Colorado law signals end of gender-specific restrooms

Yesterday – May 29, 2008 – Colorado’s Governor Bill Ritter signed into law a bill that makes it illegal in that state to discriminate against homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgendered people when buying a home, renting an apartment or using public accommodations.

There are many laws already in place or under consideration – including the one currently under consideration by Ohio’s Legislature – that establish sexual orientation, gender identity and/or transgendered status as a protected class under civil rights laws. Any such law is inherently discriminatory and is a threat to some of our most fundamental freedoms.

But the Colorado law is particularly egregious.

It is the section of the law that addresses public accommodations that makes it so. This aspect of the law would make it legal for those who identify themselves as transgendered – i.e., those who were born one gender but identify themselves with the other, even temporarily – to use any public restrooms in which they feel most comfortable.

Read the statement of Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family:

“Who would have believed that the Colorado state Legislature and its governor would have made it fully legal for men to enter and use women’s restrooms and locker-room facilities without notice or explanation?

“Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence. The legislation lists every conceivable type of organization to which this law applies, including restaurants, bathhouses, massage parlors, mortuaries, theaters and ‘public facilities of any kind.’ Those who would attempt to protect females from this intrusion are subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and up to one year behind bars.

“This is your government in action. It represents a payback to Tim Gill and two other billionaires who have essentially ‘bought’ state legislators with enormous campaign contributions. Coloradans deserve better!

“And by the way, because of the way this bill is written, it is not subject to the initiative process. There is no recourse.”

This is beyond belief! Pray for our country.

Source: Center for Community Values, Citizens’ E-Courier, May 30, 2008.

Ohio Library Discriminates Against Religious Group

Apparently the old adage to never discuss politics or religion in public is more than just good etiquette in a Columbus-area library. Patrons can talk about anything else. But these two are sacrosanct and part of the “thou shalt nots” if you want to use the library meeting room. Just ask a conservative public policy group who got bounced when they wanted to host a public meeting called “Politics and the Pulpit.”

In response, attorneys for Citizens for Community Values (CCV) filed a lawsuit in federal court today after the Upper Arlington Public Library (UA) refused to allow the group to use a public meeting room to discuss the commingling of the two topics. The library’s director, Ann R. Moore, rescinded the group’s reservation saying the proposed meeting CCV was sponsoring violated library policy because they contained “inherent elements of a religious service.”

David Miller, CCV’s Vice President for Public Policy, was disappointed by the cancellation but was not dissuaded from holding the policy briefings at other public libraries. “Most people would presume that the government would work to see that everyone is treated equally. But when they are the ones who actually engage in the discrimination because of your particular religious viewpoint, it’s a little surprising,” Miller said.

Miller pointed to the inconsistency in the library’s own policy. The meeting room policies state, in part:

As an institution of education for democratic living, the library welcomes the use of its meeting rooms for cultural activities and discussion of public questions and social issues. Our meeting rooms are available on equal terms to all groups in the community regardless of the beliefs and affiliations of their members…The use of the meeting rooms for commercial, religious or political campaign meetings is not permitted. (emphasis added)

CCV believes that court action is needed in order to secure the future rights and freedoms of other individuals or groups to insure that no one else will be discriminated against for their religious viewpoints. First Amendment attorney, David Langdon, and the Alliance Defense Fund, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the organization.

A copy of the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, in Citizens for Community Values v. Upper Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/CCVcomplaint.pdf.

Ohio Senate to vote on the ultrasound bill

In December of 2007, the Ohio House passed H.B. 314, the Ultrasound Viewing Option Bill, by a vote of 73-20.

Sponsored by Rep. Shannon Jones (R-Springboro), H.B.314 would require that, if an ultrasound examination is performed prior to or during an abortion, the abortionist must give the woman an opportunity to view the active ultrasound image of the unborn child and an opportunity to receive a physical picture of the ultrasound image.

Ultrasounds provide scientifically accurate information that women should have an opportunity to view in order to make a more informed decision about abortion. Seeing those live images of the human lives growing within them has touched the hearts of many abortion-bound women and saved the lives of their unborn children.

The bill has moved to the Senate.

If you live in Ohio, your help is to keep the momentum going. Contact your senator and encourage him/her to vote YES on H.B. 314.

Ohio Senator Steve Austria’s Bid for US Congress Turns to Desperate Sliming Politics

Who said dirty politics is reserved for lawyers on Capitol Hill? Don’t be fooled it’s for those trying to get their too. Like his mentor, Steve Austria is mired in the muck of dirty tactics because he obviously fears Ron Hood may win.

In case you have not heard of Steve Austria or Ron Hood, these two politicians are running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Austria is the current Ohio Senate majority leader. He is a Beavercreek Ohio businessman not a lawyer like his mentor Dave Hobson, who is retiring from his career job on Capitol Hill. Remember those words. Hobson is a career politician who never wrote a law and he is Austria’s mentor.Ron Hood also is a businessman and the son-in-law of Bill and Pam Dean. The Dean family is one of Xenia’s prominent entrepreneurs in the service sector. Hood served in the Ohio House of Representative from 1995-2000 and 2005-2006. Unlike Austria who is endorsed only by several party organizations, Hood is endorsed by a number of family associations like Family First, Moms for Ohio and Citizens for Community Values, by several gun owners associations, and by the Chamber of Commerce.

