Employee Non-Discrimination Act passed the Senate today

[brinstar]

thanks to 10 republicans. it will surely die in the house of morons tho

here is a quote on the matter from leah's and my resident fuckwad, Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE):

“I don't like the fact that we carve out all these special privileges. That has always, always bothered me,” Fischer told The [Omaha] World-Herald. “I don't think anybody, anybody should be discriminated against. As a woman I shouldn't be discriminated against. I don't think it's helpful to always carve this out, though, saying women shouldn't be discriminated against.”

...what? OKAY


opponents of ENDA: please explain how "i can no longer be fired simply because i am ________" is a "special privilege"? second question, please explain how it's okay to fire someone for being gay but not okay to fire someone for being black? or, alternately, please explain how losing the ability to treat homogays unfairly compared to every other kind of minority hurts business? ...or would you rather businesses be able to fire black people for being black or women for being women?

[Drem]

Aren't most places equal employment opportunities? I just looked at my calendar. It's 2013. I'm stunned that this is still an issue

[Tuggan]

how do you tell someones a queer by reviewing an application?

[brinstar]

in nebraska (and 20 some other states) it's perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay or trans

[Drem]

insanity. this country is like 50 individual countries sometimes. so stupid

[brinstar]

yeah sometimes i think it would be great if the US split into a handful of smaller nations because it's kinda unrealistic to have a state like alabama be part of the same country as a state like vermont. they're too different and share almost no common interest. besides, with the exception of TX all the red states do is leech tax dollars from blue states

just for fun, here's how i would carve up the nation based on ideology and regional identity:

Pacifica (CA, OR, WA, NV) - lots of tech and tourism. economic powerhouse. super liberal, but NV will anchor them and keep them from going off the left end.

Southwest Territories (CO, NM, AZ, UT) - kinda polarized politically but the center will hold. could poach NV, but NV won't want to get off the gravy train

Sky Plains (ND, SD, NE, IA, ID, MT, WY) - farms and ranches as far as the eye can see. rather conservative. IA will probably break to great lakes though

Lone Star States (KS, TX, OK, AR, LA, MO) - more farms and ranches. tons of natural resources but crippling poverty. they will try to unite with the Confederacy at some point, but it won't help.

Great Lakes (WI, MN, IL, IN, OH, MI) - maybe manufacturing comes back, but probably not

Confederacy (FL, GA, VA, WV, MS, AL, KY, TN, NC, SC) - probably back to plantations and slavery. FL will try (and fail) to secede, which means the Old South will finally get to win a civil war lol

New Union (NY, NJ, NH, ME, MD, DE, MA, CT, VT, PA, RI) - financial empire, unparalleled advancements in commerce.


canada can have alaska back, hawaii can be independent

[Zanchief]

canada can have alaska back

Yay?

[Ganzo]

canada can have alaska back

Slept through history?