Conservatives oppose Trump federal court nominee who compared Ku Klux Klan to faithful Catholics
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 3, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — GOP U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and other conservatives have been sharply critical of President Donald Trump’s choice to serve on the federal court of the Western District of Michigan out of concerns for the nominee’s position on religious freedom.
Michael S. Bogren, also recommended by Michigan’s two Democrats in the U.S. Senate to serve on the federal court, was hired as an attorney to represent the City of East Lansing in a dispute with Steve Tennes, a local farmer in Michigan, in Country Mill Farms v. City of East Lansing. Tennes refused to host same-sex “marriages” at his farm and because of that was refused permission to sell his wares at a city farmers' market. Tennes is a Catholic who rents his farm for marriage ceremonies but is unwilling to host same-sex weddings.
In Bogren’s briefs for the city’s defense, he frequently mentioned the Ku Klux Klan. According to experts cited by Ramesh Ponnuru of the National Review, Bogren opposed letting the Catholic Church file a brief in the case, which may suggest an animus on his part against the Church. Bogren also gratuitously criticized the plaintiffs, the experts found, for their supposedly selective fidelity to Catholic teaching.
According to critics, Bogren claimed mistakenly that the Bob Jones University v. United States case had established that religious belief is not a constitutional defense against a claim of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or sexual orientation.
A group of conservatives, including former Attorney General Edwin Meese, have co-signed a statement opposing Bogren’s nomination. The letter read, “Conservatives strongly believe in the Constitution’s guarantees, especially the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. This right encompasses not only the freedom to worship, but also the right to live consistent with one’s faith.”
It went on to say that the conservative signatories were “shocked and dismayed” by testimony Bogren offered before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 22. The letter said Bogren has made statements that “reveal he does not understand the First Amendment’s basic protections of religious liberty.”
Echoing the thrust of the Obama administration’s “freedom of worship” understanding of the free exercise of religious freedom guarantee in the U.S. Constitution, Bogren claimed Tennes’ argument that “my religion compels me” is no protection from being banned from the public market because of his religion. According to the signatories of the letter, Bogren also signed onto motions that characterized the Tennes family’s practice of their Catholic faith as ‘invidious discrimination against the LGBT community.”
The letter read, “Equally troubling are the analogies Bogren drew between faithful Catholics and virulent racists.” The letter quoted Bogren, who compared faithful Catholics to the racist Ku Klux Klan:
“The other side of that discriminatory coin is found on the website of the White Camelia Knights of the KKK … group states: ‘The Klan has always taken a strong stance against interracial marriage. What most people don’t understand is it’s against our Heavenly Father’s law.’ Again, an adherent of that particular brand of Christianity who ran a business similar to the plaintiffs’ business would not be able to invoke the free exercise clause to avoid the anti-discrimination provisions of Federal, State and local laws that apply to public accommodations if interracial couples were refused service.”
Moreover, Bogren questioned the sincerity of the Tennes family’s faith:
“Although plaintiffs rely on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church to support their position on same-sex marriage, plaintiffs are rather selective about how they apply the tenets of the Church on other aspects of marriage when it comes to their own business.”
During Bogren’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he defended his views before Sen. Hawley, who offered the nominee an opportunity to retract his statements. Bogren, however, stood his ground.
Later, asked whether Bogren could redeem himself, Hawley said, “He could say he was wrong, that he regrets saying those things — regrets the animus," against the Catholic family. "To compare a Catholic family, following the teachings of their church,” Hawley said, “as akin to white supremacists and radical minds who want to strip women of all rights, I mean, that's just ridiculous. It's beyond ridiculous. It's offensive."
The letter signed by conservatives urged that Bogren’s nomination be rescinded. Besides Meese, other signatories included former Sen. Jim DeMint, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Penny Y. Nance of Concerned Women of America, and L. Brent Bozell III of Media Research Center.
Trump supports ‘Pride Month,’ again pledges to overturn laws criminalizing homosexuality worldwide'As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation,... ' I didn't realise that perverts had made such 'outstanding contributions' to our (once) great Nation.
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 4, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – U.S. President Donald Trump has signalled that he believes the month of June is dedicated to homosexual rights and asked the world to “stand with” same-sex attracted people in countries where homosexual conduct is illegal.
In tweets he published on Friday, May 31, Trump also recalled that his administration is working for homosexual rights worldwide.
“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,” he wrote.
“My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!”
Trump’s campaign to overturn foreign laws criminalizing sodomy began this February in Berlin with a “strategy dinner” with European LGBT activists sponsored by the U.S. embassy to Germany. The homosexual American ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, is Trump’s pick to spearhead the effort.
Grenell told the UK’s Daily Mail that “President Trump has never wavered in his support for decriminalizing homosexuality. This is a clear message to the 71 countries that would arrest people like me for being gay.”
When the initiative was announced, a U.S. official involved in the dinner clarified that these foreign laws concerned self-disclosures and sexual acts.
“It is concerning that, in the 21st century, some 70 countries continue to have laws that criminalize LGBT status or conduct,” he told NBC.
In May, Trump underscored his support for same-sex “marriage” when in an interview with Steve Hilton, aired on Fox News, he said he believed it was “great” that it seemed “normal” for Pete Buttgieg for campaign with his same-sex “spouse.”
“I think it’s absolutely fine, I do,” he said. “I think it’s great...Perhaps some people will have a problem with [it]; I have no problem with it whatsoever. I think it’s good.”
However, Trump’s recent tweets have not won over left-wing LGBT lobby groups, some of which took the opportunity to criticize the president once again for his policies regarding people who identify as “transgender.”
President Trump’s pro-homosexual tweets were in contrast with the social media messages of Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin, who reminded Catholics the next day that they should not go to “Pride Month” events.
“A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ ‘Pride Month’ events held in June,” he wrote.
“They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.”
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