Bobby Jindal Issues Pro-Religious Freedom Executive Order In Louisiana

by JASmius



When we see polling results like this one, with a high plurality rejecting First Amendment free speech protections....



....and this Gallup survey defying (and fulfilling) Romans 1:18-32....



....we have to come to grips with the fact that we are now living in a post-Christian, pre-Islamic, post-American society.

Which makes the defiant courage of GOP Governors like Oklahoma's Mary Fallin and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal all the more awesomely inspiring for their acute rarity:

Governor Bobby Jindal issued a statement Tuesday (May 19th) saying he plans to issue an executive order to enforce the intent of a religious freedom bill that effectively died about two hours earlier, in the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee.

Read the full statement below:

“We are disappointed by the committee’s action to return the Louisiana Marriage & Conscience Act to the calendar. We will be issuing an Executive Order shortly that will accomplish the intent of HB 707 to prevent the State from discriminating against persons or entities with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman.

“This Executive Order will prohibit the State from denying or revoking a tax exemption, tax deduction, contract, cooperative agreement, loan, professional license, certification, accreditation, or employment on the basis the person acts in accordance with a religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

Huzzah, Governor.  It probably also goes a long way in explaining BJ's 31% approval rating.  But that, too, is part of leadership: Being willing to tell Da Peepul when they're wrong, doing your best to persuade them, and accepting their verdict at the ballot box.  It's called being a conviction politician, an all but extinct breed in the GOP anymore (or, as Tea Partiers would doubtless argue, ever).  Or, as the last great Democrat president, Grover Cleveland, once put it: "What is the use of being elected or re-elected unless you stand for something?"

Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are the best hills for a Republican to die on, because without the First Amendment, nothing can be done about anything else - short of violent revolution.  And the violence is all on the other side.  At some point all Republicans have to decide how much each is willing to debase him or herself to remain "in the club".  Governors Fallin and Jindal (and eventual President Walker) are setting powerful examples of the noblest of principles: "If the American people truly want to commit societal (and economic, and fiscal, and foreign policy, and national security, etc.) suicide (as their re-election of Barack Obama strongly suggests), they can elect Democrats to carry out that final act, because we will not be parties to it."