Look at all these U.S.-based firms that condemn states for religious liberty laws while operating in countries that persecute LGBT individuals

05/02/2016 / By usafeaturesmedia / Comments

(Freedom.news) When it comes to matters of principle, several U.S.-based companies that have recently lashed out at, and threatened to pull out of, states for passing religious liberty legislation, certainly are selective in their outrage.

As reported by The Daily Signal, some 16 of these corporations have accused Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina in recent weeks of discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, with some saying they would either cancel plans to expand their operations in those states or pull out of them altogether.

And yet, several of the most vocal of these corporations have no trouble operating in countries with lousy human rights records, including long histories of persecuting and even killing LGBT individuals, proving once again that so-called ‘rights-conscious’ companies are really more concerned with profit margins than principles.

The Daily Signal compiled a list of 16 of the most egregious corporate hypocrites that have publicly attacked religious freedom in the U.S. while supporting (with jobs and U.S. dollars) abysmal human rights records in other countries where they do business:

Unilever CEO Paul Polman tweeted that many businesses would boycott Georgia if its HB 757 religious liberty bill were signed by the governor. But of course, the company operates manufacturing facilities in Tunisia and Algeria, two nations that have outlawed homosexuality.

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith tweeted out against Georgia’s legislation, but has no problem complying with government censorship of search engine results in China because….profits.

Intel opposed the Georgia law, but does business in Vietnam, which, according to Human Rights Watch, is a one-party communist state that “bans all independent political parties, labor unions, and human rights organizations.”

And so on with Time-Warner, AMC Networks, The Walt Disney Co., General Electric and so on. You can read the full list here.

Now, while it’s true that private businesses and corporations are free to act in a manner that (allegedly) aligns with their corporate beliefs, what is equally true is that these same companies have no problem looking the other way when other nations’ governments violate the very principles they claim to support.

Also, it’s not “courageous” or “fearless” to stand up and make such statements here in America – after all, such expressions (depending on who’s doing the talking) are protected by the Constitution, and Christian-bashing is all the rage now in the entertainment and pop culture. What is galling, however, is how little heed these same corporate hypocrites pay to the rights of other Americans whom they seek to silence with threats of economic terrorism.

Quite clearly our nation has reached a tipping point for which there is no turning back: It’s “us” versus “them” in an all-out war for our culture, our traditions and, in many respects, our constitutional form of government. Tyranny is no different if it is imposed by authoritarians in government or the self-anointed purveyors of society; the results are the same. Speech and expression are chilled, the non-conformists are punished, and the end result is a society that is supposedly more “inclusive” but, in reality, is decidedly less so.

The good news is, Americans – like the corporations – can also make choices. In particular, we, too, can wield economic clout. After adopting a “pro-transgender” bathroom policy that caters to about a half-percent of its customers and employees, while alienating much of the rest of the population, Target has drawn the ire of hundreds of thousands of Americans who have decided there are other retailers out there with whom they can do business. And many will.

There’s no telling how all of these attempts to out-PC each other will end for these corporations, but one thing is clear already: The rise of Donald Trump and his decidedly anti-PC demeanor in this year’s presidential race is a wake-up call for anyone willing to answer the phone. What will follow is a huge shift away from the self-anointed ‘social justice’ warriors as millions more Americans tire of being lectured and threatened by pompous, deceitful multi-millionaires.

More: 

• Louisiana, Missouri actions regarding religious liberty clearly demonstrate we have a constitutional problem
• This is what makes the mainstream media an enemy of freedom and a poor choice for getting your ‘news’
• The new inquisition: Leftist radical AGs seek to silence climate change realists

Freedom.news is part of the USA Features Media network.

To read more about Donald Trump News, please go to Trump.news for all the latest updates

Submit a correction >>

corporations, freedom of expression, LGBT, religious liberty

This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author