Bachmann: Arizona Decision ‘Eviscerates Free Speech’
According to Michele Bachmann, legalized discrimination “eviscerates free speech.”
Asked by host [Wolf] Blitzer what she thinks Governor Jan Brewer should do with the bill sitting on her desk, Bachmann replied that we need to have “tolerance” for people on both sides of the issue.
“I think what we need to do is respect both sides. We need to respect both opinions,” Bachmann replied. “And just like we need to observe tolerance for the gay and lesbian community, we need to have tolerance for the community of people who hold sincerely held religious belief.”
After stating that she thought that Brewer should not veto the bill, Blitzer asked her if that wouldn’t open the door for less tolerance of gays. Bachmann replied that it would be “the opposite.”
“Oh in fact, it’s just the opposite,” Bachmann explained. “This is a decided level of intolerance — it’s effectively eviscerating the rights of freedom of speech, expression and religious expression for the people of Arizona, and it sets a terrible precedent.”
