Anti-Gay Pizza Joint Forced To Close Down Over Threats
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It is horrible when the left goes after a business in this manner. They are showing just as much, if not more, intolerance than their target.
It’s worth pointing out here that they did not specifically say they wouldn’t serve gay people in their establishment, just that they would not cater a gay wedding. (And, again, it’s worth asking the question of exactly which gay couples in Indiana would want a pizza restaurant catering their wedding in the first place.)
Well, the wrath of the internet came down upon their establishment, with Yelp users trolling the hell out of Memories Pizza and they even got threats over the phone and on Facebook. And so, as a result, they’ve had to close down.
Owner Kevin O’Connor spoke to Fox News tonight and said, “Because I don’t believe in something that they want, they see fit to be angry about it… It’s just been ugly. I don’t know what to call it.”
He closed down the restaurant because they’re not sure which orders are real and which are fake or threats, and he’s not sure if or when he’ll re-open.
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Mike April 2nd, 2015 at 9:34 am
Sounds like BS, I’m guessing he was having financial trouble already and he’s just using this as an excuse…all happened too fast…less than 72 hours.
pattyp April 2nd, 2015 at 9:37 am
You’re not the only one who thinks so. Wouldn’t be surprised if they were already planning to declare bankruptcy but saw the opportunity to be phony martyrs for their cause.
Lydia/one2the92the82the5 April 2nd, 2015 at 9:58 am
And the people donating to their Go Fund Me account are the scum of the earth. Instead of helping the sick and disenfranchised children they go on and on about, they mean to reward discrimination and intolerance.
I called it two days ago and I was right, waving a tin can online for being on the wrong side of history. Sad state of affairs our country is in. The far right has all but lost their minds.
William April 2nd, 2015 at 10:02 am
“BAM”
Pilotshark April 2nd, 2015 at 11:36 am
AWWW the old M-84 belt feed gas operated thrums up gun,, rate of thumbs fire up to 5K a minute.
her hair is feeling the negative blow back of the positive fire.
Hirightnow April 2nd, 2015 at 11:16 am
And whooooo was it started that account….hmmmm?
Give ya a hint: one of these two started the company.
http://retired.talkingpointsmemo.com/assets_c/2010/10/glenn-beck-monkey-cropped-proto-custom_2.jpg
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 2:06 pm
It’s hard to tell. They look alike.
bpollen April 2nd, 2015 at 8:31 pm
The cute one without glasses?
William April 2nd, 2015 at 10:19 am
Bingo
pattyp April 2nd, 2015 at 9:43 am
I disagree. Businesses run by bigots deserve to be gone after “in this manner.” Only when such people feel it where it hurts are they going to change. Whether they refuse service to gays or only refuse to cater same-sex weddings is irrelevant. What if a same-sex married couple wanted to eat in their restaurant? If they disagreed with gay marriage, it follows that they’d have to refuse them service too.
Thomas Brown April 2nd, 2015 at 9:44 am
I’ve yet to see any credible evidence of threats of violence. Criticism is not threat. These idiots deserved what they got. Liberals acting the same as wingnuts? Hardly. Fox News claims (baselessly) that a child was told he couldn’t pray in school, and there are 1000 death threats within days. Don’t you DARE claim an equivalency. That’s BS.
William April 2nd, 2015 at 10:00 am
Lets not forget how efforts by the first lady would result in the loss of sprinkles on doughnuts. Now if that isn’t an indictment on the utter chaos that is a Fox news viewers chromosome structure, I don’t know what is.
AmusedAmused April 2nd, 2015 at 9:47 am
This is a scam.
pinballsdoll April 2nd, 2015 at 12:24 pm
they stand to make alot more $ now than they ever would selling pizza
William April 2nd, 2015 at 9:50 am
“It is horrible when the left goes after a business in this manner.”
Free market baby.
craig7120 April 2nd, 2015 at 10:15 am
Point set match
How is our resident defender of all things gop going to enjoy his slice of pie if he doesn’t know the sexual preference of the person at the next table?
Sad, I think I will hug a tree today. Spread the love is my motto
William April 2nd, 2015 at 10:33 am
I suppose that the very thought of that scenario might (hopefully) would be the cause of gastric discomfort, stress and uncontrolled pepperoni induced flatulence in the closed confines of a truck sleeper berth.
craig7120 April 2nd, 2015 at 9:53 am
Like I said before, their bubble popped.
What did they expect to happen, fox and friends would do a live broadcast from their pizza joint?
I read from the robot that a collection was started to help these xtians out.
Perhaps the local churches could funnel the money collected in offerings towards mr pizza guy.
The threats are unnecessary, pizza place was doomed as soon as they became the mascot of discrimination.
StoneyCurtisll April 2nd, 2015 at 9:55 am
Exactly…
She brought this upon herself and her family’s business.
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 2:04 pm
I wonder if these people who are contributing to this fund know they are being played for fools. This could turn out to be a gold mine for the pizza place.
.
