A Baker Refused to Make a Cake for a Gay Wedding, What a Court Just Ruled Could Have Huge Implications

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shutterstock_139893601-913x512By Randy DeSoto. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that a Christian baker must bake cakes for same-sex weddings.

The court affirmed a Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruling that Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood outside of Denver, violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA).

“CADA prohibits places of public accommodations from basing their refusal to serve customers on their sexual orientation, and Masterpiece violated Colorado’s public accommodations law by refusing to create a wedding cake for Craig’s and Mullins’ same-sex wedding celebration,” the court wrote.

Phillips, a devout Christian, did not refuse to serve Charlie Craig and David Mullins when they came in his bakery in July 2012, but informed the men that, because of his beliefs, he would have to decline their wedding cake business. Gay marriage was not legalized in the state until October 2014. He told them he was more than happy to sell them other baked goods.

“Phillips believes that decorating cakes is a form of art, that he can honor God through his artistic talents, and that he would displease God by creating cakes for same-sex marriages,” the court opinion recognized. However, the three-judge panel rejected his religious liberty argument, finding that his refusal to bake a same-sex wedding cake constituted discrimination against the couple based on their sexual orientation. The same-sex couple’s right to not be discriminated against overrides Phillips’ right to the free exercise of religion, according to the court.

“We conclude that the act of same-sex marriage is closely correlated to Craig’s and Mullins’ sexual orientation, and therefore, the [administrative law judge] did not err when he found that Masterpiece’s refusal to create a wedding cake for Craig and Mullins was ‘because of’ their sexual orientation, in violation of CADA,” wrote Judge Taubman. (Read more from “A Baker Refused to Make a Cake for a Gay Wedding, What a Court Just Ruled Could Have Huge Implications” HERE)

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Court Rules Against Colorado Cake Shop in Same-Sex Marriage Case

By Jason Hanna. An appellate court on Thursday ruled against a Colorado bakery owner who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, rejecting among other things his denial that he discriminated against them because they are gay.

The Colorado Court of Appeals decision affirms a commission’s earlier decision that Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood and its owner, Jack Phillips, violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act when he declined to make a cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins’ wedding reception in 2012.

Phillips, a Christian, argued that his refusal to make the cake was based on his religious opposition to the act of same-sex marriage — a position he asserted was constitutionally protected — not based on an opposition to their sexual orientation.

Colorado law prohibits places of public accommodation from refusing to serve people based on sexual orientation. (Read more from this story HERE)

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The Countless Crimes of Hillary Clinton: Special Prosecutor Needed Now

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2B4A3BC200000578-0-image-a-1_1439481800089By Sidney Powell. After years of holding herself above the law, telling lie after lie, and months of flat-out obstruction, Hillary Clinton has finally produced to the FBI her server and three thumb drives. Apparently, the server has been professionally wiped clean of any useable information, and the thumb drives contain only what she selectively culled. Myriad criminal offenses apply to this conduct.

Anyone with knowledge of government workings has known from inception that Hillary’s communications necessarily would contain classified and national security related information. Thanks to the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community, it is now beyond dispute that she had ultra-Top Secret information and more that should never have left the State Department.

Equal to Ms. Clinton’s outrageous misconduct is that of the entire federal law enforcement community. It has long chosen to be deliberately blind to these flagrant infractions of laws designed to protect national security—laws for which other people, even reporters, have endured atrocious investigations, prosecutions, and some served years in prison for comparatively minor infractions.

It’s high time for a special prosecutor to be named to conduct a full investigation into Ms. Clinton’s likely commission of multiple felonies, including a conspiracy with Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills, and possibly others, to violate multiple laws.

While the FBI and Department of Justice have willfully ignored Hillary Clinton’s outrageous conduct, they didn’t hesitate a minute to investigate and prosecute former CIA Director and national hero, General Petraeus. He was just tarred, feathered and ridden out of the CIA on a rail for sharing some information (his own notebook) with his biographer who was both in the military and had a top secret clearance. Yet, Petraeus did not have a secret server set up to house his classified and top secret information or digital satellite imagery; he destroyed nothing; and, there was no “leak.” But that’s not all. (Read more from “The Countless Crimes of Hillary Clinton: Special Prosecutor Needed Now” HERE)

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Intelligence Community Wants Clinton’s Security Clearance Suspended

By Rowan Scarborough. Security experts say that if Hillary Rodham Clinton retained her government security clearance when she left the State Department, as is normal practice, it should be suspended now that it is known her unprotected private email server contained top secret material.

“Standard procedure is that when there is evidence of a security breach, the clearance of the individual is suspended in many, but not all, cases,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who was deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence in the George W. Bush administration. “This rises to the level of requiring a suspension.”

A State Department official declined to comment on whether Mrs. Clinton still holds her clearance or whether it is under review by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which awards and suspends security clearances.

