Anti-Mask Protesters Proudly Filmed Their Confrontation With a Grocery Store's Manager (pennlive.com) 304
Nine days ago America set a record: nearly 290,000 new Covid-19 cases within 24 hours. according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Four days later, anti-mask protesters in Oregon filmed their confrontation with employees at a Trader Joe's grocery store who wouldn't let them enter the store unless they were wearing a mask. Their 8-minute video has since been viewed over 325,000 times. The Oregonian newspaper reports: As other masked customers enter the store, the manager repeats that the protesters are welcome to shop too, as long as they wear masks. He says he is more than willing to talk to the group but isn't interested in debating policy. Trader Joe's nationwide policy requires customers to wear masks in stores.
"We're not demonstrating, we're buying groceries," a protester says. "That's why I'm here." The manager says he is enforcing the store's mask mandate. "It's not a law. You cannot enforce non-law," a protester says. "You cannot deny somebody the right to commerce." The store manager appears to offer to shop for the protesters and bring out what they want.
Amid growing shouting, a woman says: "I need to buy groceries. I don't know what I want until I go in and see it. The Civil Rights Act protects me to go in and shop like everybody else."
Legal experts have told USA Today that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not give people the right to shop without a mask.
The manager patiently explains to the protesters that "The difference you guys are trying to make isn't going to made with us. It can made with your government."
But soon one protester starts amplifying their voice with a bullhorn, while another continues filming the grocery store's employees — zooming in on their name tags — and threatening, "I'm sorry that you're not going to be able to let anyone else in, because we're standing here."
Another protester says "Right, that's pretty much the only resolution. It's either we get to shop, like free American citizens, right? Without being forced into wearing this mask, right...?"
They don't appear to follow through on their threat to blockade entry into the store, but the manager continues talking to them throughout the video. And at one point he says calmly that "It's disheartening that we can't have any conversations any more... It's really disheartening.
"It's disheartening that people can't just talk to one another."
Four days later, anti-mask protesters in Oregon filmed their confrontation with employees at a Trader Joe's grocery store who wouldn't let them enter the store unless they were wearing a mask. Their 8-minute video has since been viewed over 325,000 times. The Oregonian newspaper reports: As other masked customers enter the store, the manager repeats that the protesters are welcome to shop too, as long as they wear masks. He says he is more than willing to talk to the group but isn't interested in debating policy. Trader Joe's nationwide policy requires customers to wear masks in stores.
"We're not demonstrating, we're buying groceries," a protester says. "That's why I'm here." The manager says he is enforcing the store's mask mandate. "It's not a law. You cannot enforce non-law," a protester says. "You cannot deny somebody the right to commerce." The store manager appears to offer to shop for the protesters and bring out what they want.
Amid growing shouting, a woman says: "I need to buy groceries. I don't know what I want until I go in and see it. The Civil Rights Act protects me to go in and shop like everybody else."
Legal experts have told USA Today that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not give people the right to shop without a mask.
The manager patiently explains to the protesters that "The difference you guys are trying to make isn't going to made with us. It can made with your government."
But soon one protester starts amplifying their voice with a bullhorn, while another continues filming the grocery store's employees — zooming in on their name tags — and threatening, "I'm sorry that you're not going to be able to let anyone else in, because we're standing here."
Another protester says "Right, that's pretty much the only resolution. It's either we get to shop, like free American citizens, right? Without being forced into wearing this mask, right...?"
They don't appear to follow through on their threat to blockade entry into the store, but the manager continues talking to them throughout the video. And at one point he says calmly that "It's disheartening that we can't have any conversations any more... It's really disheartening.
"It's disheartening that people can't just talk to one another."
Hey, assholes! (Score:5, Insightful)
Try going in barefoot, too. "No shirt, no shoes, no service." This is the same thing.
Or, how about I go into your house without wearing pants? Don't you dare interfere with my civil rights to go onto your property without pants!