They close their business, collect all this fund money, lay low for awhile, and when the excitement dies down, open up another restaurant using the funds collected.
StoneyCurtisll April 2nd, 2015 at 9:53 am
If Crystal O’Conner had just kept her mouth shut, I’m sure they would still be open for business today…
fahvel April 2nd, 2015 at 11:12 am
but she was crystal clear and will wallow in her own clarity.
William April 2nd, 2015 at 9:56 am
The sad part is the whole thing was unnecessary.
http://news.yahoo.com/indiana-lawmakers-announce-proposed-religious-law-changes-132057903.html
StoneyCurtisll April 2nd, 2015 at 9:58 am
Bingo~!…
There was no need for this “religious freedom” law in the first place…
They reap what they sow…
William April 2nd, 2015 at 10:06 am
I noticed that Arkansas had the sense to put the brakes on their “bill” before it got out of hand.
StoneyCurtisll April 2nd, 2015 at 10:38 am
Seems as though Hutchinson listened to is son…
(his kid signed the petition)..
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 2:00 pm
I’m sure Wal-Mart also influenced Arkansas’ decision.
bpollen April 2nd, 2015 at 8:28 pm
You know, if you had polled people to name a state smarter than Indiana, I don’t think Arkansas would have made the list.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 12:58 pm
But is is a law isn’t it? So I wonder how your position is any different then someonewho says about an abortion clinic that is bombed or harrased out of existence ‘there was no need for this abortion law in the first place, they reaped what they sow’. Oh yeah that is different because you believe in abortion who cares about pesky laws.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:20 pm
why do you gleefully advocate for killing people? Take your meds
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 1:45 pm
I will. Meanwhile you learn how to read. You remind me of one of those magic 8-balls that has 1 of 6 trite answers for everything. Debating I have time for. Wasting time on mindless little women with out reading or critical thought abilities I don’t. Buh bye.
bpollen April 2nd, 2015 at 8:26 pm
“Wasting time on mindless little women”
THAT really brings the ladies in – patronizing! I understand, women can be scary to young boys. But, if you really really want to, you can learn to like them!
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 1:59 pm
Destroying property and killing is against the law, and just because you disapprove of women having the right to choose, doesn’t mean you can kill doctors and bomb clinics.
.
Now, if a gay person (for example) bombed Memories Pizza because they didn’t like their stance on “religious freedom”, he/she would certainly be arrested. Terrorism is no excuse to obtain what you want, and it only makes you look like a thug.
Suzanne McFly April 2nd, 2015 at 10:06 am
Intolerance has gone the other way since the dawn of time. This is exactly why a person should not allow or participate in discrimination, because your day to be discriminated against will come soon and no one will be there to stand up for you. Sorry you had to learn it the hard way but it was kind of obvious where the population was going.
William April 2nd, 2015 at 10:08 am
“Sorry you had to learn it the hard way”
…as the decedent’s of Mr. Santorum will come to learn…..each time one of them googles their surname. Thanks to the internet, bigotry and hate can now be a legacy.
Pilotshark April 2nd, 2015 at 10:06 am
so you will not sever at gay weddings, what makes us think you would not serve 10 married gay couples who come into your place of business? or maybe the couples decided to have an anniversary party and wanted 10 pizzas, would you deliver them?
see how this can make you look like Bigots as well.
but seen below, and have to agree that this free market enterprise business was not ran very well and was about to go of the way the blue suede show went.
pattyp April 2nd, 2015 at 10:19 am
Exactly! It’s bigotry no matter how you slice it. (Pun intended.)
wpadon April 2nd, 2015 at 10:25 am
Pa Rep. Daryl Metcalfe thinks they should change the Pa Religious Freedom Law to include businesses.
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/04/01/pennsylvanias-religious-freedom-act-differs-from-controversial-indiana-law/
Foundryman April 2nd, 2015 at 10:33 am
Right wing thought, ideas and beliefs, across the entire spectrum, is a self destructive mental illness. These former pizza shop owners prove it.
HOWEVER!!! Right here where I live in my little town, there was a guy who owned and operated a very popular mini golf/arcade/outdoor batting cages/ go cart facility, who immediately after Obama took the oath, put up a huge sign that said he could no longer do business under a dictatorship closed it with no trespassing signs and put it up for sale,…as of today…no takers….
Right wing thought, ideas and beliefs, across the entire spectrum, is a self destructive mental illness.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 12:53 pm
Left wing thought, ideas and beliefs, across the entire spectrum, is an other people destructive mental illness.
Foundryman April 2nd, 2015 at 1:10 pm
My my..that was so original of you msnyc.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:18 pm
are you having an episode, you seem to be in a frothy rage of stupidity, should we get a mod to contact someone to medicate you?
