Teaching Tolerance

Does it ever happen to you that you find yourself arguing a point, and then suddenly you turn around to find the voice agreeing with you from behind is not the one you would have expected to be on your side? John Boehner and I agree on absolutely nothing, but if suddenly he were to come out and admit that he is concerned about global warming as it pertains to the strange tan he's been sporting all these years, I wouldn't automatically switch sides of the argument just to spite him. Strange bedfellows, and all that.
Which brings me to Arkansas, and that state's sudden left turn when it comes to their Religious Freedom Act. Their governor, Asa Hutchinson, has sent the Arkansas version of the one that ran into trouble in Indiana back to the legislature in hopes of getting a few things straight. If you'll pardon the pun. Even if you don't, these are heady times when the governor of the Razorback state is asking us to think twice before presenting potentially discriminatory bills for signing. This is the state whose freshman senator presented an "open letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran." It is also the state that gave us a governor who later became President of the United States who signed the federal version of this law back in 1993. Of course, a lot has changed since 1993. Attitudes toward gay marriage, for one. Attitudes toward Bill Clinton for another. 
And that's not the only place where things feel a little twisted and unclear. Guess who said this: "Every day, in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our associates, customers and communities we serve." If you were guessing the CEO of Starbucks or that lefty duo Ben and Jerry, you would be wrong. The person who was pleased and happy to expound on the virtues of diversity was none other than Doug McMillon, Chief Executive Officer of Wal Mart. Since when has Wal Mart been this bastion of tolerance? Maybe since they adopted a business model that says black, white, or rainbow, what really matters is the green. Lesbian and gay money spends just the same as Christian Conservative cash. Or maybe they've been working at doing the right thing for a while now. That would be refreshing. Of course, now we need to get them to extend that same benevolent gaze in the direction of their own employees. Maybe it's a good thing that I don't find myself agreeing with Wal Mart all at once.