Re:Hey, assholes! (Score:5, Insightful)
Posted this in another topic, but just as applicable here:
I believe a case went all the way to the Supreme Court concerning how companies should have the right to decide with whom they want to do business... and with whom they do not. You know, Free Market Capitalism and all that?
Hey, law enforcement! (Score:5, Informative)
True, but there's one very important thing here. The mask mandate is by the Oregon government.
https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.s... [state.or.us]
The store owner could have involved the law if need be. Instead he tried to be as helpful all circumstances considered.
Re:Hey, law enforcement! (Score:5, Insightful)
The store owner could have involved the law if need be. Instead he tried to be as helpful all circumstances considered.
I have great sympathy for him and he's been put in a terribly difficult situation, however if you watch the video you can see maskless people going close to his security guards repeatedly which is endangering them and their families, especially their older relatives. I don't mind at all that he wants to stand and talk to the idiots, it's even sort of heroic, however all the other staff members are being put into danger which is unacceptable. The police should have been called in to make a safe corridor with plenty of space to allow people to come and go from the store and to ensure that the discussions could take place with enough social distancing that the protesters aren't putting people at risk.
Re:Hey, law enforcement! (Score:5, Insightful)
The police should have been called in to make a safe corridor...
I get the idea this is what they want - to believe that they are the victims of government oppression and that not wearing a mask is a constitutionally-granted right. Fighting for their freedoms, and all that.
Re: (Score:3)
'' to believe that they are the victims of government oppression and that not wearing a mask is a constitutionally-granted right.''
Except for the fact that the majority of medical experts agree that not wearing a mask places those in close proximity in a much higher risk of receiving a pathogen that we don't know how to control.
It's basically no different than having unprotected sex knowing you carry another pathogen, except that behavior has been decided criminal by our courts.
Wearing a mask may only just
Re: (Score:3)
What about the rights of the property owners? Do only the rights of those you agree with matter?
Yelling at - and threatening - an employee who didn't write the policy (corporate did), can't change it (only corporate can) and will be fired if he doesn't enforce it doesn't make you a freedom fighter, it makes you an asshole.
And being an asshole isn't a protected class.
Re: (Score:3)
You are all arguing over bullshit. The largest study done to date, proves those stupid paper masks do nothing and they are unhealthy to wear.
For the idiots. You exhale through the mask, the inside face of the mask builds up moisture, dead cells from mouth and lungs, all sorts of crap. You expose the mask to atmosphere and it get a real coating of all sorts of infectious agents, which now have a perfect breeding environment, the moist dead cell coated inside face of that mask, where they breed and are kept feed by each breathe you exhale and then you inhale through that rubbish.
It's almost as if you've never read the instructions on the packet.
(it says "dispose of after 8 hours use"...)
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Hey, law enforcement! (Score:4, Insightful)
Whether or not masks are effective isn't the issue. The issue is the owners of the store have every legal right to refuse to do business with anyone for any reason, except those reasons that are prohibited.
Being an asshole isn't a protected class.
And that is the only issue here.
Re:Hey, law enforcement! (Score:4, Insightful)
Speak for yourself. Pain is nature's way of instructing us of things we should not do. These people seem to be immune to reason, maybe a more visceral feedback is needed.
Re:Hey, assholes! (Score:5, Funny)
Try going in barefoot, too. "No shirt, no shoes, no service." This is the same thing.
Or, how about I go into your house without wearing pants?
Well, I dunno. Can you post a photo?
Re:Hey, assholes! (Score:4, Funny)
The civil rights act says I can shop naked!
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Hey, assholes! (Score:5, Informative)
Public nudity is legal in Vermont, as it should be.
But many private businesses set stricter requirements, including shirts, shoes, and even pants.
Re: Hey, assholes! (Score:2)
No, it does not.
Re: (Score:2)
Send a selfie and I'll get back to you.
Re:Hey, assholes! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Hey, assholes! (Score:5, Informative)
Officially, it is for hygiene, in reality, to keep out the poor, who were usually some minority.
