Mingle Until Departure

(via dKos) There's a bill that just passed the Michigan Legislature that will allow health care providers to "refuse service to anyone on moral, ethical or religious grounds." This was picked up by 365Gay.com, a gay news service, and clearly the bill would allow (and seems aimed at) "NO GAYS ALLOWED" signs to spring up at church-run (i.e., most) hospitals.

But if you look at the wording of the bill, it's far more troubling than just that - and that is pretty fucking troubling.

Let's dissect: "refuse service to anyone on moral, ethical or religious grounds."

Okay, so say you think/know someone is an IV drug user, or prostitute? No service.

Or how about if you think that, based on religious grounds, that the person is a sinner doomed to burn forever in Hell (say, because they're Jewish)? No service.

Or how about if you have a moral and ethical objection to their political affiliation and beliefs (say, because they're a Democrat)? No service.

As the article points out, the Senate is also GOP-controlled, though who knows if that means it'll actually pass. Michigan does have a good progressive governor (Jennifer Granholm, who, P.S., is a total babe, but sadly not available for presidential service, as she was born in Canadia), who presumably would veto such a bill - as long as it isn't passed with a veto-proof majority.

A couple of notes about Michigan.

a.) Al Gore carried Michigan.
b.) Michigan has two Democratic Senators.
c.) From what I hear, there are some unions in Michigan.
d.) Michigan has what is probably the biggest Arab-American population in the U.S.

Now, yes, Michigan was famously a center of "Reagan Democrats", primarily high-salary Catholic UAW members (you know, when they still had jobs putting cars together...). And this whole gay rights/marriage wedge issue seems like it might actually be succeeding in drawing some traditionally Democratic voters to the traditionally more, hmm, zealous brand of imposing religion in the public space favored by the evangelicals who control the Republican party these days.

But - this bill is really some seriously fucked up shit. This is 1930s Germany shit, and I don't say that lightly. I really suggest you read the whole text of the bill -- it's mostly legalese, but not that long, and it's good to know the whole story of it.

I don't see any possible way this bill would get signed into law, unless passed veto-proof. And I CERTAINLY don't see any way this law would stand up to any level at all of Constitutional scrutiny.

That this bill could even get introduced - let alone passed by a Legislature in a yes, battleground, but definitely Dem-leaning state - is really, really, really, REALLY terrifying. This is not the America I imagine when I close my eyes - this is the America when I close my eyes, sleep, and have nightmares.