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[Frumple]

Opinion peice nutjob with zero understanding of what being an administrator in a country with more than one religious sect means aside, I have to boggle at the chutzpah involved at comparing a bigot trying to enforce legal segregation on a subset of the american population to Martin Luthor King Junior. The guy that fought for pretty much the exact goddamn opposite, and in fact was up against people holding the more or less exact same "religious" beliefs against interracial congress. The sheer amount of reality twisting involved in that worldview is just incredible. I can only guess the critter hasn't actually read the birmingham letters if they think any homophobic drivel that spatters out of the twit's mouth while in jail will hold even the most remote of resemblances.

Bloody hell, the comparison is actually legitimately offensive, possibly more than the rest of the bullshit article. Usually I'm not really offput by that sort of thing but goddamn. Of all the comparisons to make, you choose that? About someone trying to shit on the subject that has consistently and to a large degree accurately been compared to the desegregation movement? Just. How? If they're not just a troll, how do bugger your ability to comprehend things up that badly?

[Rolan7]

Well the simple answer to Mr. Huckabee's "question" is that she was in contempt of court.  He was just being silly, or rhetorical I guess.

I think they'd have more of a point if the 14th amendment only banned prejudiced laws, but that's only part of what it does.  It also promises that all levels of government will offer equal protection under the law.  So she was violating the constitution, and very specifically her oath of office.  Here's the oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth, and be faithful and true to the Commonwealth of Kentucky so long as I continue a citizen thereof, and that I will faithfully execute, to the best of my ability, the office of ——————— according to law; and I do further solemnly swear (or affirm) that since the adoption of the present Constitution, I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as second in carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending, so help me God."

Which raises another point...  She swore *before God* to support the US Constitution.  By defying and dismissing the Constitution, she broke her oath to Him.

Also I love that like a third of that is "I've never been in no duels".  It actually does make sense though, considering we actually lost politicians that way back in the day.

[LordSlowpoke]

Martin Luthor King Junior.

Spoiler: i have a dream (click to show/hide)

i have a dream that one day this nation will one day rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, "we hold these truths to be self-evident, all the cakes belong to the luthor"

[Frumple]

It's an improvement, damnit, and I'm sticking with it.

[BurnedToast]

If anyone still cares, the judge ordered kim davis (the kentucky clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses) released from prison, on the condition that she does not interfere with the clerks who are currently issuing them.

This is very clever on his part. If she does nothing, the religious nutjobs' persecution claims lose most of their weight. it even looks like a victory of sort for them, which might mollify them a bit, and ultimately the problem is solved.

If she interferes, he now has a clear excuse to lock her up until either she resigns or till the kentucky legislature convenes in january and they can impeach her (assuming they will, which I'm not so certain of). In the meantime, the clerks can keep signing those certificates and while the religious right will probably still treat her as a martyr at least they will have less of a standing since it's obvious she does not actually have to sign anything, so she's not personally violating her beliefs anymore.

[Truean]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/253292-huckabee-says-dred-scott-still-law-of-land
http://news.yahoo.com/mike-huckabee-thinks-black-people-123110888.html

WTF. And, Mr. Huckabee has gone off the deep end. This is a terrible attempt at and failure of satire, is what I'm going to assume, because I don't want to ascribe far far worse motives to this man.

[Sheb]

? He just doesn't seem to realize that the 14th amendment exist, but that's it.

[Antsan]

The more I hear about politics, the less I understand, especially how people can think there's anything respectable about it.

[Rolan7]

He's making the point that the Supreme Court made a bad decision.  They decided that black people were not citizens under the Constitution. 

And as I understand it, that position was never rescinded - the Constitution *changed* via amendment.  That's probably what he means by "Law of the land" - It's the standing interpretation of that (obsolete) version of the Constitution.  If the 14th Amendment were somehow revoked, I think black people would lose citizenship.  Yes, calling an obsolete decision "the law of the land" is a major stretch, the type of lie which is technically not a lie.  But it's cleverly deceitful, not stupid.

He's also comparing black people who were denied citizenship, with Christians denied the right to...  Discriminate against people while in public office.  He's right that the Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, denied rights to both groups.  The difference is that one decision is widely regarded as the Supreme Courts greatest mistake, and the other restricts discrimination.

It's absolutely appalling rhetoric, even worse than if he was just crazy.

[penguinofhonor]

So... it might be over? The judge let Kim Davis out of jail but told her not to prevent anyone from getting a marriage license. So she didn't have to give any out, but the other clerks there were allowed to. There was a little concern over whether she'd comply, but she seems to have. Except she took her name off the licenses:

The document, a template issued by the state and filled out by each clerk, had been altered. Where the name of the clerk and the county is typically entered, it said instead "pursuant to federal court order."

Her attorneys later said they hoped the concession would satisfy the judge's order enough to keep her out of jail. But they said the validity of the licenses remains in limbo. They called on the Legislature to rewrite state law to accommodate clerks with religious objections and blamed Gov. Steve Beshear for refusing to call a special session to find a solution.

The governor, the attorney general and the county attorney have said the licenses are valid.

It's really what she should have done in the first place. Hopefully she'll lose her next election, but I'm fine with this for now. Hopefully this is the last time most people hear about Kim Davis.

From what I've heard, there are two other county clerks in Kentucky who have said they won't issue gay marriage licenses, but no gay couples have applied for one there yet. I doubt they'd try that after seeing how this turned out, but there's an election in two months so who knows what'll happen. Conway (attorney general, running for governor) seems to be hoping everyone forgets the whole thing - his statement today was sent through an assistant, likely to avoid giving a quote, and anything he has said publicly has been almost comically dodgy. So his opponent is predictably playing this controversy up as much as he can.

[Sheb]

I, for one will miss Kim Davis. In a world where the US are rapidly becoming more progressive, she let us European feels smugly superior for a bit longer.

[scriver]

Don't worry, Sheb. Until the US institutes common sense ordination like mother's (let alone parent's) leave, they'll be nowhere near progressive enough to keep us from smugging smugly about ourselves.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

My experience is that Euros react to that one with less smugness and more naked horror.

[EnigmaticHat]

I react to that in naked horror.  I live here.

In particular ever since I've learned that paternity leave is a thing I've been vaguely disturbed that everyone doesn't do it.  Not having it is unfair to men (because no time off that women get) and unfair to women (because it means that employers are always thinking "well, she might get pregnant" and that gives them a disadvantage in the workplace).

[Antsan]

I heard you don't even have sick leave. That doesn't only sound asocial but also unhygienic.