Re: Hey, assholes! (Score:4, Insightful)
This is just such idiocy. No, cloth masks are not ineffective at reducing the viral load that reaches other people when you exhale, for the blindingly obvious reason that a meaningful fraction of viral particles and droplets bearing viral particles snag on fibres and do not make it through to the open air. The choice is not between ineffective and effective, there is a range. Yes, a surgical mask is more effective than a cloth mask, and yes, a cloth mask is more effective than no mask. Defense in depth. The swiss cheese model. Belt and braces. Redundancy. These are simple concepts that children can understand -- but not you, apparently.
And for what it's worth, we in the UK have a psychotically ineffective and malicious government currently presiding over a *worse* death rate than American, due in part to absurdly misguided messaging that, for example, emphasises handwashing despite the lack of evidence of fomites as a significant infection risk, but has absolutely nothing to say about avoiding unventilated indoor settings, despite the overwhelming evidence that droplets and aerosols that accumulate in those settings are responsible for almost all infections. And by the way, you can't sit down in a Costa at the moment, because national lockdown (which should have been done three months ago and then we wouldn't have thousands of under 60s in ICU, HDU, on CPAP etc).
Re: (Score:3)
In his defense, he has a deformed right ear from a birth defect and can't hang a mask on it properly, and the rigging he has isn't easy to do. I'm going to set him up with something that might help, we'll see what happens. Should have thought of this months ago.
Re: (Score:3)
I have gotten really good at tying a bow knot behind my head, a wonderfully useless skill once this all blows over.
Remember (Score:2, Insightful)
Good lord people are stupid. Let's just fix the law so punching maskless people in the face (in public) is legal but their retaliation is assault. Done.
Re:Remember (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Remember (Score:5, Funny)
Yes. But the first sentence isn't. It's informative.
Re:Remember (Score:5, Insightful)
This is 'insightful', Slashdot? Really?
Well you're more than welcome to keep trying to talk with them, but the end result will only be the slow death of your braincells. At what point do you fight back to people actively endangering you?
Re: (Score:2)
As far as I'm concerned, not wearing a mask in public is an act of violent assault that can endanger life and limb. If people can come up with excuses to punch random facists then they can put a fist in the face of a plague spreader.
Re: (Score:2)
If you have to punch them then they are putting you at risk because you are getting close to them without them wearing masks. Why should people have to put their lives at risk? If you see videos of policemen handling entirely innocent mentally ill people with guns, they regularly shoot them just because the risk isn't worth it. Why are idiot protesters who don't even have clear evidence of mental illness as an excuse, given special treatment?
Re:Remember (Score:5, Funny)
Good lord people are stupid. Let's just fix the law so punching maskless people in the face (in public) is legal but their retaliation is assault. Done.
Considering that it is an actual physical assault that the anti masker is willingly stating that they are accepting of causing the death of the people who's job it is to be there, I believe a Stand your Ground situation exists, and a second amendment solution is prescribed.
Re:Remember (Score:5, Informative)
No fix needed, beyond enforcing existing law.
Assault with bodily fluids [oregonlaws.org] is a Class C felony, and is also assault in the third degree [oregonlaws.org]
These carry a minimal four years imprisonment and minimal fine, one at both the federal level and both at the state level.
Were there any children under 18 present? An additional six years.
Any off duty emergency workers there shopping that day? Could be an additional four years.
The only reason the entire mob isn't now serving their prison sentence is the refusal to enforce existing law
Re: (Score:2)
I'd hire out of work bouncers to throw out maskless morons.
Re:Remember (Score:4, Funny)
I've found that the mask-less are pretty quick to put on a mask or leave if you stand next to them and cough. Dramatically. Like you have whooping cough.
I was in a building with a one person to an elevator policy. Some guy without a mask jumped in with me just as the door was closing. Turns out he was only going up one floor....
Re: (Score:2)
That only applies to the manager and workers at Trader Joes. Make it legal for customers pushing past them to punch them in the face.
Re:Remember (Score:5, Insightful)
Some people do have genuine medical reasons why they can't wear a mask.
If they're so compromised that they can't wear a mask, should they be out wandering around in the middle of a pandemic?
