By Nathan Barton

A person’s (or organization’s) character is often better known by seeing who their enemies are, and not who their friends are.

We see that all the time.  The Blaze reported recently that California’s Tranzi state government (the People’s Republic, led by the dynast Jerry Brown) has added four more states to its travel ban list: “Golden State employees will no longer be able to travel on any state-sponsored trips to Texas, Alabama, South Dakota, and Kentucky, bringing the total number of states banned to eight. California lawmakers passed a bill last year that bans non-essential travel to states that they believe discriminate against the LGBT community, and included in the initial bill were North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.”  In the CNN version of the story, they quoted the state spokesman, and he substituted ND for SD – typical: they don’t care about flyover country except to denigrate them.

Mama’s Note: Hmmm… and why are these people making NON”essential” junkets to start with? Why are they traveling to other states period, at taxpayer expense? Seems as if the bankrupt state of California will at least see some savings with this new policy – whatever the reason. Maybe they can ban even the so-called essential travel next?

But all these states are, to me, from a libertarian point of view, in good company.  They have refused to take away their people’s (and organizations’) rights of free association, free speech, and freedom of religion to placate the Tranzis, snowflakes, and social-justice warriors who are so offended and so badly hurt (emotionally, not physically) by not being able to push their political and religious views down the throats of everyone.  And of course, doing so in the name, supposedly, of freedom.  You don’t “preserve people’s rights” by taking away other people’s (or all people’s) liberty.  Yet this is exactly what the idiots in Sacramento (and many other places) do all the time.

As has been pointed out many times, there is NO “Freedom from being offended” or “Freedom from insult” in the Constitution, or in reality.  It is that very kind of offensive speech, insulting speech, and even untrue speech – yes, even hate speech – that is a God-given liberty that the Bill of Rights is supposed to protect.

California seeks to punish these eight states economically for their refusal to subordinate the rights of people in these states to the whinging and whimpering of a few members of a tiny minority.  Not all of that minority, by any means, just those who demand acceptance and affirmation of their perversions, not just tolerance.  Who demand that more and more children and others be given to them to indoctrinate and corrupt, and demand that schools – private and public alike – also indoctrinate the general population to embrace and affirm and promote their lifestyle.

This is what is happening in Houston, Texas, formerly a conservative city in a conservative (albeit Democratic) state.  That is the second story, and perhaps a few more badges of honor:

The Christian Post discusses the argument various preachers are making in Houston about the local independent school district bringing in a specialist from San Francisco to integrate normalizing homosexuality in all parts of the district’s education, starting with pre-school and kindergarten.  I give these preachers credit for fighting this, but they are making the wrong fight.  They should be working to get their parishioner’s children OUT of these government-run, tax-funded schools completely, instead of trying to manage the curriculum and course content. That battle has been fought and lost many times already – over evolution, over history, over global warming and environism, and situation ethics.  They are beating a dead horse.  The badges of honor in this case go to those parents and those religious leaders who recognize that it is necessary to vote with their feet, and have done so, and so are condemned by the Tranzis and the Conservatives in general.  These separatists know that the battle which much be won is NOT in the specific field of education, but in society as a whole.

(Watch for Part 2)