Dorrie's Picks, 4/2/09

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/bowing%20to%20Saudi%20King.jpg
Obama Bows Down To Saudi King Abdullah
NOTE: THIS IS A PICTURE ONLY.

Michelle Obama put her arm around Queen Elizabeth. Barack Obama bows to the Saudi king. A clear indication (to me), of who this couple recognizes as equal, and who they recognize as their (do I dare say it?) masters.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/01/dunkin_franchise_ends_over_refusal_to_sell_pork/
Dunkin' Franchise Ends Over Refusal to Sell Pork
A Muslim franchisee of a suburban Chicago Dunkin' Donuts has surrendered his longtime store ownership after losing a legal battle with the chain over religious objections to selling pork. . . .

Since he was not employee of the company, Elkhatib could not sue it under federal laws prohibiting workplace religious discrimination. So he sued under a law that bans racial and ancestry discrimination in the making of contracts. [Instead of getting out of biz that he had issues with, he chooses to find a way to sue. That’s certainly the entrepreneurial spirit.] . . .

Andrew Mastrangelo, manager of public relations for Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Brands Inc., noted that the jury's verdict was unanimous and the court ruled against Elkhatib's discrimination claims.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20090401/pl_usnw/cair__minn__gold_n_plump_settlement_paves_way_for_religious_accommodation
CAIR: MN: Gold'n Plump Settlement Paves Way for Religious Accommodation
On Tuesday, a federal judge approved a $1.35 million religious discrimination settlement against Gold'n Plump Inc. As part of the settlement, the company will add a paid break to accommodate prayer in the workplace.

"The Gold'n Plump decision sets a new standard for religious accommodation in Minnesota," said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Taneeza Islam. "CAIR-MN's goal is to ensure that Muslim employees are afforded their religious rights and are free from discrimination. We are not asking for anything special, but we demand that employers understand and follow the law."

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance all protect the right of any employee with a bona fide religious belief to have accommodations at the workplace as long as they are not unduly burdensome for the employer . . . [and apparently a fed judge can determine what is burdensome and what isn’t? Well, heck, why not? POTUS just set it up so he can decide what corp CEOs, et.al., can earn.]

Gold’n Plump had to be way out of touch not to take this to a jury.

“ . . . this whole lawsuit is . . . redolent of a stealth jihad initiative to intimidate American businesses into conforming to Sharia norms, rather than a genuine discrimination case.”—Robert Spencer, 4/2/09

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20090401/pl_usnw/dc_muslim_coalition_signs_amt_statement_on_fbi_relations
DC Muslim Coalition Signs American Muslim Taskforce Statement on FBI Relations
More Islamic and civil liberties organizations have signed on to a statement by the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a coalition of major national Islamic organizations, saying that it is considering suspending outreach relations with the FBI over recent incidents in which American mosques and Muslim groups have been targeted.

This is a no-lose ploy for these orgs. If they get the FBI to come back hat in hand, they look like heroes to the Muslim community. If the FBI does not, these orgs can bang their chests with righteous indignation and still look like heroes to the Muslim community.