“The department does not comment on individuals’ security clearance status,” the official said.

Mrs. Clinton is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. A campaign spokesman did not reply to a query, but she did get a vote of support from a key congressional Democrat. (Read more from “Intelligence Community Wants Clinton’s Security Clearance Suspended” HERE)

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Tech Company Which Maintained Hillary’s Secret Server Was Sued for ‘Illegally Accessing’ Database

By Daniel Bates. The Internet company used by Hillary Clinton to maintain her private server was sued for stealing dozens of phone lines including some which were used by the White House.

Platte River Networks is said to have illegally accessed the master database for all US phone numbers.

It also seized 390 lines in a move that created chaos across the US government.

Among the phone numbers which the company took – which all suddenly stopped working – were lines for White House military support desks, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, a lawsuit claims.

Others were the main numbers for major financial institutions, hospitals and the help desk number for T2 Communications, the telecom firm which owned them. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Court Rules Against StemExpress on Undercover Planned Parenthood Videos

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deniiedBy Caleb Howe. On Thursday afternoon, Alliance Defending Freedom issued a press release stating that a Superior Court of the State of California has rule in StemExpress v. The Center for Medical Progress, deciding the group has no rights to the materials produced by an undercover investigative journalist.

“People who don’t have anything to hide don’t go to court to stop journalists from reporting the truth,” said Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund President Chuck LiMandri. “The court was right to deny StemExpress’ request to gain access to damaging material against them obtained through solid investigative journalism.”

LiMandri explains exactly why. “Americans have the right to know the truth about Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby body parts and the ‘fiscal rewards’ Stem Express says that it provides to abortion clinics.” It is that right which StemExpress, Planned Parenthood, and their allies in the White House and elsewhere have attempted to deny.

Speaking with Truth Revolt by email, Senior Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom Casey Mattox adds:

“The Court has rightly stopped Stem Express from using a meritless lawsuit to try to silence the Center for Medical Progress. Americans have a right to know the truth about Planned Parenthood and its business deals with Stem Express. This decision brings us one step closer to the day Stem Express and Planned Parenthood have been dreading.”

(Read more from “Court Rules Against StemExpress on Undercover Planned Parenthood Videos” HERE)

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Denied Abortion, 11-Year-Old Paraguay Rape Victim Gives Birth

By Hugo Olazar. An 11-year-old Paraguayan girl who was raped by her mother’s boyfriend gave birth Thursday, rekindling the uproar over authorities’ refusal to let her have an abortion.

The child, who was 10 when she was raped, gave birth by C-section to a girl that weighed 3.5 kilos (eight pounds), said Dolores Castellanos, the doctor that monitored the pregnancy.

The girl has named the baby Milagros, which is Spanish for miracles.

The pregnancy came to light when the girl went to the doctor with stomach pains in April. Doctors initially believed she had parasites, but discovered on examining her that she was five months pregnant.

The authorities’ handling of the case sparked outrage in this predominantly Catholic country, where abortion is illegal except when the mother’s life is deemed to be at risk. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Outgoing Army Chief Ray Odierno: U.S. In ‘Stalemate’ With ISIS

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Barack Obama, Ray OdiernoBy Morgan Chalfant. Days before his retirement, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is emphasizing the need for the United States to continue its campaign against the Islamic State in the Middle East, describing the current U.S. position against the terrorist organization as a “stalemate.”

AFP reported that Odierno said Wednesday that though the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS) “has been blunted somewhat” in Iraq by U.S. airstrikes coupled with Kurdish and Iraqi ground forces, the military must make defeating the terrorist group its top priority.

“I think right now we are kind of at a stalemate and continue to make some progress,” explained Odierno, who spent more time in Iraq than any other U.S. Army general. He also stressed the need for the U.S. to continue to rebuild the Iraqi forces.

He echoed comments made by the veteran general nominated to lead the Marine Corps earlier this month. While undergoing questioning from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R., Ariz.), Lt. Gen. Robert Neller likewise characterized the U.S. campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria as a “stalemate.”

However, Obama administration officials–including the president himself–have touted the “progress” the United States has witnessed against IS. (Read more from “Outgoing Army Chief Ray Odierno: U.S. In ‘Stalemate’ With ISIS” HERE)

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Croatian Hostage Reportedly Beheaded in Egypt

By Brian Rohan. A Croatian hostage abducted in Egypt by Islamic State militants has been beheaded, according to a gruesome image circulated Wednesday, a killing that, if confirmed, would be the first of its kind involving a foreign captive in the country.

The killing of the 30-year-old oil and gas sector surveyor would deal a blow to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi’s attempts to burnish the country’s reputation a week after he unveiled a new extension of the Suez canal in a much hyped ceremony attended by international dignitaries.

