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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Same-sex rites pastors just can’t get arrested |
| 2004-05-21 |
| EFL from WMD - OT but good for a chuckle. Could go under 5th Column or Culture War but really is Peshawar What if you broke the law to make a point and no one arrested you? That’s what happened Tuesday to four pastors who defied Arizona law by marrying same-sex couples over the weekend. With about 100 sign-toting supporters in tow, the ministers marched to the Maricopa County Superior Court complex to turn over evidence of the illegal marriages. But court officials refused to accept it.Local law enforcement officials also refused to cite the ministers who, according to state law, committed a Class 2 misdemeanor by marrying the couples. The Sheriff’s and the County Attorney’s offices deferred jurisdiction to the city of Phoenix. "We had to look at what was the best use of our resources here," said Kathy Lubay-Johnson, Phoenix’s chief assistant city prosecutor. "It’s not something we’re going to prosecute." Nor did the Phoenix Police Department want to get involved. "We have better things to do," Detective Tony Morales said. On Friday, dozens of same-sex couples rode a bus from court to court across the Valley, applying for marriage licenses. They were turned down. Despite that, on Saturday pastors Brad Wishon, Charlotte Strayhorne, Dan Spencer and Katie Cassidy, solemnized 41 marriages for gay and lesbian couples. On Tuesday, the four pastors went to the offices of Michael Jeanes, clerk of the Superior Court. They were met by Public Affairs Director Cari Gerchick, who refused to accept documentation of the illegal weddings. "Arizona law only authorizes us to record licenses we issue," Gerchick told them. Spencer was undeterred: "We’re going to keep marrying couples and we’re going to keep seeking marriage licenses," he said. And we will continue to donating tickets for honeymoon trips to fictitious time-shares so that these couples will be able to celebrate their make-believe marriages properly. We’ll toss in some Parker Brothers cash from the Monopoly board game to cover expenses. On Monday, thousands turned out to protest same-sex marriages at the state Capitol in a rally organized by the Scottsdale-based Center for Arizona Policy. "There are good reasons for only allowing marriages to be solemnized that are OK under the marriage laws," said Peter Gentala, legal counsel for the center. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #1 Note: it's only 4 pastors- how many pastors are there in the US? And these people aren't married.- but if they want to go and delude themselves into thinking that they are, they can go right ahead. If gays think that homosexual marriage is acceptable, then they can also decide that they don't need a law to determine whether or not their marriage is real. - after all, they love each other, don't they? In which case, why are they trying to push their concept of marriage on the US government? I say: go do your business elsewhere- if you want to be a perv, do it on your own time-not my tax dollars. |
| Posted by: Curious 2004-05-22 8:16:58 PM |