There is a vast line between "supporting the Palestinian people" and the anti-Israeli and--not by default but by their own words--anti-Jewish rhetoric being spewed, and in many cases acted upon with violence, by these protestors.

I used to hang out in Irish pubs and circles where overt support for the Irish Republican Army cause could be sensed or seen, if only discretely. As a cultural Celtic-American who worked with many Irish festivals, I had opportunity to engage repeatedly with some of these "supporters." They always of course cloaked their "charitable" efforts as "aiding the oppressed and poor in Northern Ireland," which I would sarcastically rebuke as "buy a bullet/bomb for the IRA." In the pre-Internet era, I was repeatedly educating these clowns, whose education seemed largely restricted to "Brits Out" anti-British jingoism, with the "REST of the story"--that the IRA's chartered objective was a Marxist Ireland and spreading a Marxist revolt worldwide. I'd bring authoritative history books to the literal table. They stayed in denial for years, and were finally essentially shut up and put away by the triple whammy of the Good Friday Accord of 1998, the capture of a boatload of munitions and explosives bound from Libya to the IRA, and the arrest of key IRA "officers" "training" in bomb-making and weaponry along with Marxist FARC rebels in Colombia.

But, you know, this is a damned side distraction.

Aren't those lovely trees?

Just speaking to this particular wedding cake case as a local from the Denver area, the majority of us support gay rights. However, we support the baker's rights too, although many of us think he's exercising his right to be a prejudiced jerk. The fact is that the gay couple could easily have found a non prejudiced, or even a gay pastry chef, but they chose to create an issue rather than have somebody who supports their cause participate in their wedding.

In my experience as a wedding violinist, I have turned down one job because the groom came across as a KKK type, and I think that's my right to do so. I had another job inquiry from a lady who told me that a witch would be the officiant, and they wanted Druid type music to accompany Contra dancing. So I asked if they were devil worshipers or would be sacrificing animals, and took the job when she said no to both questions. They were kind of kooky, but harmless, and it turned out that the bride and groom were both female. I congratulated the happy couple the same as I would anybody else, and thanked them for the job... But that's my business.

I'll shut up now, unless somebody wants to discuss RR preservation.

Worshiping Satan and all is cool, until you realize that pedophilia is a part of the process.

I think I'll pass...