Ted Cruz, the Republican Senator from Texas who bears more than a passing resemblance in looks and temperament to Red-baiter Joe McCarthy, has a novel take on marriage equality. It’s the end of free speech. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (of course), Cruz claimed that supporters of marriage equality will soon pass laws forcing ministers to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies and force them to stop speaking out against marriage equality.

“If you look at other nations that have gone down the road towards gay marriage, that’s the next step of where it gets enforced,” said Cruz. “It gets enforced against Christian pastors who decline to perform gay marriages, who peak out and preach biblical truths on marriage, that has been defined elsewhere as hate speech, as inconsistent with the enlightened view of government. I think there is no doubt that the advocates who are driving this effort in the United States want to see us end up in that same place.”

Of course, no one has floated that idea outside of the Fantasyland in which Cruz resides. Still, that doesn’t stop Cruz from seeing the End of Civilization As We Know It looming.

“Everywhere I go people are afraid for the future of our country,” he said. “I think we’re at the edge of a precipice. If we keep going down this path, we’re risking losing our nation; we’re risking losing the incredible oasis of liberty.”

We’ve become accustomed to this level of rhetoric from Cruz by now. Two things to keep in mind: Cruz has presidential ambitions, and he wouldn’t be where he is today if he hadn’t been bankrolled with gay money.