A Kentucky county clerk is still refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of such unions and the high court’s refusal on Monday to protect her “right” to not do her job. So here’s what happened when a gay couple showed up in her office — again — to request a marriage license today:
As you can hear in this clip, the Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, declared that she was acting “under God’s authority” to refuse to issue the marriage license. Now a federal district judge has ordered Davis to appear in court and explain her refusal to obey a lawful court order. But religious-right groups continue to rally around her.
Religious-righters also encouraged a Texas county clerk to defy the courts on this issue — ultimately costing Texas taxpayers nearly $44,000. Will Kentucky taxpayers have to cover the legal costs caused by Davis and her supporters? We’ll see.
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In the news story that I read earlier today, the federal judge they have shot the old middle finger at had ordered BOTH her and all six of her assistants in the County Clerk’s office to appear before him in court tomorrow (Thursday). I think those six are probably considered by the court to be accomplices mutually engaged in a conspiracy to commit the crime of contempt of court. Kim Davis and friends are going to be SOL in this appearance because their contempt of court really is raw, premeditated, intentional “contempt” in the truest definition of that term. Actions like this burn federal judges to a crisp—just like that little fragment of French fry that escapes the crowd and gets refried with every new dipping of a batch of fries in the oil. My money says the “Hanging Judge” is showing up tomorrow morning, and he is going to be in the same mood a person would be in if they had just killed his prize hunting dog.
I believe Ms. Davis has the right to refuse to issue marriage licenses if it conflicts with her beliefs. But she doesn’t have a right to a paycheck if she won’t do her job as County Clerk.
If you object to fossil fuels, don’t get a job at a gas station. If you are a vegan, don’t apply for a position as a butcher. And if you can’t put your signature on a marriage license, you can’t be a County Clerk.
No source handy, but I recall hearing that the Judge had ruled that the County was off the hook. (They do not have the authority to fire her nor order her to issue the license, and further are actively seeking her prosecution on a charge of official misconduct.)
All fines and costs are likely to end up against Ms. Davis personally… unless it turns out Liberty Counsel’s lawyers have been Rule 11 sanction grade incompetent.
Maybe she thinks she can get away with citing her religious faith to keep her name off marriage licenses (& thereby avoiding the appearance of “authorizing” same-sex marriage) however, if she is to faithfully adhere to her particular sect of Christianity, Apostolic Christian, then she is going against the first sentence of this section of their Statement of Faith: “17. Governmental authority is respected and obeyed.” http://www.apostolicchristian.org/page.cfm?p=555
This is my opinion. Both she and Liberty Counsel are setting Kim Davis up to play the role of “Poor Widdle Cwistian Martyr.” The idea here is that she becomes a martyr and her fame spreads throughout the land among Christian fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals. She writes books about her experiences, and they show up as big money makers in Christian bookstores all across the country. She makes even more money as a public speaker at country hick churches from coast to coast—telling how the poor little fundie was jumped on and eaten alive by Satan—only to be resurrected wealthy and on the New York Times bestseller list.
Both she and Liberty Counsel are forgetting a couple of things. Federal judges can prevent federal criminals from financially profiting from their crimes. Most important of all, Christian fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals are legalists at their very core. Nothing—not even Jesus himself—is more important to them than the letter of the law—be it scriptural law or civil law. Law is law—and they are all about law and punishing those who break the law. Indeed, breaking of law is a sign of “rebellion,” and rebellion of any kind is seen as the symptom of a demon seed planted by Satan. She may have a brief moment in the sun—but in the end all of her fundie friends will abandon her completely—and they will use scripture in the Bible as their excuse for doing it.
Anyone want to take bets?
Christians sometimes amuse me. They have the audacity to believe that they alone know God’s mind.
They falsely yank verses out of the Hebrew scriptures as though they pertain to them-they do NOT-and simply do not give a royal damn whether or not what the circumstances were at the time.
That witch has no concept of who or what God is and what his attitude towards homosexuality was. Jesus never said a single word about homosexuality. How ’bout that?
Christians think that they can take the Hebrew scriptures and interpret them any way they damn well will. That is false and dishonest.
Do Christians bother to keep the 617 commandments that God gave to Israel? Hell no. A couple of men, MEN, not gods, said, hey, don’t worry about the commandments, do whatever you want to do. MEN CANNOT CHANGE WHAT GOD HAS SAID and that is exactly what that idiot in Kentucky is doing. Misinterpreting God’s words.
She should resign or start issuing licenses, but I would, at this point, much rather see her fined and jailed. I’d love to see the perp walk.