won't photograph your wedding because we hate you, hate your ugly face and your terrible body odor and hope you have a rotten day every day of your misbegotten life" would the plaintiffs have sued, and would they have standing to sue? If not, why not?

Is it really denial of service for a doctor to refuse a procedure while referring the patient to a colleague who will do it and works *in the same office?*

I noticed that one of the justices suggested that the OB/GYN find a new line of work. I wonder, how
proponents of gay rights would take it if a state inspector refused to give a lesbian a license for her day care and told her she should just find a new line of work. Or perhaps a better example is the state's licensing board pulling the license of a gay child psychologist. "Sorry you've spent years attaining this level of education, but you should go be a housepainter or a wedding planner or something, because we get to decide how and with whom you work."

I wonder...if a psychologist (not a child psychologist, but one who handled adults) was a Muslim and didn't want to see a patient because she showed up for her appointments in minskirts and other revealing clothing, would California tell him to find a new line of work? If so, would gay activists protest on his behalf, or shrug their shoulders?

Why exactly is the lesbian couple's ability to get a service from the first provider they approach more important than the doctor's right of religious
conscience? To elaborate, which would you rather hear from a judge: "You will have to find another provider for the service you desire" or "You must violate your faith in Christ, or else?" Which one of those violates the 1st Amendment?

If an atheist doesn't want to print tracts for me, should I be able to march into court and make him? How about if I have fliers for a "One Man One Woman" marriage rally? Should a gay printer be forced by a court of law to print them for me?

If a lesbian works at a tattoo shop, and a skinhead walks in and wants a tat that reads "All gays should be beaten to death," should she have to do the tat or can she refer the skinhead to someone else? What if the customer were a Christian who wanted a tat with the text of an Old Testament prohibition against homosexual conduct?

If a state can keep a parochial school from expelling lesbians, what would keep them from forcing the school to keep a couple of girls who expressed their intention to have sex with every member of the football team? Even if one thinks homosexuality is valid and gay marriage a must, isn't the state saying the school has no right to exclude fornicators of either the homosexual or heterosexual persuasion?

Isn't it great when "tolerance" leads to stuff like telling a kid he can't work on a Father's Day card? That'll convince the lad to sing Kum Bai Yah and embrace diversity, eh?

Why is it that some people think you can't protect an animal from abuse unless you make it into a human? I wouldn't consider a fly to be remotely like a human, but if I caught one of my kids pulling the wings off flies they'd be in huge trouble.

How many of the Spanish Parliament members who signed on to this ape act also believe that Spain's abortion laws should be changed so that this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Views_of_a_Foetus_in_the_Womb_detail.jpg

...can be killed on demand?