SEATTLE: Crackpot Stages Straight Pride Parade, Is Only One To Show Up

Via Seattle Gay Scene:

Yesterday, Facebook lit up at the realization of a planned “Heterosexual Pride Parade” throughout Seattle’s Capitol Hill gayborhood on July 25th. Anthony Rebello, a hetero-activist of sorts, created the event to “celebrate (his) right to be heterosexual, and to encourage younger heterosexuals that they should be proud of their heterosexuality.” Of course, Seattle’s LGBT community collectively pounced on the event page and let loose with their unfiltered thoughts on the ill-advised event, especially the route that Mr. Rebello had chosen for his parade. Well, after all the comment-wars on the event page, Anthony Rebello was the only ignorant fool in attendance for the first ever Seattle Heterosexual Pride Parade. Better luck next year, bro!

Hit the link for quotes from the charming Mr. Rebello. (Tipped by JMG reader Lynda)

Deleted: Cottonelle's GoFundMe Page

Apparently the homofacsists have claimed another victory as the GoFundMe page for Cottonelle Stutzman has been deleted, presumably for the same reason that the page for the Oregon bakery was removed.

WASHINGTON: Governor Jay Inslee Bans State-Funded Travel To Indiana

The Seattle Stranger reports:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee followed the lead of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and others today, banning any state administrators from spending state money to travel to Indiana after that state passed a controversial "religious freedom" law that could make it easier for businesses to discriminate against LGBT customers. “I find Indiana’s new law disturbing, particularly at a time when more and more states and people in America are embracing civil rights for everyone," Inslee said in a statement today. "Washington will join other states and cities in opposing this law and I will impose an administration-wide ban on state funded travel to Indiana. We in Washington stand for equality. I applaud those companies and organizations that have spoken out against the law and said they would not locate or expand operations in Indiana. I want to invite all those organizations, and anyone interested in a state that promotes equality and opportunity, to come visit Washington. We are open for business, and open to all people.”

The governor of Connecticut and mayor of San Francisco are among those others.

WASHINGTON: Court Fines Anti-Gay Florist $1000, Gives Her 60 Days To Pay

Via the Associated Press:

A Washington state florist who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding was fined $1,000 Friday, plus $1 for court costs and fees. Benton County Superior Judge Alexander Ekstrom's ruling gives Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers and Gifts in Richland, Washington, 60 days to pay the state for her refusal to serve Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed when they sought to buy wedding flowers in 2013. Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose office requested the fine, said in a statement Friday that the ruling is a reminder of the reach of Washington's anti-discrimination laws. "My primary goal has always been to end illegal discrimination," Ferguson said. "I'm pleased that today's ruling clearly prohibits discrimination against same-sex couples." Before Ferguson's office filed the consumer-protection lawsuit against Stutzman, it had sent her a letter asking for an agreement to no longer discriminate, which she refused. Ferguson's statement Friday said the office would not have sued if Stutzman had accepted the agreement.

The judge also ruled that the gay couple is entitled to damages, but he reserved setting that amount until the appeals process runs its course. The Alliance Defending Freedom is very upset. Via World Net Daily:

Kristen Waggoner, ADF senior counsel, said the award to Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson boils down to a government threat to Christians: “Surrender your religious liberty and free speech rights, or face personal and professional ruin.” Waggoner said the judgment Friday “affirms the court’s earlier decision that Barronelle must pay a penalty for her faith and surrender her freedom and conscience.”

“The penalty and fees imposed today are only the first punch,” Waggoner said. “The ACLU, on behalf of the same-sex couple also suing Barronelle, has asked the court to award them penalties, fees, and costs, which will financially devastate Barronelle’s business and personal assets – including taking this 70-year old grandmother’s retirement and personal savings. The message sent by the attorney general and the ACLU to the people of Washington is quite clear: surrender your religious liberty and free speech rights, or face personal and professional ruin.”

WND reported earlier when the state offered to settle its case for $2,001, but Stutzman rejected the offer out of hand. That was after Ekstrom authorized the state and the homosexual plaintiffs to pursue the business and personal assets of Stutzman, including her home, savings and retirement, in payment of damages and attorneys’ fees.

