PA's Worst: Republican Pushes Pro-Discrimination Proposal in PA House [VIDEO]

[Counterpoint PA]

This is a video from my show Counterpoint PA, the only grassroots progressive newscast exclusively about Pennsylvania politics.

In this edition of Counterpoint PA's homage to Keith Olbermann, the Worst Pennsylvanians of the Week, the winner is a conservative Republican state representative who is seeking cosponsors to introduce a bill that would literally legalize discrimination. While he wants to exempt businesses from a wide range of anti-discrimination laws, he also claims he's not endorsing discrimination. I'm not making this one up. I put the reality of this proposal in historical perspective and emphasize that it is, in fact, an endorsement of discrimination.

For a transcript, links to the sources used in this story, or to browse the show's categorized video archive, go to http://counterpointpa.org. (Go here if you want to go right to the post for this video.)

Stay in touch on Twitter @CounterpointPA and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/counterpointpa

[freshwest]

1. Taking his cues from Rand Paul. It's really an invasion of freedom of thought and privacy.

I read the link, but don't want to watch and hear this yahoo.

Will businesses administer tests and do background checks on those who need essentials?

The freedom of mind issue doesn't apply to those whose appearance shows them to be 'objectionable' like blacks or women or people with the 'wrong' religious symbols.

Can the alleged 'consciences' of business owners read other people's minds now, too?

Will they their victims be forced to recite scripture, or give their private life history to some voyeur to buy milk?

Once again, small government Republicans go straight into the most intimate part of the lives of others and that's the very thing they say they hate...

And they have the absolute nerve to complain about the NSA and Big Brother?

They can take a flying leap.

[AsahinaKimi]

2. I don't understand this...how could Pennslyvania pass

a law allowing discrimination when the Federal law prohibits it. If the owner of the store hates Asian people, he can refuse to hire them, or even sell to them? Wow...

[freshwest]

3. Just like they can pass laws restricting women, they can do this. It's the Tenther movement utopia.

Been used on women, Asians, immigrants, gays and blacks forever, it's the policy of states' rights packaged for a younger generation of 'freedom fighters' who will take their marching orders from RWNJs. Everyone who is likely to be discrimnated against must vote against them at every single election. If not, they will drag us back to the days of the Articles of Confederacy. They want to stage another Constitutional convention to rewrite it and repeal every law that granted civil rights to any person who is not white, male and a landowner. This has been in fhe works for years, and it comes from the grass roots in red state legislatures. As they are allowed to take the majority they will write the Constitution to suit the Koches.

[HoosierCowboy]

4. It works both ways

We can discriminate against businesses that discriminate against us. No business? Eat your teabag!