Quick Note: Oh, Supreme Court, What Hath Thou Wrought?

Well, this didn't take long:

Last week, the Supreme Court created the Church of the Holy Corporation by ruling that Hobby Lobby's owners could impose their conservative religious beliefs on their female employees by denying them free access to contraception. 

One day later, religious leaders elsewhere were looking to get their foot in the door of the Court's new tabernacle by requesting an exemption that would allow them to discriminate against their gay employees. Thanks to the Supreme Courts' egregious ruling, these religious bigots are now free to claim that corporations can have religious beliefs and those corporate beliefs are more important than the beliefs of mere employees. 

The President has said he will sign an executive order that would prohibit government contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.  ENDA, a similar bill, was passed by the Senate in November 2013 with a bi-partisan vote of 64-32. House Speaker John Boehner has refused to put the bill to a vote in the House.  With no sign of movement on the issue, the White House drafted an order that would protect LGBT employees who work for companies or organizations that do business with the federal government.

Seeing an opening in the Hobby Lobby decision, Michael Wear, former Obama staffer, the Reverend Larry Snyder, leader of the Catholic Charities USA, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Stephan Bauman, president of a wing of the National Association of Evangelicals sent a letter to the White House.

In it, these "Christians" wrote, "We are asking that an extension of protection for one group not come at the expense of faith communities whose religious identity and beliefs motivate them to serve those in need."  They wrote that they seek a "robust religious exemption."

Michael Wear, who drafted the letter, calls himself an "ardent supporter" of gay rights.  

His definition of "ardent" must be different from mine.  You can't call yourself a supporter--ardent or otherwise--while, at the same time, advocating that your supportees be denied workplace protection.

Mr. Wear told the New York Times that "We're not trying to support crazy claims of religious privilege." He explained that the letter was only a request that these groups be permitted to uphold their religious-based moral standards for their staff members.

Mr. Wear would seem to be the poster boy for self-delusion. If requesting permission to discriminate on the basis of religion is not a "crazy claim of religious privilege" then what is it?

And on what do these "Christians" base their "moral standards" homophobia? They claim conservative Christian values, yet they simply ignore the second commandment: "Matthew 22:31  And the second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than this."  Where is the verse where Jesus said "except for...?"

So far, these exemption requests have come from conservative Christian companies and organizations.   I can't wait to hear the uproar when the first Muslim company requests a religious exemption asking that they be permitted to impose Shariah Law on their employees.  

The Supreme Court has opened a can of worms so big they make Godzilla look like a gnat.