http://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20150520/law-executiveMay 20, 2015 - Wednesday
Law and Executive Order... If liberals thought they could lie their way to victory in Louisiana, they've got another thing coming. After steamrolling leaders in Indiana, the Left has met its match in Governor Bobby Jindal (R). Frustrated by the legislators' cowardice, Governor Jindal heeded the wishes of 67 percent of the state and issued an executive order to do what the state house would not: stop state-sponsored persecution against people of faith.
Governor Jindal, who broke the news with me on yesterday's "Washington Watch," was frustrated -- not only because the Marriage and Conscience Act was misrepresented, but because it never even got a vote! "You and religious I have both heard these crazy hypothetical examples," he told me. "But we need to understand that these aren't hypothetical cases anymore. We're seeing real examples of discrimination against Christians, against Christian business owners. You saw it in Oregon, you saw it in New York, you saw it in Washington State. You see it where florists, bakers, and others are forced to participate in wedding ceremonies that offend their religious beliefs or they disagree with. Or they're being fined thousands of dollars and being forced to close their businesses. So we're not talking about hypothetical examples. This is happening today in America, all across the country."
And a bill that should have been a political no-brainer to stop it was sabotaged. "You understand why this is so important," Governor Jindal went on. "One of the greatest threats to our freedom is the area of religious liberty... The Left wants to erase the firmly held religious beliefs that they don't agree with... They're tolerant of everybody except anyone they disagree with... So we're going to issue an executive order today" that bars the government from using contracts, funds, licenses, certifications, or other weapons to punish Louisianans who believe in man-woman marriage.
As Governor Jindal pointed out, "All Christians are asking for is the right to live in America according to their beliefs." And thanks to him, they'll have it -- at least in Louisiana.