Muslims, Amish, Christian Scientists, Scientologists, and a few others, are exempt from obamacare.
They don’t have to participate in any way.

Solaratov on February 2, 2013 at 7:05 PM

Solarov, do you have the reference for this in the Obamacare text?

I would have thought there was an “unequal treatment” case to make.

Just as you can’t make a law against an individual, I would have thought exempting individuals from what is supposed to be a law by “waiver” is a sign of bad law.

While I applaud the opposition of the bishops and others to Obama’s assault on out religious liberties, i question if protection can be applied to private citizens. Quakers, 7th Day Adventists, Amish and others are protected from harm in many areas of belief and practice. But all individuals are required to pay taxes to the various levels of govt and those taxes pay for activities quite at odds with religious belief. Notably the federal tax used to pay for the national defense establishment. So I think that Hobby Lobby’s owners, however admirable their stand, are not protected from the law. Would a believeing Muslim landlord be protected from federal housing statutes if he refused to rent to a homosexual couple? No. He would suffer penalties and consequences of the law.

xkaydet65 on February 2, 2013 at 12:28 PM

Private citizens are exactly who should be protected. What we have is the government trying to force people to pay for things that are against their religion, but not by taxes. Your example of conscientious objectors doesn’t even being to apply, since the government is not funding this with taxes that you are required to pay anyway for all government operations, but simply requiring you to pay a third party for abortifacients in the name of birth control.

If the government can require you to do this, then freedom of religion is no longer an individual right, but a right that is only given to “legitimate” religious organizations like churches.

The direct equivalent would be to declare that freedom of speech is only applicable to news organizations, not individual citizens. Or that guns are only allowed for members of federally recognized militias, not individuals.

All 3 are essentially the same issue: the fascist state trying to take individual rights and limit them to only certain recognized groups. And since the government does the recognizing, the rights mean only what the government allows them to mean.

If this is allowed to stand, then the government will effectively be able to remove free speech from any organization that gets too critical of them, remove free exercise of religion from any religious group that teaches things they don’t like, and confiscate guns from any militia or shooting range that does not comply sufficiently with federal reporting requirements.

It’s hard to regulate individuals. So much easier to put them in groups, then regulate the groups.

So yes, we need to push back against this at every opportunity.

“My shame and embarrassment campaign against owners of scary boomsticks isn’t working, and now this!”

Shorter Ed Morrissey: “Am I ever going to stop b*tching & whining about EVERYTHING associated with Obama and the Democrats?” No, not really.

Sigh.

lostmotherland on February 2, 2013 at 4:30 PM

You know, lostmotherhumper, if I don’t like an author on a site, I don’t (as you seem to enjoy) piss and moan or whine and snivel about the author. I just don’t bother going to that site.

You might consider that course of action…rather than sighing like some pansy drama queen.

virgo on February 2, 2013 at 1:27 PM

Muslims, Amish, Christian Scientists, Scientologists, and a few others, are exempt from obamacare.
They don’t have to participate in any way.

lostmotherland on February 2, 2013 at 4:30 PM

There’s a little X at the top of your browser that will allow you to not have to read anything Ed says ever again.

Shorter Ed Morrissey: “Am I ever going to stop b*tching & whining about EVERYTHING associated with Obama and the Democrats?” No, not really.

Sigh.

lostmotherland on February 2, 2013 at 4:30 PM

Send him an email champ.

Apologies to Ed of course.

Sigh.

–snip–
Are there no Islamic organizations whose principles are being infinged by this unprecedented intrusion by the federal government? When did Islamic organizations start sponsoring free contraception? (Or, have they already got a “waiver” from this administration?)

virgo on February 2, 2013 at 1:27 PM

My understanding is that they already have an exemption from this legislation and regulation.

Overall, I think the Administration is trying to split hairs in ever-slimmer slivers, and are not making any progress–which they can’t as the position is untenable. Only a Big Government person would think that by making the insurance company, which gets its fees from the employers, could fund something without the complicity of the employers. Unless and only unless, the insurer has an employer-independent (open to anyone regardless of employer or other insurance status) charity to provide such contraception and abortion pills, The money for said charity would have to come directly out of the insurers’ profits and not the fees.

It’s the same thing the evil Republicans wanted, right?

Deanna on February 2, 2013 at 1:41 PM

Thanks for your information.
L

about 200.

And the last 100 we’ve been slipping back into the patterns of the past thousands of years.

This is a fight that predates us, and…….will outlast us.

BTW, I should add, isn’t the wwp what President Bush does bike rides, almost yearly, with the wounded vets?
L

letget on February 2, 2013 at 1:16 PM

No I don’t think so. He road with the Warrior 100 and the LSM kept referring to them as wounded warriors. But I don’t think they’re affiliated with the WWP.

As for the WWP, I quit giving some time ago after reading negative comments from Vets and reading their financials. A lot of money at the top end. There are other better run organizations that help our Vets. JMO
You can check them out here…read some of the reviews too.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12842

22044 on February 2, 2013 at 12:56 PM

This is indeed very stupid. The youngest Boy Wonder (son) is playing in two different banks in an all day concert benefiting them today. I was going to go and now I think I will skip it.

Are there no Islamic organizations whose principles are being infinged by this unprecedented intrusion by the federal government? When did Islamic organizations start sponsoring free contraception? (Or, have they already got a “waiver” from this administration?)

chemman on February 2, 2013 at 1:02 PM

I saw that also about the gun organizations. I wonder if Toby Keith, the c/w singer, is aware of what the wwp is doing? I can’t get my head around Toby going along with this bunch on their actions?
L

letget on February 2, 2013 at 12:49 PM

My daughter who gave money monthly to them has stopped donating because of this. She also said they refused to take money from gun organizations.

Khun Joe on February 2, 2013 at 12:32 PM

That’s the flower of the plant. The seed was planted at least as far back as TR of “speak softly and carry a big stick” fame.

On the issue of religion, have you seen this about the WWP? I have no idea why this bunch has to be so nasty to our wounded vets to refuse funds to help them?

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/wounded-warrior-refuses-to-accept-money-from-church.html
L

letget on February 2, 2013 at 12:49 PM

Very bad move of them. I hope they’ll change their mind.

1) Curtail religious freedom (communists cannot tolerate competition-neither can faux messiahs be subservient to real Messiahs)

2) Curtail everyone’s right to conscience.

3) Force the closure of charities and Cloward Piven the rabble over to the government’s control.