Maybe if you have serious COPD then sure, wearing a mask is probably contraindicated.
At the same time, if you have that degree of COPD the *last* thing you'd want to do is contract COVID.
Basically, anyone with serious COPD and two brain cells to rub together would stay home, they wouldn't be out prancing around in a store yelling (!!) about how oppressed they are.
Re: (Score:3)
Some people do have genuine medical reasons why they can't wear a mask. A lot of people abuse it but some are real.
I'm not sure what it's like where you come from, but where I live, people who can't go out shopping for themselves can get volunteers to help them if they can't get deliveries. There's no reason for people who can't wear a mask to endanger others. Also, you might not be able to get slots but people with special needs get priority here so,whilst they have to hang on the phone for quite a while, they don't find it that difficult.
Re: (Score:3)
It's a bit awe inspiring how you keep raising on a busted flush...
Nope, not a proest (Score:3, Funny)
These people are correct. This wasn't a protest because there isn't another store they can go to for their groceries. This is the only store in the entire state of Oregon everyone has to shop at for food.
Re:Nope, not a proest (Score:5, Funny)
There were some mask-free stores but... the owners and all the customers died, and they went out of business.
unable to wear a mask (Score:2)
These people are correct. This wasn't a protest because there isn't another store they can go to for their groceries. This is the only store in the entire state of Oregon everyone has to shop at for food.
Being unable to wear a mask does not make you privileged, it makes you handicapped. If you are unable to wear a mask, then you cannot do things that require wearing a mask, such as entering a store that requires everyone inside to wear a mask.
Re: (Score:2)
It doesn't matter.
Putting on a mask is not oppression. FFS.
Putting on a mask is not taking away some critical right.
Putting on a mask is not 'bowing down to the Man' or whatever the phrase is this week.
Putting on a mask simply means you have a basic understanding of the fact that some diseases spread by touch and/or airborne transmission.
How that douche-bag Trump ever manage to politicize this tiny bit of proven science is beyond me.
Selfish entitled assholes (Score:5, Insightful)
"We're not demonstrating, we're buying groceries,"
...
soon one protester starts amplifying their voice with a bullhorn
I always go shopping with a bullhorn.
Selfish entitled customers. (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, so you're the K-mart blue light special customer?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
That is so fricking hilarious. Particularly since I read that and missed the obvious until you pointed it out.
That's scary, really. I just found out that I have become so saturated with right-wing rhetoric that I miss seeing it for what it is.
Re:Selfish entitled assholes (Score:4, Interesting)
That's scary, really. I just found out that I have become so saturated with right-wing rhetoric that I miss seeing it for what it is.
I know it can be a bit of an unpopular thing to say with some, but could we please recognise that whilst almost all of the idiots in this case come from the right-wing, there have been plenty of "right-wingers" who have behaved sensibly. For example, West Virginia's Republican governor introduced a mandatory mask mandate in July which is pretty early overall. If you look at the partisan divide over COVID-19 (wait or skip to the end) [dangoodspeed.com] West Virginia is doing pretty well - best of all the Republican states, only beaten by Democrat or swing states and is ahead of a number of Democratic states.
The numbers may be different recently, but there are idiots and okay people on both the left and the right.
Re:Selfish entitled assholes (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry; we tried, we really did.
In 1994 when Gingrich started calling democrats "communists" who "hated America", we figured "hey, a demagogue, he won't last, the smart right-wingers will toss him out and get rid of the hate".
In 2002 when conservatives called democrats who didn't want to invade Iraq "traitors to America" we figured that 9-11 was a stressful time, and you would grow out of it.
In 2012 when over half of Republicans (aka right-wingers) said in a poll that they were pretty sure Obama was not born in the USA... well, we hoped that the rest of you folks would fix that problem soon, because you were out of excuses.
In 2021, on January 6 (or maybe early on the 7th), after a bunch of right-wingers tried to stage a coup (amateur and moronically ineffective, but still a coup), 2/3 of representives who sit in the right-wing of the House voted to try to delay or stop the results of the election. Sorry, no more chances. We gave you so many chances to fix this, but no more.
