The politics of bathrooms

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Wed May 04, 2016 5:24 pm

I know, the Justice Department could ban all nonessential travel to North Carolina!

GargoyleBoy · Post by **GargoyleBoy** » Wed May 04, 2016 5:54 pm

Alternately, they could potentially lose millions in federal funding.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed May 04, 2016 6:06 pm

I read the letter, and it is a bitch-slap smackdown of epic proportions. McCrory just got his ass handed to him.

He'll have no choice but to comply. The state can't afford to lose that funding. This probably already cost him (and other Republicans) the election in November even before the US Justice Dept got involved. There's no way he can afford to be the guy that torpedoed the North Carolina school system because he thinks transgender people have cooties.

The Lt. Governor chimed in:

“To use our children and their educational futures as pawns to advance an agenda that will ultimately open those same children up to exploitation at the hands of sexual predators is by far, the sickest example of the depths the … administration will stoop to ‘fundamentally transform our nation’,” he said.

I'm continuously amazed by the "logic" that by not enacting a law that we've never had before, we're somehow opening children up to sexual predators. That's like saying that by not requiring mythical creatures to get rabies vaccinations, we're opening ourselves up to violent unicorn attacks.

Damn Obama and his pro-psycho unicorn agenda!

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed May 04, 2016 7:19 pm

YellowKing wrote:I'm continuously amazed by the "logic" that by not enacting a law that we've never had before, we're somehow opening children up to sexual predators. That's like saying that by not requiring mythical creatures to get rabies vaccinations, we're opening ourselves up to violent unicorn attacks.

I'm so stealing this.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu May 05, 2016 3:59 am

I mean, unicorns are just a type of pony...and I've learned to fear ponies.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 05, 2016 8:49 am

The fact that we haven't established a bathroom police force to guard bathrooms at any point in hour history is a travesty. Think of all the men that must have snuck into women's restrooms during that time.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 05, 2016 10:05 am

HB2 - encouraging man-on-boy molestation since 2016!

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu May 05, 2016 10:38 am

I really try to imagine scholars discussing this a hundred years from now, absolutely fascinated with the idea that a state tried to pass laws over bathroom use while so many other things were going on. It defies logic.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 05, 2016 11:10 am

In a post-Trump America, that discussion might very well be the most sane thing heard.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu May 05, 2016 1:48 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I really try to imagine scholars discussing this a hundred years from now, absolutely fascinated with the idea that a state tried to pass laws over bathroom use while so many other things were going on. It defies logic.

I don't know about that. We aren't fascinated by the idea of segregated bathrooms and it's about the same time frame.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 05, 2016 1:53 pm

McCrory's response:

“A claim by the Obama administration charges that one part of House Bill 2, which requires state employees in public government buildings and students in our universities to use a restroom, locker room and shower facility that match their biological sex, is now in violation of federal law," McCrory said about the letter received on Wednesday. "The Obama administration has not only staked out its position for North Carolina, but for all states, universities and most employers in the U.S. The right and expectation of privacy in one of the most private areas of our personal lives is now in jeopardy. We will be reviewing to determine the next steps.”

Yeah next step will be you shrinking back into your hidey-hole like a whipped cur. Your tears are delicious.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu May 05, 2016 1:56 pm

YellowKing wrote:McCrory's response:

“A claim by the Obama administration charges that one part of House Bill 2, which requires state employees in public government buildings and students in our universities to use a restroom, locker room and shower facility that match their biological sex, is now in violation of federal law," McCrory said about the letter received on Wednesday. "The Obama administration has not only staked out its position for North Carolina, but for all states, universities and most employers in the U.S. The right and expectation of privacy in one of the most private areas of our personal lives is now in jeopardy. We will be reviewing to determine the next steps.”
Yeah next step will be you shrinking back into your hidey-hole like a whipped cur. Your tears are delicious.

Could his logic be more backwards?