It will also probably rattle companies with expatriate workers in Egypt and cast a cloud over hopes of boosting international investment and tourism following years of unrest in the aftermath of Egypt’s Arab Spring uprising.

The still photo, circulated by Islamic State supporters on social media, appeared to show the body of Tomislav Salopek, a married father of two, wearing a beige jumpsuit like the one he had worn in a previous video. A black flag used by the Islamic State group and a knife were planted in the sand next to his body.

A caption in Arabic said Salopek was killed for his country’s participation in the war against the Islamic State, and said the deadline had passed for Egypt to meet the group’s demands to free jailed Islamist women. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Al Gore Said to Be Looking at Another Run for President

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MW-CU841_algore_20140924122959_ZHBy Shawn Langlois. It’ll take more than three emoji to describe how Hillary Clinton must be feeling right now. That’s because a familiar face may have just popped up on her path to the Democratic nomination.

Yes, Al Gore is reportedly talking about a possible run for president in 2016.

Gore, of course, won the popular vote 15 years ago but veered off in different directions, environmental and otherwise, after conceding the White House to George W. Bush.

Having racked up an Oscar and a Nobel peace prize in 2007, Gore has been notably absent from the public eye in recent years. But that could change in a hurry. According to BuzzFeed, a senior Democrat said, “They’re getting the old gang together.” That team is said to be working on “figuring out if there’s a path financially and politically.” (Read more from “Al Gore Said to Be Looking at Another Run for President” HERE)

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Al Gore Insiders “Figuring out If There’s a Path” for Him to Run

By Andrew Kaczynski. Supporters of Al Gore have begun a round of conversations among themselves and with the former vice president about his running for president in 2016, the latest sign that top Democrats have serious doubts that Hillary Clinton is a sure thing.

Gore, 67, won the popular vote in the 2000 election and has been mentioned as a possible candidate in every contested Democratic primary since then. He instead spent much of the 2000s focused on environmental campaigning and business ventures. He has largely slipped out of public view in more recent years.

But in recent days, “they’re getting the old gang together,” a senior Democrat told BuzzFeed News.

“They’re figuring out if there’s a path financially and politically,” the Democrat said. “It feels more real than it has in the past months.”

The senior Democrat and other sources cautioned not to overstate Gore’s interest. He has not made any formal or informal moves toward running, or even met with his political advisers about a potential run. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Navajo Nation Vows to Sue EPA Over Toxic Mine Spill

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downloadBy Amy R. Connolly. The Navajo Nation vowed to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over a toxic wastewater spill into waterways throughout the Southwest and warned tribal residents to avoid signing the EPA’s compensation form because it will effectively sever their legal and financial rights.

Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye ordered the nation’s Department of Justice to take action against the EPA and signed a directive banning the agency from distributing information about the federal compensation regarding the spill from the Gold King mine, north of Silverton, Colo., into the Animas and San Juan rivers and its tributaries throughout Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said the federal form “contains offending language that will waive future claims for individuals that sign the form and preclude our people from seeking full compensation for injuries” suffered as a result of the release of some three million gallons of toxic mine waste on Aug. 5.

“The spill has impacted us religiously, emotionally, financially,” Begaye said, adding it has affected more than 100,000 Navajo residents, cutting off drinking water and water for irrigation and farming.

“Relocated farmers now need to buy hay and haul water; others living along the river are forced to drive up to 200 miles to find bottled water. People with an average salary of $12,000 are expending dollars on things that they wouldn’t have,” Begaye said. (Read more from “Navajo Nation Vows to Sue EPA Over Toxic Mine Spill” HERE)

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Mark Levin Hat Tips TGP and Explains EPA Warning Letter Before the Disaster

By Mara Zebest. Mark Levin Hat Tips GatewayPundit on exposing the letter to an editor predicting the Colorado EPA spill one week before the disaster occurred. Levin then reads the letter and in typical Levin style, does a great job breaking down the significance of the letter and the intentions of EPA in this man-made disaster.

(Read more from this story HERE)

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Obama Administration Threatens Alabama and Louisiana After They De-Fund Planned Parenthood

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barackobama8The Obama administration is threatening two states after they made the decision to cut funding to the Planned Parenthood abortion business in the wake of a series of videos exposing how Planned Parenthood sells aborted babies and their body parts.

Alabama became the third state to de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business in the wake of five videos exposing how the abortion giant sells the body parts of aborted babies for research. The state followed Louisiana, which is revoking a contract with Planned Parenthood using state Medicaid dollars, and New Hampshire, which zapped $650,000 in state taxpayer funding.

In Alabama, Governor Robert Bentley sent a letter to the head of the Planned Parenthood abortion business in Alabama notifying it of his decision. In Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals informed Planned Parenthood it is exercising its right to terminate Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid provider agreement.

