Thursday, October 02, 2014

An Open Letter to Melissa and Aaron Klein

Dear Melissa and Aaron, 

Sit down. And shut up. The more you talk and kvetch and moan and play the Poor Me card the more you sound like hateful homophobes and bigots and small-minded, narrow-minded, close-minded, no minded fools.

That said, let me backtrack in case anyone has forgotten who you are: you’re the Oregon baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman’s same-sex wedding because God. You know, because God handed down that Eleventh Commandment Thou Shalt Not Bake Cakes For Queer Weddings. Or something.

And then the couple you inflicted your bigotry upon sued, and you whined some more about God and Jesus and how, in your Bible, hate and homophobia are accepted, until the state of Oregon said what I said at the beginning of this letter: sit down and shut up … and bake that cake.

But you still refused so you decided to cut off your nose to spite your face and close the doors to your shop, and create your Bigot Baked Goods in your own home so you can still spread the hate; and keep talking and kvetching and whining and moaning.

I mean, how else do we explain your appearance — a freaking’ cake decorator — at the Values Voter Summit [VVS], AKA Hate The Gays Summit? And for those who don’t know, the VVS is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group because, well, it is a hate group.

And poor Melissa, so distraught over being asked to perform a service for which her business was created, to bake a cake, began weeping as she talked about how her rights were violated and how much she misses talking to straight couples about their weddings:
“For me personally when I would sit down with them I just would want to know everything about her wedding. I'd want to know about the flowers, her dress, the centerpieces, her colors, the way her hair is going to be. I would even want to talk about 'where are you going on your honeymoon?'"
And you can’t do that with a gay couple? And, well, even if you could, what business is it of yours to stick your nose into other’s business? You are asked to bake a cake, not interview me and ask me about my wedding; you are to bake a cake, for which you will be paid, and with that money you can live your life and keep hating. But instead, you decide to deny a gay couple’s request for pastries and shutter your business and then take to the road on a Pity Party Tour.

You’re an idiot, Melissa, if you don’t see that refusing to bake a cake, i.e. do your job, for a same-sex couple is not at all different from running the Woolworth lunch counter in the South back in the middle of last century and telling Blacks that they can’t eat there because, well, again, God didn’t want Blacks and Whites sittin’ next to each at lunch.

You don’t see that; all you see is a same-sex couple and that’s just disgusting. But I’m done with you, Melissa, because you don’t get it, you won’t get it, and one day, in the very near future, you will be an asterisk in the march toward marriage equality; an asterisk leading to the story about the idiot baker who shut her doors rather than bake a cake for gay couple. One day, in the very near future, and long after that, people will giggle at how ridiculous you were, and probably still are.

And now, for you, Aaron, and what you said at the VVS:
“To be told they’re going to force me to convey a message other than what I want to convey — it flies in the face of the Constitution. It’s a violation of my conscience. It’s a violation of my religious freedom. It’s horrible to see your own government doing this to you….We had to shut the shop down. Melissa does very limited cakes out of our house. I mean we're facing in excess of $150,000 of damages for this, just for simply standing by my first amendment rights."
First off: you were not being told to convey a message; you were asked to bake a cake. And you were not asked to condone the wedding, go to the wedding, sing at the wedding, dance at the wedding, drink at the wedding, or even eat the freaking cake at the wedding. You were asked to do a job for which you opened a public business.

And if it’s cost you $150,000 that’s just a small price to pay for being allowed to be a bigot and run around the country and complain to a group of like-minded bigots and homophobes.

And them after your appearance at HateFest, you took to Facebook to continue talking about Poor You, and you decided to use anti-gay activist Rick Warren’s “Two Huge Lies” lie in your post:
“Our culture has accepted 2 huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. Second is that to love someone means that you must agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”
First off, it isn’t a lifestyle, and if you think it is a lifestyle, first go get a dictionary and look up the word, and then explain to me what the ‘heterosexual’ lifestyle is. What this is, what being gay is, is a sexual orientation, just like being straight, only we are attracted to members of our own gender. It’s not a lifestyle, it’s a life, so, when you’re done whining, stop spreading that lie.

Secondly, no one, no one, least of all Rachel and Laurel are asking that you agree with them, or love them; we’re just asking you to bake a cake, get paid for it, and then shut up.

Seriously. Shut up. People are already finding you two ludicrous and it’ll only get worse from here on out. Imagine your grandchildren opening a history book — or, by then it’ll probably be a history app — and finding your names listed as being anti-gay, anti-equality. Imagine your grandchildren laughing about that.

Gosh, what were they thinking? It was just a cake?

Just a cake.

Sincerely,
Bob and Carlos
Gay and getting married. get used to it.

14 comments:

  1. good article. they flouted the law, thought they could get away with it, didn't, and now want to whine about their rights. They knew the law when they opened their business and voluntarily chose not to comply. Good thing they don't drive. Ooops, waitaminit, maybe they do.

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  2. want some cheese to go with that whine, kleins? crybabies; go open another business and try NOT to discriminate against ANYONE, m'kay?

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  3. Well said Bob. It never ceases to amaze me at how hateful some so called Christians can be. And this "my Constitutional rights are being violated" whine, when are these people going to understand that they DON'T have a Constitutional right to discriminate? They never will because they are so blinded by their hatred, very unChrist like.
    Ron

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  4. Update from WA: Arlene's Flowers still pending but a new judge has been sworn in to replace the retiring one. Meanwhile the happy couple is still married and no locusts or plagues of frogs have beset our fair city.

