From the Stand Up for Religous Freedom Rally:
[Bel Air] — On Friday, June 8, as the United States Supreme Court prepares to issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), concerned citizens of Bel Air will take to the streets to voice public opposition to the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services Mandate.
The HHS Mandate forces all employers—including religious schools and hospitals—to provide free contraceptives, surgical sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs through their health plans, regardless of religious or moral convictions. The Bel Air Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally will begin at 12 noon at the Harford County Circuit Courthouse, 20 West Courtland St, in Bel Air, joining over 150 other cities and towns from Maine to Hawaii that are participating in this national event. A complete list of rally sites and other details are available at StandUpRally.com.
The June 8 Stand Up Rally builds on the tremendous momentum created by the first Stand Up Rally held on March 23, with over 63,000 citizens of all faiths attending local rallies in 145 cities. With the Supreme Court’s Obamacare ruling coming and the November elections in sight, the June 8 Stand Up Rally is expected to draw even larger crowds. The Bel Air Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally has been organized by Carrie McCarty-Gibson. Guest speakers will include community and religious leaders of several faiths.
• What: Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally
• When: Friday, June 8, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
• Where: Harford County Circuit Courthouse, 20 West Courtland St, Bel Air
• Who: Hundreds of local citizens opposed to Obama’s HHS Mandate
The date for the Stand Up Rally was chosen to highlight the HHS Mandate’s unconstitutional infringement of religious freedom, coming just weeks before the highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare, expected at the end of June.
“If Obamacare is ruled unconstitutional, we must ensure that religious freedom will be protected in subsequent health care legislation,” explained Paula Hoppel, one of the organizers of this rally. “But if Obamacare is not struck down, we’ll be sending the federal government a clear message that the faith-based institutions and private businesses affected by the HHS Mandate here in Harford County will not violate their consciences by complying with it.”
Hoppel emphasized that the Stand Up Rally has nothing to do with access to contraception. “There is no ‘war on contraception’ in our country. Contraception is already widely, cheaply available. What’s really under attack today is religious freedom.”
The June 8 Rally coincides with the 223rd anniversary of the day James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights to the 1st Congress, including what would become the First Amendment. “We’re standing up for the First Amendment and demanding that all our health care laws respect religious freedom,” Hoppel explained.
Why single out the contraception mandate when the entire law is unconstitutional and built upon false premises?
Oh the words “Contraception Mandate”. It’s like yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater. No one mandates you use contraception Mike. The mandate is that it has to be offered. Think of it like the right to bear arms. It is not a Gun Mandate. If you don’t want one you don’t have to have one. Extend it to whatever hot button issue you would like to become inflamed about. Next thing I expect you to be complaining about is a Gay Marriage Mandate.
And it follows that if coverage has to be offered, then premium payers must pay for it. Which makes it nothing like the right to bear arms, as the right to bear arms doesn’t involve someone else paying for your arms.
Can’t respond to your point about a “gay marriage mandate” as I have no idea what you mean by it…
MIKE Why is it that men have so much to say about a woman’s body and her right to decide what she does with it?
Duh, Proud.
As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.
You can’t do this using contraception! (sarcasm…)
And are you the one that complains about having to support poor children? Are you certain you want everyone to…”be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” Be careful what you wish for Dude.
Not sure why you ask… I was being critical of the fact that the mandate is drawing such criticism when the mandate is merely one facet of an unjust and ineffective law.
Freedom OF religion also includes freedom FROM religion.
How would you feel if you worked for an employer who was a Christian Scientist? They could tell you that because of their religion they will not provide ANY healthcare. If you get sick, just pray for healing. This is not a slam on Christian Scientists, I’m just pointing out that other religions also have prohibitions on many things the rest of us would consider as a regular part of healthcare. Once more reason we need a single payer system.
If you worked for such an employer you would have to accept whatever benefits are given (or not given). If you don’t like it, find another job. Your problem not their’s.
Which is the point of the mandate to allow the individual to choose, not the employer, because until recently corporations were not individuals. And for further separation of church and state I would like to see religious institutions taxed. Then none of them could claim a special relationship with government.
A spamming by a Super Pac.
This is a Christian nation founded upon Judeo-Christian values. Deal with it!
Is it, or is it that what you were told at church? I think people of other faiths would say otherwise.
Otto, you always have something interesting to say… like how asphalt spawns cars and other silliness. I think you just come here to see what happens when you stir the muck. There was a Gary Larson cartoon once, showing God just finishing the Earth, and then taking a big jar labelled “Jerks” and shaking it over the planet. His thought balloon said “Now, just to make things interesting”
It is? Where in the Constitution can I find that we are a Christian Theocracy?
