Jack Philips

David Harsanyi, a senior writer with National Review, wrote an article on June 25, 2021, entitled: "The Crusade to Destroy Jack Philips Continues." Let me quote from David's article: "I've been writing about Colorado cakemaker Jack Philp's fight against cultural authoritarians for a long time. This past March, I noted that Philips would probably be badgered into the grave. And this week, Denver district judge A. Bruce Jones again found that the state could compel speech, claiming that Philips had acted unlawfully when refusing to create a cake that celebrated the alleged gender transition of a Colorado activist. When Philips declined to participate in the wedding of David Mullins and Charlie Craig back in the summer of 2012--this was before Obergefell v. Hodges and before gay marriage was even legalized in Colorado--he made himself the target of harassment by activists and 'civil-rights' commissions that set out to destroy his business over a thought crime; by courts that set out to corrode religious liberty and free-speech protections; and by media that either don't understand or don't value free expression anymore. Journalists have been misleading their audiences about this case for nearly a decade. So, it needs to be repeated that Philips never turned a gay couple away from his shop. He never 'refused' to sell a gay couple his products. Mullins and Craig were free to buy anything they desired from Masterpiece Cakeshop. They weren't free to force Philips to create something that conflicted with his long-held religious beliefs. One of the most classic ideals of liberty is that we don't coerce individuals to say thing--or refrain from saying thing--in ways that violate their conscience." My response: It is very unjust that they keep persecuting this brave, religious man. He discriminated against none but will not allow the State or activists to compel him to say certain things or refrain from saying certain things. We are a constitutional republic. Radical free speech and free thought and expression of personal religious beliefs must not be thwarted or compelled by the State. If we are to remain a free people, this persecution of Philips and others by cultural authoritarians--to quote Harsanyi--must cease. Let me quote Harsanyi some more: "In June, 2017 the very day the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Philips case, Autumn Scardina, a transgender activist in Denver, called Masterpiece Cakeshop and requested a custom cake with a blue exterior and a pink interior to symbolize a gender transition. Philips turned down Scardina, as the lawyer knew he would. 'I was stunned,' Scardina would laughably inform the Colorado Civil Rights Commission later. Scardina hadn't tripped over the nation's most famous Christian baker by happenstance. Philips is now back where he started, guilty of a thought crime. Scardina, in fact, admitted this was about wanting to 'correct the errors' in Philip's thinking. And an unprincipled judge such as Adams has affirmed the right of certain people to impel speech on others. Let's hope it is temporary. What is certain is the crusade to destroy Philips--and many others like him--will continue until the Supreme Court upholds the clear language and intent of the First Amendment." My response: It is obvious that Leftist ideologues, activists and social justice warriors are fanatical, radical ideologues, who crave absolute power over all individual citizens and dissenters from their Marxist orthodoxy. They feel quite justified in forcing obedience, intellectual uniformity, silenced opposition and involuntary conformity by use of threats, fines, arrest and even jail time. This cannot stand. These evil people must be blocked and crushed or liberty in America will die. Let me quote Harsanyi one more time: "'Freedom of religion and religion have been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the holocaust, whether it be--I mean, we--we can list hundreds of situations where freedom of religion has been used to justify discrimination,' commissioner Diann Rice noted, giving the game away in 2014. 'And to me it is one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric that people can use--to use their religion to hurt others.'" My response: No one should be discriminated against, but free speech and freedom of religion liberties trump woke concerns of alleged discrimination under the guise of religious liberty. These authoritarian fascists need to be trampled.