http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO2iiovYq70
Where is Joseph Welch when we need him?
He was the bookish general counsel for the U.S. Army who famously brought the end to U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy’s steady diet of demagoguery, reckless accusations, and unsubstantiated accusations as part of his chilling, life-destroying campaign of anti-Communist witch hunting.
Mr. Welch famously brought down Senator McCarthy with an indignant response that ended with a question. He asked: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
Today, it’s a question that he could have put to Tennessee Senator Brian Kelsey, who continues his own campaign of extremism, this time with a bill that absolves businesses from lawsuits if they refuse services and goods to same-sex couples “if doing so would violate sincerely held religious beliefs.”
It’s the sort of legislation that would bring smiles to the faces of Vladimir Putin and Russian politicians.
Freedom To Be Intolerant
Mr. Kelsey cloaks his zealotry behind a title that is a dog whistle to the extreme right: the “Religious Freedom Act.” That it is so patently illegal – not to mention immoral – on its face does little to dissuade him from using the Bible yet again as a weapon to bludgeon others (most of whom are Christians too).
That said, the fact that Mr. Kelsey pursues his intolerant agenda says much more about his political opportunism than his religion. Over the years, he has established a well-deserved reputation for being willing to stake out positions that are hurtful and mean-spirited in pursuit of his own political ambitions.
This idiotic bill is just the latest example, and it is written so broadly as to be unenforceable. We presume that Mr. Kelsey’s bill will put a motel owner in the position of discerning if two male friends who say they are on a hunting trip to a small town in West Tennessee are more than just friends and the businessman can decide if they are really celebrating their love of hunting or their love of each other.
More Questions Than Answers
If Mr. Kelsey is sincere when he takes on the mantle of defending religion, why does he only apply his protections to businesses who don’t want to treat same-sex couples fairly and equally? How about protecting a religious belief that leads someone to believe that divorce is Biblically forbidden? Or can someone who knows that a couple has committed adultery refuse to serve them because of his religious beliefs?
And what if a doctor refuses to provide medical care to half of a same-sex couple and that person dies? Is Mr. Kelsey really suggesting that the state should pass a law that indemnifies the doctor from being sued for negligence?
It is nothing short of remarkable to see these part-time Tennessee legislators inject their narrow political views into issues that fundamentally deny some Tennesseeans equal protection under the law and freedom from government-led discrimination. It’s the modern equivalent of Jim Crow laws but today aimed at the LGBT community.
Allegedly a small government conservative, it would seem that Mr. Kelsey would be cautious in exercising the power of his office to interfere in personal rights and governmental responsibilities. But he has repeatedly shown that he is willing to vilify minorities – whether urban school students or same sex couples – and to overturn policies like the living wage ordinance approved by the duly elected government of the people of Memphis.
Keep The Faith
We probably shouldn’t be too unkind to Mr. Kelsey because he is just one of many when it comes to the extremists who have commandeered the one proud Tennessee Republican Party. There is little wonder that the Tennessee Legislature has been recognized as the worst in the U.S. for its anti-gay, anti-science, pro-bullying, pro-gun, and anti-women proposals.
These days, there is no decision that is too personal or too private that legislators aren’t willing to inject themselves into it: women making decisions about their reproductive rights, teachers who want to teach real science, families of gay children worried about bullying, employers who want safe work sites, and families who see their homes and places of worship as the best places to teach religious beliefs.
And contrary to what Mr. Kelsey apparently believes, many people of faith are not driven by a desire to punish anyone who is not like them and understand that their religious teachings require us to them to care for the poor rather than advocate cuts in vital services, to fight for fairness for middle class families in the state tax system, and to teach their children to the richness that comes from appreciating the full diversity of the world they live in.
Also appalling is that no one has indicated they will run against him.
Well said. I’m old enough to remember some “good church folk” who believed passionately that the open housing law in the 1960’s was a violation of their religious beliefs. They believed the bible dictated the separation of races, and argued that they should indeed be able to deny people of color the opportunity to buy houses in their neighborhood. Sen. Kelsey’s bill would open a veritable pandora’s box of issues.
Bravo! Well said. You are our Joseph Welch.
How long, oh how long must we tolerate the Nouveau Republican zealots who, to advance their sanctimonious views, paint anyone not like them as an alien species.
(after seeing the YouTube clip here I realize that Senator Ted Cruz and Joseph McCarthy are just alike and Kelsey must be trying emulate them)
By chance, I happened to meet Mr. Kelsey as part of a small party on the eve of his election as state senator. After a round or two of drinks, I left with the impression that he might be among the most narrow minded individuals I had ever met- even more so when one factored in his relative youth. I am not convinced- at least based on that meeting several years back- that he possess the type of fervent belief in the fundamentals on which his legislation is founded that he would seek to introduce such a bill. However, I have no doubt he possesses all the conviction necessary to propose such legislation if it would result in a chance at free press and the opportunity to elevate his name among his fellow mud slingers and grinders.
It is rare to meet someone whose career choice is that of a politician so early in their life. It is depressing when they show so little backbone and such willingness to pander to the slightest ebb and flow of moral and ethical currents.
I think Kelsey is Roy Cohn 2.0.
Kelsey is also the goofiest LOOKING member of the Legislature. Yes, I realize that’s a superficial insult, but it’s also true. I see this doofus around at public events in germantown from time to time. Saw him at a Houston HIgh football game standing by the entrance a few years back trying to shake hands. What is interesting to me is that most of the people who send their kids to Germantown public schools vote for this a hole and yet they seem not to realize he is one of their childrens’ worst enemies, an avowed enemy of public education, who doesn’t believe in public education on “principle.” He is a transparent hack, one of the most nakedly ambitious minor politicians I’ve ever seen, at least around these parts.
He has a face that just invites a punching out.
Kelsey’s voucher bill SB2025 will pull money away from
Public Ed. This bill is in the senate education committee this Wednesday. Let you state senator know what you think!