According to the Medicaid provider contract between DHH and Planned Parenthood, along with relevant Louisiana law, either party can choose to cancel the contract at will after providing written notice.

But the Obama administration wrote threatening letters to each state claiming their move to de-fund Planned Parenthood violates federal law. (Read more from “Obama Administration Threatens Alabama and Louisiana After They De-Fund Planned Parenthood” HERE)

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Miscarried at 22 Weeks, Identical Twins Are Sharing the Truth About Abortion

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11855742_10153565631108824_4295946816712200473_n-672x372Heather Ellis and her husband, Josh, have always wished for children, but after their first son, Cason, was born, they struggled to get pregnant. Fertility drugs helped, and they were thrilled to discover they were expecting identical twin boys. However, at 18 weeks, Ellis began experiencing some pressure and had a feeling something was wrong.

Doctors performed an ultrasound and told Ellis that everything was fine, but she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was not right. She followed her instincts and switched doctors, looking for a second and third opinion . . .

“When I first went in,” Ellis said, “and they noticed that it wasn’t looking good, they offered me abortion and I just couldn’t do that” . . .

On August 6, 2015, Ellis decided to share their photograph with the world through Facebook. Underneath the photo she wrote:

With all this talk of abortion right now, I want people to know that this is what a 22 week old child looks like. This was just minutes after my twins passed away after living and breathing for about 30 minutes last November (Chase, the one on the right, looks different because he was in the sac without amniotic fluid for a couple days). It is legal to abort children at this age in way too many places. While I was holding my babies, wishing they would survive, babies at the same gestation that could have survived are being torn apart and discarded. It makes my heart sad. There are so many better options (adoption being my personal favorite). These are precious children of God. I love you Chase and Cooper, and I hope someone will see this and reconsider their choice.

(Read more from “Miscarried at 22 Weeks, Identical Twins Are Sharing the Truth About Abortion” HERE)

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Facial Recognition Software Moves From Overseas Wars to Local Police

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13FACIALRECOGNITIONWEB1SUB-articleLargeFacial recognition software, which American military and intelligence agencies used for years in Iraq and Afghanistan to identify potential terrorists, is being eagerly adopted by dozens of police departments around the country to pursue drug dealers, prostitutes and other conventional criminal suspects. But because it is being used with few guidelines and with little oversight or public disclosure, it is raising questions of privacy and concerns about potential misuse.

Law enforcement officers say the technology is much faster than fingerprinting at identifying suspects, although it is unclear how much it is helping the police make arrests.

When Aaron Harvey was stopped by the police here in 2013 while driving near his grandmother’s house, an officer not only searched his car, he said, but also took his photograph and ran it through the software to try to confirm his identity and determine whether he had a criminal record.

Eric Hanson, a retired firefighter, had a similar experience last summer. Stopped by the police after a dispute with a man he said was a prowler, he was ordered to sit on a curb, he said, while officers took his photo with an iPad and ran it through the same facial recognition software. The officers also used a cotton swab to collect a DNA sample from the inside of his cheek.

Neither man was arrested. Neither had consented to being photographed. Both said officers had told them that they were using facial recognition technology. (Read more from “Facial Recognition Software Moves From Overseas Wars to Local Police” HERE)

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Measure Introduced to Compel Anchorage Christians to Violate Conscience, Serve, Hire, Work for Cross-Dressers, Homosexuals

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anchorage_rainbowAnchorage Assemblyman Bill Evans has introduced a measure to force Christian landlords, business owners and others with religious objections to homosexuality and/or other sexual disorders, to violate conscience in their business practices.

Evans, who somehow won the endorsement of the Alaska Family Council’s political arm (Alaska Family Action) in his last election, issued the following press release:

On Thursday, Anchorage Assemblyman Bill Evans filed with the Anchorage Municipal Clerk’s Office a new ordinance that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories under the Municipality’s equal rights law.

The goal of the ordinance, according to Evans, is to provide a balanced approach that respects the rights of everyone affected by this
issue.

“The ability of every person in society to be judged based upon their skill, accomplishments, and talents, and not because of some immutable characteristics, is a result we should encourage. At a time when we need more citizens to be productive income generators, we cannot tolerate impediments to employment that are not based on actual performance,” stated Evans, a longtime employment attorney and former two-time Chairman of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.

Evans claims that religious liberty is protected by an exemption he drafted but his proposed language is exceptionally narrow and would fail to protect that vast majority of traditional Christians who have strong religious convictions about homosexuality and gender identity issues.

Upon hearing about Evans’ proposal, one Anchorage conservative activist bluntly emailed, “War has begun.”

Activists are rightly concerned, given Mayor Berkowitz’s unequivocal support for “anything goes” sexuality. That support, along with the liberal votes on the Anchorage Assembly, almost ensure passage of Evan’s measure.

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