Ky. County clerk makes a stand against feds

[tod evans]

This one chose the **** mountain to die on, hopefully others will grow some courage to stand on other issues too....

Kentucky clerk still won't issue same-sex marriage licenses

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015.../?intcmp=hpbt1


A defiant Kentucky county clerk will face a federal judge on Thursday in a hearing about her refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.

Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins says the federal court alerted him that a hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday in Ashland. Watkins says clerk Kim Davis is summonsed to attend, along with all the deputy clerks who work in her office.

Davis' office has steadfastly denied marriage licenses since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage this summer, and that practice continued Tuesday morning when at least two same-sex couples were denied as Davis invoked "God's authority."

After Davis initially stopped issuing marriage licenses, two gay couples and two straight couples sued her. A federal judge ordered her to issue the licenses, an appeals court upheld that decision and the Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in the case, seemingly leaving Davis with no legal ground to stand on.

But Davis has refused to issue the licenses, saying her deeply held Christian beliefs don't let her endorse gay marriages.

Davis asked David Moore and David Ermold, a couple who has been rejected four times by her office, to leave. They refused, surrounded by reporters and cameras.

"We're not leaving until we have a license," Ermold said.

"Then you're going to have a long day," Davis told him.

From the back of the room, Davis' supporters said: "Praise the Lord! ... Stand your ground."

Other activists shouted that Davis is a bigot and told her: "Do your job."

On Tuesday morning, shortly after Davis' remarks, the sheriff's office cleared the county office of those gathered to support both sides of the issue.

The two groups lined up on either side of the courthouse entrance to chant at each other. Davis' supporters told her to "stand firm," while gay-rights activists shouted "do your job."

The rejected couples' supporters called the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit on their behalf. They asked that their attorneys file to have Davis held in contempt.

Randy Smith, leading the group supporting Davis, said he knows following their instruction to "stand firm" might mean Davis goes to jail.

"But at the end of the day, we have to stand before God, which has higher authority than the Supreme Court," he said.

Ermold hugged Moore, his partner of 17 years, and they cried and swayed as they left the clerk's office. Davis' supporters marched by, chanting.

"I feel sad, I feel devastated," Ermold said. "I feel like I've been humiliated on such a national level, I can't even comprehend it."

[specsaregood]

Ermold hugged Moore, his partner of 17 years, and they cried and swayed as they left the clerk's office. Davis' supporters marched by, chanting.

"I feel sad, I feel devastated," Ermold said. "I feel like I've been humiliated on such a national level, I can't even comprehend it."

Somehow I doubt that, you got exactly what you wanted. The truth is that it is YOU that has sought to humiliate Kim Davis and have failed so far.

[juleswin]

I would have a lot more sympathy for Kim Davis if she was some private business trying to stand up for what she believes in. But when you work for govt, you sorta lose that privilege to do what you think is right especially when what is being asked of you is not hurting anything more than other people's feelings..

Do your job and quit whinning or quit with integrity.

[tod evans]

I would have a lot more sympathy for Kim Davis if she was some private business trying to stand up for what she believes in. But when you work for govt, you sorta lose that privilege to do what you think is right especially when what is being asked of you is not hurting anything more than other people's feelings..

Do your job and quit whinning or quit with integrity.

I like the idea of local governments bucking the feds...

Be nice if more did it for a variety of reasons.

[Sola_Fide]

That's bravery. She will get steamrolled by our wicked government.

[tod evans]

That's bravery. She will get steamrolled by our wicked government.

Maybe American Evangelicals will have learned from the Muslims over in Sandville, when one goes down 12 more take his place....

Or there is the Tee-Vee................Burp.

[specsaregood]

I would have a lot more sympathy for Kim Davis if she was some private business trying to stand up for what she believes in. But when you work for govt, you sorta lose that privilege to do what you think is right especially when what is being asked of you is not hurting anything more than other people's feelings..

Aint that a slippery slope. just following orders and all that jazz...

[juleswin]

I like the idea of local governments bucking the feds...

Be nice if more did it for a variety of reasons.

Yea, I too like the idea of local rule but that doesn't mean I like her reasoning behind it or agree that this is the issue to stand your ground on. Yea, she says that her religion doesn't allow her to issue those licenses, but she is probably OK with giving marriage licenses to atheists and other non believers.

Had she said something like "I am trying to save tax payers money" or "marriage is not a role of the govt" then I would be on her side. But stopping all marriage licenses because the fed changed their rules when previously she was following the feds rules is something that doesn't sit well with me.

[juleswin]

Aint that a slippery slope. just following orders and all that jazz...

How convenient that you didn't highlight the latter part of my sentence? This is textbook description of a quote mining. Just take the part that is convenient and leave out the part that gives the sentence its full meaning.

[tod evans]

It's gotta be rough choosing whether to back the Evangelical or the **** eh?


