Bobby Jindal, the republican governor of Louisianna, wrote an op-ed piece for the NYT arguing in favor of "religious freedom" laws that would allow merchants to refuse service to gays. That's fine. He's free to speak his mind.

And I'm free to analyze what he says.

First Bobby pompously lectures: "A pluralistic and diverse society like ours can exist only if we all tolerate people who disagree with us."

OK, that's fine. But just how tolerant and respectful of people who disagree is Bobby Jindal?
Well, every time Jindal refers to those who disagree with him, Jimmy goes with a pejorative label. Those who disagree with Jindal are labeled as, "left wing activists", "Radical left", "Radical Liberals", "Left wing ideologues", "Hollywood and media elite", etc  These are all very loaded terms.

Just in case you are too dumb to figure out these dog whistle terms, Jindal connects the dots for you. Bobby tells you that the people who oppose religious freedom bills are the same people who, "Seek to tax and regulate business out of existence", and "think that making profit is vulgar". So, Bobby injects the god of capitalism into the argument, and the predictble swipe at "Big Government", and makes a sweeping generalization about the people who disagree with him on this issue. Does anybody really believe that everybody who opposes religious freedom laws wants to tax business out of existence? It's obviously a ridiculous smear, but Bobby thinks it sells.

What about those who agree with Jindal? Well, they are people "Who believe in freedom". Of course a reference to the Bill of rights is thrown in for good measure.

Let's recap. Bobby Jindal believes that we should all tolerate and respect people who disagree with us. Even those radical left, media/hollywoood elite commies who hate freedom, I presume.
Under the guise of tolerance, Jindal goes down the same path of others before him of demonizing those who disagree with him, by painting them as some tiny group of bad or crazy people.
In other words, Us vs Them, and them are evil. Same old same old.
Let's take a look at the actual reality. A recent poll showed that 57% of Americans oppose "religious freedom" laws*. Now they may be right. They may be wrong. And it's entirely appropriate for Jindal to argue his point of view. What is NOT right is for Jinadl to claim that the folks who disagree are some tiny group of "activists" or  insert epithet here. They are, in fact, the majority of other Americans.
But, I guess that saying  "My fellow citizens are good people who I think are wrong on this issue" just doesn't have the same melodramatic effect.

Jindal should be ashamed of his divisive actions.



Bobby Jindal: I’m Holding Firm Against Gay Marriage

BATON ROUGE, La. — THE debate over religious liberty in America presents conservatives and business leaders with a crucial choice.

In Indiana and Arkansas, large corporations recently joined left-wing activists to bully elected officials into backing away from strong protections for religious liberty. It was disappointing to see conservative leaders so hastily retreat on legislation that would simply allow for an individual or business to claim a right to free exercise of religion in a court of law.

Our country was founded on the principle of religious liberty, enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Why shouldn’t an individual or business have the right to cite, in a court proceeding, religious liberty as a reason for not participating in a same-sex marriage ceremony that violates a sincerely held religious belief?

That is what Indiana and Arkansas sought to do. That political leaders in both states quickly cowered amid the shrieks of big business and the radical left should alarm us all.

As the fight for religious liberty moves to Louisiana, I have a clear message for any corporation that contemplates bullying our state: Save your breath.

In 2010, Louisiana adopted a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits government from unduly burdening a person’s exercise of religion. However, given the changing positions of politicians, judges and the public in favor of same-sex marriage, along with the potential for discrimination against Christian individuals and businesses that comes with these shifts, I plan in this legislative session to fight for passage of the Marriage and Conscience Act.

The legislation would prohibit the state from denying a person, company or nonprofit group a license, accreditation, employment or contract — or taking other “adverse action” — based on the person or entity’s religious views on the institution of marriage.

Some corporations have already contacted me and asked me to oppose this law. I am certain that other companies, under pressure from radical liberals, will do the same. They are free to voice their opinions, but they will not deter me. As a nation we would not compel a priest, minister or rabbi to violate his conscience and perform a same-sex wedding ceremony. But a great many Americans who are not members of the clergy feel just as called to live their faith through their businesses. That’s why we should ensure that musicians, caterers, photographers and others should be immune from government coercion on deeply held religious convictions.

The bill does not, as opponents assert, create a right to discriminate against, or generally refuse service to, gay men or lesbians. The bill does not change anything as it relates to the law in terms of discrimination suits between private parties. It merely makes our constitutional freedom so well defined that no judge can miss it.

I hold the view that has been the consensus in our country for over two centuries: that marriage is between one man and one woman. Polls indicate that the American consensus is changing — but like many other believers, I will not change my faith-driven view on this matter, even if it becomes a minority opinion.

A pluralistic and diverse society like ours can exist only if we all tolerate people who disagree with us. That’s why religious freedom laws matter — and why it is critical for conservatives and business leaders to unite in this debate.

If we, as conservatives, are to succeed in advancing the cause of freedom and free enterprise, the business community must stand shoulder to shoulder with those fighting for religious liberty. The left-wing ideologues who oppose religious freedom are the same ones who seek to tax and regulate businesses out of existence. The same people who think that profit making is vulgar believe that religiosity is folly. The fight against this misguided, government-dictating ideology is one fight, not two. Conservative leaders cannot sit idly by and allow large corporations to rip our coalition in half.

Since I became governor in 2008, Louisiana has become one of the best places to do business in America. I made it a priority to cut taxes, reform our ethics laws, invigorate our schools with bold merit-based changes and parental choice, and completely revamp work-force training to better suit businesses.

Our reforms worked because they were driven by our belief in freedom. We know that a nation in which individuals, and companies, are protected from the onerous impulses of government is one that will thrive and grow. That’s the intellectual underpinning of America, and in Louisiana we defend it relentlessly.

Conservatism faces many challenges in today’s America. Hollywood and the media elite are hostile to our values and they tip the scales to our liberal opponents at every opportunity. Yet the left has lost repeatedly in state elections all over America. Republicans control 31 governorships. We control nearly 70 percent of state legislative chambers, the highest proportion since at least 1900.

Liberals have decided that if they can’t win at the ballot box, they will win in the boardroom. It’s a deliberate strategy. And it’s time for corporate America to make a decision.

Those who believe in freedom must stick together: If it’s not freedom for all, it’s not freedom at all. This strategy requires populist social conservatives to ally with the business community on economic matters and corporate titans to side with social conservatives on cultural matters. This is the grand bargain that makes freedom’s defense possible.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/opinion/bobby-jindal-im-holding-firm-against-gay-marriage.html


*http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/politics/americans-support-same-sex-marriage/