A Tale of 3 County Clerks
This is a Tale of 3 County Clerks. All of whom are women, all are devout Christians and all are Opposed to Same Sex Marriage.
But that is where the similarities die.
The first clerk in the Little Tale is Denton, TX County Clerk Judi Luke. The second is Cleburne County Clerk Dana Guffey, the third is an unnamed clerk in Minnehaha, South Dakota and the story is 2nd hand as told by Elle Spawn.
Ms. Luke says she is a devout Christian and I do not doubt her statement. She says she took her oath on her family Bible to uphold the law. She says she believes same-sex marriage is a contradiction to her faith and belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
But... she says, “However, first and foremost, I took an oath on my family Bible to uphold the law, and as an elected public official, my personal belief cannot prevent me from issuing the licenses as required.”
And to prove it, Monday morning, despite what the Texas Attorney General has said, 'Sara Bollinger and Whitney Hennen, received their license a little after 8 a.m.' The first license given to a same sex couple.
So, in summary, Ms. Luke, a devout Christian, has chosen to do the job she is paid to do, rather than hold her breath and cry about how she is being oppressed.
While I disagree with County Clerk Judi Luke's beliefs about gay marriage, I applaud her upholding her oath and doing her job.
Ms. Guffey is also a devout Christian. She thinks gay marriage is wrong and refuses to give out marriage licenses to GL couples. So, she resigned.
According to Ms. Guffey, “It is definitely a moral conviction for me."
This story would have made no news at all were it not for there being a meeting to choose a new clerk which was a public announcement.
I give Ms. Guffey the benefit of the doubt, that she is resigning based on her convictions and, while I disagree I give her a half-hearted thumbs up for not whining or sniveling. I've said many times, "If you refuse to do the job, you should quit."
But, it is also true in Arkansas, that Gov Hutchinson and AG Rutledge have told clerks to issue licenses no matter what their personal convictions are.
So, if you're a cynic, you might assume she saw no other option.
The final tale takes place in South Dakota and is a second hand story. Apparently, a clerk in Minnehaha County, South Dakota is so upset she is threatening to marry her dog since she was so disgusted with the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
Ms. Spawn said the clerk spluttered, “‘Well, apparently, I’m just going to marry my dog because we can just marry who we want,’”
Yes, there you have it. One of the idiots working in a country clerk's office
**** Okay. So the story doesn't say the clerk from South Dakota is a devout Christian. But, I'm betting she is.
Issue them or Quit.
There shouldn't be a 3rd option
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/texas-clerk-marriage-religious-objections
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/06/29/arkansas-county-clerk-resigns-over-marriage-equality
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/30/south-dakota-county-clerk-threatens-to-marry-her-dog-to-oppose-gay-marriage/
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