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Anti-Gay Christian Auto Repair Shop Makes Itself A Target For Equality Activists, Has No Business License

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People are responding in hysterical, creative, and investigative ways to anti-gay comments made by the Grandville, Michigan owner of Dieseltec auto repair, who banned gays because of Jesus.

When Brian Klawiter posted an anti-gay rant on his company’s Facebook page, he probably didn’t expect the backlash, upset, demonstrations, and anger that was to come. The owner of a Grandville, Michigan auto and truck repair shop, Klawiter wrote, “I am a Christian. My company will be run in a way that reflects that. Dishonesty, thievery, immoral behavior, etc. will not be welcomed at MY place of business. (I would not hesitate to refuse service to an openly gay person or persons. Homosexuality is wrong, period. If you want to argue this fact with me then I will put your vehicle together with all bolts and no nuts and you can see how that works.)”

There was more, including his feeling marginalized as a white Christian male, and his discount for gun owners.

Of course, Klawiter has become a martyr of the Christian right, despite being the perfect example of why so-called religious freedom laws are dangerous and discriminatory. 

So, of course, Ann Coulter supports Klawiter, and is blaming liberals for his anti-gay comments.

As it rurns out, Klawiter does not have a license to operate his business, and refuses to do so on extraordinarily strange grounds.

“Brian Klawiter earlier this year told the City Council that requiring a license violates his constitutional rights because it authorizes city inspectors to enter his property without a warrant,” Michigan news site MLive reports.

“This is a blatant and intentioned violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution,” Klawiter told the council on Jan. 26. “I dispute your lawful ability to do what you claim. I will not sign the application. I cannot and will not give up my civil rights, especially when requested by a government entity for which the Constitution was designed to limit the power of.”

Meanwhile, not surprisingly, Dieseltec’s Facebook and Yelp pages have been receiving all sorts of comments protesting his hate. 

UPDATE: Michigan Auto Repair Shop Owner Who Refuses To Serve Gays ‘Is Not A Licensed Mechanic’

But now Dieseltec is losing support of one of its biggest suppliers.

Cummins, which manufactures the engines and engine parts integral to Dieseltec’s business, has asked to have its brand and logo removed from Dieseltec’s website and marketing:

Screen_Shot_2015-04-17_at_8.42.28_AM.jpgThen there was the GoFundMe page that was started and quickly deleted, but not before it got its one and only donation, for $5 from Holli Biggs, who wrote, “I’m legally married to another woman, and a proud parent to 3 beautiful little girls that i have taken in as my own…I want to be the first one to donate to this because you are going to need it in time to provide for yours. Will you except my money? Or is it too gay for you?”

And one bankruptcy attorney has offered Dieseltec his services, making a rather creative statement. An excerpt:

“I noticed your post on Facebook where you decided to alienate most of the general public by stating that you will refuse service to openly homosexual people,” Jeffrey Mapes of Mapes Law Offices wrote on his company’s website. “This is certainly an unorthodox business strategy, and perhaps it will work for you, but I get the feeling you will need a bankruptcy attorney pretty soon and I wanted to offer my services. Like you, I am white, male, Christian, a business owner, and a gun owner. Unlike you, I provide services to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation because it doesn’t matter to me — I hope this won’t be a deal breaker for you.”

MLive reported on a local man who said he was a regular customer and bisexual. He reportedly tried to throw eggs at the auto repair shop. 

And then there’s this tweet, the content of which has not been verified: 

And yes, protestors:

Sadly, in a separate Facbook post, Klawiter writes that he’s getting death threats:

“Listen up folks, If you have an opposing view to mine that IS OK, what is NOT OK is threats to kill me, my family, and friends; threats to burn down my shop and my home. I will stand firm on my views and will not back down.”

 

Image via Facebook

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SURE

Louie Gohmert Gave $5500 to a Homophobic Holocaust-Denying Preacher — Then Claimed It Was an Accident

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June 14, 2021

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On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) donated $5,500 to virulently anti-gay and anti-Semitic pastor Steve Anderson — and when caught, claimed the whole thing was an unfortunate mixup.

According to William Bredderman, “Team Gohmert claims it hired a Christian singer named Steve Amerson from Granada HIlls, California, but accidentally reported to the Federal Election Commission that the cash went to the Tempe, Arizona address of the Faithful Word Baptist Church, led by the infamous Pastor Steve Anderson.”

Anderson, whose church is part of the New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement, is known for several abhorrent views, the report noted.

“Faithful Word Church calls for punishing homosexuality with the death penalty in the doctrinal statement published on its webpage,” said the report. “But that demand seems mild compared to the seething rhetoric Anderson has unleashed against the LGBTQ community: in a 2014 video posted to his now-deplatformed YouTube account, he declared “‘if you executed the homos, like God recommends, you wouldn’t have all this AIDS running around.’ In 2016, he applauded the the mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, asserting ‘there’s 50 less pedophiles in this world.'”

But Anderson’s views go much further — he is also virulently anti-Semitic and denies the Holocaust happened.

“Anderson … has demonstrated a particular animosity toward Jewish people, as evidenced in titles of the sermons listed on his IMDB page, which include ‘The Jews Are Our Enemies,’ ‘The Jews Killed Jesus,’ ‘Unbelieving Jews Are Under God’s Wrath,’ ‘Jews Worship a Female God Named ‘Shekinah,” and ‘Jewish Synagogue = Synagogue of Satan,'” said the report. “He has also, as the Anti-Defamation League noted in a 2015 report, propagated false claims that millions of Jews were not gassed and cremated in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.” He also published a video calling Dr. Martin Luther King, “Marxist Lucifer King,” a “false prophet,” a “sexual pervert,” and a “Communist tool.”

This comes shortly after Gohmert landed in the news for demanding to know if the U.S. Forest Service can change the Earth’s orbit to fight climate change.

 

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CRIME

Man Shoots and Kills Atlanta Supermarket Cashier, Wounds Guard Over Mask Policy: Police

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3 hours ago

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June 14, 2021

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A man pulled out a gun and shot and killed an Atlanta-area Big Bear Supermarket cashier over the store’s mask policy, according to police. Two people, including a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office reserve unit deputy who was inside the supermarket working as a security guard, and the suspect, were also wounded.

“The subject pulled out a weapon and shot a cashier at the location,” DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said, according to 11Alive. “The individual is deceased.”

“Although details are not complete, authorities say that the male suspect was involved in a dispute with a young woman before he began firing at her inside the store,” the spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.

There apparently was an altercation over the mask policy, which is clearly posted on the store’s door.

“A witness, identified as Alan Williams, said a man walked into the store, struck the woman with a gun, then shot her. That’s when the deputy and the suspect exchanged gunfire.”

 

This is a breaking news and developing story. 

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'CAN’T HANDLE COLD OR HEAT'

#AbbottFailedTexas Trends as State Electric Authority Warns of Possible Power Outages Again – This Time in Heat Wave

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4 hours ago

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June 14, 2021

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Over the winter at least 151 Texans died as 4.5 million homes and businesses went without power in a massive failure created by poor planning, lack of regulation, and sheer greed.

Last week Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott promised he had fixed the problem.

On Monday, less than seven days later, ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, urged customers to turn air conditioning to no cooler than 78 degrees and to conserve power, as it expects more blackouts throughout the week – this time during extreme heat.

In a statement ERCOT also asked Texans to not use ovens, washing machines, or dryers.

“If you don’t need something – we are asking you to turn it off and unplug it if possible.”

Many Texans, and many Americans, are furious.

 

 

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