2017 All Star Game Moved From Charlotte

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Honestly what I'm afraid of is that section 1 gets altered in some way ... that's the bathroom portion ... but that sections 2-4 are left as is. That would be a really bad outcome for NC.

[fatlever]

[fatlever]

^ That's bad news for the ASG in Charlotte.

[yosemiteben]

Talk about a terrible time to deal with this.

[tonman]

Barkley is a proud, card-carrying member of the Democratic Party. They say jump and he says "how high?"

Um....

You do know that Barkley was a Republican for many years. He spoke frequently about it. Considered running for office as one.

Currently he's a registered independent. While he leans democratic on some issues like gay rights, it's not so much on others. Fairly recently he supported John Kasich for example.

He routinely falls over himself in praise over his boy, Obama. You cannot like Obama in any capacity and still be considered remotely conservative.


Kasich sucks.

Obama is more moderate than a lot of Democrats but you have been drinking too much kool-aid thinking anything liberal is bad.

You can be liberal on certain issues and conservative on others. You just have to be open minded to not fall for the party line.

For example I am anti abortion and pro choice. Think about it.

[Eoghan]

Um....

You do know that Barkley was a Republican for many years. He spoke frequently about it. Considered running for office as one.

Currently he's a registered independent. While he leans democratic on some issues like gay rights, it's not so much on others. Fairly recently he supported John Kasich for example.

He routinely falls over himself in praise over his boy, Obama. You cannot like Obama in any capacity and still be considered remotely conservative.


Kasich sucks.

Obama is more moderate than a lot of Democrats but you have been drinking too much kool-aid thinking anything liberal is bad.

You can be liberal on certain issues and conservative on others. You just have to be open minded to not fall for the party line.

For example I am anti abortion and pro choice. Think about it.

Obama is not a moderate. Just because he could be more wackadoodle left wing like Bernie Sanders (whom I actually like a little) doesn't mean he's a moderate. He's a "progressive" pillock that only furthers the agenda of plutocrats and an even worse president than "conservative" (Please Use More Appropriate Word) George W. Being a moderate doesn't mean anything in the US anymore, it just means you're a Statist and will play ball with the other party to grow government.

I'm an anarcho-capitalist/syndicalist, localist that prefers a confederation of sovereign states ruled over by a benevolent dictator. Think about that.

[fatlever]

Rick Bonnell ‏@rick_bonnell 9m9 minutes ago
If the All-Star Game leaves Charlotte, don't be surprised if it ends up in Orlando. I think that is being considered.

[Stun704]

He routinely falls over himself in praise over his boy, Obama. You cannot like Obama in any capacity and still be considered remotely conservative.


Kasich sucks.

Obama is more moderate than a lot of Democrats but you have been drinking too much kool-aid thinking anything liberal is bad.

You can be liberal on certain issues and conservative on others. You just have to be open minded to not fall for the party line.

For example I am anti abortion and pro choice. Think about it.

Obama is not a moderate. Just because he could be more wackadoodle left wing like Bernie Sanders (whom I actually like a little) doesn't mean he's a moderate. He's a "progressive" pillock that only furthers the agenda of plutocrats and an even worse president than "conservative" (Please Use More Appropriate Word) George W. Being a moderate doesn't mean anything in the US anymore, it just means you're a Statist and will play ball with the other party to grow government.

I'm an anarcho-capitalist/syndicalist, localist that prefers a confederation of sovereign states ruled over by a benevolent dictator. Think about that.

i bet you were a hipster too

[Eoghan]

Obama is more moderate than a lot of Democrats but you have been drinking too much kool-aid thinking anything liberal is bad.

You can be liberal on certain issues and conservative on others. You just have to be open minded to not fall for the party line.

For example I am anti abortion and pro choice. Think about it.

Obama is not a moderate. Just because he could be more wackadoodle left wing like Bernie Sanders (whom I actually like a little) doesn't mean he's a moderate. He's a "progressive" pillock that only furthers the agenda of plutocrats and an even worse president than "conservative" (Please Use More Appropriate Word) George W. Being a moderate doesn't mean anything in the US anymore, it just means you're a Statist and will play ball with the other party to grow government.

I'm an anarcho-capitalist/syndicalist, localist that prefers a confederation of sovereign states ruled over by a benevolent dictator. Think about that.

i bet you were a hipster too

You'd bet wrong, was too fat for skinny jeans.

[fatlever]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article89039507.html

he Associated Press



Technology industry leaders have urged NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to move the All-Star Game out of Charlotte unless a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people is repealed “in very short order.”

In a letter sent Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, the executives tell Silver that putting fans at risk of discrimination would “send a terrible message about who the NBA is and what it values as an organization, and set a dangerous precedent.”

“If the NBA holds events in North Carolina while HB2 remains law, players, employees, and fans will be at risk of discrimination — and that’s wrong,” the letter said.

The All-Star weekend is set for next February.

Silver has made it clear the league needs changes to the HB2 law in order to stage the weekend there but has resisted setting any deadlines for when he might act, believing positive dialogue is ongoing.