"We are legislating what bathroom you can use. The feds are telling us we can't do that. They are invading our privacy!"

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu May 05, 2016 1:58 pm

All that's missing is the "State's Rights"! rallying cry, while they outlaw local jurisdictions from making their own decisions about things like this, minimum wage, etc.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu May 05, 2016 2:48 pm

Ooh! NC used the B-word!

On Thursday, House Speaker Tim Moore said legislators would not meet the federal government’s deadline.

“We will take no action by Monday,” Moore told the Raleigh News & Observer. “That deadline will come and go. We don’t ever want to lose any money, but we’re not going to get bullied by the Obama administration to take action prior to Monday’s date. That’s not how this works.”

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 05, 2016 2:49 pm

I'm surprised he hasn't raised the Confederate flag yet.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu May 05, 2016 2:53 pm

Separate bathrooms for abolitionists, miscegenators, and carpet-baggers!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 05, 2016 2:59 pm

Constitution of the Confederate States of America

We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure our crappers for ourselves and our posteriors, while invoking the favor and guidance of a qualified plumber to ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America.

The vote to ratify it will be one flush for yay, two flushes for nay.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 05, 2016 3:40 pm

“We will take no action by Monday,” Moore told the Raleigh News & Observer. “That deadline will come and go. We don’t ever want to lose any money, but we’re not going to get bullied by the Obama administration to take action prior to Monday’s date. That’s not how this works.”

Ummm...this is exactly how this works:

The Supremacy Clause is a clause within Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which dictates that federal law is the "supreme law of the land". This means that judges in every state must follow the Constitution, laws, and treatises of the federal government in matters which are directly or indirectly within the government's control. Under the doctrine of preemption, which is based on the Supremacy Clause, federal law preempts state law, even when the laws conflict. Thus, a federal court may require a state to stop certain behavior it believes interferes with, or is in conflict with, federal law.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu May 05, 2016 3:55 pm

YK, you've been a real trooper on this, even moreso than I would have been. Good for you.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 05, 2016 7:26 pm

I wish I could say it's for completely noble reasons. Part of it is, I guess. I'm so tired of the hatred between groups of people. I'm tired of black vs white, straight vs gay. I just want my kids to grow up in a world where people respect each other's differences and get along, and stop getting offended and butt-hurt over every single thing.

But I don't know any transgender people. I have a couple of gay friends but it's not like we hang out on weekends and make that the focus of conversation. I really have no dog in this fight.

What I do have, however, is a logical personality. I work in an industry that is governed by logic. And while my logic is certainly not infallible, I can't abide the type of cockamamie arguments that these people come up with to justify their stupidity. At some point it just gnaws at my soul that these people who actually believe the horseshit coming out of their mouths are governing my life and my kids lives. It's intolerable.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu May 05, 2016 7:34 pm

Wanting there to be less hate in the world is as noble as it gets.

GargoyleBoy · Post by **GargoyleBoy** » Fri May 06, 2016 11:56 am

GreenGoo wrote:Wanting there to be less hate in the world is as noble as it gets.

Amen.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri May 06, 2016 11:20 pm

Even if they do nothing on Monday, every time they attempt to enforce this law will set them up for an easy lawsuit.

I just feel sorry for Charleston. They started this by doing the opposite, and have still be caught in the backlash.

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Sat May 07, 2016 7:36 am

Something I'm curious about. Was there an issue with people unable to use the bathroom of the gender they associate with?

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sat May 07, 2016 9:55 am

You know sometimes that women's restroom gets pretty backed up. It might come in handy to be able to switch sides.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat May 07, 2016 6:59 pm

McCrory is saying they will do nothing before the deadline, so I guess this will wind up in the hands of the courts. Which is fine by me. The longer McCrory stubbornly doubles down on this law, the more his re-election chances diminish. Why he is so dead set on making this (deeply unpopular) law his chosen battleground, I have no clue. Polls consistently show a majority of NCers oppose it.

