Chris Adamo
Jan Brewer betrays the American ideal
By Chris Adamo
From the moment Arizona's Senate Bill 1062, a statute to maintain the free exercise of religion, was passed by the state legislature, there could be no question that Governor Jan Brewer would ultimately veto it. Sure, she waited until almost the last minute to actually do so, but only to give the appearance that she was actually weighing the pros and cons of the measure. And even during that brief, purely symbolic delay the contrived hysteria and ugly antics of the counterculture reached a fevered pitch.
Far worse however was the manner in which the "mainstream" political establishment, including former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, as well as Arizona Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain, joined with liberals in condemning the measure. In so doing, they gave credence to the notion that any effort to protect the nation's traditional values constituted an unseemly attack on the "gay" populace.
Despite the wholly phony notion advanced by the counterculture of an ostensible desire to peaceably "live and let live," it is waging an all out war on the basic concepts of "right and wrong" as defined by the time-honored Judeo Christian ethic of traditional America. The fundamentally irreconcilable nature of the two worldviews means that the imposition of the "gay agenda" requires the forcible elimination of any other ideology. As has unfortunately been the case in recent years, the increasingly morally bankrupt condition of state governments, in collusion with the federal monster inside the Beltway, has enabled them to accept this despicable premise and abet those who want to obliterate all virtue from the nation's character.
Against such a backdrop, it was reprehensible that Governor Brewer not only stood against the decent citizens of her state who merely sought to preserve their freedom to champion what is right, she also justified her abandonment of them with sanctimony that dismissed their concerns, while publicly determining to ignore the leftist/countercultural encroachments that are indeed coming against them. In the end, Brewer came out one hundred percent in support of the twisted premises of "political correctness," and far from maintaining any semblance of neutrality, she joined forces with those who seek tirelessly to unravel the moral fabric of the nation.
Attempting to sound statesmanlike when announcing her veto of SB 1062, Brewer instead bore a disturbing resemblance to Winston Smith, the main character of George Orwell's novel 1984. After going through the brainwashing process of "Big Brother," Smith was not only willing to obey his statist master, but had fully accepted the perverse demand that he love Big Brother. In like manner, Brewer went well beyond a mere veto, using the occasion to castigate those who had brought the measure through the legislative process.
Offering irrelevancies and platitudes in a transparent attempt to gain the moral high ground, Brewer completely trivialized the legitimate fears of the authors of SB 1062 on the basis that she has "not heard of one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated." Yet this assertion flatly ignores the orchestrated efforts of homosexual activists throughout the nation to harass and ultimately destroy any business operation that refuses to collaborate with the homosexual lifestyle. In neighboring New Mexico, state courts have levied severe fines against Elane photography, which refused services to a lesbian "wedding," even though same sex "marriage" is not legal in that state. In Oregon, the bakery "Sweet Cakes by Melissa" has been targeted for punitive action by the state attorney general's office, after a prospective lesbian customer was refused a "wedding" cake for her same sex ceremony.
Similar incidents have occurred throughout the nation, with more to come. In each case, decent citizens who are attempting to make a living while abiding by the basic tenets of their Christian faith are harassed, victimized, and ultimately driven out of business by "gay" activists obsessively pursuing their agenda of remaking the nation in their image. Such episodes are regularly accompanied by persecution, threats, and vandalism. Yet the focus and sympathies of state officials have been directed entirely on the homosexual plaintiffs, with little or no protection given to the rights and security of the business owners.
Ignoring these ugly realities and the dire threat they pose to the basic freedoms and guarantees against government coercion codified in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Brewer bemoaned her annoyance that this was the first piece of legislation to cross her desk, when so many other important issues, such as the economy, needed more immediate attention. In short, jobs for the people of Arizona took complete precedence over their ability to live and worship in the manner that the Founders had fought, bled, and died to preserve and bequeath to them. Apparently, in Brewer's post-modern world, material abundance trumps any of the other noble qualities of Americanism. At least that is how she presented her priorities in front of the cameras.
Among her most egregious platitudes were the contradictory "values" of religious liberty and the modern liberal demand of "non-discrimination." By its current definition, the latter requires the active participation of any business owning citizen or employee of such, at the behest of those who incessantly require not merely acquiescence, but active support of their chosen lifestyle. In short, where "non-discrimination" can metastasize into mandated involvement, religious liberty is eradicated.
Equally ominous has been the manner in which the foul tactics of Saul Alinsky have been invoked throughout the country by the media, politicians, and even the sports industry in a massive intimidation effort against Arizona and SB 1062. Major League Baseball issued a sophomoric statement condemning it, while the National Football League made a veiled threat to move the location of next year's Super Bowl out of Phoenix unless Brewer vetoed it. And of course the predictable media parakeets from Hollywood to New York had their usual venom and bile to hurl against the effort to protect religious freedom in the Grand Canyon State.
Rush Limbaugh rightly characterized the onslaught against SB 1062 as "bullying," which caused its own vitriolic firestorm from the counterculture. Yet as the unflappable radio giant points out, this is the realm in which the left operates, while it hypocritically calls for "tolerance" from its targeted adversaries. The ultimate intentions of SB 1062 opponents reach far beyond its scope. Not only will they continue to advance their sordid version of morality as the new and only acceptable standard for appropriate behavior, they fully intend to make an example of anyone who dares to defy their new order. Claiming the mantle of "rights" and "equality" they relentlessly strive to assume total and uncontested dominance of the culture.
This is the poisonous manner in which political contests are henceforth going to be undertaken. And among those Americans who reject this degeneration of their country and the philosophical takeover of its governing institutions by the counterculture, the only option is to elect officials who recognize the seriousness of the threat facing the nation, and who possess the courage and principle to face the ugliness of the opposition and directly confront it.
