Whew!

I sometimes think now logging in to this site isn't worth the effort of doing so.  I know some folks have said to me that it's difficult to add comments, but sometimes it's even difficult for me to sign in.

I hope this Iran deal is a real deal, but I am skeptical.  Both sides are somewhat cryptic about the terms.  What is known seems to have come from leaks.  But it appears Iran won a lot and conceded very little, if anything.  Of course, all depends on honesty.  Will Iran keep any word it gives?  Will the US have the guts to identify any violations of the terms?  The current administration doesn't exactly lead to any confidence it will.

The Iranians, according to the leaks, won't have to dismantle their heavy water reactor, can keep hundreds of centrifuges, maintains its underground facility, all with an American promise of lifting the sanctions (soon?).  This seems like a one-sided negotiations result, as if the US was negotiating from a position of weakness, of capitulation.

The whole deal seems like the Iranians are laughing, knowing that they can continue to sneak their way to nuclear weapons because the US and its diplomats will be far too busy patting themselves on their backs over their agreement.

The Indiana religious freedom episode is troubling.  I fully understand the concern with possible discrimination against gays.  But I think the problem is far deeper than this.  In this instance, I think those whose religious beliefs oppose gay marriages are the ones facing discrimination.  Were I a baker or a florist or a DJ or a......whatever I would take the money to serve a gay marriage.  Sure I what, no doubt.

But if one's religion is opposed to gay marriages, why can't one refuse to endorse such marriages by actively engaging in it?  I can see a prohibition against no serving an individual gay because of sexual orientation, yes.  But there, I think, is a difference between the individual and the institution of marriage.

Could this, then, lead to the arrest of a minister or priest who is asked to marry a gay couple, but refuses to do it?  What about, taking this to the extreme, could a doctor whose religion opposes abortions be penalized/punished for refusing to perform abortions?

I think I saw, too, online an article where some Detroit media personality posed as a gay man who wanted a Dearborn Muslim bakery to cater his wedding, but was refused.  There were multiple accounts of it, so I assume it's true.  Where is the equal outrage, other than there is no such law in Michigan?  But isn't the principle the same?

I don't know, but the world is getting to complicated for me......