Tolerance Roundup

In today's America the old adage of things not to discuss in polite company, religion and politics, has a new addition to the list. Especially if your position is to oppose it.
Gay "rights".
We all know about the bakery that was run out of business or the photographer in N.M who declined to photograph a same-sex union ceremony because of religious beliefs.

If anyone believes these are isolated incidents then they couldn't be more wrong.

One complaint, Facebook campaign force restaurant owners to take down ‘anti-gay’ newspaper clipping

BANCROFT, Ontario, September 3, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A restaurant owner in the Eastern Ontario town of Bancroft has been forced to remove a newspaper clipping that had been on a bulletin board for over ten years because of one complaint that resulted in a Facebook campaign to organize a protest at the privately owned business.
The old Toronto Star clipping featuring the words "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" has been pinned to the bulletin board of the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant and Bakery for a decade, according to owners Sadie and Doug Creighton. The clipping stirred no controversy until a lesbian couple new to the community complained that they were offended by it.
“The sign caught my eye almost as soon as we sat down,” said Nat Brouse, who had gone to the restaurant for breakfast with her "wife" Steph Murphy.
“At first we were shocked that such an overt sign of hatred was just hanging out in the open to intimidate the queer community,” said Brouse, according to a Bancroft This Week report.~snip~

Here's on that has nothing to do with religious reasons but a business owner responding to complaints by his customers.

Portland bar owner must pay $400,000 for kicking transgender patrons out of bar

PORTLAND, OR, September 4, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Portland bar owner will have to pay a $400,000 fine for kicking out a group of cross-dressers whom he says were ruining his business.
Chris Penner, the owner of the Twilight Room Annex, has to pay 11 transgender patrons the hefty sum after asking them to stop coming to his bar.
Penner said female patrons complained that the transgender men went to the restroom with the stall doors open, then left the toilet seats up when they were finished.
“I feel for this bar owner. Obviously these gender-confused men who want to be 'women' were causing him to lose customers with their outrageous behavior,” Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, told LifeSiteNews.com. “Now he's been hit with a massive fine courtesy of discriminatory pro-LGBT laws.”
Penner left a voicemail asking the men, who call themselves the T-Girls, to stop coming to his bar (then called the P Club) every Friday.
“People think that a.) We’re a tranny bar or b.) We’re a gay bar. We are neither,” he said. “People are not coming in because they just don’t want to be here on a Friday night now.”~snip~

In other words the government has decided that this business owner can't even determine the nature of his establishment and what kind of customers he wants to attract.
I wonder what the governments reaction would be if a bunch of bikers took over his bar and he asked them to leave after trashing the place?
It's not just religious reasons that business owners want to have the right to run their businesses as they choose, the truth is that customers will decide for themselves how much "tolerance" they will have towards deviant behaviour and will spend their time and money where they will feel comfortable.

Symbolism Over Substance

I realize that violence against women is a real issue that needs to be addressed but come on, men walking a mile in high heels?
The only issue they're bringing awareness to is that some men will do anything to look stupid.


Men Walk in Heels for Domestic Violence Prevention

Domestic violence is not just a women's issue, so men put on their high heels and took to the track to raise awareness while walking a mile.
"We have a lot of supporters who are men who want to get the word out that domestic violence is not only a women's issue and this is a great, fun way for them to be involved," said Melanie Palmer, Executive Director at the Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter.
Men walked a mile in women's shoes.
"Our guys decided that the best thing we could do today was get out here and rock some red heels and make a difference," said participant Mike Gilbert.
He strutted his stuff around the track, and helped raise awareness for domestic violence prevention.
"We couldn't think of anything better to do on a cold Saturday morning than support the people in our community that are really reaching out and making a difference in the lives of people who need help."
More than 100 folks bundled up and braved the morning cold in Bentonville, all for the cause.

All this is is cheap symbolism, a little blurb for local news stations to report on with a little smirk on their faces and a roll of their eyes. 

I guess in the age of Obama all there's left are dumb little stunts like this that in the grand scheme of things changes very little.

You want to reduce violence against women?

How about demanding the government do something about jobs so that so many families aren't pushed into poverty? Doing something for a change to encourage growth in the private sector so people can see a future and something to look forward to instead of the dread and worry about being able to support a family?

That would do more to prevent domestic violence than men wearing high heels around a running track.

More Nanny State Madness

From where else, (No not San Francisco....... this time) but New Yorks nosy mayor  Michael Bloomberg .

Mayor Bloomberg Seeks Ban On Large Sugary Drinks In City Eateries

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on the verge of taking serious aim at sugary drinks, as he wants to ban such beverages larger than 16 fluid ounces from nearly all dining establishments in the city.
The city’s proposed ban on sugary drinks would apply to service in nearly all restaurants, movie theaters and street food carts and it is part of a Health Department aim to reduce obesity.
The ban, which if approved would be the first of its kind in the nation, would take affect in March 2013.
Diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based beverages like milkshakes and alcohol would be exempt from the ban and it would not affect sales in supermarkets or bodegas.
However, corner stores and all other establishments that receive a letter grade on food service from the Health Department would have to follow the ban.
The Health Department is not seeking City Council approval to move forward with this plan, but the city's Board of Health would have to sign off on it, something that is considered a foregone conclusion.
The New York City Beverage Association was already fighting back Wednesday. A spokesman for the group says in a statement, “There they go again. The New York City Health Department’s unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top. The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda because soda is not driving the obesity rates. It’s time for serious health professionals to move on and seek solutions that are going to actually curb obesity

You gotta wonder what it is exactly that this control freak thinks he's getting out of this, other than making it harder for business to survive in a government controlled environment.
Lets look at this another way, so these drinks can only be purchased in 16 ounces or less, what's to keep someone from buying 2 then?
So what's next?
Bloomberg gonna put a limit on how many can be purchased at a time?
If people didn't want super sized drinks then they wouldn't buy them, it's that simple and one of the reasons that businesses are hurting is government telling them what lawful products they can or cannot sell.
Bloomberg wants to fight obesity he can pay for an education campaign, the way not to do it is to regulate small business into the ground.