Sunday, February 19, 2017

Washington’s Supreme Court Imposes Its Progressive Faith on a Christian Florist

The ruling in Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers should chill First Amendment advocates everywhere.   

David French; NRO  "If you care about the Bill of Rights, the rights of conscience, or even the English language, there’s a chance that this morning you felt a disturbance in the Force — as if the Founders cried out in rage and were suddenly silenced. That disturbance was the Washington Supreme Court’s oppressive ruling in State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers, a case holding that a florist was bound by state law to use her artistic talents to design floral arrangements to celebrate what she viewed as an immoral event: a gay wedding.

"The pretext for overriding the florist’s rights to free speech and religious liberty was Washington’s so-called “public accommodations law,” which required the owner, Barronelle Stutzman, to provide goods and services to customers “regardless” of their sexual orientation.
"Let’s be clear, according to the plain language of the law and the undisputed facts of the case, Stutzman did nothing illegal. She had always consistently and joyfully served gay clients, including the man who ultimately decided to bring potentially ruinous legal claims against her." . . .

Related, wouldn't you say?
Wegmans store
The Companies, Sports Teams, and Celebrity Chefs That Still Won’t Work With Donald Trump  . . . "Meanwhile, media strategist Shannon Coulter has called for a boycott of retailers who carry Ivanka Trump’s fashion line, the Ivanka Trump Collection . . ."

Wegmans facing boycotts for carrying Trump products


Obamaleaks: Suspicious Haaretz “scoop” about Netanyahu blocking “regional peace plan”

Haaretz

"Selective leaks by former Obama officials meant to make Netanyahu look bad don’t hold up to scrutiny."

Barak Ravid, the diplomatic correspondent for the Israeli daily Haaretz, has a reputation of getting great scoops, especially of the sort that makes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu look bad.
"In a story with a sensational headline that has lit up anti-Netanyahu social media, Ravid reported, 
Exclusive Kerry Offered Netanyahu Regional Peace Plan in Secret 2016 Summit With al-Sissi, King Abdullah.
"The sub-headline read, “Kerry’s outline included Arab recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Netanyahu claimed he couldn’t get his coalition to back it.' ” . . .
. . .
"But there are reason to question the conclusions of Ravid’s report.
"For one thing the Ravid report omits context. In February of last year the so-called knife intifada was winding down, but there were still
107 attacks, largely driven by Palestinian incitement, in which 3 Israelis were killed. Was this really a good time to ask Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians, when its leadership was actively encouraging violence against Israel.
"For another, here’s a paragraph from Ravid’s report:" . . .


Iranian Women, before and after the Islamist Takeover



Mansour Kashfi
. . . "Iran before the Islamic Revolution (1979)


"Reza Shah the Great, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran, courageously initiated the greatest challenge of his era (1925 – 1941): the abolishment of the hijab (veil) for Iranian women on Jan. 6, 1935. The policy of “Kashf-e-Hijab” banned a very basic Islamic law, the covering of the whole woman’s body except the eyes and hands. However, avoiding hypocrisy, he commenced this task with his own family-- namely his own wife and daughters.


"His policy of forced un-veiling was a catalyst in the advancement of Iranian society and in ending women’s slavery. By doing that, Reza Shah the Great aroused a deep animosity in fundamentalist clergies who had practically ruled the country during the previous Qajar Dynasty for 136 miserable years. He rightfully considered the hijab the emblem of an obsolete tradition which aimed to hinder Iranian women from equal life opportunities. His wholehearted efforts encouraged women to pursue higher education and to work outside the home.
. . .
Iran after the Islamic Revolution


With the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran, clergies in Tehran immediately and severely curtailed the laws established under the White Revolution, including the Family Protection Law in favor of women, which was repealed. Today in Iran under Islamic law, gender equality is practically non-existent. Women are required to obey the Islamic law of wearing the hijab, otherwise they are subject to the severe punishment of lashing and days in prison. Islamic law specifies that women are banned from wearing perfume or shaking hands with males. Women who wear lipstick are detained and their lips are cut with blades or broken glass. Many women’s faces have been permanently scarred by acid, thrown in their faces by Islamic fascist secret police. Women have been barred from judging positions. Islamic laws consider legal testimony by women to be half as valuable as legal testimony by men." . . .




Israeli hospital helps deaf Palestinian children hear for first time

Times of Israel

"Jerusalem medical center carries out 16 cochlear implant surgeries as part of Peres Center for Peace project"

Illustrative photo of doctors at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem performing surgery, Jerusalem, March 5, 1990. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

"Sixteen deaf Palestinian children were able to hear for the first time after undergoing a procedure at an Israeli hospital to repair their hearing, Hebrew media reported Saturday.
The operations to repair the children’s hearing, known as cochlear implant surgery, were performed by doctors at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem over the course of the past several months, according to the Ynet news website.

"The last six surgeries took place over the course of just a few days.

"Dr. Michal Kaufmann, who performed the surgeries, told Ynet that being able to perform the operations was quite difficult due to the “logistical challenge[s].”
“Many authorizations were required from the Defense Ministry,” she said, adding that “some of the children arrived without a medical record and required extensive tests at Hadassah alongside emotional and psychological treatment.' ” . . .

Trump: Hour Of Negotiations Saved More Than $1 Billion On Air Force One

Weasel Zippers


"Via Washington Examiner:
President Trump said Saturday that he has reduced the price of two new Air Force One planes by more than $1 billion after spending about an hour on negotiations.
Trump previously slammed the cost of the $4.2 billion Boeing program on Twitter as being too high and secured a personal promise from Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to complete the program for under $4 billion.
“I refuse to fly in a $4.2 billion plane,” Trump said at his Melbourne, Fla., rally. “We’ve got that price down by over $1 billion and I probably haven’t spoken for more than an hour on the project. I got the generals in who are fantastic … but I told Boeing that isn’t good enough, the price is still too high.”
Keep reading…

When President Obama’s National Security Advisor Lied, The Media Laughed

The Federalist

"Lying to Us Only Matters If We Dislike You"

When President Obama’s National Security Advisor Lied, The Media Laughed

"Buried deep beneath the Michael Flynn hysteria this week was Judicial Watch’s release of newly obtained State Department documents related to the Benghazi terrorist attack on September 11, 2012. One email confirms—again—that the Obama administration knew the day after the attack it was not a random act of violence stemming from an anti-Muslim video. That was the excuse shamefully propagated by top Obama administration officials (including the president himself) and swallowed whole by a media establishment desperate to help Obama win re-election six weeks later.

"According to the summary of a call on September 12, 2012 between State Department Under-Secretary Patrick Kennedy and several congressional staffers, Kennedy was asked if the attack came under cover of protest: “No this was a direct breaching attack,” he answered. Kennedy also denied the attack was coordinated with the protests in Cairo over the video: “Attack in Cairo was a demonstration. There were no weapons shown or used. A few cans of spray paint'.” . . .