Crowdfund Launched For Anti-Gay Florist

It's not clear who is behind this GoFundMe money beg, but here it is. (Tipped by JMG reader Christopher)

Martyr Tour: Florist Goes To Fox News

Martyr Tour: Anti-Gay Washington Florist Speaks At Christian Broadcasters Confab

The National Religious Broadcasters convention is taking place in Nashville today, just in time for everybody there pack up and head over to CPAC in DC. Anti-gay Washington state florist Barronelle Stutzman was jut trotted out to tearfully declare that "God will not be mocked."

RELATED: Also making the rounds are the Oregon bakers.

Quote Of The Day - Baronelle Stutzman

"Washington's constitution guarantees us 'freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment.' I cannot sell that precious freedom. You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver. That is something I will not do. Your offer reveals that you don't really understand me or what this conflict is all about. It's about freedom, not money. I certainly don't relish the idea of losing my business, my home, and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important." - Florist Barronelle Stutzman, responding to the $2000 settlement offer made last week by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Stutzman is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, who apparently hope to turn her case into a federal right to refuse to serve LGBT Americans.

WASHINGTON: Anti-Gay Florist Rejects $2000 Settlement, Prefers Martyrdom

Via the Associated Press:

A florist who refused to provide flowers for a gay wedding has rejected an offer from the Washington state attorney general to settle a discrimination case by paying a $2,000 fine and agreeing to sell bouquets for same-sex ceremonies in the future. “Our state would be a better place if we respected each other’s differences, and our leaders protected the freedom to have those differences,” Barronelle Stutzman wrote in a letter Friday to Attorney General Bob Ferguson. She wrote that gay couples are allowed to act on their views, but “because I follow the Bible’s teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I am no longer free to act on my beliefs.” Stutzman, 70, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Washington, had earlier said she plans to appeal a judge’s ruling that she broke a state anti-discrimination law.

Perhaps obviously, Alliance Defending Freedom is hoping to turn Stutzman's case into a federal issue that would establish the national right to refuse to serve LGBT Americans.

Thomas Peters Has The Florist Sadz

Barronelle Stutzman is actually many years from being an octogenarian, but that doesn't work so well in the right's "little old lady" scenario.

Pat Robertson Has The Florist Sadz

"This is outrageous. To tell a florist that she’s got to provide flowers for a particular kind of wedding? What if somebody wanted to marry his dog? She’s got to have flowers for that? What if there’s a polygamous situation where a guy has five wives and he wants to have five ceremonies and she’s going to be forced by the law to provide them flowers? This is crazy!"

WASHINGTON: Anti-Gay Florist Found Guilty In Public Accommodations Case

Via the Associated Press:

A judge has ruled that a florist in Washington state who refused to provide flowers to a gay couple for their wedding violated state consumer protection and anti-discrimination law. In an opinion Wednesday, Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom rejected arguments from the owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland that her actions were protected by her religious freedom. He said that while religious beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, actions based on those beliefs aren't necessarily. Courts have long held that lawmakers can prohibit discriminatory conduct, and the judge said florist Barronelle Stutzman broke the law when she refused to sell flowers for a same-sex wedding in 2013. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington welcomed the ruling.

The wailing has already begun at World Net Daily:

A judge in Washington on Wednesday authorized the “personal ruin” for a florist whose Christian faith prevented her from promoting a same-sex “marriage” and was sued by both the state and the homosexuals. Officials with the Alliance Defending Freedom confirmed that Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom granted a summary judgment in the case against Barronelle Stutzman, so the case won’t proceed to trial now. It had been scheduled for March 23. It was Ekstrom who said last month that Stutzman personally was liable for the claims against her, placing both her business assets and her home and savings at risk. The judge ordered that the state and the homosexuals, who each filed lawsuits, could collect damages and attorneys’ fees from Stutzman. “The message of these rulings is unmistakable: the government will bring about your personal and professional ruin if you don’t help celebrate same-sex marriage,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner.

