The Latest CEO Victim Or Something

The wingers have taken up the battle standard for former Silicon Valley web browser company Mozilla CEO Brenden Eich, who resigned from the company after it was revealed he gave $1,000 to support California's unconstitutional Prop 8 anti-gay ballot measure.

Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn’t live up to it. We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves.

We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better.

Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He’s made this decision for Mozilla and our community.

Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.

Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.

Needless to say, the right is going bonkers with this latest example of "liberal fascism" or whatever the hell.  Allahpundit over at Hot Air wonders if Eich was deliberately targeted for removal by mysterious forces (probably Obama).

I’d forgotten about it, but friends reminded me that the LA Times obtained a list of people who gave, for and against, to the fight over the Prop 8 referendum in 2008. They put the whole database online and made it searchable. Search it today and, sure enough, there’s Eich with a $1,000 donation in favor. Under California law, that disclosure is perfectly legal: The state is authorized to provide certain personal information about anyone who donates more than $100 to a ballot measure. Why the state is allowed to do that, I’m not sure. The reason you want transparency when donating to a candidate is to prevent an elected official, who’s supposed to serve the public interest, from being secretly coopted by huge sums of money provided by a special interest. In a ballot measure, though, the money being spent is designed to influence the public itself. They’re the final arbiter of the public interest, no?

He then goes on to accuse liberals of forcing Eich "out of the company upon conviction of a thoughtcrime" which is odd, because what this actually turns out to be is "an employee is subject to the company's beliefs."

You know, the Hobby Lobby argument.

Which is beside the point that Prop 8 was found to be unconstitutional in the first place.

Which is beside the point that civil rights aren't up for a vote, otherwise they're not rights.

Which is beside the point that just last week, anti-gay bigots were demanding that the President of Christian charity World Vision International immediately resign because of his comments that hiring people in same-sex marriages was acceptable.  Behold the fascist thugs for Christ, right?

Funny how all that works.