Since I posted the open letter from the Green family at their request, this site has received over 50,000 views in 4 days (an unheard of amount of page-views for this site). People care. People do not like what is happening. People want something done to help the Greens and any other business owner being manipulated by an unjust law.
Discussion has been civil in the comments of the first post and are overwhelmingly supportive of the Green family, as am I. When I first read the Green's letter requesting that we share it because we wouldn't see it reported in the liberal media, I immediately posted it to this site. I had no doubt the liberal media, which we've seen espousing opposition to marriage being defined between one man and one woman (as well as denegrating another company, Chick-fil-A for their president voicing his personal opinion), that in all probabilty, the Greens' message would meet a similar misrepresentation.
I've no doubt it will please thousands, if not millions of people, to know that Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not standing down in their pursuit for religious freedom and the right to practice their faith as they do business in a way that honors their Creator's principles and commands. In another article , Kyle Duncan, lead counsel for the Beckett Foundation, explained the Obama administration's position thusly:
"The administration’s arguments in this case are shocking. Here’s what they are saying: once someone starts a “secular” business, he categorically loses any right to run that business in accordance with his conscience. The business owner simply leaves her First Amendment rights at home when she goes to work at the business she built. Kosher butchers around the country must be shocked to find that they now run “secular” businesses. On this view of the world, even a seller of Bibles is “secular.” Hobby Lobby’s affiliate, Mardel, sells Bibles and other Christian-themed material, but because it makes a profit the government has now declared it “secular.”
A Federal Judge in Oklahoma City ruled against Hobby Lobby's suit for injunction to not provide insurance to cover the morning-after and week-after birth control pills, (which can easily and inexpensively, be purchased over the counter should a person want them). These are not the traditional style birth control pills and medications which are already covered under Hobby Lobby's self-insured plans.
According to Fox News, the Christian-owned craft and hobby business, consisting of 500 stores in 41 states, is now appealing the recent ruling. The majority of readers agree that Hobby Lobby has every right to choose what they cover as a company. Why should they have to provide something for employees that is completely against their personal faith and religious beliefs?
Hobby Lobby is not alone in their quest to protect their personal religious freedoms. In fact one of the commenters, who is also a small business owner, is grateful for Hobby Lobby challenging this law in court. Small business owner, Janelle, says it well:
"I am a small business owner and am behind Hobby Lobby 100%. A couple of facts that are missing here:
1. Hobby Lobby is not denying their employees anything, they still can get these items just not through health insurance.
2. While the employees pay for coverage, companies are mandated to pay for at least 50% of the total premium, so it is forcing Hobby Lobby to pay for something they don't believe in.
3. A business owner has every right to dictate how his business is run as it was started with his time, money, effort, risk and faith.
4. An employee has every right to work wherever they want if they don't like how their employer does things. This company has treated it's people well and put them first, shame on the government for treating them like they are doing a disservice to their people.
I am grateful that a large business like Hobby Lobby will take on the expense of fighting this because if small businesses like ours tried we would be out of business in a few months because of attorney's fees and 23 people would be out of a job. Thank you Hobby Lobby."
To read the letter that prompted over 50,000 views and untold "shares" to millions,
Will Hobby Lobby Have to Close Its 500 Stores
[reposted from a facebook post: One of finest Christian owned businesses in the country, Hobby Lobby, may have to close. What a tragedy.]
Please share (cut and paste if you have
to)
A Letter from Hobby Lobby Stores CEO
By David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working
out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture
frames. Our first retail store wasn't much bigger than most people's
living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and
worked according to God's word. From there,Hobby Lobby has become one of
the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500
locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders,
and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.
We're
Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always
said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our
business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more
than money. And that's what we've tried to do. We close early so our
employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on
Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers
and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by
God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our
employees. We've not only added jobs in a weak economy, we've raised
wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at
80% above minimum wage.
But now, our government threatens to
change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our
family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs
as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don't pay for
drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover
emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill.
We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception,
something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes
against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since
day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in
government fines.
Our government threatens to fine job creators
in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that's
raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a
family for running its business according to its beliefs. It's not
right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it's
the same for everybody. But that's not true. The government has exempted
thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or
cost. But it won't exempt them for reasons of religious belief.
So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great
reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for
Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before
it hurts our business. We don't like to go running into court, but we no
longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the
bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a
profit.
My family has lived the American dream. We want to
continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of
employees, but the government is goinmake that much more difficult. The
government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and
following the law. I say that's a choice no American and no American
business should have to make.
The government cannot force you to
follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have
exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian
organizations including the Catholic church.
Since you will not see this covered in any of the liberal media, pass this on to all your contacts.
Sincerely,
David Green, CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc."
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT AND GIVE YOUR OPINION ON THIS. CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND GOVERNOR AND ASK THAT THIS STIPULATION BE REMOVED FROM THE LAW.
Comments