What was that we were just saying about the track record of Alliance Defending Freedom?

WASHINGTON: Rare Strain Of Ocular Syphilis Leaves Two Men Blind

Via the Seattle Times:

Health officials are warning about an unusual cluster of syphilis infections that strike the eyes, with six cases reported in Washington state since mid-December, including four in King County. Two people have been blinded by the disease. That’s an unusually high number of cases of ocular syphilis, which affects fewer than one in every million people in the general population each year, according to Dr. Russell Van Gelder, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University of Washington. Even among people with syphilis, ocular disease is detected in perhaps 10 percent of patients, he added. The King County cases are all men, including three who report having sex with other men, the group most affected by syphilis in the region. Three are HIV-positive; people with HIV are often infected with syphilis, too.

Local officials urge that MSM seek immediate attention for vision-related issues. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

WASHINGTON: Court Rules That State Can Proceed With Lawsuit Against Florist

Via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

The state of Washington can sue the owner of a Richland flower shop, as well as her business, for refusing to sell flowers for the same-sex wedding of a longtime customer, a Benton County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday. Arlene’s Flowers, and owner Barronelle Stutzman, are the centerpiece of a nationally watched battle involving the scope of state anti-discrimination laws and the right — if any — to deny service based on personal religious convictions. Judge Alex Ekstrom, in his Wednesday ruling, found that the Washington attorney general can sue both Stutzman and her business for violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act as well as the Washington Law Against Discrimination. In his ruling, Judge Ekstrom said that “the clear language (of the consumer and anti-discrimination laws) supports both individual and corporate liability.” “As admitted by Stutzman, she not only participated in the conduct alleged, her personal actions (in defining corporate policy and in her interaction with Ingersoll) constitute the sum total of the conduct complained of by the plaintiffs,” Ekstrom wrote.

Stuzman is being defended by the Alliance Defending Freedom. The case will go to trial sometime this spring.

FRC: Pray For Anti-Gay Florists

This is the FRC's latest prayer target:

May God give Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and others like him, Damascus Road encounters with Christ that help them see things differently. May they cease and desist from persecuting God’s people. May Barronelle Stutzman’s attorneys be given extraordinary wisdom and effectiveness in court. May Judge Ekstrom require the lawmakers in Olympia to go back to the drawing board to change their law to accommodate people of faith like Barronelle. Rather than be cowed, may believers everywhere get prepared to stand when their faith in Christ is similarly challenged! May God use these instances of despotism to awaken His people. May Americans relearn that religious liberty is our most prized possession and that the sexual proclivities of a small minority of Americans must never, ever, be exalted above our sacred religious liberty!(Lev 19:15; Ps 54:3; 119:121; Ec 5:8; Jn 10:10; Eph 6:10-20)

(Tipped by JMG reader Gerard)

WASHINGTON: Christian Activist Files Demand For Names Of 70 Local Strippers

A Christian activist in Washington state has filed a public records demand for the business licenses of 70 local strippers, allegedly in order to pray for their souls.

“I would pray for those dancers by name,” David Van Vleet said after the hearing. “I’m a Christian. We have a right to pray for people.” Van Vleet said he also was trying to protect the public’s rights. “I was trying to do something for the public good because that’s why we have the record law,” Van Vleet said. But U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting disclosure of licenses for about 70 dancers and managers at DreamGirls at Fox’s in Parkland. Jenn Kaplan, an attorney for Fox’s, argued release of the licenses would violate the workers’ First Amendment and privacy rights. The licenses include stage and legal names, dates of birth, signatures, photos, height, weight and eye color.

A final decision is due on December 15th.

Multiple Students Shot In Cafeteria Of Seattle-Area High School, Gunman Dead

Via the Seattle Times:

A student believed to have opened fire at Marysville-Pilchuck High School Friday morning is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to two law-enforcement sources. Police have not released details, but there are reports of as many as seven other people injured. Ambulances are staging around the school and police are searching room to room with guns drawn, leaving tape to mark the doors of the rooms that have been cleared. Some students were being evacuated from the school, walking out and across the fields with their hands up. Some were being bused to a nearby church. Others were being told to stay inside classrooms.

