Hobby Blah-by

So much crap posted about Hobby Lobby and SCOTUS today. I’m really tired of this. There is a major problem in the U.S. today, a social/political climate that just isn't going to change unless WE change tactics.

You see, the problem is not that a small sect of people wants to force others to live by their rules. The problem is that those same people are never forced to live by their own rules. The logic of their argument is never played out to its inevitable conclusion.

We never should have repealed DOMA.

…Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know… Get it out of your system and then read on.

Repealing DOMA is like throwing away a toddler’s broken toy car and giving them a teddy bear. I say make the little brat try and play with a broken toy car.

DOMA should have been left in place, and I’ll tell you why. It invalidated the full-faith and credit clause in our constitution that says (basically) that one state must respect and honor legal rulings made by other states. This is why when someone flies off to Vegas and gets married it is recognized in every other state.

If we really wanted to fix DOMA and marriage equality, states that recognized marriage equality should not have recognized marriages (hetero or homo) from states that did not recognize marriage equality. It’s that simple. NY could have led the way. I would have love to seen Cuomo’s press conference as he announced “New York will no longer recognize marriages from “Oklahoma, Virginia (which is apparently only for SOME lovers), Wyoming…”

Yes, it seems extreme, but shouldn't it be? Shouldn't someone be pointing out how ridiculous their actions are rather than treating them like the 90+ year-old racist man that lives on the corner of your block? We can’t just smile, nod and know that he’ll be gone soon. That doesn't work with large groups that are trying to dictate the course of other’s lives.

Such is the case of Hobby Lobby and others who want to live in their own little world without regards for others. This is my solution, we should all seek employment at Hobby Lobby (we’d be guaranteed Sunday’s off to watch football). Once employed, these should be the conditions of employment we demand:

-          We should refuse to work with women while they are menstruating AND insist that the female employees get one week of paid vacation every month as to keep the store from becoming “unclean” (some versions of the bible would call for two weeks and animal sacrifice, but let’s be reasonable, okay?).

-          Employees should also refuse to handle any merchandise made from leather.

-          Employees should refuse to get haircuts or shave

-          Women can move into management, but only after all men have been promoted above them.

-          All new male hires must be immediately promoted to positions above female managers.

-          Employees should refuse to sell any items made in China (most of Hobby Lobby’s inventory) because of China’s government sanctioned abortions.

-          Employees can refuse to serve anyone with tattoos, who’s been divorced, had premarital sex, can’t prove they were a virgin when they got married… (you get the picture)

I know this is absurd, you know this is absurd, but the folks who are behind the Hobby Lobby debacle and those trying to restrict marriage equality, among many other people trying their best to prove they’re better than everyone else, don’t see that the argument is the same. Their arguments don’t get played out to the end. Their broken logic gets swept under the rug and they start getting upset about something else.

When I was young, I really only learned things the hard way (sometimes still do), I liked to try and put my hand in the campfire, a lot… over and over again, relentlessly. Either people had to constantly play goalie and comment on how cute I was (I really was, just ask my mom) or let me stick my hand in just once. It worked. A little later in life, I didn't realize that making fun of someone else could be hurtful until someone started making fun of me. I was slow to develop empathy (and height) in those days. That is the social/political climate we have today, a group of people with no true empathy trying to dictate how others must live their lives. They will never think through their thoughts and actions to see the impact they will have on others. They will not operate their daily lives with empathy for everyone. We have to stop expecting them to. We need to stop acting surprised when these kinds of things happen. We need to start forcing them to see the conclusion of their thoughts and actions. Let people make fun of them, let them stick their hand in the fire.

Two thoughts I’d like to leave you with:

If a corporation is a person, why can’t I punch one in the face?

A corporation isn't a person until Texas executes one.