[guest post by Dana]

[Sorry, guys, but we’re now moving from women’s weight to wedding dresses. This is what happens when Patterico asks a girl to write for his blog.]

So, wedding dresses. Little girls dream of wearing them, twirling in them and looking like spun sugar confections under layers of lace and tulle. But for one couple, those dreams didn’t come to fruition in the way they expected. In Pennsylvania, a couple of brides-to-be were anything but sweet confections when they were refused service at a bridal shop:

A Christian bridal shop owner in Pennsylvania had a message for a pair of blushing brides-to-be: We don’t serve lesbians.

The unidentified couple tried to schedule an appointment at W.W. Bridal Boutique in Bloomsburg, only to be told by an employee that the owner currently “[does] not service same-sex couples.”

Owner Victoria Miller explained:

“We feel we have to answer to God for what we do,” Miller told The Press Enterprise. “And providing those two girls dresses for a sanctified marriage would break God’s law.”

Not taking the refusal quietly, the lesbian couple took to Facebook to make their frustration known. As a result, the online ratings for the bridal boutique were downgraded to one-star reviews. Facebook commenters were also quick to judge:

“Jesus made everyone feel welcome, shame you are not a follower of Christ.”

As a result of the kerfuffle, the Bloomsburg Town Council will be hold a meeting to discuss the incident and whether to propose legislation that will ban businesses from refusing to serve LGBT customers, potentially providing the couple the means with which to sue Miller. Miller has already hired an attorney. Also, because of the uproar, her business is now by appointment only.

Miller, however, has her defenders:

“Instead of showing the tolerance their movement claims to practice, the women turned to social media to bully the shop – trashing its online reviews and sparking a city-wide firestorm,” said Family Research Council (FRC). “Obviously W.W. Bridal Boutique isn’t the only wedding dress shop in town. These women could have easily taken their business elsewhere – but chose to retaliate instead.”

Referring to the leftist gay activist agenda as “forced acceptance,” FRC said, “When religious liberty clashes with homosexuality – as it has from bakeries to flower shops – the storylines are all the same: conform or be punished.”

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

A funny thing happened on Fox News this week: Go-to psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow, who makes the rounds on various news programs, is not backing down from his from his recent comments criticizing Mrs. Obama’s weight, as well as calling her a hypocrite. His critics have called his comments sexist and I’m sure if one looked around, there would be racist accusations, too.

It happened on an episode of Fox’s show Outnumbered where Ablow was the token male. The discussion centered on a Kentucky school district opting out of the federal school lunch program because students don’t like the healthy lunches being provided.

Lisa ‘Kennedy’ Montgomery: As parents, we don’t need the federal government applying — projecting — these standards upon us. And Michelle Obama is so, like, the duchess when she speaks.

Kimberly Guilfoyle: She’s kind of annoying that way.

Montgomery: She is.

Ablow: And how well could she be eating? She needs to drop a few.

[Everyone goes “OOOOOOO”]

Ablow: I’m telling you, let’s be honest —

Harris Faulkner: You did not say that —

Ablow: We’re taking nutrition advice from who? Who are we taking nutrition advice from?

Montgomery: [Mimicking a man’s voice?] “Oh yeah, Michelle Obama, she needs to lose the junk in the trunk.”

Ablow: Well no, let’s be honest, there’s no french fries ever, that’s all kale and carrots? I don’t buy it.

Harris Faulkner: Oh my goodness gracious.

Ablow: Just sayin’. Her husband – I want some nutrition advice from Barack.

Montgomery: I like her booty.

Sandra Smith: Hold on. Let’s put the first lady aside and her presentation – I have no comment about that.

Today Ablow responded to critics:

“I do dislike hypocrisy and I really do believe that people speaking about diet should be role models themselves, and I’m not sure if the first lady is that role model,” Ablow said in an interview.

He didn’t stop there:

“I’m not taking food advice from an American who dislikes America, who in many photographs during her tenure as first lady is obviously not fit, and who has a record of saying things that show that she’s two-faced,” Ablow said Wednesday. “This should be obvious; I don’t know why it isn’t.”

Oddly clueless, Ablow also stated that he believed “people should be less sensitive talking about weight.”

So, women and their weight: shut up, don’t ask, don’t comment. It keeps order in the universe and peace in a husband’s life. However, if a public figure like Mrs. Obama presumes to tell others how they should live, what they should eat, and sets herself up as an example of correct living, she naturally opens herself up to criticism. (One notes that she is also influencing how taxpayer money is being spent on school lunch programs.)