CNN reports that two students have been airlifted from the scene. The school remains under lockdown at this writing.

SEATTLE: Killer Says He Murdered Gay Men As Revenge Against The United States

The Seattle man who confessed to the June hook-up murders of two gay men now says he killed them and two others as revenge against the United States for military actions taken in the Middle East.

Ali Muhammad Brown, who had already been charged in the targeted killing of a gay couple in Seattle and the point-blank shooting of a New Jersey college student, was charged Wednesday with the April slaying of 30-year-old Leroy Henderson in Skyway, Wash., according to the King County Prosecutor's Office. According to a criminal complaint filed in King County, Brown took responsibility for each shooting and told investigators he carried out the killings to gain retribution for lives lost during U.S. military action in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. "My mission is my mission between me and my lord. That's it," Brown said during a jailhouse interview in New Jersey, according to the court filings. "My mission is vengeance, for the lives, millions of lives are lost every day." "All these lives are taken every single day by America, by this government," Brown continued. "So a life for a life." Brown's bloody rampage began April 27, when he is accused of gunning down Henderson near his home in Skyway. On June 1, he used a dating application for gay men to lure Dwone Anderson-Young and Ahmed Said to a Seattle nightclub before shooting them both at close range, documents say. The 29-year-old "essentially executed" both men, according to court filings.

Brown was captured in New Jersey last month after being identified on surveillance video when robbing a convenience store.

SEATTLE: Judge Doubles Requested Sentence, Arsonist Of Gay Nightclub Gets Ten Years In Federal Prison

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

The Seattle man who set fire to a popular Capitol Hill club during a New Year’s celebration was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison - twice as long as the term requested by prosecutors. Facing federal charges in the dangerous but non-injurious blaze, Musab Masmari admitted to starting a fire inside Neighbours Nightclub during the first minutes of 2014. Masmari was caught on camera setting fire to a rear stairwell at Neighbours, a large, decades-old gay nightclub. About 15 minutes after midnight, Masmari poured gasoline in a stairway to Neighbours’ balcony and lit the pool of fuel. The fire was quickly doused with a fire extinguisher; there were about 750 people in the club at the time.

Masmari, a California native also known as Musab Musmari, was arrested days later on his way to Sea-Tac Airport after buying a one-way ticket to Turkey. Writing the court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said evidence suggests Masmari was motivated by an “intolerable hate.” “One of Masmari’s close associates was interviewed by investigators and reported that Masmari confided in him that he ‘burned a gay club’ and that he did it because ‘what these people are doing is wrong,’” Greenberg said in court papers. Greenberg said another person close to Masmari said he had a “general hostility towards homosexuality.” Attorneys for Masmari Charles Swift and Jeffrey Cohen noted that prosecutors were unwilling to try to prove that hate motivated the arson.

Ten years still feels like a light sentence for the attempted murder of hundreds of people. But good for the judge.

SEATTLE: Arsonist Of Gay Nightclub May Only Get Five Years In Prison

The man who attempted to murder over 700 LGBT people by setting fire to a packed Seattle nightclub on New Year's Eve is due to be sentenced today.

Under the plea agreement Musab Masmari will serve the mandatory minimum of five years in prison, although the judge in the case could sentence the 31-year-old up to the maximum 20 years allowed by law. Masmari will not face terrorism or a hate crime charges for setting the fire inside the gay nightclub, though prosecutors signaled they may have had a case after learning that a “confidential informant” told investigators that Masmari said homosexuals should be “exterminated.” Prosecutors told CHS Masmari’s motives will be in question as part of the judge’s sentencing. This week, Masmari’s defense filed a personal statement with the court where he blamed his actions on drinking too much alcohol before setting the fire. In the statement Masmari said he drank an entire “cheap bottle of whiskey” on New Year’s Eve and said he did not remember what happened afterwards.

Masmari was arrested in February while attempting to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey.