I was going to make some sort of a joke about how the Michigan Senate makes me feel better about our insane legislature, but then I realized there’s absolutely nothing funny about legalizing bullying, as long as the person doing the terrorizing can claim that they’re doing because of a “a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.”

Michigan is already one of only three states in the country that have not enacted any form of anti-bullying legislation. For more than a decade, Democrats in the state legislature have fought their Republican colleagues and social conservatives such as Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, who referred to anti-bullying measures as “a Trojan horse for the homosexual agenda.” In that time, at least ten Michigan students who were victims of bullying have killed themselves.

This year, Republicans only agreed to consider an anti-bullying measure that did not require school districts to report bullying incidents, did not include any provisions for enforcement or teacher training, and did not hold administrators accountable if they fail to act. And they fought back Democratic attempts to enumerate particular types of students who are prone to being bullied, such as religious and racial minorities, and gay students. But it was the addition of special protections for religiously-motivated bullying that led all 11 Democratic senators to vote against the legislation they had long championed.

In an emotional speech on the Senate floor, Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer accused her colleagues of creating a blueprint for consequence-free bullying. “As passed today,” said Whitmer, “bullying kids is okay if a student, parent, teacher or school employee can come up with a moral or religious reason for doing it.”

This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

7 replies on “Shame on You, Michigan Senate”

  1. And shame on you. Have you read anything about this other than the liberal press’s half truths and their own political reactions? I know that you think the mainstream media are unbiased, but just try searching the internet and see how long it takes you to discover that Corzine, the evil financier in charge of bankrupting two major investment bankers is actually a DEMOCRAT. Oh, yes, we the Press are doing a favor to the populace by keeping that a secret. It might take some of the wind out of sails of the so-called 99% group who thinks that all of those jerks are Republicans. You are probably right that the Michigan reactionaries didn’t do their job, but what makes you think that YOUR side is doing its job? Pelosi? Obama? The people in the White House who don’t want to talk about Solyndra? You NEVER criticize them.

  2. What do you want to do, put people in jail for bullying? And who is going to say exactly what constitutes bullying? And also everything the first poster said. And don’t YOU, Dan Gibson, live in a state in which bullying is not a punishable crime? Why don’t you worry about your own state than one far away? That’s what internet bullies do – they pick on those who can’t touch them. That makes YOU a bully. You should be in jail by now, by your own wisdom. Shame on YOU.

  3. Wow… this is disgusting, both what Michigan has done and the two commenters before me. WTF is wrong with you people??

  4. Sorry Lunazen11

    I was bullied my entire last three years of elementary ….I wish they could do something about it….but outlaw it….the PC police will crush all speech they deem “bullying”. They will use it for what ever agenda they are promoting. Liberal rags like the Weekly are at the forefront of this type of behavior…this is how they limit free speech behind the guise of “tolerance”. The lines in our society are being drawn, the left doesn’t yet realize how tired many people have become of their anti-american, anti-freedom, anti-religious stances that they have been forcing down our throats for the last 50 years. The funny things is you guys think you’re the good guys.

  5. As a Protestant pastor, I believe all forms of bullying are wrong–even when you think that you have religous or moral conviction for doing so. Who would Jesus bully?

  7. I need to move to Michigan so I can beat the mortal shit out of anything on two legs and then claim protection because I hold the sincere belief that my god, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, says its okay. And since it’s a two-way street and Christians don’t have to turn the other cheek, I’ll be loaded for bear. Way to open the door to mayhem, repuglicans!

    When religious doctrine is used to justify violence, it is a sin against humanity and whatever god or gods may exist.

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