how boring must indiana be to think of this as fun

It's a confusion that incites fear. What is a clown, what is their purpose, why are they dressed that way, why are they doing what they are doing? Their attire, make-up, the entire package can swing from ridiculous to sinister for these people. I get it now.

Stay out of Williamsburg.

Teehee...

Going to try the Schnitzelbank in Jasper,IN instead. Looks very promising!

So where are people talking about the Indiana religious freedom bullshit?

Seconded

I'm still perplexed as to why Indiana's passing of the law has started a nationwide uproar that didn't happen when 19 other states passed virtually the same law. They all suck, of course, but is there some reason in particular people picked NOW to get angry about it?

Good question. I dunno, context? I have no idea, but how many of those states have anti-discrimination laws on the book that trump the religious freedom laws? For example, Illinois I think has a religious freedom law, but it also illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, which trumps the former.

The North Carolina law in progress seems even even more onerous. It barely even defines the basis of objection as a hunch or bad vibe or whatever. Religion has almost not explicit role.

And of course, almost every place of business has a sign hanging already that says they have the right to refuse service for any reason, so who knows what this all means.

Timing, I would guess. Same-sex marriage is such a foregone conclusion that this kind of shit just seems like desperate, backwards people clinging to their bigotry as hard as possible.

Ha, my post is half typo. I blame the Plead the 5th Imperial Stout.

Having lived down the street from Indiana my whole life, and having had family in a small-town farming community there, I think it's not that Indiana is so conservative, it's that there is more likely to be controversy within the state about it, and that gets good ratings. Hoosiers pride themselves on being friendly and they generally are! Then they have this stupid law where it's okay to not want gays' money. Like I said, it will make for good tv.

Hoosiers pride themselves on being friendly and they generally are!

As are most racists, homophobes, etc.

http://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/-welcome-to-indiana-the-mississippi-of-the-midwest--4e8e9.png

otm - this is exactly my experience having spent lots of time in tx and tn, both places full of seemingly pleasant not-so-secret bigots, homophobes, and misogynists.

according to this the indiana law is somewhat different? idk.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/what-makes-indianas-religious-freedom-law-different/388997/

xps

is there some reason in particular people picked NOW to get angry about it?

My guess is the priorities are changing in the LGBT community. As Josh said, the SCOTUS is giving every indication that all the laws banning same-sex marriage will be struck down as unconstitutional. Up until recently that took precedence. Now more resources can be shifted to this front. Indiana is the target because it meets the requirement for being new news, not old news.

the Indiana law is different!

In the other states the government can't infringe on a person's "religious liberty." Indiana's law sez "persons" can't do the infringing.

^^ that explains it!

It was strange how the HIV outbreak/needle exchange in SE Indiana happened nearly simultaneously.

Dennis Perrin is from IN:

Hard to believe that Obama carried Indiana in '08. Mushrooms?

On how the Indiana law is different: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/what-makes-indianas-religious-freedom-law-different/388997/

Yup, call all destroyer posted that link already. It's a good summation though, I think.

Yeah, now that I understand the differences, it makes total sense.

Shit just got real:

@Wilco
We are canceling our May 7 show at the Murat in Indianapolis. The “Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act” feels like thinly disguised legal discrimination to us. Hope to get back to the Hoosier State someday soon, when this odious measure is repealed. Refunds available at point of purchase.

Well shoot, I've already posted that Brian Henneman song in this thread.

Hoos should change his dn

I'm cancelling my christmas visit

Just because Illinois has no such law is no reason for Wilco to be typically superior toward their neighbor state's conservatism. Only someone from Illinois would blame an entire state for this bad law. Get a clu, Illinois - you're a farm state too. Maybe someone should boycott you for your lack of humility.

If anything bad karmically happens to Indiana because of this, I'll blame Illinois. IME Illinoisans are much bigger unapologetic jerks. Clean up your own state first!

can't believe mitch daniels is the president of a university now

The thing that sucks about the Wilco thing is that most if not all of the people going to that show are probably as against the law as the band is.

Oh no, the Midwesterners are having a intradisagreement now. How long will it be now for an Iowan to come along and offer a slice of his husband's World Famous Rhubarb Pie as a token of friendly kinship.

XP "against the law IN QUESTION"

is rhubarb pie midwestern? because I fucking love it.

Illinois does have a similar law, but it also has - as do most of those others states save maybe Texas - an anti-discrimination law as counterbalance, which Pence has stressed is not remotely going to happen in IN.

And come on man, Indiana has been paying for billboards up here for months taunting Illinois.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8C-lxTJTcRM/U3wwZaSEP1I/AAAAAAAAWk4/F1MUjsnnmoM/s1600/Still%2BAnnoyed.jpg
http://www.ibj.com/ext/resources/IBJ-Print/IBJ-Forefront/roob-billboard.jpg
Punks had it coming.

I suspect the Wilco cancellation is largely symbolic. They did it to help amplify the opposition, not to hurt Indiana.

are they taking a stand by dressing like their idea of homos?

Gonna say ... no.
http://popinprogress.glamour.it/files/2012/05/Jeff-Tweedy-Wilco-Sound-Check-Music-Blog.jpg

I'm still "Illinoised." I'd boycott this shithole - the Mississippi of the north - for the damage it's corruption and bloat do to poor people, but I can't. I live here.

I understand what Wilco is doing, but people in Illinois feel superior all of the time. Indianapolis is not as RW as the outsiders up north think it is.

Boycotts of this sort are a good way to spread fear and doubt into the non-fundamentalist business community, which HATES the idea of losing money they might be making. The main trouble is that such a boycott wouldn't touch the rural communities much. If it spreads to boycotting automobiles made in Indiana, then watch out!

Also I really think more people would vote Democrat if the Democrats in places like Illinois weren't so corrupt! Democrats hurt the causes they claim to defend with their own corruption - I have heard Midwest Republicans say so!

xp no more subarus

I can picture the portlandia bit where Carrie and Fred are buying a Forrester but then see the "made in Indiana" sticker

Yeah, them Dems and their corruption. I read somewhere that the best way to cut down on corruption is just to cut taxes.

bit doesn't really work with the hummer plant

Handy guide to some state boycotts, effects:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/will-the-indiana-boycott-work/

Jonah Goldberg just said after winning the gay marriage battle the gay rights lobby re the Indiana law wants to "shoot the wounded."

aw c'mon. let them have at least a little hate c'mon. don't be mean.

From that fivethirtyeight.com article:

On Monday, legislative leaders in Indiana said they would amend the new law to make it clear that it does not permit discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. It’s not clear yet, however, what those changes will be...

I hope they do so quickly, before the anti-gay forces can rally a call-in campaign.

The funny thing is that some are 'not going to go to Indiana' now are people that wouldn't go to Indiana unless they had to anyway.

I just hope that this shit blows up so big it ends up screwing Dan Coats and Mike Pence within the state.

and outside of the state

http://freedomindiana.org/Subaru/

Typical RFRA laws and how Indiana's goes beyondo, or could be used to do so:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/03/30/why-no-one-understands-indianas-new-religious-freedom-law/