“We’ve been, I think, crystal clear a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event,” Silver said in April.

He has said, however, a decision probably would have to be made this summer.

The letter was sent by SV Angel founder and co-managing partner Ron Conway and includes signatures from executives from companies such as Google, Reddit, PayPal, Lyft and Pinterest.

A number of entertainment acts have canceled North Carolina events because of the law, and Silver has already received calls for the NBA to do the same.

They ask the NBA to be a “strong ally to the LGBTQ community” and use “its considerable might to bring advocates into those conversations and press for full repeal of the law.”

“The NBA has nothing to lose by taking a stand alongside hundreds of other companies and showing support for its LGBTQ players, employees, and fans,” the letter said.

The letter comes from some people who might be at All-Star weekend — the league holds a tech summit as part of the events.

“Discrimination is bad for the league, bad for people and bad for business and we hope you will join us in sending that message, loud and clear in North Carolina,” the letter said.

NBA owners are holding their annual offseason meeting this week in Las Vegas. Silver will address members of the media Tuesday evening at the conclusion of the meeting. Observer reporter Katie Peralta contributed.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article89039507.html#storylink=cpy

[fatlever]

Some of these companies are being pretty hypocritical about opposing the All-Star game in Charlotte. Google, for example, signed the letter urging the NBA to pull the game from Charlotte, because politics etc... Yet, just today, Google held a press conference in Charlotte to announce the launch of Google Fiber in Charlotte. If Google is so concerned with NCs politics that they would urge the moving of the All-Star game, then surely they would not continue with plans to put Fiber in both Charlotte and Raleigh, right? Its easy to make a political stand when its someone else's money at stake.

[Flip Murray]

Some of these companies are being pretty hypocritical about opposing the All-Star game in Charlotte. Google, for example, signed the letter urging the NBA to pull the game from Charlotte, because politics etc... Yet, just today, Google held a press conference in Charlotte to announce the launch of Google Fiber in Charlotte. If Google is so concerned with NCs politics that they would urge the moving of the All-Star game, then surely they would not continue with plans to put Fiber in both Charlotte and Raleigh, right? Its easy to make a political stand when its someone else's money at stake.

This is what has bothered me about this whole situation. Also there better never be another NBA all-star game in a state with discriminatory laws.

[LofJ]

I'll be glad when North Carolina either becomes a blue state or even better if the political environment in this country self-destructs and we get some semblance of sane, normalcy again. Too many people are under the delusion that politics is a zero-sum game, it's not. If you think it is you're a radical and part of the problem.

[_tijo_]

I'm convinced we will lose the ASG, we are a national laughingstock, and the Hornets explore options to move out of Charlotte, with legal action to get out of any monetary penalty. I can't believe that it has come to this, and it's a total embarrassment. It's amazing how blind and deaf elected officials can be. The only shot probably in my lifetime to see an ASG in my home state, and these guys F it up.

[SWedd523]

Some of these companies are being pretty hypocritical about opposing the All-Star game in Charlotte. Google, for example, signed the letter urging the NBA to pull the game from Charlotte, because politics etc... Yet, just today, Google held a press conference in Charlotte to announce the launch of Google Fiber in Charlotte. If Google is so concerned with NCs politics that they would urge the moving of the All-Star game, then surely they would not continue with plans to put Fiber in both Charlotte and Raleigh, right? Its easy to make a political stand when its someone else's money at stake.

This is what has bothered me about this whole situation. Also there better never be another NBA all-star game in a state with discriminatory laws.

Yep, me too. This is nothing more than a publicity opportunity for every company who wants to take advantage of stupid people and create a market for themselves. They don't give a **** one way or the other about the situation. They care about making money, however disingenuous they need to be.

And WTF is the Q in LBGTQ supposed to be? This whole "identity" thing is getting out of control

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

IDK about the google fiber thing. It might be right to call them on that. Personally I suspect that if they hadn't already sunk a fair amount of capital into physical infrastructure here that they might have put it on hold. But there is no way for me to really know that one way or the other.

Regarding the "taking a stance" thing, my take is that the thing that hurts big companies the most is random change to laws and direction each time a new party takes power. It costs them money to update HR polices and whatnot, if nothing else. They also save money by anticipating future change. In this case LGBT has been slowly gaining ground legally on a regular basis. So they update their own polices proactively to comply with existing laws and anticipated future change (so they don't have to change more than once). Then comes a state like NC that goes the opposite direction. It costs them less to bitch at NC to change back than it does to have state specific exceptions. In some cases there is agenda at work, but don't discount the money factor.

The big picture here though company policy wise are the following two things:

1. Most companies have fairly stringent anti-discrimination polices. NC just made it OK to discriminate with HB2. Not the bathroom stuff in part 1 ... but the part where they shut down access to the state courts for any sort of discrimination (this includes religious discrimination just FYI - any company can now fire folks for being Christian and it's OK in NC). Big orgs aren't going to change policy for NC. While the exception potentially helps them avoid lawsuits here, it's more likely to help smaller orgs that don't have polices that might prevent the lawsuits from happening in the first place. The big orgs lose little by trying to have NC get back on the same level field as most other states.