© Chris Adamo
March 8, 2014
From the moment Arizona's Senate Bill 1062, a statute to maintain the free exercise of religion, was passed by the state legislature, there could be no question that Governor Jan Brewer would ultimately veto it. Sure, she waited until almost the last minute to actually do so, but only to give the appearance that she was actually weighing the pros and cons of the measure. And even during that brief, purely symbolic delay the contrived hysteria and ugly antics of the counterculture reached a fevered pitch.
Far worse however was the manner in which the "mainstream" political establishment, including former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, as well as Arizona Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain, joined with liberals in condemning the measure. In so doing, they gave credence to the notion that any effort to protect the nation's traditional values constituted an unseemly attack on the "gay" populace.
Despite the wholly phony notion advanced by the counterculture of an ostensible desire to peaceably "live and let live," it is waging an all out war on the basic concepts of "right and wrong" as defined by the time-honored Judeo Christian ethic of traditional America. The fundamentally irreconcilable nature of the two worldviews means that the imposition of the "gay agenda" requires the forcible elimination of any other ideology. As has unfortunately been the case in recent years, the increasingly morally bankrupt condition of state governments, in collusion with the federal monster inside the Beltway, has enabled them to accept this despicable premise and abet those who want to obliterate all virtue from the nation's character.
Against such a backdrop, it was reprehensible that Governor Brewer not only stood against the decent citizens of her state who merely sought to preserve their freedom to champion what is right, she also justified her abandonment of them with sanctimony that dismissed their concerns, while publicly determining to ignore the leftist/countercultural encroachments that are indeed coming against them. In the end, Brewer came out one hundred percent in support of the twisted premises of "political correctness," and far from maintaining any semblance of neutrality, she joined forces with those who seek tirelessly to unravel the moral fabric of the nation.
Attempting to sound statesmanlike when announcing her veto of SB 1062, Brewer instead bore a disturbing resemblance to Winston Smith, the main character of George Orwell's novel 1984. After going through the brainwashing process of "Big Brother," Smith was not only willing to obey his statist master, but had fully accepted the perverse demand that he love Big Brother. In like manner, Brewer went well beyond a mere veto, using the occasion to castigate those who had brought the measure through the legislative process.
Offering irrelevancies and platitudes in a transparent attempt to gain the moral high ground, Brewer completely trivialized the legitimate fears of the authors of SB 1062 on the basis that she has "not heard of one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated." Yet this assertion flatly ignores the orchestrated efforts of homosexual activists throughout the nation to harass and ultimately destroy any business operation that refuses to collaborate with the homosexual lifestyle. In neighboring New Mexico, state courts have levied severe fines against Elane photography, which refused services to a lesbian "wedding," even though same sex "marriage" is not legal in that state. In Oregon, the bakery "Sweet Cakes by Melissa" has been targeted for punitive action by the state attorney general's office, after a prospective lesbian customer was refused a "wedding" cake for her same sex ceremony.
Similar incidents have occurred throughout the nation, with more to come. In each case, decent citizens who are attempting to make a living while abiding by the basic tenets of their Christian faith are harassed, victimized, and ultimately driven out of business by "gay" activists obsessively pursuing their agenda of remaking the nation in their image. Such episodes are regularly accompanied by persecution, threats, and vandalism. Yet the focus and sympathies of state officials have been directed entirely on the homosexual plaintiffs, with little or no protection given to the rights and security of the business owners.
Ignoring these ugly realities and the dire threat they pose to the basic freedoms and guarantees against government coercion codified in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Brewer bemoaned her annoyance that this was the first piece of legislation to cross her desk, when so many other important issues, such as the economy, needed more immediate attention. In short, jobs for the people of Arizona took complete precedence over their ability to live and worship in the manner that the Founders had fought, bled, and died to preserve and bequeath to them. Apparently, in Brewer's post-modern world, material abundance trumps any of the other noble qualities of Americanism. At least that is how she presented her priorities in front of the cameras.
Among her most egregious platitudes were the contradictory "values" of religious liberty and the modern liberal demand of "non-discrimination." By its current definition, the latter requires the active participation of any business owning citizen or employee of such, at the behest of those who incessantly require not merely acquiescence, but active support of their chosen lifestyle. In short, where "non-discrimination" can metastasize into mandated involvement, religious liberty is eradicated.
Equally ominous has been the manner in which the foul tactics of Saul Alinsky have been invoked throughout the country by the media, politicians, and even the sports industry in a massive intimidation effort against Arizona and SB 1062. Major League Baseball issued a sophomoric statement condemning it, while the National Football League made a veiled threat to move the location of next year's Super Bowl out of Phoenix unless Brewer vetoed it. And of course the predictable media parakeets from Hollywood to New York had their usual venom and bile to hurl against the effort to protect religious freedom in the Grand Canyon State.
Rush Limbaugh rightly characterized the onslaught against SB 1062 as "bullying," which caused its own vitriolic firestorm from the counterculture. Yet as the unflappable radio giant points out, this is the realm in which the left operates, while it hypocritically calls for "tolerance" from its targeted adversaries. The ultimate intentions of SB 1062 opponents reach far beyond its scope. Not only will they continue to advance their sordid version of morality as the new and only acceptable standard for appropriate behavior, they fully intend to make an example of anyone who dares to defy their new order. Claiming the mantle of "rights" and "equality" they relentlessly strive to assume total and uncontested dominance of the culture.
This is the poisonous manner in which political contests are henceforth going to be undertaken. And among those Americans who reject this degeneration of their country and the philosophical takeover of its governing institutions by the counterculture, the only option is to elect officials who recognize the seriousness of the threat facing the nation, and who possess the courage and principle to face the ugliness of the opposition and directly confront it.
© Chris Adamo
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)