Ordinance 2012-296 ACTION NEEDED

[Leanne King]

     By now you heard of Ordinance 2012-296. The previous communications have detailed the ordinance and its specific implication.  To site the Ordinance Preamble, “Whereas, the City of Jacksonville seeks to build a reputation as a welcoming community for bright and talented members of a workforce…..”; this is a suggested ordinance giving the Human Rights Council the powers to enforce the ordinance against businesses “should it be proven that they discriminate” on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identification.  The original ordinance also eliminated references to the United States Constitution and laws of the State and failed to define sexual orientation and gender identification.  Is this a new special class of people?   It suggests that Jacksonville is an environment that is hostile to the gay/lesbian/transgender people. This suggestion has been disproven by recent two national level survey’s that document that we rank number 3 and 4 for being a friendly city and a great place to live.

 

     This bill is in front of our city council for vote.  It has met some resistance from conservatives, Tea Party, religious organizations and other First Amendment Rights organizations. The opposition stands just as firm in their beliefs that this ordinance is needed so that they are treated fairly. While there are some personal level stories as to their treatment none relate to workplace/community or housing discrimination. We know that you cannot legislate the personal behaviors of some individuals who make a choice to be hateful to another.

     There is now an attempt to amend the proposed ordinance by reinstating verbiage to the US Constitution and eliminating “gender identification” and perhaps “sexual expression.” This however will not solve the issues that this ordinance in any form will create.

     I ask that you email the city council members listed below and feel free to utilize any of the information presented below.

 

                               Ask yourself and your council member:

   Are you willing to commit to the premise that Jacksonville is hostile to the gay/lesbian community?

   Are you willing to believe that only the gay, lesbian world is creative as your message so clearly stated in the council meeting last week?

   Are you willing to commit that this is the most important issue to attract business to Jacksonville?

   Are you willing to lay the legal and financial burdens of this legislation at the feet of thousands of the small business owners in our city?

   Are you willing to impose the so called special needs of these citizens while ignoring and removing the rights of so many others?

   Are you willing to take the responsibility for the thousands of other employees who while utilizing their freedom of speech about their beliefs both personal and religious may be sued or their employer sued by someone who finds an innocent comment “offensive to them”?

   Are you willing to accept the ultimate personal responsibility that comes with your support of this ordinance when it is now perfectly clear that the origin of this ordinance came FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE, with monies behind it being QUESTIONABLE?

   Are you willing to tell the pubic the truth that this is being pushed at the NATIONAL LEVEL by those who have a much larger and destructive AGENDA?

   Are you willing to be honest and know that this group of OUR CITIZENS are being used to push a much larger attack on EVERYONE’S freedoms? Specifically of SPEECH AND RELIGION?

                    This bill is not needed.  There is no systemic discrimination. 

 

In addition to the above questions the following information is provided for understanding.

The Ordinance:

1)     Creates New and Special Rights for Homosexuals: The ordinance creates new and special rights for homosexuals by creating a new protected class and a special legal classification based upon “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression”.  

 

2)     Weakens Florida’s Marriage Amendment as the Union of One Man and One Woman:  The ordinance like others around the country have been used to undermine and overturn state marriage laws and state constitutional amendments defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  Gay rights activists around the country have used the collective scheme of nondiscrimination laws like this one to create a new protected class and legalize homosexual marriages in states like Vermont, Iowa, New Hampshire and Washington, DC.

 

3)     Removes All References to the U.S. Constitution:  The ordinance (unbelievably) removes all references to the “United States Constitution” in the city code and deletes all language referring to “civil rights found under the US Constitution”. The ordinance language thereby removes the rights, protections and limitations given to citizens by the highest law of the land. 