This is certainly NOT a Christian Nation! It is (in fact) a Representative Republic that allows freedom OF religion, but cannot (and should not) endorse any religion. I am a proud athiest AND I am a proud American. Deal with that “Otto”! And please….don’t feel sorry for me because you think I’ll burn for eternity when I die. I’m elightened enough to realize that’s just the Christian “scare tactic” to entice the uninformed to become OR stay Christians. Hey….Jesus never dated women….is it possible he could have been gay? One more thing….just because our currency states “In God We Trust”, it doesn’t mean the Christian “Lord God” or “Jesus Christ”. It could mean anything to anyone. Some folks god is Allah, some others it’s Buddah, to others it’s “Jim Smith”, to others it’s a golden calf, and to an underestimated amount of folks like me it means absolutely nothing! Take it off as far as I’m concerned, and while your at it, please remove it from the “Pledge of Allegiance” (since it didn’t get added to the original version until the 1950’s!) There, those facts should stir up some lively conversation! But be nice in your responses all you good little Christians out there. We don’t want to be hypocrites….now DO we? 🙂
What day is the library closed.
wow. just wow. at everyone who thinks that a woman’s ‘right’ to contraception is more important than an employer’s freedom of religion. this is the nanny state run amok.
David, you produced a better ad hominem arguement than I see from Proud, and that’s saying something. Giving the federal government the power to require an employer to disobey his religious beliefs and convictions has nothing to do with the 2nd Amendment. The 2nd amendment gaurantees the right of the citizens to own and bear arms. it does not require anyone to own a gun. The “contraception mandate” in the ACA REQUIRES someone (the employer) to provide a service contrary to their religious beliefs. so tell me, do we or don’t we live in a nation that gaurantees the freedom of religion? if we do indeed have that freedom, how can anyone say that the federal government can deny that right to a certain religion? Hypocrites.
Proud – more ad hominem and straw men from you too. How can you imply that only poor people will benefit from this law? How can you say that people complain about tax dollars being spent to assist poor families? besides, planned parenthood is still an abortion factory, so if you can’t get free BC from your employer, and you get pregnant, PP will take care of that for you.
Justamom – Yet another strawman. if someone worked for an employer who didn’t provide health insurance, for any reason, that person is always free to pursue alternative employment, or to buy an individual policy. they are more affordable than people think. As to a single payer system: please give me just one example of such a system where the level of care matches what we have here, where the innovation matches, where the government’s debt is not being driven by the single payer system, where patients have the options that we have in america. take your time, do some research. you won’t find one. Tell me of one program run by america’s federal government that provides excellent service without ballooning debt. Amtrak? USPS? maybe?
If you like socialism so much, move to cuba and let me know how awesome it is from there.
Cdev and Andrew – no one said that america was a christian theocracy. the statement was that we are a christian nation founded on judeo-christian principles. we are a representative republic. at least we were before the 17th amendment. but I digress. if you read the constitution, the federalist papers, and the writings of the founders, it becomes very clear that the “great experiment” that is america was indeed founded on judeo-christian philosophy. we as a nation and as a society have strayed far from that beginning, true, but that can’t change the facts of history. if we aren’t a christian nation, why does every single piece of currency say “in God we trust”? and the pledge of allegience? it sure doesn’t say one nation under allah.
so if you all like your socialism and atheism so much, go give greece a try, i hear it’s lovely this time of year. or spain or italy. hell, even england. go ahead. move over there for a year and tell me you’re better off. I’ll be waiting.
God Bless,
Jeff
Jeff: Before you use “ad hominem and straw men ” learn what they mean.
And Proud knows about them as he constantly utilizes them.
Anyways, have a nice day.
Jeff. Clarifications to some of your points. The words “In God we trust” have not always been on US Currency. The Pledge of Allegiance did not contain the words “Under God” until well after the 1940s and was never in the original pledge written by the author. You should read up on Thomas Jefferson’s views on Christianity. As a founding father he had some decidedly different ideas about the role of religion in society.
The fact that government is not supposed to endorse a religion is a very prominent part of the constitution and formed the basis for our nation being seen as a sanctuary for people fleeing religious persecution throughout the world.
The constitution was principally written to show how government powers would be limited without infringing on the individual rights of its citizenry. This extends to bedroom habits, drinking habits and many other areas where personal freedom is under attack by people who believe this country is a so called Christian Nation. And I did not repeat Juedo-Christian for a reason, because initially there was a great deal of anti-semitism present in this country which George Washington sought to dispel when he addressed a Jewish Synagogue in New England.
I love when organizations send out press releases about themselves in which they interview and quote themselves too.
Makes me wonder sometimes if there’s one guy asking himself questions with a tape recorder who thinks that’s normal.