Some links and a continuation of yesterday’s post

First, more economics: Here’s Al Franken on the Republican faith that tax cuts are always the answer.
Second, some discussion of the right-wing reactions to the Norwegian terrorist attack. Lawyers, Guns and Money dissects a WaPo column explaining how the obviously Islamic killing proves we need to revive missile defense programs; Roy Edroso browses the response from right wingers to the discovery al Qaeda didn’t do it.
Third, I’m now contributing blog posts to And magazine. Here’s my first, on Bobby Jindal’s claim that Louisiana’s new “you can refuse an abortion” sign law for abortion clinics is no different from reading criminals their Miranda rights.
Now, as to the continuation from yesterday’s post on the supposed threat to Christian freedom. In fairness, there is one area where their freedom is infringed on (even though I think it’s justified) in terms of business.
Quite simply, Christians do not have the legal right to discriminate on the basis of religion in hiring, firing, promoting, renting property, etc. And I know several churches have complained that extending antidiscrimination ordinances to gays means they’re having to serve people in church-related businesses (leasing land for secular events, say) or that landlords object to renting to couples they believe are living in sin.
This takes away freedom, no question. Personally, I believe it’s justified, just as refusing to allow people to discriminate in business for race, creed, handicapped status, gender, etc. is justified: The cost is too dear.
Accounts of black families having to map out trips across the south based on where they’re allowed to eat, sleep or use the bathroom show how unlimited business freedom to discriminate can make freedom an illusion for the victims.
But even there, Christians are no worse off than any other religion: Muslims and Jews can’t discriminate against gays/blacks/women either.
As for the fear that churches will lose the freedom to condemn gays from the pulpit or call for anti-gay legislation, that also affects every religion (Orthodox Jews have expressed the same fear as grounds for opposing gay marriage)——and besides, there’s no sign of it happening, as I noted here. I’m honestly not sure if this is a fallback political position (once the majority of voters starts supporting gay marriage at the polls the standard will switch from “the people have spoken” to “the majority is oppressing us”) or simple transference (assuming pro-gay forces have the same enthusiasm for banning other people’s speech as the anti-gay forces do).
Either way, the struggle for Christian freedom in America still isn’t the defining issue of our time.