Tazru333 April 2nd, 2015 at 5:03 pm
He does seem to be having a Santorum tantrum. Those voices in his head must be obeyed by everyone else.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Are lefties incapable of making a cogent or non ad hominem attack? Apparently not. I get it: you believe it is ok to harass businesses and break the law against them when the follow the law if you don’t like the law. However if you like the law (abortion) then you think it is WRONG to break the law or harass the business that follows the law. This is called unprincipled thought. So genius lefties swallow this; I am AGAINST the ‘religious law’ and PRO Abortion, Yet I support the businessman’s right to his decision based on THE LAW, decry the harassment and fraudulent orders by people who don’t like the fact that he did in the same way I decry the behavior of people who harass and threaten abortion clinics. If your only principle is that people do what you believe they should regardless of the law then you believe in nothing. If you believe in America, The Rule of Law and The Constitution you should support his decision EVEN IF YOU DISAGREE WITH IT and you should condemn the behavior of the people who harasses his business and made fraudulent orders EVEN IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHY. Sorry if that was an argument and not a mindless insult.
bpollen April 2nd, 2015 at 8:21 pm
Well, your parroting others words like a snotty little child shows your maturity. Your answering of your own posts shows why you need to wash it before I would shake your hand.
jybarz April 2nd, 2015 at 10:48 am
Memories Pizza?
Well, that’s all it is now.
FightingFromTheLeft April 2nd, 2015 at 10:58 am
$100,000+ in less than a day? Disgusting. Thanks Fox News for rallying the troops for these poor, poor hard working religious folks and sponsoring their imminently cushy moron-funded retirement.
Foundryman April 2nd, 2015 at 11:35 am
These are some of those rugged individualist, exceptional Americans here, they would certainly never accept charity and free handouts would they?
fahvel April 2nd, 2015 at 11:10 am
keep the faux orders coming – keep the scum closed – there’s no justification for their business to exist! and if idiots wish to tide them over with $, so be it. See how long that lasts.
Pilotshark April 2nd, 2015 at 11:29 am
it maybe the largest income the business has ever had, heck they just might keep the doors close and start a new business of fund-me-please!
seems to be a better business model for them.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 12:56 pm
NOT doing business with a business that does business in a way you don’t like is valid. Stealing from them and making fraudulent orders is not. Period. And whether you like the law or not he abide by it they did not. Oh that’s right it ISN”T ok to do that when YOU don’t believe in the law (e.g. threatening and forcing abortion clinics to close). FYI I am AGAINST this law and PRO Abortion, just not ‘pro’ people who think the only laws that matter are the ones they like. The people harrassing and making fake orders should be arressted.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:24 pm
yuor comment history shows you to be misogynist, frightened, angry and incapable of getting a date
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 1:42 pm
By the way, nobody is “pro abortion”. Women are not lining up outside Planned Parenthood clinics, excitedly awaiting a surgical procedure.
.
You’re either pro-choice or anti-choice.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 1:47 pm
Clearly you understood what I meant so does deflecting get you anywhere?
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 2:22 pm
What the hell are you talking about? Tracy Marie had a good question. Tourettes or stupidity?
whatthe46 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:27 pm
i thought it was a good question too.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 6:02 pm
Now that you have all finished your mutual masturbation does anyone actually have a reasoned reply or rebuttal? Nah I thought not. Enjoy the circle jerk, I”m off to discuss issues with human beings
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 9:44 pm
Stealing is wrong and so is discrimination and so is making obtuse excuses for discrimination.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:09 pm
There I edited just for you Bunya NOW do you have an answer to my point?
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:09 pm
There I edited just for you Bunya NOW do you have an answer to my point?
mrparker1 April 2nd, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Why would anyone want to do business with someone who doesn’t like you?
I exercise ” choice” everyday on where I spend my money. Anti choice gun control nuts who own stores or restaurants never see a dime of my business.
But unlike the easily offended lefties, I don’t go around threatening to sue them out of existence for denying me my 2nd amendment constitutional rights.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:24 pm
tourettes or stupidity?
whatthe46 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:24 pm
both
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 2:29 pm
It really was rhetorical, I received silly little whining responses.
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 4:33 pm
How can you receieve responses when you DON’T SAY ANYTHING?
Bunya April 2nd, 2015 at 1:38 pm
I’m sure anti-choice gun control nuts are happy crazed gun enthusiasts don’t patronize their establishment. After all, who wants risk an old west style shootout occurring in their place of business?
OldLefty April 2nd, 2015 at 9:13 pm
Why would anyone want to do business with someone who doesn’t like you?
I exercise ” choice” everyday on where I spend my money.
______
So you do a lot of research before you walk into any store?
Red Eye Robot April 2nd, 2015 at 1:24 pm
CONGRATULATIONS! You, (the collective left), have created a Martyr. People who wouldn’t have given this story any more of their attention than to the time it takes to shake their heads see these people as victims. the gofundme campaign is up to $167,579
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:25 pm
let the phony xtians fund them, who fkin cares. Discrimination is illegal in our secular country.
Foundryman April 2nd, 2015 at 1:30 pm
So, who’e the real fool here? Those who blindly send their money to a possible scam artist because foxnews tells them too. Or the so called job creator who wants to select who can sit at his counter, only to be run out of business?
