Remember those intolerant, anti-modern, unassimilable Muslim cabdrivers in Minneapolis? The ones who complained about passengers carrying liquor bottles, and about other people who offended them?

In her bright pink hat, Paula Hare has found herself waiting on her stoop a lot lately, for taxi cabs that never come.

Not to avoid confusion, Paula even tells the taxi dispatcher she's transgendred. But on three occasions when the taxi actually showed up, she says Muslim drivers have refused to give her a lift.

"This is more than just religion, it's flat out discrimination," hare said. "And we've got laws against that in this state."

...Of the nearly 2,000 taxis in the Twin Cities metro, estimates are as many as half the drivers are recent immigrants -- many Muslim....

Hmmm ... who do those cabbies remind me of?

...The Garden Guy was just one of the landscaping businesses Michael Lord and Gary Lackey, a homosexual couple who has been together for nine years, requested bids from earlier this week for the new home they're building in Houston Heights.

... Lord called the company Wednesday morning to set up an appointment.

"Michael was asked if 'his wife would be home' when the consultation would take place. He brushed it off, but when he was asked again if his wife would be joining, Michael said, "No, but my partner Gary will be.'

"Michael set up the appointment, but a few minutes later we got the e-mail." ...

Subject: Cancel Appt – Garden Guy

Dear Mr. Lord,

I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad you contacted us. I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals.

Best of luck in finding someone else to fill your landscaping needs....

Gee -- sounds kinda similar to me.

But maybe I'm confused.... After all, my right-wing betters seem to think the situations are totally different. All sorts of right-wingers -- Daniel Pipes, the folks at Free Republic, the folks at Little Green Footballs -- came to the transgendered person's defense. But when the gay couple spread the word to friends and acquaintances about the Garden Guy and recommended taking gardening business elsewhere (and some people suggested it might be illegal discrimination), why, right-wingers were incensed!

The American Family Association issued a statement defending their business decision, saying, "Todd [the Garden Guy], like millions of Americans, obviously has a moral conviction based on his religious beliefs against homosexual behavior and that lifestyle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that."

This blogger even cried censorship:

...If refusing to do business with someone because you disagree with their actions is such a horribly-evil thing, why then did the homosexuals and their friends do the exact same thing to the Farbers? Actually the homosexuals (and their supporters) went even further, they are attempting to organize masses of people to join them.

... If Liberals are so gung-ho to defend "expression" (like flag burning for instance) why, in this case, have they jumped the fence and want laws against the message the Farbers are sending? Perhaps they have a oddly selective interpretation of the First Amendment.

So, if Allah tells Muslim cabbies that transgendered people are icky, that's bad. But if Jesus tells the Garden Guy that two gay homeowners are icky, that's wonderful. And even telling gay friends that the Garden Guy hates their sex life is jackbooted thuggery and makes the Baby Jesus cry.

Do I have it figured out now?