FRC Abandons Ship with UPS
December 11, 2012 - Tuesday
In this busy shipping season, UPS will have at least one less customer to worry about: FRC. After 11 years as our official carrier, FRC is suspending its contract with UPS for openly discriminating against the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). In November, company executives announced that they would no longer support organizations that refuse to bow to their politically correct view of homosexuality. Although Vice President Kristen Patrella insisted UPS's decision didn't specifically target the Scouts, theirs was the only group affected. UPS promised to end its charitable donations to the Scouts "until gay Scout leaders are welcome within the organization."
According to most reports, the shipping giant altered its policy after an online petition drive at the liberal website, change.org, encouraged companies to end their BSA partnerships. But in the end, the 83,000 signatures it collected is a drop in the ocean compared to the 1,074,775 Americans who volunteered with a troop last year -- or the 2.7 million boys who were actual members of the Boy Scouts. Yet they, the overwhelming majority, are the ones for whom UPS has shown the greatest contempt -- and whose valuable activities will suffer as a result.
FRC tried to resolve the matter behind the scenes, even contacting Chairman and CEO Scott Davis with a letter of protest -- to which UPS promptly replied. Unfortunately, the company only reiterated its position that until the BSA puts a greater priority on the political agenda of LGBT activists than the protection of Scouts, they are not entitled to the same equality UPS claims to endorse. Apparently, the company isn't interested in true diversity but in strong-arming anyone who disagrees with their extreme agenda -- including a century-old youth development program, whose only crime is instilling character into millions of American boys. As for their longstanding policy on homosexuality, the Boy Scouts are doing what every parent would want them to: putting children's safety first.
Meanwhile, it seems UPS is not only anti-freedom, but anti-religion as well. Last week, the federal government sued the company for firing a Jehovah's Witness driver over a scheduling request. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) argues that the shipping giant violated America's anti-discrimination laws when it refused to modify the employee's hours so that he could attend a special church service. "When the employee refused to compromise his religious beliefs and attended instead of reporting for work, UPS fired him. UPS also assigned him a 'do not hire' status and refused to hire him when he applied for a different position at UPS's Staten Island facility," the EEOC press release explains .
If UPS wants to cater to the intolerant crowd, that's their business. But from now on, it won't be ours. FRC is taking its shipping needs elsewhere.
Is Marriage a Mute Point for the GOP?
Last Friday's announcement from the U.S. Supreme Court was a great victory for House Republicans -- but you wouldn't know it by their response. After the justices agreed to hear two cases on marriage -- including the one Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) initiated, and we're grateful for -- the silence on the Hill has been deafening. Politico called the GOP "mute " on marriage, after trying (and failing) to get a comment from 10 House offices.
Ironically, only Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kans.) -- who was just stripped of his committee assignments by GOP leaders -- was willing to speak out on the issue. "It is a good thing that SCOTUS is considering the case because it will give the Supreme Court another opportunity to affirm the clear constitutionality of DOMA. Furthermore, it has the potential to overturn the mistaken lower court ruling deeming Proposition 8 unconstitutional." Otherwise, too many Republicans are doing what has become the Establishment's default position -- burying their heads in the sand.
Fortunately, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia doesn't suffer from the same timidity . When he was challenged about his views on homosexuality, the longtime justice didn't run from the question. Instead, he stood his ground and rationally defended his views. During a stop on his book tour, a student asked him why he equates laws banning sodomy with those barring bestiality and murder. "I don't think it's necessary," Scalia responded, "but I think it's effective." Scalia said he was not "equating" sodomy with murder but "drawing a parallel between the bans on both." "It's a form of argument that I thought you would have known, which is called the 'reduction to the absurd.' If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against other things?"
A Ward Winning Performance from ADF
Julea Ward was just a few credits away from her counseling degree when Eastern Michigan University expelled her. As part of her practicum, the school assigned Julea to a homosexual case study. As a Christian, Julea didn't think that she could see the student -- not because she didn't want to help, but because she didn't want to affirm his lifestyle. After consulting her supervisor, Julea referred the student to another counselor -- which is, as her attorneys pointed out, "a common, professional practice." Weeks later, the university hauled Julea before a disciplinary committee and told her she'd have to enroll in a "remediation" program. When she refused, they kicked her out of the program!
For the last three years, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has fought its way through the courts to vindicate Julea. Yesterday, they succeeded. After a blockbuster ruling in January, Eastern Michigan finally agreed to settle the case this week -- capping a long and difficult legal battle. As part of the agreement, the university will not only pay Julea an undisclosed amount of money, but also remove the expulsion from her record.
The 6th Circuit Court, whose ruling was the final nail in Eastern Michigan's coffin, blasted the school for bullying Julea for her faith. "A reasonable jury could conclude that Ward's professors ejected her from the counseling program because of hostility toward her speech and faith... A university cannot compel a student to alter or violate her belief systems based on a phantom policy as a price to obtaining a degree." After a compelling argument from ADF, the court agreed: "Tolerance is a two-way street." Congratulations to ADF on another mammoth victory for religious freedom!