Over a decade ago in a somewhat jarring state legislative race in our area between a long time incumbent and a right wingnut challenger we observed the aftermath of large campaign sign vandalism. An acquaintance, he of a mathematics and computer science background, who also noticed the sign vandalism mentioned the spray painted message on the challenger’s sign by asking me, “What does big zero plus mean?” The typography of the spray painted tag wasn’t exactly evenly spaced. I replied that I thought the spray painting spelled out “bigot”. “Oh.”

We were both correct.

The Springfield, Missouri LGBT inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance was overturned by the voters in yesterday’s election by a very narrow margin:

SUMMARY REPORT                                    Greene County, Missouri

                                                 Municipal Election

                                                 April 7, 2015

RUN DATE:04/07/2015 08:40 PM

                                                                                             VOTES PERCENT

PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 78) .  .  .  .  .        78  100.00              

REGISTERED VOTERS – TOTAL .  .  .  .  .   172,016                      

BALLOTS CAST – TOTAL.  .  .  .  .  .  .    40,681                      

VOTER TURNOUT – TOTAL  .  .  .  .  .  .             23.65

[….]

City of Springfield Question 1

YES  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    15,347   51.43

NO.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    14,493   48.57

[emphasis added]

A “yes” vote was for repeal of the city ordinance.

Turnout was just under 24%. That, and the margin, ain’t exactly an overwhelming mandate for denying civil rights. Times are changing. That tiny margin will soon disappear.

This morning, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

A151124 04/08/2015 YES ON QUESTION 1 National Black Robe Regiment PO Box 397 Aledo TX 76008 3/31/2015 $14,978.64

A151124 04/08/2015 YES ON QUESTION 1 National Black Robe Regiment PO Box 397 Aledo TX 76008 4/7/2015 $19,700.00

[emphasis added]

Who?

A151124: Yes On Question 1

G10-A East Battlefield Pmb 109 Committee Type: Campaign

Spring Field Mo 65807

[….] Established Date: 04/06/2015

  Termination Date:

Treasurer

Mike Tull

610-A East Battlefield Pmb 109

Springfield Mo 65807

  [….]

Ballot Measure History

Ballot Measures Election Date Subject Support/Oppose

Question 1 04/07/2015 Shall The City Of Springfield Repeal General Ordinance No 6141 Adopted By City Council 10/13/14 That Amended Chapter 2 On Human Rights & Community Relations/City Of Springfield Support

[emphasis added]

What? The day before the election?

National Black Robe Regiment? That sounds like a group name from the past appropriated for other purposes by a modern day lunatic.

What we know about Beck’s Black Robe Regiment

August 30, 2010 5:29 PM EDT

FAE JENCKS

This weekend, Glenn Beck announced the re-creation of a revolutionary force called the Black Robe Regiment. At his Restoring Honor rally on Saturday, Beck claimed that “our churches have fallen asleep” and that the “thousands of clergy” in the Regiment who subscribe to his particular views on the role of religion in American life, will “start the heart of this nation again and put it where it belongs: our heart with God….”

Yep.

Big zero plus.

 

Yesterday, via Twitter:

Jim White ‏@JW_for_Congress

Elections matter, see Brownback’s attack on civil rights. My rights are only as secure as yours. # Mo. don’t be a me too state. 5:04 PM – 11 Feb 2015

Somehow we don’t think Vicky Hartzler (r) agrees.

Same planet, different epochs.

You know how rightwingers like to talk about how everything they do is because of freedom? Freedom from corporate regulations that protect air, water and consumers, freedom from unions and those pesky rights that unions protect, freedom from Obamacare and the healthcare it provides for millions; the list of what these freedom fighters struggle against is almost endless and covers most of the things that guarantee a happy, healthy and prosperous middle class in America.

The most recent freedom drumbeating seems to involve the freedom of certain brands of religious folks to discriminate against those who offend them. In the wake of LGBT successes in obtaining marriage rights via state legislatures and in the courts, rightwingers have fought back with bills that would enable businesses to refuse service to folks whose “lifestyles” upset their fundamentalist Christian sensibilities (I add the word “fudamentalist” to make it clear that not all Christians are bigots). If, like me, you’re of a certain age, it makes you think of the bad old days when good, white Christian businessmen refused to serve African-Americans because Jesus wanted the inferior races kept in their place.