 

4)     Creates Legal Defenses for Pedophiles:  The ordinances gender identity and gender expression language would allow men to be able to use women’s bathrooms (and vice versa) in “public accommodations” based upon their subjective sense of whether they are a male or female allowing for pedophiles to have a defense for using girl’s bathrooms.  This shocking provision is being forced onto cities all around the country.  The security and privacy of locker rooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms and other separate facilities are all compromised. 

5)   Creates More Lawsuits and Regulations for Businesses: The ordinance forces individual citizens, businesses and landlords in Jacksonville to be liable to be sued for money damages if they choose to not hire homosexual, transgendered, bi-sexual or gender confused persons in their small businesses, or choose not to accept similar persons as tenants in their private homes or apartments. 

 

6)     Violates Religious Freedoms- The ordinance forces Christians and other people of faith to violate their rights of conscience and good faith religious beliefs in business and employment situations and with housing decisions for private property owners.  

 

     I implore you to send a message to your city council NOW!  Tell them that you oppose this ordinance in any form.  Additionally, if you can get to City Hall this Tuesday for the next meeting PLEASE ATTEND.

Our physical presence makes a HUGE difference. 

     Send this to your list of small business owners so that they too can respond. Send it to your friends and ask them to email and support their city.

     While it appears to be most important to send the message to Lori Boyer, Jim Love, Greg Anderson. Robin Lumb, Bill Bishop, Ray Holt and Dr. Johnny Gaffney a message to each member is highly effective.

 

District 2: William Bishop                                        [e-mail]

District 11: Ray Holt                                                [e-mail]

At Large (Group 4) Greg Anderson                           [e-mail]

At Large (Group 5) Robin Lumb                                [e-mail]

District 3: Richard Clark                                          [e-mail]

District 5: Lori N. Boyer                                           [e-mail]

District 7: Dr. Johnny Gaffney -                              [e-mail]

District 8: E. Denise Lee                                          [e-mail]

District 9: Warren Jones                                           [e-mail]

District 10: Reginald Brown                                     [e-mail]

District 14: Jim Love                                                [e-mail]

At Large (Group 2) John R. Crescimbeni                   [e-mail]

At Large (Group 3) Stephen C. Joost                         [e-mail]

District 1: Clay Yarborough                                     [e-mail]

District 4: Don Redman                                           [e-mail]

At-Large (Group 1): Kimberly Daniels                      [e-mail]

District 6: Matt Schellenberg                                   [e-mail]

District 12: Doyle Carter                                         [e-mail]

District 13: Bill Gulliford                                          [e-mail]

 

     In addition to your emails you can do more, there is a City Council meeting scheduled at City Hall tomorrow June 26^th at 5PM. It is critical that as many people as possible show up as a public display of support  AGAINST this bill. Know that the opposition will be there in mass.

Thank you

[Kurt R Langenfeld]

i don't know why y''all keep sending me these messages about being a patriot because y'all don't know how to be one. and y'all don't stand for our fore fathers beliefs because if you did then y'all would'vw done the rite thing and marched on washington and ousted the regime that is there now. but no all y'all want to do is talk, and wait on the elections well its already to late for that. while y'all talk they just kep getting stronger and takeing more control. get up of your buts and do what needs to be done. clean out the white house and then maybe we can get good honest people in there. but as long as y'all want to talk then don't bother me with you chit chat. when you've had enough and want to do what our fire fathers would've donr then let me know and i'll go with you. but do't bother me with your chit chat. because november is along way off and the longer y'all so called patroits wait the more they take. so don't bother me anymore take my name off of your e-mail list and what ever lists you have me on. i use to belive and belong to this movement but want no longer to belong because y'all want to talk and not do what needs to be done.

