The press won't roast New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for this, but it should — at a very high temperature.
Today, Mr. Self-Righteous, who in the past has suggested that anyone who is pro-life, against same-sex marriage, or for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment as written and adjudicated should leave his state, banned all "non-essential" state travel to Indiana, home of a recently enacted religious freedom law similar to that found in roughly 19 states — make that soon to be 20, with Arkansas imminently getting on board:
Apparently, as many tweeters have observed, non-essential state travel to DC and the other 48 states in the union, including the others with Religious Freedom Restoration Acts on their books, will continue unabated.
All of this is especially ironic, given that Empire State lawmakers and the Governor are in the midst of a "beat the April 1 deadline" exercise with their budget. Maybe a bit less "non-essential" travel throughout the entire year to every state would have made the exercise a bit easier for everyone.
Meanwhile, the Governor, apparently believing that it remains essential, plans on visiting Cuba on April 20, despite that nation's very real and very horrid record with respect to its treatment of homosexuals, specifically:
... In isolation, (Raul) Castro’s (daughter's) support for gays is laudable. But ... it must be seen within the context of the repression that the Castro regime has inflicted upon the Cuban people for five decades.
The Castro brothers are wise enough to read international political currents; revolutionary machismo isn’t in vogue like it was in the 1960s. They know that a sure way to warm the hearts of progressives is to pledge support for some nebulous concept of “gay rights.” Never mind Cuban gays — like all citizens of Cuba save high-ranking members of the Communist Party — do not enjoy basic liberties like freedom of speech or religion. They cannot join an independent labor union or vote. When it comes to gay life in Cuba, “Not much has changed since Reinaldo Arenas’ time.”
That assessment doesn’t come from “terrorist groups based in Miami” or the “mediocre yellow press,” as Castro recently described her critics in a radio interview. It comes from In These Times, a left-wing American magazine that publishes the likes of Noam Chomsky. Three years ago, it ran a special feature on Cuba, including an in-depth report about homosexuality.
It seems like Andy Cuomo would be better off taking a "non-essential" trip to Indiana to meet with Hoosier State Governor Mike Pence for a discussion about Midwestern manners, and what is involved when someone exhibits genuine tolerance and civility.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