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:31 pm
those same types of filth funded zimmerman and olsen
whatthe46 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:24 pm
were you one of the dummies that sent in money? lol. yep, admit it. that says a lot about the people that send in their money. they are happy to part with it if means it’s supporting bigotry and hate, but will never donate to a charity. these parasites aren’t a charity, just in case you decided to argue they are.
Red Eye Robot April 2nd, 2015 at 2:34 pm
It’s at $201,180 at 2:33pm
whatthe46 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:59 pm
thanks for informing us of all the fk’n idiots who are willing to part with their money. if you think that bothers me, you’re wrong. i’m not the jackassss they and you are. it just goes to prove how hateful people are and where they stand in life. if you’re proud of that, please tell us you didn’t procreate.
Khary A April 2nd, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Hmm Martyrs…a little strong a title don’t you think? I don’t see this woman impaled with multiple arrows or being flayed or crushed by heavy stones. She just appears to be some woman who has chosen to be close minded to a large section of the populous and people are chastising her. If that’s all it takes for martyrdom then sign me up.
Also why is it that the religious/ conservative right always seems to fund these ne’er do wells and school systems across the nation suffer? How much money did they throw at Cliven Bundy again? How many dollars lined Zimmerman’s pockets. It’s no wonder our economy fails us so often, we play with money like petulant children
whatthe46 April 3rd, 2015 at 1:38 am
so, you did! LOL. so hard i’m pi&&&&&&ing my panties! not surprised though. what’s funny, is that you’re using your govt. pay checks to fund them… LOL!
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 6:34 pm
You ought to hear their show.
Red Eye Robot’s position is gays should not get equality until everyone pays the same amount of money in taxes each year.
Thanks to the call screener, listeners never hear callers who respond to his challenge of:”Tell me where I’m wrong!”
whatthe46 April 3rd, 2015 at 1:35 am
is that parasite on synthetic drugs or what?
OldLefty April 2nd, 2015 at 9:12 pm
Nobody created anything.
Nobody cares.
Red Eye Robot April 2nd, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Really? 13,306 people gave $391,380 in the last 30 hours
OldLefty April 3rd, 2015 at 6:13 am
1) Nobody who diagrees with them cares. (the “collective left” who YOU claim created somnething).
2) Whoever created the site did it.
3) So all the homophobes, or a few Anonymous’ homophobes overe and over again, means what?
“A fundraiser’s success depends on several factors, such as a person’s social network and the platform used to promote the campaign, Mr. Briggman said. Taking in large amounts of donations requires vigorous outreach.” (from the article below)
Meanwhile,
“Jason Wensel is trying to raise money through an online fundraising campaign to pay for hospital care and other expenses for his 8-month-old son, Leeland, who was born with serious health issues.
Alyssa Truszkowski is trying to do the same to pay for two life-saving operations for her dog, Fendi.
Since he started his fundraiser in October, Mr. Wensel has raised $140.
In just a month, Ms. Truszkowski raised more than $4,000.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2015/03/30/A-tale-of-two-fundraisers-dog-receives-more-money-than-sick-baby-in-online-fundraiser/stories/201503190007
So, basically,what this says more about our culture is that dogs and petty fear and hatred are bigger motivators than children and love.
I would not brag about it if I were you.
jasperjava April 3rd, 2015 at 11:44 am
How is that a success? Just because there are
Chinese Democracy April 3rd, 2015 at 1:54 am
You should congratulate us. … we won AGAIN .. the state was forced to re write their little tantrum of a law
want to order a pizza?
craig7120 April 3rd, 2015 at 7:09 am
You mad bro?
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 1:29 pm
the phony xtians assume that all xtians are ugly, hateful, judgy and raging phobes…they are wrong
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 8:14 pm
Yep.
When the FON folks first appeared here I mentioned I was a Christian and one of the minor new players went on a rant accusing me of being a right-wing fascist.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 8:18 pm
For no reason, I doubt that since anomoly is a christian herself.
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 8:32 pm
Oh yeah, it happened alright. I was tickled by it and now almost wish I’d saved a link to the thread or copied it down.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 8:35 pm
Do you remeber who it was, you do tend to intentionally make comments that can be easily missunderstood or you play devil’s advocate.
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 9:40 pm
No, I’ve forgotten who it was. I recall watching the posts of whoever it was for a few days and concluding it was a minor player not worth bothering with.
It was just one of those around here who prefer to take disagreements on various issues into exchanges of personal insults where quickly the subject at hand is abandoned. Some seem to need that sort of ego boost.
I’m sorry if some of my comments are misunderstood. I try to be clear and will gladly expound on a point where there may be a question.
I’m not into playing devil’s advocate, though sometimes I’ll take a little different tack just because many others have said pretty much what I’d say.
Instead of just fighting with people I prefer to engage in more of a discussion with a view toward not just making my points, but convincing someone I disagree with to move a little closer to where I am. This is one of the reasons I don’t care for the nastiness and name-calling. That only serves to compel the other person to dig in their heels and be nasty right back.