The terms "republican", "right-wing", and "conservative" are burned, shot down by friendly fire. Feel free to come up with a new term, something that implies "personal liberties, for everyone not just white christians, and small government, without hate and divisive name-calling". I really want a counter-weight to leftists; that will make us all stronger. But you can no longer complain when people use "right-winger" as an insult. It was earned and paid for, and we'll be at least a decade paying off the societal debt (and far longer paying off the government deficit which "right-wing fiscally-conservative presidents" made grow at truly astonishing rates... but I digress, sorry).
Re: (Score:3)
It does make quite a bit of difference that there are *lots and lots more* idiots and bad people on the right than the left, though. I mean, not every Axis soldier was totally evil, and not every Allied soldier was a saint, but there was still a good side and a bad side, and it's wilful blindness to not see this.
It's called TRESSPASSING, fools (Score:2, Informative)
All businesses have the right to kick anyone out of their property.
Anyone that thinks otherwise is socialist. Trying to have the government take control of business.
Re: (Score:3)
Change "all businesses" to Amazon and watch the results here.
Re:It's called TRESSPASSING, fools (Score:5, Interesting)
Amazon is a separate issue because of monopoly rules. It is different when one company controls everything. But when you have a choice of 3 grocery stores within driving distance, then the store can do what they want.
More importantly, the store is not kicking them out permanently, they are just saying follow our rules or you are tresspassing.
The store is being very reasonable, the anti-maskers are not.
Re: (Score:2)
Amazon has a monopoly on hosting?
Re: (Score:2)
Amazon is a separate issue because of monopoly rules. It is different when one company controls everything.
Actually it's not. Leaving aside the question of what Amazon is a monopoly on (I suspect the parent was talking about hosting, but it's not), there's nothing actually in the antitrust laws that prevents you as a monopoly from setting terms and conditions for your business providing you apply those terms equally to all parties.
Re: (Score:2)
Change "all businesses" to Amazon and watch the results here.
What results here? Slashdot opinion as determined by moderators was fully in support of Amazon exercising its own right to set its own terms of service and Slashdot overwhelmingly agreed with Amazon denying hosting to someone.
Yes, we here realise that all businesses have a right to set their own policies and apply them how they see fit, be that this grocery store who didn't want their staff endangered, or Amazon who just couldn't deal with fuckwittery on Parler anymore.
Re: (Score:2)
Government already has from getting a business license, to all the rules and regulations one has to meet. Complaining about control is the horse already gone and the barn burned down.
Re:It's called TRESSPASSING, fools (Score:4, Insightful)
Protected classes can't be singled out for special treatment. You can't deny business to someone because they're a member of a protected class.
There are Federal protected, and invidivual State protected classes.
Some of the protected classes are race, religion, sex (gender, orientation, identify, etc.), age, physical or mental disabilities, etc.
Wearing a mask is not, has never been, a protected class.
People demanding to not wear a mask yet be allowed inside and conduct business can just go F themselves.
Re:It's called TRESSPASSING, fools (Score:5, Funny)
Protected classes can't be singled out for special treatment. You can't deny business to someone because they're a member of a protected class. There are Federal protected, and invidivual State protected classes. Some of the protected classes are race, religion, sex (gender, orientation, identify, etc.), age, physical or mental disabilities, etc. Wearing a mask is not, has never been, a protected class. People demanding to not wear a mask yet be allowed inside and conduct business can just go F themselves.
Oops - Anti Maskers have serious mental problems, so they look like they are a protected class.
Right wing Americans (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Cue Mencken on conservatives and stupids.
Re:Right wing Americans (Score:5, Interesting)
Right wing Americans are some of the dumbest most entitled morons you will ever come across. Mash potatoes for brains.
There are two groups. There is the likely intelligent ones that have succeeded in convincing the other group - the ones you refer to, that they need to vote counter to their best interests.