Not for me.

I'll back whomever is fighting federal oversight.

[specsaregood]

How convenient that you didn't highlight the latter part of my sentence? This is textbook description of a quote mining. Just take the part that is convenient and leave out the part that gives the sentence its full meaning.

Convenience? I simply highlighted the important part and left nothing out of your quote. Don't get upset with me because I highlighted your flawed thinking.

[surf]

just fire her ass. it's another goddamn government license, and she's turning the courthouse into her own dmv.

[tod evans]

just fire her ass. it's another goddamn government license, and she's turning the courthouse into her own dmv.

I'm betting the locals who voted her into office might have something so say about it.......

[juleswin]

Convenience? I simply highlighted the important part and left nothing out of your quote. Don't get upset with me because I highlighted your flawed thinking.

A fair minded person would probably highlight the part of the sentence that started with "especially". Its sort indicates the conditions that gives the sentence value.

Just saying

[Sonny Tufts]

She's no different than a Muslim DMV worker who refuses to issue a driver's license to a woman because of his religious beliefs. The county ought to fire her for not doing her job.

[juleswin]

I'm betting the locals who voted her into office might have something so say about it.......

Remember the states, local govts are just a mini feds, easier to fight off but they can be just as unreasonable and tyrannical as their big brother The Fed

[jj-]

I'd like to see the people elect only clerks who refuse to give licenses.

[Mr.NoSmile]

Can't the people who want to get married just find another clerk?

[tod evans]

She's no different than a Muslim DMV worker who refuses to issue a driver's license to a woman because of his religious beliefs. The county ought to fire her for not doing her job.

Never lived in rural USA have you?

The county elected her.

[donnay]

I like the idea of local governments bucking the feds...

Be nice if more did it for a variety of reasons.

Yes indeed. I would also like to see the government (State and Federal) get out of the marriage all together.

[RP Supporter]

If she's accepting a government paycheck, I don't exactly have much sympathy for her deciding which of the governments laws she's going to enforce. If this was any other job and she decided to do her own thing she'd be out the door.

That said, I would be interested in seeing how she'd fair if she ran in the next election with this now known. If I were her and ambitious I'd embrace the controversy and pull a Roy Moore and try to run for higher office. Heck, I bet the Constitution Party would nominate her for president.

[specsaregood]

A fair minded person would probably highlight the part of the sentence that started with "especially". Its sort indicates the conditions that gives the sentence value.

Just saying

Actually I was just going to let that part be; but since you bring it up. In the first part that I highlighted you argue that somebody with a govt job can't allow their own bias and feelings to affect how they do their job; then you introduce your own bias into the equation.

especially when what is being asked of you is not hurting anything more than other people's feelings..

clearly the clerk in question thinks that approving the license would do much more, she values her soul and religious beliefs. you are act as if those have no values because of your own bias.

"especially?" Either you can do what is right all the time or not at all, no especially.

[surf]

I'm betting the locals who voted her into office might have something so say about it.......

lousy excuse. just invoke god's authority.

[Spikender]

Dog and pony show. Make the battle in the news headlines about "gay marriage" while they pillage people's monopoly money savings and continue foreign interventions and raping of rights.

[Tywysog Cymru]

Can't the people who want to get married just find another clerk?

They could, but they want to be celebrated as heroes of the "new civil rights movement."

[Christian Liberty]

It's gotta be rough choosing whether to back the Evangelical or the **** eh?


Not for me.

I'll back whomever is fighting federal oversight.

Yeah, this isn't tough for me either

[asurfaholic]

Dog and pony show. Make the battle in the news headlines about "gay marriage" while they pillage people's monopoly money savings and continue foreign interventions and raping of rights.

I think it's bigger than that. There is a massive war for minds and loyalty - and the lines are drawn on morals. The establishment/lefties/neocons all want to take God out of the equation and by doing that, they become God.

I'd like to see government out of marriage as well, as I believe it was originally an institution of faith and belief that two become one in the presence of God. But now that government is involved, and that they give benefits based on marriage status, it would be discriminatory for some groups to be denied those benefits. Enter the government , suddenly the definition of marriage is perverted.

So not so much a dog and pony show to me, these are battles that are raging every day and the war to control the morality of men is a huge issue.

[Sola_Fide]

just fire her ass. it's another government license, and she's turning the courthouse into her own dmv.

I see that point too. Man, if I had the national attention that this person had, I would do some real education.

[Tywysog Cymru]

I hope that none of her supporters respond in kind to the attacks that they will receive. They need to show the world that they are the ones showing love and the LGBT activists are the bigots.

[Sonny Tufts]

They could, but they want to be celebrated as heroes of the "new civil rights movement."

And she could resign, but she wants to be celebrated as a martyr for the right-wing fundamentalists.