Though not always successful, that old lesson about doing unto others is one I try to keep in mind.
Even with people I frequently disagree with I try to find agreement and build positively on that. I think this is a much better way to go than just throwing rocks.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 10:10 pm
Minor player, that is kind of rude. FON and LL is mainly a friendly group, a few trolls show up but generally they are nice people
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 10:10 pm
Okay, I reread your comment, I am guilty of snidness and name calling.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 2:03 pm
poor you, get upset and whiny when you cget better then you give. Good!
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 2:07 pm
Tracey I would love to get better than I give. I’d love to get. I’d love to actually have a real valid debate with someone with a brain or opinion. Other than insulting you say. exactly. nothing. Clearly you cannot. Ad hominem away…
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 2:13 pm
no you do not want to debate, you start off calling names, denigrating others and proclaiming your superiority then whining, that is trolling for a fight. Stop projecting and whining
msnyc10 April 2nd, 2015 at 6:00 pm
Now how needs meds? I haven’t denigrating you or called you names that was you. I didn;t even proclaim my superiority; you just naturally felt inferior. Allow me to behave now the way you have been and the way you claimed I have been; you are a stupid piece of fat white trash who can’t put together a cogent arugment because you are neither educated nor intelligent and believe that living in a trailer eating doritos and using hackneyed insults is a replacement for reason, intelligence and class.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 6:07 pm
tsk tsk teahagg, if you come to troll expect to be confronted. Now whine some more, it makes me smile!
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 2:13 pm
no you do not want to debate, you start off calling names, denigrating others and proclaiming your superiority then whining, that is trolling for a fight. Stop projecting and whining
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 9:45 pm
The scars appear to be permanent.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 10:08 pm
You really pull up bizarre and fantastic examples and analogy’s.
burqa April 3rd, 2015 at 8:30 pm
And you, ma’am, are too generous in your compliments.
Thank you.
I’ve always been a creative guy. People seem to like the stories I write and I’ve done pretty well with my fine art.
Credit to you for getting the “Guernica” reference. I’m sure it would go right past most people.
Khary A April 2nd, 2015 at 2:51 pm
I think the most remarkable thing about the whole “Gay Pizza” affair ( I seriously love that its called that.) is that the crowdfunding can gather this much revenue for something as polarizing as this. Once again humans prove that their priorities are as screwed up as ever and we collectively don’t make smart choices just passionate ones.
John Tarter April 2nd, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Gay talk show host Tammy Bruce says that the gay activists should not become the bullies and fascists over this matter. They gay rabble rousers constantly preach tolerance but never offer it to those with whom they disagree.
OldLefty April 2nd, 2015 at 3:37 pm
I agree.
They should never sink to the same level.
Look what happened to Dr Tiller and Rep. Tom Perriello’s (D-VA) brother’s gas lines.
Meanwhile, is there a police report?
Can we see the threats?
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 5:01 pm
During the Vietnam era, thousands of young American men were being drafted into a war they did not support and many came home severely wounded, or not at all. It is easy to see how passions would become inflamed about such serious, life-and-death issues. But we are talking here about pizzas. Give me a break. I have not read the new Illinois law, so perhaps it is overly broad and needs to be reconsidered. But nobody is dying, and even with this new law America is still one of the freest places in the world for gays to live. Let’s have a lively debate. Everyone is entitled to express their concerns. But let’s also keep a sense of perspective. If this is the biggest concern that you have right now as a gay or lesbian, then you should feel incredibly lucky to be living in this place at this time.
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 6:33 pm
I agree with much of your post.
Back in 1960 a couple of gay guys working at the NSA who committed espionage for the Soviets defected.
Back then, obviously, oppression of gays was much stronger here than today.
William H. Martin and Bernon F. Mitchell were horrified to experience the far worse homophobia in the “worker’s paradise,” but were stuck.
In 1979 Mitchell began peppering the U.S. embassy with requests on the possibility of returning to the U.S. but the State Department decided he had “expatriated himself” and chose to let him stew in his own juices.
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 6:49 pm
Just an historical footnote: Candidate Obama in 2007 would not have permitted the marriage itself, let alone the pizza.
arc99 April 2nd, 2015 at 7:08 pm
In his personal views at the time, perhaps.
But I don’t recall candidate Obama ever advocating any new laws to prevent gay people from being married or ordering a pizza.
Personal convictions are one thing. Advocating using the power of the state to deny equal protection under the law is quite another.
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 8:46 pm
OCTOBER 2004: ” What I believe is that marriage is between a man and a woman … What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it’s not simply the two persons who are meeting,” then-U.S. Senate candidate Obama said in an interview with WTTW Chicago public television.
“That doesn’t mean that that necessarily translates into a position on public policy or with respect to civil unions. What it does mean is that we have a set of traditions in place that, I think, need to be preserved, but I also think we need to make sure that gays and lesbians have the same set of basic rights that are in place.
