“Security under our constitution is given to the rights of conscience and private judgment. They are by nature subject to no control but that of Deity [the Lord], and in that free situation they are now left.” – John Jay, First Chief Justice
Back in 2013 Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were asked by a lesbian to bake a cake in celebration of her marriage to another woman. Interestingly, homosexual marriage wasn’t even legal in Oregon at the time.
The Kleins, who are professing Christians, had many homosexual customers and happily did business with them. But since their faith considers marriage a union between one man and one woman, they didn’t make their specialized cakes for same-sex unions.
Then, in a clear case of political-correctness gone wild, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry (OBLI) used its muscle to punish the Klein family for having the audacity to live their lives according to the convictions of their faith. In the end, the Oregon government ordered them to pay a fine of $135,000 to the lesbian couple for the “emotional damage” they suffered as a result of being forced to buy their cake from another bakery.
But the bullying from the State of Oregon didn’t end there.
Not content at nearly bankrupting Aaron and Melissa, the Commissioner of the OBLI also imposed a gag order preventing them from even saying they would decline baking same-sex wedding cakes. In the end, the government of Oregon not only told them what they could and/or couldn’t do, they also attempted to prevent to control what they could and/or couldn’t say about homosexual marriage.
Well, it has been announced that 1st Liberty Institute and a crew of powerful lawyers are preparing a series of legal appeals that they hope will end up in the Supreme Court. This could be good news or bad news.
When Antonin Scalia was still alive, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of same-sex marriage, so a case like the one involving Mr. and Mrs. Klein would have been a really tough fight even if Scalia was still occupying his seat. But if Scalia is replaced by a judicial activist nominated by Obama, a ruling against them would be all but certain; and as a result, Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech would be destroyed.
This is why Conservatives need to do everything we can to make sure the Senate does nothing with the vacancy until after the election; or longer if necessary. Mitch McConnell is still saying he will withhold consent of any Obama nominee. But as I have documented in the past, he’s a liar and can’t be trusted to keep his word—especially in an election year—not to mention that fellow RINOs like Mark Kirk (IL) and Susan Collins (ME) have decided to break ranks by calling on the Senate to vote on any nominee submitted by Obama.
It’s amazing that we are at a place in America where citizens are faced with having their livelihood destroyed as a result of exercising their constitutional rights, but we need to keep fighting!
David Leach is the owner and publisher of The Strident Conservative, your source for news and opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” He is also a frequent contributor at RedState.com.
His daily commentary is nationally syndicated via Salem Radio Network.