And speaking of eating healthy, being fit, and sexism, the the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $747,891 for the development of a video game to teach “vegetable parenting practices” because moms are too dumb to figure out how to get their children to eat their vegetables.

A grant for “Kiddio: Food Fight – Training Vegetable Parenting Practices” was given to Archimage, Inc. of Houston to help fund the project from May of 2013 through the end of August 2014.

“The genre of games that we research and develop are called ‘Serious Video Games’”, Archimage President Richard Buday tells CNSNews.com. “It’s a game to teach to mothers of pre-school age kids how to get their children to eat vegetables.”

According to Buday, a major focus is to help fight childhood obesity. “One of the problems is that parents may want the kids to eat better – fruits and veggies – but lack the understanding of how to do that.”

“What we’re trying to do is get to parents – in a medium that they enjoy and look forward to receiving information through – but in a non-didactic way.”

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

It was announced this week that Austin Beutner is the new publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times. Previous publisher Eddy W. Hartenstein recommended Beutner for the job:

“I wanted to find someone who was clearly steeped and invested in the city, and who has the same belief that I do, which is that a democracy doesn’t work without a vibrant Fourth Estate,” said Hartenstein, who was publisher for six years.

About the Los Angeles Times, Beutner says:

“The role of the paper is pretty clear. We’re the civic conscience. If we don’t ask the hard questions, who will?”

The article goes on to note Beutner’s civic and charitable works, as well as being the founder of investment banking firm Evercore Partners, which Beutner is said to have made more than $100 million dollars when the firm went public in 2006. He has also worked for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Clinton administration.

While the LAT, of course, gives Beutner high praise, Cal-Newsroom analyzes Beutner’s political contributions, including more than a quarter million dollars to the Democratic Party and its candidates in recent years. According to campaign finance records:

Since his first $250 check to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Green in 1998, Beutner has contributed $316,655 to political candidates at the local, state and federal level.

Ninety percent of those contributions – $285,855 – has gone to Democratic committees, including $129,700 to President Barack Obama, $85,300 to California Governor Jerry Brown and $25,000 to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Beutner also wrote a million dollar check to his own 2013 Los Angeles mayoral exploratory committee. A few highlights of his contributions*:

Committee Amount OBAMA VICTORY FUND 2012 $35,800.00
OBAMA VICTORY FUND $33,100.00
OBAMA VICTORY FUND $28,500.00
BROWN FOR GOVERNOR 2014, ID#1333789 $27,200.00
BROWN FOR GOVERNOR 2014, ID#1333789 $27,200.00
BROWN FOR GOVERNOR 2010, ID#1321867 $25,900.00
OBAMA VICTORY FUND 2012 $25,000.00
ANDREW CUOMO 2014, INC. $12,500.00
ANDREW CUOMO 2014, INC. $12,500.00
WORKING CALIFORNIANS TO OPPOSE PROP. 32, A COALITION OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS, WORKING MEN & WOMEN, ID#1289844 $10,000.00
NEWSOM FOR CALIFORNIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR 2014, ID#1333762 $6,800.00
VIA CHRIS COONS FOR DELAWARE $5,200.00
BROWN FOR GOVERNOR 2010, ID#1321867 $5,000.00
COMMON GROUND PAC $5,000.00
HOPEFUND, INC. $5,000.00
WHITMAN FOR GOVERNOR 2010, MEG, ID#1315455 $5,000.00
VIA CHRIS COONS FOR DELAWARE $2,600.00
VIA CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE $2,600.00
VIA CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE $2,600.00
VIA WENDY GREUEL FOR CONGRESS $2,600.00
VIA KAINE FOR VIRGINIA $2,500.00
VIA KAINE FOR VIRGINIA $2,500.00
VIA OBAMA FOR AMERICA $2,500.00
VIA OBAMA FOR AMERICA $2,500.00
VIA HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT $2,300.00
VIA OBAMA FOR AMERICA $2,300.00
VIA RUDY GIULIANI PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE INC $2,100.00
Bobby Shriver $1,500.00
STEINBERG FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR 2018, ID#1334854 $1,000.00
VIA CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE $1,000.00
VIA GEPHARDT FOR PRESIDENT, INC. $1,000.00
VIA HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR US SENATE COMMITTEE INC $1,000.00
VIA HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR US SENATE COMMITTEE INC $1,000.00
VIA FRIENDS OF SENATOR CARL LEVIN $500.00
Bobby Shriver $300.00
VIA CHRIS COONS FOR DELAWARE $(2,600.00)
CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE $(5,200.00)
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE$(30,800.00)

* Beutner’s contributions to Republican candidates totaled less than 4 percent of his political contributions.

–Dana