“I don’t think marriage is a civil right,” Obama said when asked whether there’s an inherent right to marry.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/timeline-of-obamas-evolving-on-same-sex-marriage/
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of gay marriage.
OldLefty April 2nd, 2015 at 9:11 pm
Either he changed his mind the same way that the American people did over time, or he didn’t care much one way or the other outside of basic fairness, and figured he would allow the People to decide when they were ready.
We elect people to reprsent us.
Obewon April 2nd, 2015 at 7:10 pm
“Just an historical footnote:” 2014 Conservative majority SCOTUS legalized equal marriage throughout the entire USA upholding the 10th & 14th amendments, etc. Today’s GOP always reprove they’re constitutionally illiterate, especially with regards to equal rights for all.
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 8:10 pm
Yep, he’s evolved as many of us have. Jeb Bush seems to be coming around and we’ll see more who oppose equality come around.
Soon there will just be a teensy minority on the far Right wondering where everyone went.
As this happens we who preceded them should make it easy for them to move closer to where we are and we should welcome them into the fold with a smile.
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 8:42 pm
“Soon there will just be a teensy minority on the far Right”
The Americans who travel to Syria and join ISIS may one day try to return. Their beliefs and their willingness to impose them through violent means will make the far right look like boy scouts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/foreign-fighters-flow-to-syria/2014/10/11/3d2549fa-5195-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_graphic.html
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 9:52 pm
I was talking about the gay issue. Are American gays flocking to Syria to join ISIS in order to get equal rights in America?
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 10:33 pm
I was talking about keeping a sense of perspective. These issues matter, and everyone has a right to express their opinion and seek the legal outcome that they prefer. That’s healthy and I enjoy the debate. All I am saying is that it seems as if people are getting a little carried away. Not every problem is a crisis. The Middle East is in crisis, and if ISIS has its way, they will export their brand of “problem solving” to the western democracies. A pizza shop owner having a problem with gay weddings is simply not in the same league. While America is focused on pizzas and cakes, ISIS is looking for ways to detonate pressure cookers in crowded locations and probably much worse things. Americans naively believe that these types of events will continue to be rare and small in magnitude. Pizza shop owners and bakers are not the biggest threat. Americans abroad are being beheaded by a rapidly growing group that would not hesitate to commit the same acts on American soil if they could find a way to do it.
arc99 April 2nd, 2015 at 7:02 pm
My perspective on this comes from being born black in this country in 1952. Equal access to all public accommodations is not and in my opinion never will be a trivial matter, regardless of whether anyone is dying.
Telling gay people how “incredibly lucky” they are is to me, like telling black people in 1959 how incredibly lucky they are that they do not live in Rhodesia.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/6-legacy/freedom-struggle-2.html
Sitting for Justice: Woolworth’s Lunch Counter
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 7:29 pm
There are over 6 billion people on this planet. If you lined them up from richest to poorest, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet would be at the front of the line. Most Americans would be in the top ten percent. GDP per capita in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia today is about $1,000 compared with about $53,000 in the USA, according to the International Monetary Fund. So I suspect that many Rhodesians living today would agree that anyone living in the USA is incredibly lucky.
arc99 April 2nd, 2015 at 9:12 pm
The 21st century economic status of Zimbabwe has nothing to do with the point I am trying to make. Nothing justifies telling people they are “lucky” because they do not face the kind of discrimination they might face in another country.
My point is that social and legal practices in other countries have nothing to do with the struggle to guarantee that all Americans are equal under the law. Suggesting otherwise is dismissive of the very real concerns of the people who are being targeted by discriminatory policies.
Robert M. Snyder April 2nd, 2015 at 10:18 pm
The perfect is the enemy of the good.
You and I both agree to the principle that a shopkeeper should never treat customers differently based upon factors beyond the customer’s control, such as race, ethnic origin, disability, etc.
The issue is whether, in pursuing that goal, we so limit the shopkeeper’s options that he or she is legally compelled to participate in actions that they find objectionable. While the goal of eliminating discrimination is certainly noble, the means of attaining that goal may be counterproductive.
Do we want to live in a society where a shopkeeper can never refuse a request based solely upon the nature of the activity?
I own a software business. I have had customers call me on cell phones while driving to order a copy of my software. In order to complete this transaction, they have to give me their credit card number and expiry date, and then I provide them with a 16-digit serial number and 9-digit license key, which they need to record. This is not the kind of thing that responsible people do while operating a vehicle. As a business owner, I believe that I have the right to say “I am not comfortable participating in this activity. Call me back when you’re safely parked.”.
This has nothing to do with the customer. It has everything to do with the activity in which they are asking me to participate. I believe that this activity has the potential to cause harm. I would not want it on my conscience if someone slammed into a car and killed a child because they were trying to write down a serial number while driving. I do not ask people if they are driving. But if they inform me that they are, I immediately get tense. For the record, when friends and relatives call me on cell phones while driving, I ask them to call me back when they are stopped. Some of them think I’m paranoid, but that’s how I see things.
