Imagine, if you will, that you’re a modern Rip Van Winkle. You wake up in 2016 after having been asleep for 60 years. As far as you know, life is still where it was when you took a snooze. World War II is history. Elvis is the rage. Norma Jean Mortenson becomes Marilyn Monroe. Eisenhower authorizes “In God We Trust” as the U.S. National Motto. Boxing champ Rocky Marciano retires undefeated. West Germany bans the Communist Party. Don Larsen throws the only perfect game in World Series history. France and England bomb Egypt to force re-opening of the Suez Canal. And Brown v. Board of Education desegregates public education. Fair enough. Business as usual. You pick up a newspaper to catch the latest and see a guest column by a well-known CEO of an internationally relevant corporation. He writes:

 . . . N.C.(HB2) enacted last week bans all local non-discrimination ordinances with protections for people based on sexual orientation and gender identity . . . The law overturns an ordinance that the city of Charlotte enacted known as the ‘bathroom bill’ . . . I am appalled by the law and bewildered as to why elected state officials would take an enormous step backward . . . Many of our tenants and buyers have expressed outrage . . . and prominent businesses . . . including Pepsi, American Airlines, Facebook, Dow Chemical, Paypal, Lowe’s Home Improvement . . . and Bank of America, (seek) to repeal the law. . .  (At our Company). . . commitment to excellence . . . is to treat all people with dignity and to act with integrity. Inclusiveness is a core value of our organization. We celebrate diversity and view it as a strength and unequivocally denounce any form of discrimination.

Too bad you’re not Rip because you’re not dreaming. Let’s see if you have it right. This guy, his organization and all of these world-class companies want to celebrate diversity by forcing my wife, my daughter and your grandchildren to share toilet facilities with genetically equipped males, either dressed like women or not, because these males consider themselves to be female oriented. My, how magnanimous. You must assume, therefore, that he suggests we should applaud the idea of testosterone laden Lesbians having access to and relieving themselves in Men’s Rooms. Surely, you must have it wrong. Better read N.C.(HB2). Regardless, you think Mr. “appalled and bewildered” should re-examine his lofty corporate “code”  to “treat all people with dignity and to act with integrity.” Seriously? All people? No, he really means “some people.” He means you should forsake the silent majority for the militant minority. He has not the slightest intention of treating all people with respect. His intention, and the intention of other prominent companies, is to pander to an LGBT community that represents influential customers, suppliers, workers, buyers — and revenue. In effect, he had to write his editorial or risk the ever present threat of boycott — as well as his lucrative livelihood. In fairness, however, you think the private sector should be free to adopt its own bathroom rules. If private businesses want Unisex toilet facilities, let them benefit or suffer the fallout with their employees and customers alike. But public facilities — Federal, State or Local — paid for by taxpayers, should be governed by the People whose voice is routinely ignored. Of all places, the bathroom is personal space. This is one subject that shouldn’t be left to politicians or special interests. Show some common sense. Give the people a referendum. Yes, it’s a waste of time. A waste of money. You and everyone else already knows the outcome.