{"id":52017,"date":"2015-08-01T13:38:12","date_gmt":"2015-08-01T19:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/01\/if-non-equality-county-clerks-are-conscientious-objectors-treat-them-as-such.html"},"modified":"2015-08-01T13:38:12","modified_gmt":"2015-08-01T19:38:12","slug":"if-non-equality-county-clerks-are-conscientious-objectors-treat-them-as-such","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/01\/if-non-equality-county-clerks-are-conscientious-objectors-treat-them-as-such.html","title":{"rendered":"If non-equality county clerks are conscientious objectors, treat them as such"},"content":{"rendered":"

Attorneys from Liberty Counsel for Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, claim she is like a conscientious objector in wartime. <\/p>\n

'“Like a noncombatant who cannot shoulder a rifle, a county clerk who cannot issue” same-sex licenses “can still faithfully and devotedly serve this country, and their county,” lawyers for Kim Davis argued in a pleading filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.'<\/i><\/p>\n

Said lawyers miss the fact that (a) COs generally only get to object when they are being drafted, not when they've volunteered for the armed forces or when all of a sudden they get sent off to war, and (b) COs don't get a pass on service or don't get to just do the parts of being a soldier they enjoy, but instead are set to (unarmed) scut work, or doing things like being stretcher bearers under fire.<\/p>\n

The CO analog for Ms Davis, then, would be, "So you now cannot uphold your required job duties? Fine. Here's a mop and a bucket; the bathrooms need cleaning."<\/p>\n

'She said that even if she had a deputy issue a license to a gay or lesbian couple, her name would appear on it, which would equate to her approving it. “That searing act of validation would forever echo in her conscience,” her lawyers said in their 40-page argument.'<\/i><\/p>\n

Which is ludicrous, of course, because nobody is asking her to approve of any<\/i> marriage she signs off on. "Hmmm, no I don't think it will last, request denied. Oh, a mixed-race couple? Definitely not on the approval list, so denied. Oh, they make such a lovely couple, request approved." That is not the job of a county clerk. <\/p>\n

Ms Davis is being asked to certify that the license application<\/i> is correct under the law.<\/i> Which a properly filled out marriage application between a gay couple is, under the law. Whether you agree with the SCOTUS Obergefell<\/i> ruling or not, it is the law.<\/p>\n

'Davis said the plaintiffs could obtain marriage licenses from any one of the more than 100 county clerks who are issuing them in accordance with Gov. Steve Beshear’s order to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 decision requiring states to allow same-sex marriage. “This case is not about whether plaintiffs can obtain a Kentucky marriage license,” Davis’ lawyers say. “They can. Instead, this case is about forcing an individual county clerk … to authorize and personally approve same sex marriage,” which they describe as an “authoritarian invasion and intolerant coercion.”'<\/i><\/p>\n

Which is fundamentally saying, "Why should my restaurant be forced to serve blacks? They can get their food from some other place, can't they? Why should I be required to hire women? There are plenty of other jobs out there." <\/p>\n

The filing also asserts that "Requiring Davis To Affirm A Definition Of Marriage Contrary To Her Religious Belief Violates The Religious Test Clause." Fundamentally this is saying that a government official's religion allows them to trump the definition of any law they disagree with. "Murder only applies to human beings; forcing me to believe that American Indians are human beings who can't be killed on a whim is violating my religious freedom." "I don't think Baptists are truly Christian, and Christianity is the only valid religion, so I will approve people getting fired because they are Baptist."<\/p>\n

Of course, the Liberty Counsel filing also puts "scare quote" around the term "marriage" any time it refers to people of the same sex. Jerks.<\/p>\n

The full filing can be found at the bottom of this article: http:\/\/goo.gl\/hcSU86<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
\n<\/a>
\nFiling defends clerk in same-sex marriage fight<\/a><\/span>
\nRowan Co. clerk who refuses marriage licenses to gays likened to ‘conscientious objector’\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attorneys from Liberty Counsel for Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, claim she is like a conscientious objector in wartime. '“Like a noncombatant who cannot shoulder a rifle, a county clerk who cannot issue” same-sex licenses “can still faithfully and devotedly serve this country, and their … Continue reading “If non-equality county clerks are conscientious objectors, treat them as such”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":127995,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/14\/scrambling-for-an-extra-few-minutes-of-fame-martyrdom-kim-davis-edition.html","url_meta":{"origin":52017,"position":0},"title":"Scrambling for an extra few minutes of fame \/ martyrdom (Kim Davis Edition)","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 14-Sep-15 7:21am","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm hoping the return of Kim Davis to her job and her sad, sad proclamation that she won't stand in the way of her deputies issuing marriage licenses marks the end (or at least the beginning of the end) to Ms Davis being anything more than a future trivia question\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":127888,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/05\/god-is-my-strength-and-my-shield-but-not-really-a-very-good-legal-defense.html","url_meta":{"origin":52017,"position":1},"title":""God is my strength and my shield, but not really a very good legal defense"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 5-Sep-15 12:29am","format":false,"excerpt":"Kentucky's Rowan County Clerk, Kim Davis, has issued a statement via Liberty Counsel (http:\/\/www.lc.org\/index.cfm?PID=14102&AlertID=1965) about her jailing for defying a federal court order to issue (legal) marriage licenses to same-sex couples.I have worked in the Rowan County Clerk\u2019s office for 27 years as a Deputy Clerk and was honored to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Gay_Marriage_Kentucky-0f2d95B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Gay_Marriage_Kentucky-0f2d95B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Gay_Marriage_Kentucky-0f2d95B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":127887,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/04\/laws-oaths-faith-and-kim-davis.html","url_meta":{"origin":52017,"position":2},"title":"Laws, Oaths, Faith, and Kim Davis","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 4-Sep-15 5:37pm","format":false,"excerpt":"For those who are couching the Kim Davis debate as one of religious freedom (I'm raising an eyebrow at you, Messrs. Cruz and Huckabee), two questions:1. Should a Kentucky county clerk have been allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, before Obergefell made it legal, using the excuse of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14622,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/04\/24\/unblogged-bits-for-friday-24-april-2009.html","url_meta":{"origin":52017,"position":3},"title":"Unblogged Bits for Friday, 24 April 2009","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 24-Apr-09 6:00pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Waking up to torture truths -- chicagotribune.com - There's the bottom line in the bottom two paragraphs: if \"it works\" is the real reason, what line can ever be drawn, and on what moral\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marriage Equality"","block_context":{"text":"Marriage Equality","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/marriage-equality"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31925,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/27\/the-perpetual-trump-of-religious-convictions.html","url_meta":{"origin":52017,"position":4},"title":"The perpetual trump of religious convictions","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 27-Dec-12 3:34pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So are people who strongly believe that divorce is not religiously allowed free to not give out marriage licenses where one or both of the applicants are divorced? \u00a0Are people who believe that God intended for the races to stay separate allowed to decline to assist marriage license applicants who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51787,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/07\/18\/freedom-from-everyone-elses-weird-religion.html","url_meta":{"origin":52017,"position":5},"title":"Freedom from (everyone else's weird) religion","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 18-Jul-15 2:43pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The unstated condition that those seeking \"religious liberty\" excptions never state (likely because they don't realize it themselves) is \"But I'm normal, so I'm not asking for anything weird, just for how things have always been!\" That's how they get around considering \"edge cases\" like the Muslim or Hindu described\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52017\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}