The government requires that a shopkeeper treat all customers equally, and so it should. The question is whether a shopkeeper has the right to refuse to participate in activities that they find objectionable.
I personally object to piercing the ears of babies and young children. In some cultures this may be a commonly accepted practice. I believe that a person’s body is his own, and nobody has the right to modify it for non-medical reasons, without that person’s informed consent, which a baby cannot give. If I operated a jewelry shop and somebody asked to have their baby’s ears pierced, I would refuse, regardless of whether it was considered normal in that person’s culture.
My concern is that if we regulate the shopkeeper/customer relationship too tightly, then we will be forcing shopkeepers to basically comply with all customer requests, no matter what, with no ability to refuse participation in practices that the shopkeeper finds objectionable. If we give shopkeepers room for discretion, then some shopkeepers will use that discretion to discriminate. In those cases, we can prosecute them for discrimination. Taking away all room for discretion in a quest for perfection could easily make things worse. For example, if a black man walks into a black-owned bakery and asks for a birthday cake with the inscription “Happy Birthday N-word” for his brother’s birthday, I trust the shopkeeper to exercise discretion. If he decides to bake the cake, that’s fine with me. If a known KKK member walks into the same bakery and asks for the same thing, again I would allow the shopkeeper to make the call. I think he should have the right to refuse. I would not want to see the KKK member filing a lawsuit and putting the shopkeeper out of business.
The perfect is the enemy of the good. Be careful what you wish for.
bpollen April 2nd, 2015 at 8:12 pm
Yeah, c’mon, they’re only discriminating against you, not lynching you! Get some perspective! Geez, the Nazi sent you to the extermination camps, and here you are complaining that you are a second-class citizens and don’t have equal rights! Damn ungrateful gays -all of you! – because you don’t understand that we are already not killing you. You should THANK us!
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 6:16 pm
Tammy Bruce!
Oh she’s a card when she explodes on someone or goes on one of her on-air tantrums.
Her behavior takes her opinions out of any serious consideration when the subject is tolerance and being nice to others.
CHOCOL8MILK April 2nd, 2015 at 5:32 pm
I think all this was a ploy by the business owner to get money. They started a gofundme page, and have over $200,000 donated to them. I’m sure that is much more than their business probably raked in last year.
Red Eye Robot April 2nd, 2015 at 5:55 pm
The owners didn’t start the gofundme campaign Dana Loesch did on her show. after the news reports the owners were shutting down temporarily due to safety concerns over death and arson threats. . .
CHOCOL8MILK April 2nd, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Ah, good to know!
Obewon April 2nd, 2015 at 7:15 pm
Isn’t Dana Loesch a Moonie? She’l pirate the cash, throwing $20 towards Bigot Pizza Memories, inc.
tracey marie April 2nd, 2015 at 10:50 pm
turns out there was no threats, just lot’s of orders that he did not know if they were real…he lied
Red Eye Robot April 3rd, 2015 at 8:41 am
the threats you claim didn’t happen, police are investigating them, they have already recommended charges against one person.
Chinese Democracy April 3rd, 2015 at 1:31 am
Death and arson threats? Sounds like something conservatives would do.. or lie about to get money
Red Eye Robot April 3rd, 2015 at 8:28 am
Yeah it was conservatives burning Ferguson. and shooting 2 cops there
Chinese Democracy April 3rd, 2015 at 4:32 pm
ever see the comments section of Free Republic? You lose
Red Eye Robot April 3rd, 2015 at 11:03 pm
No and neither did the people who burned ferguson because they can’t read
Chinese Democracy April 4th, 2015 at 12:57 am
Ferguson? You really want to go there? Cop murders a kid.. investigation ensues.. finds all kinds of racism may disband entire police dept.. great for your side huh
Red Eye Robot April 4th, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Read the justice department report, the whole hands up don’t shoot black kid murdered story was a hoax. And because this hoax was perpetrated by the left, lives were ruined, business’ were destroyed never to return. people were killed, 2 cops were shot, property values have plummeted. and what was the sum total of the racism found? 2 cops sent racist emails. As for my side, they were never involved. Ferguson is a town with a Democrat Mayor and a Democrat city council in a state with a Democrat Governor.
arc99 April 4th, 2015 at 2:19 pm
Cliven Bundy was a hoax as well. The man is a criminal. But ignorant right wing racists like you elevated him to hero status along with the armed thugs threatening deadly force against law enforcement.
Why is it that you right wingers condone threats of violence against law enforcement by white people, but when some black people actually do what right wing zealots say they will do, suddenly it is an affront to law and order?
I do not condone violence or the threat of violence under any conditions. But you right wingers with your worship of Bundy and his acolytes threatening law enforcement officers with firearms, are the most vile kind of hypocrites, supporting violence and then making racist condemnations (e.g. they cannot read) when people you disagree with use the same f*cking tactics you advocate.
Chinese Democracy April 4th, 2015 at 3:30 pm
so the kid isnt dead.. its a hoax .
