Is the cake SCOTUS baked narrow—or deep?

Everyone’s saying today’s Supreme Court ruling  is a “narrow ruling”. It was 7-2 but they mean narrow in impact, tailored to the circumstances in Colorado’s egregious treatment of this baker.

But as I read it (not being a lawyer) they’re pretty clearly saying that if the state tells a Christian baker he has to bake a pro-same sex marriage cake for a customer, then that state must also tell a pro-same sex marriage baker he has to bake an anti-same-sex-marriage cake for a customer. That sounds significant to me.

It makes me want to go find a foofoo bakery and order an anti-same-sex-marriage cake, just to see what they do; and report them to authorities if they refuse. Hopefully folks are thinking the same thing in all fifty states.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-111_new_d1of.pdf

One of these day Ginsberg will leave the Court, and the next ruling on an issue like this is likely to give clearer direction.

Crystal, Brass, and Copper by Matthew X. Gomez

I'm reading Storyhack #2 during sessions on the exercise bike these days and enjoying everything in it so far. This magazine is a great asset to the PulpRev movement.

Not all of it is SFF but today's story, "Crystal, Brass, and Copper", by Matthew X. Gomez, is a fantasy in a magical Caliphate setting. Bahar and her brother are sneak-thieves who imprudently decide one night to rob a powerful wizard, who turns out to be better prepared than they expected; soon she's in the hands of an alchemist like a steampunk mad scientist, and must find a way to keep herself and her brother safe from powerful enemies.

Besides being a gripping short story, CB and C would be a good chapter one in a short novel about these characters.

Little joke

Reading: Prospero Regained, by L Jagi Lamplighter; The Ship of Ishtar, by A. Merritt; Behind That Curtain, by Earl Derr Biggers.

Writing: “Social Skills” (working title), a short story that will probably come to 8000 words. Submitted a story for the Superversive Press Planetary: Luna anthology, still waiting to hear... it seems they were blessed with loads of submissions.

Christopher Lansdown (author of THE DEAN DIED OVER WINTER BREAK, good book and love that title) tweeted something about determinists that got me thinking about this old joke. Or maybe it’s a new joke that already sounds old, not sure...

A Calvinist, a Baptist, a High Church Anglican, an Episcopalian, and a Catholic walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What’ll it be?”

The Calvinist says “God only knows.” The Baptist says “Give me a minute, the choice is irrevocable.” The High Church Anglican points at the Catholic and says “I’ll have whatever he’s having. But not because he’s having it, mind.” The Episcopalian points at the Catholic and says “I’ll have the opposite of what he’s having.” The Catholic says, “I’ll have the usual, Scott. How’s your sciatica today?”