SnakeRiverLib

Tonight I had a discussion with the idea of a business owner choosing whom he can serve, and whom he can't.  Bottom line?  In today's environment, no one can deny service to another.  Period. I am guessing that we were talking about it because the courts have ruled against "Sweet Cakes by Melissa" a baker who refused to provide a wedding cake to a gay couple.   This is not going to be a piece on gay marriage, that matter is currently shelved.  What I want to write about is the greater implications of this ruling.  To do that, we need to hit the way back machine, but first let's stop in 2010. In 2010 Rand Paul was running for the US Senate in Kentucky.  He was struggling against, first, the establishment GOP candidate, and then the general election.  One of the things that came up was an opinion offered by Dr. Paul regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1965.  He opined that the law was wrong in forcing businesses to not discriminate.  He ...

Yesterday, December 18.2015, The House of Representatives and the Senate made a decision to hand Donald Trump the nomination.  I am guessing that the sound of their jets running on the tarmac drowned out the sound of the American People saying "what the heck?"  Shall we review? In 2010, the American Electorate put Republicans back in control of the House.  Overwhelmingly.  Why?  To put a stop to the President, and his desire to "fundamentally change this country" In 2012, by running an establishment candidate, guess what?  Four more years of President Obama.  All sorts of reasons, or rather, excuses.  Want to know why it is a false assumption to assume the President had a mandate?  Because even then, the mostly conservative electorate put the Republican majority back in the House. while rejecting the honorable, but not conservative, and definitely mainstream, establishment, Mitt Romney. In 2014, begging for money, and for turnout, the R...

The Donald announced he would ban all muslims from coming to the United States.  I am no fan, and have so stated.  To single out a religion as a test to come into this country is a bad thing to do.  I am not saying he couldn't.  No one has a right to come to our country.  I would say that the better way to do this would be to put a pause on ALL immigration.  I would also have the State Department chase down the visa overstayers and get that managed.  President Carter not only barred Iranians from coming to the US, they hunted down Iranians in the US, and kicked them out.  Yes, that President Carter.  We "paused" immigration for 40 years in the 20th Century.  That allowed those here to assimilate, and become Americans. I resist mightily the concept of singling people out for their faith.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints released a statement that while the church does not engage in partisan politics, it will engage w...

I love the quote, but truth is, it isn't mine.  Your local neighborhood Jimmy John's probably has the sign on their wall.  They may have to rethink that. France's president has certainly read the tea leaves, and has commenced operations at long last against ISIS.  His country was attacked, twice by radical islamic terrorists, and is finally responding.  Not because it is in his nature, he is a socialist after all, but because he has recognized that politically it could become troublesome.  He is too late. Over the weekend, the National Front, the right wing, nationalistic, anti EU, anti immigration party, had significant wins in the regional elections in France.  A party which up to this point has been significantly marginalized won big.  While it is possible, and even likely that now that the field has narrowed many may choose to vote for the center right conservative party, the damage has been done, and if the conservatives win, they will probabl...

There are so many things to write about, and I can't really sort them out.  I did want to mention that even though the Media would have you believe that prayers do no good, or rather it is too late, I would say that prayer works, not only as a cathartic action, but that I believe that God does hear and answer prayers. My prayers support the families that were devastated by these terrorists.  I won't say that they are jihadists, the evidence isn't there yet.  Yes, they are Muslim, and that wasn't immediately released, which may be a clue in and of itself, but I will be fair and leave it at that. So, we have a Presidential candidate that I don't support, and not sure that I could ever support, even against Hillary.  He thinks that we should go spy on all mosques in the United States.  He also thinks that we should back off on the acceptance of refugees.  I do agree with that.  We have too many Americans that aren't working, possibly due, in part, to th...