Justice report finds systematic discrimination ..
Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson quits
after Justice Dept report released.
racially charged e-mails got 3 Ferguson police and court officials fired
etc etc etc
yeah YOU read the report
and stop trying the blame the victim b/s it doesn’t work on people with critical thinking skills
Red Eye Robot April 2nd, 2015 at 5:57 pm
$261,626 Nice going libs! Looks like your threats and intimidation is going to really hurt memories pizza
bpollen April 2nd, 2015 at 8:07 pm
Presence of other bigots proves that they are victorious! They closed down their pizzeria and still got a cool quarter mil from the rubes. Claiming victimization has proven very profitable for the reich-wing. The plus for the liberal end of the spectrum is that money is not available to elect Republicans, but instead is going to enable proud bigots to mooch instead of work!
P.T. Barnum was right.
burqa April 2nd, 2015 at 6:12 pm
OP: “It is horrible when the left goes after a business in this manner. They are showing just as much, if not more, intolerance than their target.”
Indeed.
We have the superior argument because we occupy the moral high ground. When we sacrifice that it becomes a case of two wrongs not making a right and both sides are worthy of condemnation.
This is a major reason I object to those who see the nastiness of the Tea Party and seem to think the appropriate response is to introduce the same nastiness on the Left, as if there’s some sort of benefit to increasing what we object to.
OldLefty April 2nd, 2015 at 7:05 pm
“According to Fox, the restaurant owner, Kevin O’Connor, said that Memories was inundated with phone calls following news reports on his family’s views on same-sex marriage. O’Connor could not decipher which calls were made to place real orders and which were not, pushing him to close the pizzeria. ”
That is not the impression that we were given.
That sounds very different from “threats”, especially when the shop soughht the publicity to begin with.
Red Eye Robot April 2nd, 2015 at 9:04 pm
$316,717 or roughly about 36,000 pizzas
oldfart April 3rd, 2015 at 1:40 am
Judas sold out for much less.
majii April 2nd, 2015 at 10:35 pm
I do not feel sorry for the O’Connors. They opened the door for responses when they granted the interview to the reporter.
Also, although I don’t agree with some of the attacks that have been made on them by some on the left, I must note that the Golden Rule is two-way street. Some on the right have the regular habit of attacking the left in vicious ways. In light of this, I feel compelled to remind them that “what goes around, comes around.”
oldfart April 3rd, 2015 at 1:41 am
you reap what you sow.
shame on anyone who threatened their lives.
Fossil1944 April 3rd, 2015 at 6:07 am
So perhaps this business learned a valuable lesson, pizza and discrimination don’t mix. Stick to your core business, and leave your personal politics and prejudicial views out of it.
Red Eye Robot April 3rd, 2015 at 8:43 am
Nobody discriminated against anybody
Red Eye Robot April 3rd, 2015 at 8:44 am
$501,666 at 8:43 am
Obewon April 3rd, 2015 at 8:56 am
Why are the racist states repealing their bigot Pizza Memories laws?
A: GOP and their repub clowns until 2016~ went down hard, flipping out over 2,000 year old comic book fantasies having 0% peer reviewed proof e.g. Noah’s 4004 BCE age Earth and universe? No. 5.1 B year old Earth was last flooded 3.8 B years ago in our 13.8 B year old universe.
What color is the sky in your teabagg world?
Red Eye Robot April 3rd, 2015 at 10:14 am
That’s a special kind of crazy you got there, Don’t go changin’
Obewon April 3rd, 2015 at 7:43 pm
This are examples of “Crazy”
Jeb Flip-Flops On Indiana Law (Apr 2, 2015)
Bush Either Does Or Does Not Read The New York Times Depending On If He’s Running For President (Mar 31, 2015)
Jeb: ‘Pence Has Done The Right Thing’ (Mar 31, 2015)
Republican Tennessee Legislator: Child Shootings Are Acts Of God’ http://www.alan.com/2015/04/03/republican-tennessee-legislator-child-shootings-are-acts-of-god/
Mike Butkus Jr. April 3rd, 2015 at 10:24 am
“Sometimes people are threatened by gays and lesbians because they are fearing their own impulses, in a sense they ‘doth protest too much,'” Ryan told LiveScience. “In addition, it appears that sometimes those who would oppress others have been oppressed themselves, and we can have some compassion for them too, they may be unaccepting of others because they cannot be accepting of themselves.”
This is the most active I’ve seen Red Eye on one thread ever. Just an observation.
cecilia April 3rd, 2015 at 6:18 pm
“He closed down the restaurant because they’re not sure which orders are real and which are fake or threats”
so, there’s no REAL threats…this is just shop owners being scared because something they said has consequences. Meaning, other people voiced their opinion.
Just to be clear: I DO NOT approve of violence at all.
My reaction when I find out a place of business will be discriminatory is to not give them my money. I don’t yell, scream or carry on. I just quietly go spend my hard earned money elsewhere.