Anecdote, California; Population: Chuck.

OK, so let's say I lived in Indiana, and I wanted a pretty, three-layer, wedding-style cake that said "Women Should be Barefoot and Pregnant," with cute little cartoon frosting footprints leading into a kitchen, which frankly, needed tidying up a bit. Would that be cool? Would the law require the baker to make me that cake?

Or how 'bout one that said "Black People Don't Deserve to Vote," with decorative icing in the pattern of an inner-city American without a job on an impoverished street corner. Would the baker have to make that cake? What if it was supposed to say "Blacks Should be Slaves Again," with a little smiley face under a cracking whip?

Ok, let's do one for the mentally retarded. The cake shows... Aw, imagine for yourself. Does the baker in Indiana have to make the cake for me?

Just two more! Stay with me!

Let's say you lived in Indiana and wanted a layer cake decorated to say "Indianapolis Colts Suck! Cincinnati Bengals Rule!" with little a football tumbling through goalposts over green icing. Should law compel the baker to decorate your cake?

OK, the last one, and it'll be the best...

Let's say that, as part of your religious practice, you wanted a cake that said "The Best Men Should Have More Than One Wife!," and then the frosting cartoon shows a bunch of mutually-bitchy women sitting around one very, very happy man. Should Indiana law require you to make that cake?

…And I ask because throughout history, there's been a lot more enthusiasm for polygamy than for "gay marriage." A LOT more. It's a human tradition with deep literature stretching across continents and back through the mists of time, whereas gay marriage is essentially unheard of.

So I'm wondering about the cakes.

The problem is much bigger than Indiana... It includes Clinton-era Federal statutes.

Damn, Crid. You're making sense. Gonna quote you!

Also - I wonder when it is we got the idea that the Bill of Rights had to be enforced by private business. It's very clear that the freedom of speech need not be guaranteed by a private publisher, be she Web site or newspaper, but somehow the shopkeeper is responsible for ensuring the civil rights of everyone?

Unless your business provides housing, medical care, or utilities such power, water, ect; or if you have a local monopoly on needed services (auto repair, grocery, ect) you should be able to refuse anyone any service for any reason.

And they should be able to organize any boycott or public smear campaign they want in response.

So who are the intolerant haters? The person with a deep conviction that his conscience won't let him violate; or the persons who seek to destroy the life and business of someone that causes them no harm but doesn't feel the way they do about life and relationships?