And the similarity to old-time racial discrimination hasn’t gone unnoticed by those responding to a bill introduced in the Missouri legislature by state Senator Wayne Wallingford (R-27), SB 916:

Mike Masterson, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Central Committee, said the attack on freedom of religion is somewhat a recreation of Jim Crow laws. Stating his opinion as an individual and not for the local Democrats, he wrote in an email to the Southeast Missourian that “There is no war on religion as is being asserted by Mr. Wallingford. To me, this type of proposed legislation is camouflaging bigotry behind the shield of religion.”

Wallingford, disingenuously, claims that the bill does not seek to target the LGBT community and is not meant to defend violators of existing civil rights laws. However, he seems somewhat unclear on the concept, or, as the SouthEast Missourian suggests, he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth:

On Wednesday, Wallingford posted on his Facebook page that his bill “is simply a measure to improve the Religious Freedom Registration Act by allowing individuals to have access to RFRA protections in private lawsuits, rather than having to sue the state for relief after their rights have been violated. This bill is meant to ensure that the government is not able to force individuals to violate their religious beliefs, and will provide protections to all. This is not a bill about discrimination. Indeed, it specifically says that the law shall not be construed to provide a defense in discrimination cases.”

In a story published on the Kansas City Star’s website Tuesday, Wallingford was quoted as saying his bill “is trying to provide a defense in those types of instances.” The newspaper reported that Wallingford pointed to examples such as a case publicized in Washington state, where a florist would not provide flowers for a same-sex wedding and where a baker in Colorado refused to make a cake for a party celebrating the wedding of two men

.

The  bill does indeed specify that it cannot be used to defend against infractions of current civil rights laws. But, while Missouri has enacted employment non-discrimination laws that recognize sexual orientation and hate-crime laws that protect transgender individuals as well, that’s the extent of explicit LGBT protections. It’s hard not to conclude that LGBT individuals in Missouri are absolutely vulnerable to this law – along, potentially, with other unprotected classes of individuals who might cause the sensitive moral antennae of some religious folks to quiver. Given the delicate sensibilities of some conservative Christians, it could get to be quite a free-for-all.

The irony is that this bill, which Wallingford admits is modeled on the outrageous freedom to discriminate bill passed by the Arizona legislature, has been taken up here in Missouri just a few days before Governor Jan Brewer saw fit to veto the Arizona bill. As TPM’s Josh Mashall notes, the most recent response to these blatant attempts to institutionalize discrimination has been “an almost comical run for the exits by various supporters and quasi-supporters trying to get out from under legislation that a growing body of people saw as silly, mean-spirited, economically damaging and completely needless.”  But not Missouri, no sir, we work hard to earn our backwardness label.

Quotes added in 2nd paragraph. Fourth paragraph edited slightly for clarity.

Demonstration at the J.C. Nichols fountain in the park at 47th and Main in Kansas City on November 15, 2008.

They cut the baby in half.

May 26 2009 S168047 Strauss v. Horton 5/26/09 SC

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA…

…For the third time in recent years, this court is called upon to address a question under California law relating to marriage and same-sex couples…

…Accordingly, we conclude that each of the state constitutional challenges to Proposition 8 advanced by petitioners and the Attorney General lacks merit.  Having been approved by a majority of the voters at the November 4, 2008 election, the initiative measure lawfully amends the California Constitution to include the new provision as article I, section 7.5…

…Finally, we consider whether Proposition 8 affects the validity of the marriages of same-sex couples that were performed prior to the adoption of Proposition 8.  Applying well-established legal principles pertinent to the question whether a constitutional provision should be interpreted to apply prospectively or retroactively, we conclude that the new section cannot properly be interpreted to apply retroactively.  Accordingly, the marriages of same-sex couples performed prior to the effective date of Proposition 8 remain valid and must continue to be recognized in this state…

Our previous coverage of public demonstrations:

Proposition 8 rally in Kansas City

Proposition 8 rally in Kansas City – more photos

Join the Impact in Saint Louis

You can bet there’ll be more.

I wonder if we’re seeing the next step in a civil rights movement.

This weekend:

Proposition 8 rally in Kansas City

Join the Impact in Saint Louis

Proposition 8 rally in Kansas City – more photos

A year ago:

Much ado – an announcement in the Warrensburg newspaper, part 11

Yesterday:

One of the individuals who was the subject of all those letter to the editor wrote a letter which was published in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal (in print and online) on November 19th:

…I am just writing you all to say if you thought you all could scare us off it did not work. We still live in Warrensburg, Mo., area so if you have a problem with gay people in your town get over it because there are a lot more gay people living in Warrensburg than have the guts to come out and let everyone know…

I don’t think as many people are going to be silent anymore.