What inspired this post was a slick mailer I received yesterday from Austria. The sliming of Ron Hood advertisement says Hood voted with democrats 80% of the time. Austria’s glossy green with yellow letters oversize postcard accuses Hood of being a RINO, which means a Republican in name only. On the front and back, it says Ron Hood is a Democrat. The real interesting thing about Austria’s sliming tactic is found in the small print. That’s right, in small print Austria acknowledges his accusations are based only on 3 bills and not on Hood’s entire record. Out of the hundreds of bills Hood sponsored and the many more he voted on only House Bill 66, House Bill 23, and House Bill 160 are used as proof of Hood being an undercover liberal. I checked the huge budget bill House Bill 66. I found conservatives Dewine and Widener voting with the Democrats on a lot of legislative items too. Does that make them liberals too?

It is obvious Austria is a real political desperado willing to do any thing to win. It also shows what kind of politician he really is.

From only 3 budget bills, Austria accuses Hood of voting against legislation like cutting family income taxes, eliminating unfair business taxes, cutting government spending, creating tougher sex offender laws, giving employers of convicted felons a tax break (House Bill 160), voting for a gutted version of law to regulate strip clubs (House Bill 23). All of that and more from just 3 bills.

If we consider Hood’s entire record, it becomes apparent that he actually worked to cut taxes and government spending. Yes, he opposed Gov. Taft aggressive tax and spend policies, which mean he is guilty of voting with Democrats on those types of bills. He even had the audacity to propose or support bills to eliminate some of the bureaucracy. Austria accuses him of voting against tougher sex offender laws. Yet, Hood sponsored and voted for bills for better victim rights law as well as tougher sex offender laws. In fact, Hood worked to pass laws preventing sex offense, abortions, and anti-family policy from existing in Ohio. That is why liberals voting him out of office in 2006. What Hood did oppose and Austria favored was redundant law forcing church workers to report suspected sex abuse under penalty of law for failing to do so. I still think it was a bad law because recent studies show public school teachers are more often sexually abuse children than Catholic priests. The same studies reveal the school system protects teachers from prosecution for such crimes.

Austria also accuses Hood of supporting House Bill 160 that would gives employers of convicted felons a tax break. It is true Hood did sponsor a bill that would have given incentives to employers to hire ex-cons or “qualified reforming felons.” What is better employers employing ex-cons or ex-cons returning to crime in order to have food, shelter, and other necessities of life? At least by going back to prison, ex-cons get those necessities furnished. It would have been interesting to see how Austria would have voted had the bill passed through committee to a full vote by the General Assembly.

Austria was also attempting to slime Hood over his vote for a gutted version of law to regulate strip clubs (House Bill 23). What Austria failed to mention was that he was the one who gutted House Bill 23, according to Citizens for Community Values. What Austria did was remove bill’s operating hour restriction of 11pm, the 6 foot space between nude or semi-nude employees and patrons, and weakened the authority of townships to regulate sex clubs. Most strip clubs are in municipalities but most of the related crime occurs in townships. Thus, the bill Hood originally sponsored was showpiece for politicians like Austria to say they did something about strip club problem.

Austria’s dirty political tactic against Hood raises the ethics question. Anyone who attempts to deceive the public in such an under-handed but strategic way shows not only desperation but also questionable ethical quality. He is supposed to be pro-life and pro-family. Should we not expect at least honesty from him?

Yet, it was Austria whose ethics have been called into question by Retired Air Force Lt. Col. John Mitchel. His investigation into the BRAC deal led him to bring charges against Austria, his wife, his mentor, and others for using No Bid government contracts to launder money. Citizens should be asking the Governor and Attorney General what is being done about it. (See sources below.)

How ethical is that?

Austria also criticizes Hood for not giving any aid to families of soldiers killed in action. Austria didn’t give his own money to the fallen Col. Paul Kelly’s family he gave money given by others supporting his annual fund raiser. It seems Austria decided to donate the proceeds when he wanted the general public to see what a great guy his is supposed to be. I hope it was truly out of compassion and not for votes.

Austria’s unwarranted sliming tactic reveals Austria’s desperation to win. Like his sugar daddy mentor, he might be good for corporate business, but even that is questionable. Hobson supported the gay Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that violates every First Amendment right of business owners, who by the way are also American citizens. If Austria is like his mentor, we will not have a lawmaker but a wheeler-and-dealer of pork who just happens to vote for conservative bills and sometimes for liberal ones too–like ENDA. I suspect the reason Hobson voted for ENDA was not to eliminate discrimination but because many major corporation support the gay lobby. I doubt Austria is really any different.

Hood created and supported legislation defending strong traditional families, marriage and life. He also supported legislation to help create a business friendly state. Hood appears to be a genuine conservative lawmaker. It is Austria’s conservativism that is in question.

Sources for Lt. Col. John Mitchel Charges:

Ret. Lt. Col. John Mitchel, Letter to Ohio’s Legal Officials 09 November 2007.

Jeff, OH-07: Austria (R) Called Co-Conspirator in Corrupt Steering of No-Bid Contracts, Ohio Daily Blog 16 January 2008.

Ret. Lt. Col. John Mitchel, Who will guard the guards?, ReformCongress.com 13 February 2008.

Fallen Heroes: Army Col. Paul M. Kelly, Fallen Heroes Weblog 20 January 2007.

Aaron Keith Harris, Austria donates proceeds from fundraiser to family of fallen soldier, Xenia Daily Gazette 20 July 2007.