[amanda choate]

I have been reading Dante lately:

• Their sighs, lamentations and loud wailings
  resounded through the starless air,
  so that at first it made me weep;
  Strange utterances, horrible pronouncements,
  words of pain, tones of anger,
  voices shrill and faint, and beating hands,
  all went to make a tumult that will whirl
  forever through that turbid, timeless air,
  like sand that eddies when a whirlwind swirls.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Roma, I am not easily fooled, but thank you for playing brilliant to what you apparently think is not very bright! I watched your video and have also read a ton of stuff that isn't posted here. I get what Roberts said. We elected these people or should I say the brain dead elected these people and they just keep putting the same losers and liberty robbing elitists right back in even though they put together laws like this and vote for them. I am not dense, simple minded or stupid, I comprehend what you have posted and I at least am willing to look at other viewpoints. You act like this if you don't do something you can be taxed. I am saying there are examples where they are already doing that. Try being late paying your taxes and find out if you can settle up with only the original amount you owed!

[Patricia M. McBride]

Roma, they already had that power.  Read other people's posts too!  They tax married people at a greater rate than a couple just living together.  They have punished people with taxes for sometime.  Ask me, I am a perfect example.  With the disparity in incomes that was existant in our household, when I had to pay taxes at Donald's rate, they took a large chunk of my paycheck, and not only that because of my income, a couple of years it bumped us just over into an even higher rate!  I still had a good income, but I should not have been taxed at my husband's rate just for being married!

[Patricia M. McBride]

Great one Roma.  This is now such a mess, it will be interesting to watch it all play out!

[Patricia M. McBride]

[Patricia M. McBride]

Obamacare ruling = GOP landslide? David Limbaugh: High-court decision will reinvigorate the tea-party movement Read more:  http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/obamacare-ruling-gop-landslide/

It was bait-and-switch, and the power-holders knew it all along. They knew all along that they had authority to mandate as a tax, but they also knew they couldn't call it a tax for getting re-elected reasons.
Articles: SCOTUS Exposes the ObamaCare Tax Lie Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/06/scotus_exposes_the_obamacare_tax_lie.html#ixzz1zBFlofEX

[Patricia M. McBride]

'Incredible Irony': Court Has 'Declared Obama to Be a Monumental Liar'

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/incredible-irony-court-has-declared...

[Patricia M. McBride]

Roma, it goes without saying that I am not happy that they in essense "fixed" the bill and then, made the finding. However, Robert's comments to the press might indicate that his ruling (based on the change in terminology) was a good one given the new terminology, and time will tell, but I think he did his job and the fact a couple of the liberals aren't happy with how the Roberts decision is written (and Ginsberg is ripping mad about the decision) may be proof of that. After the decision, when asked, Roberts indicated the court could not rule on whether or not it was a good bill or a bad bill. They can only rule on constitutionality of the bill. He also indicated that if people don't like the laws being passed by their elected representatives, then, they are afforded every opportunity to vote them out of office. As to the "tax" the dems and Obama are calling the "penalty" (when you look at it as I think Roberts is), it is no different than making a married couple pay a "penalty" simply for being married (and we take that, not happily, but without any argument when we should be as distressed as we are about the "insurance penalty"........so now they are saying if you have no insurance you must pay an additional "tax"), so in a way I get what he is saying, but I would still argue, it is not the job of the court to rewrite the bill or tell folks what it really is about (and that the folks defending the law for Obama tied their cart to the wrong horse; they can only rule on the issue in front of them, and I would think as presented, and that to me would mean no it is not the commerce clause and no it is not constitutional using the commerce clause to impose something that is not interstate commerce). The bad thing for Obama will be, he must call this a tax now, and it is the largest tax increase to ever be imposed (at a trillion dollars), and many will not only lose their doctor, they will lose their health insurance coverage (if they haven't already) when employers just pay the "penalty....tax" instead and leave the employees blowing in the wind! It is absolutely the biggest screwing Obama will take I would think given over 60% (according to some polls) wanted at least the mandate gone and many of them wanted the whole bill thrown out). Obama will now have to take his focus off Immigration hopefully, because the middle class is going to take a bath on this :), and I don't see a way he can make it look like he is their savior in this.

[Debbie G]

@Pat you are a great Patriot; enough said!