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Hard to blame the "left" here for one case of stupidity by one person. Conservatives cry here being associated with racists so its only fair not to associate all left wing people with one idiot.
From one of the bluest states in the nation comes this sad story of intolerance, bigotry, and ignorance against a man whose only crime was that he has served his country.
A Massachusetts veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has filed a civil rights lawsuit against an anti-war activist who declined to rent him an apartment.
Sgt. Joel Morgan, 29, tried to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the Savin Hill section of Dorchester from 63-year-old Janice Roberts. He didn't get the apartment.
According to the lawsuit, Roberts told Morgan his war service and her peace activism presented a “conflict of interest.”
“Because of what you told me about the Iraq war… we are very adamant about our beliefs… it’s just not comfortable for us… and I’m sure now that you know this, it would not be comfortable for you,” Roberts said in a voicemail to Morgan.
As a card carrying member of the left, I think that is WRONG. It is as wrong as you Republicans saying it is OK not to rent to gays.
Yes, I do: a country free from slavery, with equal civil rights, woman's right to vote, child-labor laws, Social Security, Medicare, police and fire departments, streets and highways, street lighting, municipal water and sewage treatment, a court system of peer review, building and zoning control to safeguard neighborhoods and public safety, .... shall I go on?
It's called civilized society.
I see nothing threatening public safety in renting to a vet.
Lemonade stands closed down, plastic bags banned, happy meal toys banned, feeding the homeless banned. Shall I go on? What you call "public safety" I called trampling on my freedoms and the end of common sense.
That's because you have bought into the appeal to fear that conservative policy marketeers tailor to the vestigial reptilian brain of humans.
As I wrote in another recent thread, Klever Karl Rove has described how conservative interests get the common man to enthusiastically embrace and defend policies that are anathema to the interest of everyday people. He says the technique is to appeal to the "reptilian brain".
What Klever Karl is talking about is that reptiles' brains are very primitive, responding to only fear and food stimuli. All creatures, regardless of how developed, have this foundational reptile part of the brain. Present it with a scenario that can be interpreted as a threat -- to freedom, to safety, etc. -- and it will react viscerally.
You are citing, as I often have read you write, specious examples that the media thrives on to sell its pages ... sensationalism ... some of which are actually pretty damn good ideas for the public to heed -- but which one industry group or another doesn't want to take effect. Monied interests are always more likely to win the battles of conditioning the reptilian brain.
I see nothing threatening public safety in renting to a vet.
I don't get what you are responding to ... I agree there is nothing threatening public safety here ... I was responding to the nonsense of the previous post I quoted.
You either believe in private business are privately owned and have the freedom to run their business as they see fit or you don't.
And yes, I have been denied service from a black owned business and do NOT begrudge them one bit.
Like I said, should an Italian restaurant be forced to serve Chinese food because if you don't you are discriminating against the Chinese?
The Supreme court is NOT infallible. Keep in mind one Supreme Court may rule one way and a later court rule the other way. It has happened before. It all depends on the make up of the court.
Sorry for the delay.
I'm not purporting to say whether you're wrong or right. I absolutely respect your right to have your own opinion. All I'm saying is that Supreme Court says private businesses do not have unfettered discretion to discriminate against whomever they choose. That decision came out almost 50 years ago and is still good case law.
Your example is not on point, and here's why: the government cannot generally cannot compel a private business to do an affirmative act. Hence, they cannot make the Italian restaurant serve any food, much less a certain kind. There's no compelling reason why they would have to do that. And no, it's not discrimination to only serve one kind of food. If that were the case, every restaurant would have to serve every kind of food and that's silly.
I.e. If a Chinese person comes into an Italian restaurant and orders a Chinese item that the restaurant does not serve, the Italian restaurant does not and will not have to serve her that item because they have a right to sell whatever food they want to or none at all.
However, if a Chinese person comes in and orders an Italian item that is on the menu, and is denied because she is Chinese, well that's a problem. Now, the Italian restaurant is exposed to civil liability.
It is a strange reason to turn down an applicant, but should she be forced to rent to people who say they are veterans? I would think people can rent or not rent to whoever they choose to.
as long as she is following the state laws regarding rental properties, i agree. her mistake was however actually telling the guy that it was because of his service that she wasnt going to rent to him, rather than use an excuse that would be legal.
More complete crap from the Tea Party! One individual does something wrong who is likely not even a liberal and all liberals are associated with him! Right wingers in Congress cutting funds for veterans....(conspicuous silence on the right). Right wingers did all they could to stop housing discrimination laws from being passed YET they now demand it be enforced when it looks opportune! Sick of finger wagging sanctimonious right wingers who say "I love America...as long as I don't have to actually do anything myself that helps America"
as long as she is following the state laws regarding rental properties, i agree. her mistake was however actually telling the guy that it was because of his service that she wasnt going to rent to him, rather than use an excuse that would be legal.
Excuses to hide discriminatory decisions aren't legal ... they are just lies.
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I don't get what you are responding to ... I agree there is nothing threatening public safety here ... I was responding to the nonsense of the previous post I quoted.