And it's a real pity. I can drive outside of my city into the countryside. There are the inevitable Trump 2020 and Trump Train Flags flying from yard of people who are obviously fallen far off the path of success. They live in ancient mobile homes with every car they've ever owned on blocks, broken appliances sitting outside, just people who have been convinced that the top 1 percent are looking out for them. Just tell them that the leeeeburls and imgrunts are coming to take their jerbs and guns away, and force them into abortions and homersexuality, and they'll happily vote Republican while blaming Demoncrats for their utter poverty.
It's an interesting formula, and has worked for a while, but ends up pretty badly for them. Looking at the Domestic Terrorist situation that occurred on the 6th, it looks like most of the folks there were from that group.
Re: (Score:2)
Loosers with no clue that it is their bad choices that make them loosers. Hence they continue to make bad choices and continue to be loosers. And then some of them are violent too. Bad combination.
Re: (Score:2)
Loosers with no clue that it is their bad choices that make them loosers. Hence they continue to make bad choices and continue to be loosers. And then some of them are violent too. Bad combination.
And I don't know what exactly can be done. In my area, a lot of that genre would work in the mines, come home and abuse their wives and children, but they had jobs to keep them busy. But the world is passing them by. The mines are still open, but employ incredibly few people by comparison. The bottom tier employment is becoming harder to find. And they aren't coming back.
They are hit by a double whammy. Many of the people in our local fast food industry have degrees. Usually of the type that aren't worth
Re:Right wing Americans (Score:5, Interesting)
Looking at the Domestic Terrorist situation that occurred on the 6th, it looks like most of the folks there were from that group.
I looked at those people and thought they could be divided into three groups:
The useful idiots, who are the group you described, and I think you're right, they were the majority.
The second lot are the Larpers, who look like they have more money than group one, because all the pretend military gear must cost quite a lot of money. They may well be a subset of group one with more debt I suppose. They are also fools of course, because despite dressing like soldiers, they're not and would lose in any war they start.
Group three look like the people who think they're going to get something out of "following the president" like this woman. [thehill.com]
She is the one who flew to Washington in a private jet and is now wanting a pardon.
She is still a fool, but a more monied fool.
Re: (Score:2)
Looking at the Domestic Terrorist situation that occurred on the 6th, it looks like most of the folks there were from that group.
I looked at those people and thought they could be divided into three groups: Yup, that's pretty correct.
Re: (Score:3)
Right wing Americans are some of the dumbest most entitled morons you will ever come across. Mash potatoes for brains.
Don't assume Americans have a monopoly on right wing morons. We have plenty of them across the world, from the lawyer who went to the trouble of suing the Dutch government simply so he could return from a high risk country without getting a corona virus test, to Australia's love "Bunnings Karen" whose story shall forever be immortalised in a great ABC Comedy poem: The Ballad of Bunnings Karen [youtube.com]
Alternative... (Score:2)
...link to a YouTube post. It's around nine and half minutes in length.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
i would have said this (Score:2)
Re:i would have said this (Score:4, Insightful)
The problem is a lot of cops are anti mask so they don’t really care.
Someone told me masks were unconstitutional (Score:3)
He said "where in the Constitution does it say anything about masks?"
I told him it was in the tenth amendment. But after I explained, he still kept saying "well I think it's unconstitutional".
It's sadly funny how some people (who apparently slept through junior high and high school) seem to believe the only laws we have - and can have - are in the Constitution and its amendments.
Re:Someone told me masks were unconstitutional (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, you know... Rights are for me, and not for you. Right? That's what I was taught. I am allowed to pray in school but you are not allowed to marry who you want. No cop should ever pull me over no matter how a drive, but dang, there's black people driving someone should put a stop to that!
Seriously, I hear my mother say "that shouldn't be allowed" when we drove past a mosque. I am baffled by her logic, she thinks the government should restrict religion, but at the same time claims that it's unconstitutional and against the rights of the people they have to hold church outside during the pandemic.
Re: (Score:2)
He said "where in the Constitution does it say anything about masks?"
I told him it was in the tenth amendment. But after I explained, he still kept saying "well I think it's unconstitutional".
