A Republican Lobbyist Is Trying To Get Gay Football Players Banned From The NFL
Source: HuffingtonPost.com
A Republican lobbyist is preparing legislation that would ban gay athletes from playing in the National Football League, a move he says is necessary to prevent American society from sliding into indecency. Jack Burkman, the CEO of Burkman LLC, said Monday that he would push Republican lawmakers to support the measure, which he put together after college football star Michael Sam announced that he is gay. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Burkman insisted that five members of the House of Representatives and one senator are interested in co-sponsoring the bill, and that those numbers would rise to 36 and five, respectively, within three weeks. Notably, he declined to name any of the lawmakers in question.
The absence of any actual details -- from the language of the bill to the names of potential supporters -- gave the announcement the unmistakable whiff of a publicity stunt. Burkman's own public relations firm broke the news of the legislation. Beyond his motive, however, is a larger question: Why would Burkman even bother? Sam's announcement was met with widespread support. Why should Congress create a conflict where, for the most part, one doesn't exist?
Even Burkman concedes that conservatives like himself are supposed to find it abhorrent when the government tells a private business how to conduct its affairs. "However," he added, "there are times when that is trumped for reason of great urgency or necessity. And I think this is it, because I see the society sliding in the wrong direction."
"I felt that if the NFL doesn't have any morals, and people like (Commissioner) Roger Goodell, who are just go-along-get-along guys, just want to appease advertisers, appease corporate America and all that stuff," he said, "I figured, well, it is time for conservatives in Congress to step in and define morality for them."
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/24/ban-gays-nfl_n_4849250.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp#sb=1358652b=facebook
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Burkman's bill, if it's ever actually introduced, stands no chance of passage. Just imagine the laugh President Barack Obama would have if it somehow made its way to his desk.
But the fact that he sees it as a potential fault line -- he floated the possibility of the bill being used by a Republican primary challenger to pluck off the incumbent -- suggests that GOP operatives anticipate some sort of a social conservative backlash and wouldn't mind profiting from it. Burkman isn't a no-name lobbyist. Though he appears on cable news less frequently these days than he used to, his firm had a big growth in clients this past year.
He is also not necessarily the best person to wage a fight over decency and morality. A few years back, his name was reportedly found on the D.C. madam's list of clients of high-end prostitutes.
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Attention whore
= new reply since forum marked as read
Fucking 
"And that reason is that gays are icky."
Good thing this will die a swift death in whatever committee is unfortunate enough to hear it.
discrimination? 