Let's also keep in mind this is the same guy who gutted the state's film industry and put a bunch of my friends out of work. He's a real class act.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Sat May 07, 2016 7:58 pm

Well at least it's not going to tie up the courts and cost a lot of tax payer money to defend.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 09, 2016 10:37 am

GreenGoo wrote:Well at least it's not going to tie up the courts and cost a lot of tax payer money to defend.

Bwahaha!

North Carolina governor Pat McCrory filed a lawsuit Monday against the Justice Department, asking a federal court to state that its so-called “bathroom law” is not discriminatory.

In the complaint, McCrory accused the federal government of “baseless and blatant overreach.”
...
McCrory, a Republican, said he had asked federal officials to push back the “unrealistic” Monday deadline but was told he could only get more time if he publicly called the bathroom law discriminatory.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon May 09, 2016 10:47 am

Fascinating to watch someone tie their own noose and slip it around their neck. This is a fight he'll never win. The taxpayer cost is unfortunate, but I hate the guy so much that I'm kind of enjoying watching him commit career suicide.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon May 09, 2016 10:55 am

wink.

GargoyleBoy · Post by **GargoyleBoy** » Mon May 09, 2016 12:09 pm

YellowKing wrote:Why he is so dead set on making this (deeply unpopular) law his chosen battleground, I have no clue.

I wonder this about similar laws in other states as well. Is this a "silent majority" thing, where they think the polls are just wrong? Because otherwise it makes no sense.

I really kind of feel that the preponderance of similar laws all passing at the same time in various states has something to do with the supreme court vacancy - the GOP feels they may get a supermajority plus a supreme court seat next election if they play their cards right, so they're staking out socially conservative battlegrounds now to motivate their base?

Otherwise the timing is just weird. Of course, sometimes things are just weird.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon May 09, 2016 12:50 pm

YellowKing wrote:The taxpayer cost is unfortunate

Ameliorated somewhat by the fact that it isn't just being spent to bitch-slap this guy, but to preemptively bitch-slap every other state that has similar inclinations. This case is doing a great job of setting a precedent, and I don't just mean a legal precedent.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 09, 2016 12:51 pm

What makes you think that other states are smart enough to take the hint?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon May 09, 2016 12:52 pm

Because I live in Ind...

Nevermind.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon May 09, 2016 1:21 pm

A perfect example of the stunning amount of ignorance on display:

Pat McCrory: “They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a women’s locker room, restroom or shower facility.”

I love how he continues to frame this as some attempt by the government to ensure that straight males can enter women's restrooms at will. As if, without this law, we're going to have hordes of child molesters and rapists lined up to perform their criminal deeds without consequence.

Pat McCrory: We’re taking the Obama admin to court. They're bypassing Congress, attempting to rewrite law & policies for the whole country, not just NC.

That's rich coming from someone who spent $42,000 in taxpayer money to call a special session to rush this bill through in less than 12 hours. That's not overreaching?

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon May 09, 2016 3:31 pm

DOJ to announce "law enforcement action" related to NC. Waiting on the press conference now.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon May 09, 2016 4:21 pm

AG Loretta Lynch: BRING IT, BITCH!

DoJ fires back with their own lawsuit. And I like the poetic justice that a North Carolina native (Lynch) is leading the charge to overturn this.

She said it was premature to talk about removing federal funding due to ongoing discussions with the UNC school system.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon May 09, 2016 4:40 pm

YellowKing wrote:
She said it was premature to talk about removing federal funding due to ongoing discussions with the UNC school system.

That, and if DOJ gets a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the law then that would mostly obviate the funding issue.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon May 09, 2016 5:28 pm

Ex parte, bitches.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon May 09, 2016 5:54 pm

Smoove_B wrote:Ex parte, bitches.

Speaking of ex-parties, I'm mailing off my voter registration change tomorrow to drop out of the Republican party after 23 years. McCrory and his gang of idiots finally pushed me over the edge.