It's sadly funny how some people (who apparently slept through junior high and high school) seem to believe the only laws we have - and can have - are in the Constitution and its amendments.
Just that second one, which they like, and the first one, that they invoke when they think they can say what they like and no one can react to it.
Every day, improve the quality of your thinking. (Score:2)
Imgur often has funny comments: Liberals want to evict an elderly, financially troubled Covid survivor and his family from inner-city public housing [imgur.com]
Right wing ideology (Score:2)
Companies can deny contraception coverage right? (Score:3)
Corporations argued, and the Supreme court agreed, allowing their insurance companies to disclose the names of their employees to other providers who provide contraception coverage for free, would violate their religious freedom.
Corporations argued, and the Supreme court agreed, corporations have free speech rights. The Supreme Court has already declared, money is speech. Thus corporations-are-people side to have a much louder voice in speech than individual citizens.
Now suddenly these guys want to trample on the rights of the corporations-are-people? Do they realize Republicans have always argued corporation-people, the ob creators, have more rights than mere flesh and blood people?
Re: Companies can deny contraception coverage righ (Score:2)
The companies got a religious exception ( so it was an issue of law interfering with religion ).
It was a terrible ruling because, arguably, any random thing could qualify.
Re: (Score:2)
The companies got a religious exception ( so it was an issue of law interfering with religion ).
It was a terrible ruling because, arguably, any random thing could qualify.
Don't forget, Judge Thomas also turned that case into Free Speech on the part of the defendant.
Actually, I agree with them on both counts. If Masterpiece doesn't want to beak a gay themed cake, then that is fine. If I don't want to do business with conservative Christians, it is also fine.
I don't spend money at Hobby Lobby or Chick-fil-A. Free market and my money, my choice on where to spend it.
Re: (Score:3)
Corporations should never have more rights than flesh and blood citizens. Corporations are legal fiction to allow assets and profits to pass through and shield the owners from liability.
Republicans are openly saying they want the government to be small enough to be drowned in a bathtub.
While a single flesh and blood citizen will never have the might to actually drown the government in a bathtub the corporations-are-people citizen is nearly as powerful as the government.
this is why (Score:2)
we can't have nice things. like civilization.
well done TJ manager (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:well done TJ manager (Score:4, Insightful)
That was my reaction too: this store manager handled a bad situation with great aplomb. His final quote about not being able to communicate any more is astonishingly enlightened.
I'm not sure I would have had the same sense of calm in front of a crowd of agitated customers in an open-carry state.
Re: (Score:2)
I have to say the TJ staff at my local store are great, always seem to be competent and cheerful. Looks like this manager handled this situation with overly entitled assholes so well, someone at TJs does a great job of hiring.
I'd suggest guards as well. The young guy or gal running the cash register isn't prepared to deal with mobs of subnormals who might go all "Save America Rally" on them.
A**holes create anger against the right. (Score:3)
This isn't protest. Its bioterrorism. (Score:3)
Cut off their right hand. (Score:2)
Stupid and proud of it (Score:2)
Those are the very worst. Embarrassing to share a planet with people like that.
Of course we can't have conversations. (Score:5, Insightful)
One of the first things I learned in my data communications class was that to communicate you need twothings -- a common set of symbols and a common set of things for those symbols to refer to.
We have the symbols; we can talk *at* each other all day. But when you're dealing with people who believe they can create their own reality by *believing* you don't have anything in common to talk about.
They're hard to resist enhancing. (Score:3)
It's easy to see why some turn to the dark side. Suppose instead of forgiving these savage gullible morons for the generations of oppressive idiotarian damage their breed have done to the US, thousands of people see a way to help them self-actualize then stand naked in their evil before the world.
Trolls can manipulate their inferior intelligence (if it were not inferior trolls could not succeed so effortlessly) to synergize their stupidity and this only damages the US because there are so many fools (and not just on one side) the nation is vulnerable by choice. A healthy nation would laugh at then crush and ostracize such vermin. They're not good people misled, they're kloset (k)lansmen. One cannot teach society into reviling them, but THEY CAN and they do it with a passion. Now at least one store manager sees them for what they really are and that lesson money cannot buy. You cannot punish them in person as they so richly deserve, but you can laugh while they shit in their own nest.
