Bakersfield, CA to stop ALL weddings rather than be "forced" to marry evil homos.

[Bluebear]

"Office security risks" my ass....

Barnett

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Heterosexual couples are rushing to get married in a conservative California county that plans to halt all civil wedding ceremonies as gay marriage is set to be legalized.

Kern County Clerk Ann Barnett says Friday is the last day the county will perform civil weddings.

Starting Tuesday, when the California Supreme Court's order legalizing same-sex marriage takes effect, Kern will issue new gender-neutral marriage licenses as required by law. But couples seeking to get hitched will have to go somewhere else for the ceremony.

Barnett says the increased demand for ceremonies would overwhelm her staff and pose office security risks. She made the announcement after learning she could not marry only couples of her choosing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. Oh, man

This is just sad.

[smoogatz]

2. Office security risks?

Oy.

[madaboutharry]

3. I wonder what it is like to be full of hate.

Stupid woman.

[terrya]

4. If she wants to be a bigot, she shouldn't hide behind some bullshit excuse.

"Office Security risks", my ass.

[wryter2000]

13. She was also worried about noise in the atrium

A wedding is a solemn ceremony and shouldn't be disrupted by noise.

The reporter immediately switched to a view of the totally empty, totally silent atrium.

[gratuitous]

17. Really; I would have thought she'd be against lying

And I will indulge a smidgen of looksism, and say that from her photo, she would be far more comfortable living in the FLDS compound in Texas than being a public official in California.

I'm guessing that Bakersfield doesn't collect taxes from homo-sek-shoe-als, so they're not entitled to public services. Right?

[Hydra]

5. Haha

"It's not discrimination if they are gay/black/liberal/female/poor/etc.- it's only discrimination when they are Christians!"

Gotta love the double standard.

[Lyric]

6. In other words, heterosexuals in Kern County are destroying marriage.

Figures. They've had it backwards the whole time.

Edit: Just to be clear, I mean bigoted, fundie, psycho heterosexuals. The rest of ya'll are just gravy. :)

[readmoreoften]

42. Excellent point!

[FiveGoodMen]

7. This woman should be out of her job and behind bars for a hate crime.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Good. I'm a big proponent of forcing bigots to show the world exactly how much...

their bigotry means to them.

[kay1864]

9. From her government webpage:

Ann K. Barnett
1115 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301-4639
Regular Office Hours 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mon-Fri
[phone]


:hi:

[Javaman]

10. If you have ever been to Bakersfield before, you would know that

it's unlike anywhere else in California. More uptight then Orange county

[truebrit71]

19. "More uptight then Orange county"...and THAT takes some doing....

...when I lived in LA I hated going behind the 'orange curtain'...

[TooRaLoo]

28. No kidding.

Bakersfield (to my surprise) reminded me very much of Oklahoma.

[flygal]

38. I've been to Taft

I have relatives there and it was like going backwards in a progressive time machine. It was not my cup o tea.

[wryter2000]

11. I saw that bozon on the TV last night

I also saw the guy who was sure allowing people who love each other to get married was wrong because he read the Bible. I hope his daughter can't get married because of this bozo.

[DefenseLawyer]

12. As if anyone needed an excuse to get the fuck out of Bakersfield

Pop in a Buck Owens CD and go get hitched some place decent.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

22. Merle Haggard was born there

And got out.

in 2005, he released a song called "America First," which contained the line, "Let's get out of Iraq and get back on track."

Merle got out.

[DefenseLawyer]

23. Haggard also acceptable to play as you get the fuck out of Bakersfield n/t

[newmajority]

35. I thought Merle was an Okie from Muskogee?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqouuUqzg-A

Which is better than being an Asshole from El Paso, I guess....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a50gPRSi3Ic

[Tangerine LaBamba]

46. You're funny

Poor Merle.......

I just read Johnny Cash's autobiography, "Cash," and he wrote about Merle being in the audience at San Quentin (or was it Folsom?) when he started doing his shows there. He and Merle got to be friends once Merle was rehabilitated and out making music. He wrote that Merle always found it amusing that right-wingers thought "Okie From Muskogee" was some kind of anthem to the idiots who had us in Vietnam.

That cheered me immensely.

Thanks for the videos ..............

[wryter2000]

14. BTW, it's the whole county

Butte County. Another county is doing the same thing.

Gavin Newsome said he'd be happy to travel there to marry people.

[uppityperson]

15. I understand the "security risk", but couldn't they just confiscate

the toasters at the door? I mean, having that many toasters in 1 place might be a bit much. :sarcasm:

[kay1864]

20. BWAH!

:thumbsup:

[Bluebear]

30. ...

