News For A Tuesday Morning...

Good morning all. It's April. The weather is warmer. The Bluebonnets are blooming in North Texas. And my grass is growing like weeds. Oh, wait.... many of those really are weeds. Either way it's a great day to be alive!

There have been a few things in the news over the last 24 hours that have attracted my attention (besides the usual Iran deal, global climate warming change, ISIS gaining territory, and Christians being murdered by Muslim terrorists while America watches and does nothing.) I thought I'd talk about those things.

A lesbian woman has been identified as one of the generous people who helped donate over $800,000 to Memories Pizza in Indiana after threats stemming from their stance on catering a same-sex wedding caused them to close their doors.

Courtney Hoffman was one of over 1000 people who donated. Along with her donation she included a written note to the restaurant owners:

“As a member of the gay community, I would like to apologize for the mean spirited attacks on you and your business. I know many gay individuals who fully support your right to stand up for your beliefs and run your business according to those beliefs. We are outraged at the level of hate and intolerance that has been directed at you and I sincerely hope that you are able to rebuild.”

When radio host and producer Kris Cruz heard about it he sought her out for comment. Of course, the big question was "Why?"

“My girlfriend and I are small business owners," Hoffman said, "and we think there is a difference between operating in a public market space and then attaching the name of your business to a private event. Like, if we were asked to set up at an anti-gay marriage rally, I mean, we would have to decline.”

Imagine - a voice of reason amidst all the hatred and misinformation. 

One of the best comparisons of the hypocrisy of these attacks on religious freedom and tolerance came from former Senator Rick Santorum. Santorum was on Face the Nation yesterday and said tolerance is a two way street.

"It's a matter of accommodation. Tolerance is a two-way street. If you are a print shop and you are a gay man, should you be forced to print 'God Hates Fags' for the Westboro Baptist Church because they hold those signs up?" Santorum asked. "Should you be forced to do that? Should the government force you to do that? That is what these cases are all about. They are about the government coming in and saying that 'No, we are going to make you do this.'

Forgive the disgusting image but I wanted to make a point.

You know darn well there is not a court in the land that would force a gay sign maker to make signs for the Westboro Baptist Church. But then - the WBC wouldn't ask them to do it in the first place. This whole thing isn't about the demand for tolerance but about trying to force Christians to change their views or be uncomfortable.

Speaking of the attack on Christians (which this entire pizza connection was about), it is about time for them to stop being silent in the face of attack. It seems some Christians are being backed down by the voices of hatred coming from the LGBT community and the left in general. Take the religious freedom laws recently passed in Indiana and Arkansas, only to be retracted and changed because of outspoken hatred by those groups. If one reads the laws it is clear that open discrimination is not what the laws were about yet the governors who signed them panicked at the first sign of vocal disagreement and instead of standing firm on principle, backed down and had to "reword the law(s)."

Christians in this country are mostly a silent majority.

While relatively few Muslims (compared to the entire Muslim population) are terrorists, the vast majority of them remain silent about the evils that are being done in the name of Allah. Non-Muslims, tired of the violence, chastise them for being silent. Christians are the same way but in reverse. Muslim terrorists are out there attacking others in the name of their religion and the majority stays silent. Christians are being attacked because of their religion and their majority stays silent. If we remain silent we will be defeated. Silence is acceptance - both in Islam and Christianity.

And finally, it was recently uncovered that a story of gang rape of a female student by fraternity brothers at the University of Virginia, published last year by Rolling Stone Magazine, was a complete fabrication. The woman who wrote the story failed to validate anything about it and, as it turned out, the story of the rape wasn't true at all. The main witness named didn't even exist and the reporter interviewed the "victim" without interviewing anyone else and without checking details for accuracy.

The magazine did a follow-up story quoting anonymous students who described the "rape culture" on campus. Fraternity activities were suspended and the police were brought in. Rallies were held calling on the university to take more serious steps to prevent this from happening in the future. Except it never happened.

Rolling Stone has admitted that the story wasn't true and has taken it down from the website. They have apologized to their readers and to the university. But they have yet to apologize to the fraternity and the supposed attackers who, in actuality, did nothing wrong. 

As for the reporter who fabricated the story - she continues to work for the magazine and has yet to suffer any consequences whatsoever for lying to her readers. Is this what "journalism" has come to in this country?