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  5. Closing down your business over ONE cake seems very excessive. Especially the cake you hate to bake!

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  6. You ROCK!

    Aaron and Melissa Klein are straight up stupid. So stupid, in fact, that they opened a business without knowing that their religious beliefs would ultimately lead them to violate the Oregon Equality Act of 2007. They broke the law, they got caught and they're too stupid to shut up and sneak away with their tails between their legs. Stupid, stupid ... stupid.

    Great post!

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  7. Great post!

    What I dont understand is how shop owners somehow believe they can discriminate against certain members of the public. If an Muslim couple came in, would they have made them a cake? Or how about an Atheist couple? If you only want to make cakes for straight (white?) xtains, then for heavens sake, get it right and have it be a private club bakery, with a membership. Then! And only then can you pick and choose the customers.

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  8. Anonymous10:13 PM

    the so called Gay people and their friends show just how uncivil they are by attacking the Kleins. I have given the Kleins money and my church will give them more if they take this fight to the supreme court of the United States.
    You homosexuals need to get this. I am not required ( indeed the creator of the universe declares that I should not ) approve of anything that violates his laws. That include fornication adultry sodomy homosexuality lying stealing murder torture rape. ETC. you DEMAND I approve your actions and call me a hater if I do not approve them. Not true, I do not hate you but in this nation you are free to have you opinion,. My opinion is that your actions are an abomination and I am entitled to hold that opinion.
    What you tried to do was to order a believing Christian or Jewish couple to make a cake that specifically celebrated conduct they deemed abominable, following the dictates of their religion. they refused. Neither you nor anyone else has the right to order anyone to perform an action they deem violates their religion, any more than you can order me to Celebrate your evil act. We are not your slaves nor subject to your orders.
    Bottom line: The kleins are not going to pay a cent and the Federalcourts will rule against the state of Oregon. I would then Advocate a title 18 sec 1943 lawsuit against the members of that state board in their individual capacities, ( meaning they are personably liable) for violating the rights of the Kliens under color of law.
    Bottom line I believe in Civil rights. If you queers want to throw a party celebrating any queer thing you do, you certainly have a right to do it. But you cannot coerce anyone who thinks what you do is sick to help you put this event on.
    IF you want someone to bake you a cake i am, sure ( unfortunately) you can find plenty of people who will be glad to do it without trying to force someone who despises your sexual behavior to help celebrate it.
    Is seems a simple concept.You have a right to a cake but no right to require anyone to bake it for you. It's called individual freedom. It is the basis of what an American is. Learn it, or get out of America.

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  9. @Anon
    blah ... blah ... blah

    Same old hate.

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  10. Bob and Carlos you are the ignorant fools. You have turned your backs and Christianity and chosen to ignore God's laws. Aaron and Meliasa Klein are not homophobes. They are simply following the teachings of our lord and savior Newus Christ. Baking that wedding cake would have been to condone gay marriage and even you too should be smart enough to realize that this is something that Gos would never approve. It's okay for Go Fund Me to promote the gay life style but it is apparently against their morals to support the Christian lifestyle and beliefs resulting in the Klein's fund being shutdown. Talking about hypocracy. It's now totally acceptable to be gay and illegal to practice Christianity. Enjoy living in sin.

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  11. Anonymous1:19 PM

    Bob an Carlos...pride comes before a great fall...get ready, you have not only gone against the Lord God Almighty but have come against a great army ..Jeremiah 15:20
    And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And they will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” says the Lord....prayers are going up for the Klein's. The Lord hears their cries...humble yourselves and repent before it's too late.

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  12. Anonymous3:28 PM

    And yet, when I read this and many of the comments, they are full of name-calling, gloating, and hate toward this couple.

    When I listen to this couple talk, they stress over and over that they have no desire to hurt anyone, that THEY HAVE SERVED THIS COUPLE MANY TIMES BEFORE, and that they simply cannot be part of an EVENT that flies in the face of all their consciences tell them.

    I see the hate in your words, not in theirs.

    I see hate in the actions of recent liberal groups who have beaten people for having the wrong opinion. I see hate in feminists groups and liberal groups who are vandalizing, attacking and burning churches, and spraying spray paint in the eyes of men who stand arm in arm trying to protect those churches from vandalism and desecration.

    When I see peace and love come from your movement, I may start believing that 'love is love.' As it is, the actions of liberals, the hate coming FROM them, has driven me steadily further from respecting or supporting those views.

    Worthy, good, and true things do not require this level of hatred.

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  13. @ Anonymous and One Angry Christian

    Blah blah blah.

    Not every one is a Christian so don't try to push your views on everyone, m'kay?

    And this line:

    "they simply cannot be part of an EVENT that flies in the face of all their consciences tell them"

    They are NOT being asked to participate; they are not being asked to attend, condone, enjoy, celebrate and approve of that couples' marriage.

    They are being asked to bake a cake and using Jesus as an excuse for bigotry.

    So, save your ridiculous backwoods asshatted arguments ... oops, sorry for the name-calling ... because it's over. They lost their case; you lost your fight against same-sex marriage.

    Move.On.

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Say anything, but keep it civil .......