Religious Coercion Bill Temporarily Stopped

I've never been so happy to be wrong about Steve "Not Quite As Cowardly As I Thought" Beshear

Beth Musgrave at the Herald:

The sponsor of a controversial religious freedom bill said Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear told him Friday afternoon that Beshear will veto the measure.

Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, said Beshear told him during a more than hour-long conversation in the governor's Capitol office Friday that he intends to veto House Bill 279, citing concerns that the measure could create legal headaches.

Damron said he believes he will have the 51 votes required to override the veto, noting that Beshear did not ask him or Democratic House leaders to refrain from trying to override the bill. Republican Senate leaders have also said they have the votes needed to override a veto.House Bill 279 passed the House with only seven dissenting votes. It passed the Republican-led Senate 29-6.

SNIP

Conservative groups who backed the religious freedom bill criticized Beshear Friday.

"It won't be comforting for many Kentuckians to know that the ACLU is now calling the shots in the governor's office," said Martin Cothran, spokesman for The Family Foundation. "Religious people should not have to ask permission from the ACLU and gay rights groups to believe what they believe."

This is not a religious "freedom" bill and they know it.  It's a bill that allows freakazoids to turn the Commonwealth into a theocracy just like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan under the Taliban.

This bill puts freakazoids above the law. That is as unconstitutional, as undemocratic and as un-American as it gets.

Joe Sonka has the deets, including Beshear's full statement, which includes a number of strong public health and public safety objections to the bill, but again fails to address the fundamental issue of placing religion - especially religious bigotry and abuse - above the law.

From the Fairness Coalition, which pulled out all the stops on this one:

CALL NOW: Leave a message for "House Leadership" & "My Rep" to UPHOLD #HB279 VETO! 800.372.7181

This is a great day for civil rights in our commonwealth! Governor Steve Beshear has vetoed House Bill 279, a move to preserve Kentucky's legacy as civil rights leader of the South! Please send Governor Beshear a note of sincere thanks.

But the fight's not over yet. We must ask House Leadership to let the veto stand by not taking a vote to override it and allowing for a necessary year to study the potential effects of this measure, thus ensuring future passage of the most responsibly written piece of legislation that preserves both civil rights and religious freedom in Kentucky.

Thanks for your continued efforts to defeat House Bill 279!

In Fairness,

Chris Hartman, Director

Again, missing the point. ANY bill that puts religion above the law is an abomination and must be stopped. No amount of "civil rights exceptions" will make such a bill acceptable.