2. Many companies have actually encouraged their LGBT employees to come out by doing things like giving them spousal rights and such. NC has just become hostile ground for those folks. This can make it difficult for things like moving offices or keeping teams together. That potentially increases costs for them.

All of those are $$$ based reasons for companies to keep the pressure on NC.

I'll grant that you probably see this more from Tech companies though due to being based in CA and generally having even more LGBT friendly polices and executives than most other kinds of orgs.

[Flip Murray]

1. Most companies have fairly stringent anti-discrimination polices. NC just made it OK to discriminate with HB2. Not the bathroom stuff in part 1 ... but the part where they shut down access to the state courts for any sort of discrimination (this includes religious discrimination just FYI - any company can now fire folks for being Christian and it's OK in NC). Big orgs aren't going to change policy for NC. While the exception potentially helps them avoid lawsuits here, it's more likely to help smaller orgs that don't have polices that might prevent the lawsuits from happening in the first place. The big orgs lose little by trying to have NC get back on the same level field as most other states.

Well you still have federal anti-discrimination statutes. The Civil Rights act prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, religion, sex, national origin so they can't just discriminate on the basis of anything in North Carolina.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

1. Most companies have fairly stringent anti-discrimination polices. NC just made it OK to discriminate with HB2. Not the bathroom stuff in part 1 ... but the part where they shut down access to the state courts for any sort of discrimination (this includes religious discrimination just FYI - any company can now fire folks for being Christian and it's OK in NC). Big orgs aren't going to change policy for NC. While the exception potentially helps them avoid lawsuits here, it's more likely to help smaller orgs that don't have polices that might prevent the lawsuits from happening in the first place. The big orgs lose little by trying to have NC get back on the same level field as most other states.

Well you still have federal anti-discrimination statutes. The Civil Rights act prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, religion, sex, national origin so they can't just discriminate on the basis of anything in North Carolina.

Technically true, but it remains to be seen how much it's true in practice. Federal courts are a very different beast than state courts.

[Eoghan]

Some of these companies are being pretty hypocritical about opposing the All-Star game in Charlotte. Google, for example, signed the letter urging the NBA to pull the game from Charlotte, because politics etc... Yet, just today, Google held a press conference in Charlotte to announce the launch of Google Fiber in Charlotte. If Google is so concerned with NCs politics that they would urge the moving of the All-Star game, then surely they would not continue with plans to put Fiber in both Charlotte and Raleigh, right? Its easy to make a political stand when its someone else's money at stake.

This is what has bothered me about this whole situation. Also there better never be another NBA all-star game in a state with discriminatory laws.

Can't wait for Jar Jar Silver to glow about how great for the NBA exhibition games in China are next year despite NC looking like San Francisco compared to China's LGBT record.

Yeah, I compared a state to a city, sue me. And yeah, Silver looks like Jar Jar Binks to me.

[Braggins]

He routinely falls over himself in praise over his boy, Obama. You cannot like Obama in any capacity and still be considered remotely conservative.


Kasich sucks.

Obama is more moderate than a lot of Democrats but you have been drinking too much kool-aid thinking anything liberal is bad.

You can be liberal on certain issues and conservative on others. You just have to be open minded to not fall for the party line.

For example I am anti abortion and pro choice. Think about it.

Obama is not a moderate. Just because he could be more wackadoodle left wing like Bernie Sanders (whom I actually like a little) doesn't mean he's a moderate. He's a "progressive" pillock that only furthers the agenda of plutocrats and an even worse president than "conservative" (Please Use More Appropriate Word) George W. Being a moderate doesn't mean anything in the US anymore, it just means you're a Statist and will play ball with the other party to grow government.

I'm an anarcho-capitalist/syndicalist, localist that prefers a confederation of sovereign states ruled over by a benevolent dictator. Think about that.

I try not to adhere to any political label, but my views would probably be best described somewhere along the lines of anarchist/anarcho-socialist/classic libertarian (believe it or not, but libertarianism was originally an anti-state socialist ideology). I bet we could have some interesting political discussion.

Anyways, I despise Obama and basically the entire neo-liberal order, but I would completely disagree that Obama is left leaning in policy. I would go even further than tonman and say that if anything he is right leaning. The entire US political spectrum has shifted far to the right, starting with Reagan and further accelerating during the Clinton years and onward. Hell, even Bernie is a moderate by the standards of the rest of the world. Hes only really left leaning in the context of the American political system. His policies are not radical in the slightest as many people would like to paint them.

Having said all that, I do agree that the whole left/right/moderate paradigm is mostly bs, but when I talk about US politics I try to talk about things in the terms/context the system/paradigm we have as best as I can.

I would also disagree that Obama was worse than Bush II, although they were both awful and Obama certainly is worse in some respects. I don't think it is beyond discussion or anything, but I do think Bush II was significantly worse and mostly due to the Iraq war being such an epic blunder.