I don't despise them quite that much, (Chris Rock voice) but I understand.
Cake vs groceries (Score:2)
buy beer without an id (Score:2)
And refuse to pay sales tax or bottle deposit. Don't pay for drink refills at 7-11. And because some obscure law wasn't immediately ratified by all States, you don't need to pay income tax.
You don't have to look far to find some idiot that believes in some made up nonsense. With spurious rationalize that it's a protected right.
Meanwhile in Australia ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Brisbane, in Queensland (a state where we've had a total of 1,293 confirmed cases and 6 deaths since the start) recently had ONE case of a new strain of covid. The health authorities immediately implemented a 3 day lockdown. It sucked for some, plenty of businesses were not happy, but beyond complaining, what could they do? Part of the lockdown was about wearing masks. If you went outside you home, wear a mask. If you are taking a walk down the street by yourself, wear a mask. Across the road from my house is a park, then a creek, then a reservoir and 1000s of kms of national park. I saw families walking in that park, no one else within throwing distance and they ALL WORE THEIR MASKS. I saw a guy driving in a truck, with his window open, completely by himself, WEARING A MASK. No protests, no fuss, no one complaining about their rights. Just a close knit community doing what they are asked today to help each other and preserve what has otherwise been one of the safest places on the planet during this pandemic.
A few days later we change the regulations: wear the masks while shopping indoors but not outside. In a few more days we don't have to wear masks in shops. Covid gone, the potential outbreak is dealt with and back we go to our mostly normal lives where 1000s of people are not dying every day. I just can't wrap my head around doing this any other way, or why someone cannot get past this mystical idea that we should all be allowed to do whatever we want because "freedom". Get the ferk over yourself. It's a piece of fabric that you put over your face that might stop someone else from dying.
"You cannot deny somebody the right to commerce." (Score:3)
Hilarious.
One, there is no such right.
Two, a business is perfectly free to discriminate and not do business with anyone it chooses, as long as it is not for some cause which is an explicitly protected class, such as gender, age, race, sexual orientation, etc.
Not wearing as mask is not an explicitly protected class against discrimination, so if they have a problem with that, I'd tell them to appeal to their local lawmakers to get that changed.
Until that time, however, they can shop somewhere else. Or wear a mask before coming in. Have a nice day.
Last 4 years summed up in one quote (Score:3)
"It's disheartening that we can't have any conversations any more... It's really disheartening. It's disheartening that people can't just talk to one another."
Re: (Score:2)
Are you going to mention what cameras they used at least?
Obamaphone (Special Edition Seein' RED Hypocrisy Model)**
** = With proceeds unwittingly going to the Clinton Foundation. Consider a donation at dubya-dubya-dubya.BleachBitsRUS.church
Better?
Re: (Score:2)
Don't be stupid. Well, I mean I guess it might be genetic with you so you can't do anything about it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I guess it is a gift....
Re: (Score:2)
Back in April I had arguments with people who didn't want to wear masks - both the WHO and CDC were recommending against mask wearing. That inconvenient history has been memory-holed now. Don't act like you are smart for just following the consensus.
But we dropped out of the WHO because they are a wrong outfit. This is the problem of the stupid. Situations change. Making up your mind, then keeping the same decision forever is dumb.
I think this is the problem thy have with science. Science and medicine adapt to a changing state of things. If it didn't, we'd still be using Mercury as a treatment for syphilis. or Sandal oil as the Egyptians did. Arsenic was a considered a good cure for stuff.
Masks are very simple, very cheap, and remarkably effecti
Re:New mask mandates... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Do you guys not have the equivalent of Ocado? Here in the UK, every supermarket has a massive online channel with last-mile distribution, all of which have boomed hugely in the pandemic, and consumer satisfaction is very high with vanishingly few complaints about damaged goods. It's a solved problem.