Texas' new attorney general, Ken Paxson, is a Tea Party idiot. I'm as used as anyone to Texas politicians popping off, grandstanding, and generally spouting nonsense.
But Paxson violates the responsibilities of his office on this one. As attorney general, he's the state's top lawyer, and Sunday he advised public officials and employees that it is OK to break the law and refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Look, this isn't baking cakes, folks. These are public officials, elected by the people, or working for the people, and their salaries are paid by taxpayers, who include gay people. They do not have the right to pass judgment on couples who legally come before them to get a marriage license. I don't care what their religious beliefs are. Frankly, if your religious beliefs won't allow you to do the job you are being paid for, you are in the wrong line of work!!!
Although the lines for "religious exemption" are going to have to be worked out by the courts, I can pretty much guarantee you that public employees are not going to be exempted if they prevent gay people from receiving licenses. Their right to religious freedom, regardless of what the right wing says, does NOT trump a gay couple's right to be served by a public official.
The irony of this is that the state of Texas does not even employ the people he's advising to violate the law. The vast majority of those are employees of Texas' 254 counties.
Louisiana is saying it's not going to issue licenses for 25 days.
Oh well, the right wing acts like a bunch of badly behaved children half the time anyway. These tantrums are just proving it.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-attorney-g … ar-AAcgo8o
http://texasleftist.com/2015/07/texas-grants-bene … employees/
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republica … ment-maine
If doctors at a public hospital chooses not to treat patients on religious grounds are they exempt? If an atheist doctors at a public hospital chooses not to treat religious people on religously/nonreligious grounds are they exempt? If a Sanatary Engineer (a garbage man/woman) chooses not to pick up garbage in front of a house on religious grounds which causes rats, disease, and offensive smells are they exempt? If police men/women chooses not to stop a murder on religious grounds are they exempt? I can go on and on.
If one is a ‘public servant’ and cannot serve the entire public then they should be charged and legally removed from their post on dereliction of duty and favoritism. That should also include attorney general, Ken Paxson. He too is a public servant and should be charged as such. The purpose of this, if nothing else, is to keep this individual out of any future dealings with the population at large let alone any future advancements dealing with public funds that he or his firm might have gotten when having to work in the private sector. It would also serve as a warning to others who want any form of governmental jobs or those with such employment now that they could loose their pensions because of their legal suspensions.
Don’t worry about these people and their families. Their churches will gather around and support them spiritually... though probably not financially. And there is the bottom line in America.