:spray:

[KamaAina]

16. More at the local Bakersfield rag

http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/464269.html

Kern County Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Ann Barnett repeatedly tried to avoid licensing and performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples, interviews and e-mails obtained by The Californian show.

At her request, County Counsel Bernard Barmann filed a brief with the California Supreme Court opposing implementation of the May 15 ruling allowing gay marriage.

She tried to resign her elected position as county clerk — while keeping her positions as auditor-controller and elections boss.

"She really wanted to get rid of it," Barmann said.

E-mails are in a sidebar!

KO's gonna have a tough choice for Worst Person In The World. I thought the guy in Iowa who charged his neighbor ten bucks for a boat ride to safety was a shoo-in, but Barnett might just take it.

[wtmusic]

18. Expect a legal challenge to this

Discrimination -- as transparent as it gets.

[jmowreader]

21. Money will override her

This is a hateful woman but I don't think she'll prevail--the county can't afford to lose the revenue from the civil ceremonies she won't perform because she hates gays.

[Mountainman]

24. County employees (which I am one) are sworn to protect and defend the

Constitution of the State of California. I don't think Kern County can do this legally.

[Bluebear]

25. Thank you for your insight!

Hopefully, she can find other employment which suits her better.

[Toasterlad]

26. "Other Employment" Indeed.

Keeping my fingers crossed for crack whore.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

40. She would be guilty of a misdemeanor in Texas.

The District Clerk who does not perform their duties under law (like issuing a marriage license in this case) has committed a misdemeanor.

[Edweird]

27. People can still get married, licenses will be issued, she just won't officiate.

She doesn't want your money, so happily take it elsewhere. You don't have to get your license or ceremony in any specific place. I got married in New Orleans in 2001 (on Halloween), and I live in Florida. We went there specifically for that. Hell, Vegas doesn't look that far away, and Elvis doesn't give a damn who you marry..... (I don't know the particulars about same sex in Vegas, tho...)

[FreeState]

31. The problem is she only allows ministers to do marriages

so Atheists are out of luck - she will not give the power to anyone else - so if you want a non-religious wedding in the County you have to go outside of the county. This is a huge lawsuit waiting to happen if you ask me.

For a lot of hair raising information about whats going on visit this blog:

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/06/13/2207

[Edweird]

32. She has painted herself into a corner. This whole thing will backfire on her big time.

"the Rev. Bryd Tetzlaff of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Kern County has promised to provide officiation for same-sex weddings free of charge, they will not incur any additional costs."

If that works out, the same sex marriages can happen without a problem, but the civil unions for the straight couples with faith issues will still get hung up. Something will happen. I'm betting she quits. Let the lawsuits begin......

[Forrest Greene]

29. Dang

Check out that hairdo. Those pearls. That sponge-patterned suit.

I wanted to say, half-funny, "this is a person who probably feels bitter about all attempts at romance." Implying she was romanceless herself due to cloddish fashion choices. Just a light-hearted, trivial insult. Let of some steam. But I can't say that, can I/ 'Cuz she would marry those of "her choice," wouldn't she.

So, she's just a plain old bigot.

[Oeditpus Rex]

33. Butte County is also doing this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x77339

Its county clerk said, though, that the decision was made before the state supreme court overruled the ban.

Note that counties are not obligated to perform marriage ceremonies, so I think that negates any chance of legal action.



Meanwhile, in local news... http://pinnaclenews.com/news/contentview.asp?c=245362

[Monk06]

34. She should be glad. The law allows her to legally marry another man. n/t

[lonestarnot]

36. Security risk? WTF will they dream up next.

[texanwitch]

37. Ann Barnett is a woman?

She doesn't look like one to me.

I thought she was a gay person wanting to get married.

[anonymous171]

39. lol Oh well. They can just go over to another county to get married.

[ColbertWatcher]

41. Another twisted GOP woman to be played by...

...Laura Dern in the made for TV movie

[readmoreoften]

43. Yes the added 10% of the population being able to get married will induce a tidal wave

and incomprehensible proportions in Bakersfield. If they marry 100 people a week, how could they handle 110? Have some sympathy people.

[Honeycombe8]

44. Wow. Isn't that against the law? I mean, don't they HAVE to do that, as part of their duties? nt

[Hekate]

45. My niece and her husband can hardly wait to move out of Bakersfield...

They moved there for affordable housing and their jobs, but the ambient bigotry is really getting to them. It's so bad that he, who was raised a Republican, ended up re-registering as a Democrat. She's always been a Dem.

Hekate