Late Tuesday, Davis filed a lawsuit against Beshear in federal district court. She blamed the governor for instructing all 120 of the state's county clerks to comply with this summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage. Beshear's stance left dissenting county clerks vulnerable to lawsuits, including two that she currently faces, filed by groups of her constituents, Davis said. U.S. District Judge David Bunning is expected to rule in these cases in coming days. "The Commonwealth of Kentucky, acting through Governor Beshear, has deprived Davis of her religious-conscience rights guaranteed by the United States and Kentucky constitutions and laws, by insisting that Davis issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples contrary to her conscience, based on her sincerely held religious beliefs," Davis' lawsuit says.The suit also names the head of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, which changed the marriage license forms to gender-neutral.
“Governor Beshear is unlawfully picking and choosing the conscience-based exemptions to marriage that he deems acceptable,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. When Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway refused to defend Kentucky’s natural marriage laws after “pray[ing] over this decision,” Governor Beshear did not command that he perform his duties, but hired private attorneys to pursue the appeal. “In no uncertain terms, Governor Beshear’s policies and directives are intended to suppress religion—even worse, a particular religious belief,” Liberty Counsel’s complaint points out. “Thus, although Attorney General Conway was given a pass for his conscience about marriage without any threats of repercussion, clerks like Davis are being repeatedly told by their Governor to abandon their religiously informed beliefs or resign.” “Simply put, Governor Beshear is making secularism a litmus test for holding office in Kentucky,” said Mat Staver. “The governor is forcing clerks like Davis to choose between following the precepts of her religion and forfeiting her position, on the one hand, and abandoning one of the precepts of her religion in order to keep her position, on the other,” Staver concluded.The ruling in the ACLU's suit against Davis is expected next week. (Tipped by JMG reader Allen)
U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia has ordered Texas officials to appear in court next week to determine if the state should be held in contempt for failing to recognize same-sex marriage. Garcia issued the order Wednesday in response to a request from a Conroe police officer who says the Texas Department of Health and Human Services refused to amend his spouse’s death certificate to reflect he was married. The death certificate lists him as single. Garcia instructed the state on Wednesday to immediately amend the death certificate of James Stone-Hoskins to add John Allen Stone-Hoskins as the surviving spouse. John Stone-Hoskins, a former police officer who lives in Conroe and is dying from cancer, asked Garcia to hold the department and the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in contempt. Garcia ordered Paxton to appear before this Court next Wednesday at 10 a.m.Paxton was arrested and booked on multiple felony securities fraud charges on Monday.
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When
we open to our feelings as they arise, we create the causes and
conditions of mental and physical health. This is what acceptance-based
inner awareness entails; it is not a practice to put off, any more than
breathing, sleeping, or consuming nourishment.
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Impatience
can be very good by helping us not put up with tyranny, but it can
distort our view of what is possible and how to bring about change. We
have to cultivate patience so that our perception isn't distorted.
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Those
of us in the lower class have no real disposable income, no truly
'free' time, and we have to keep up a break-neck speed just to break
even. We get up early to sit before heading to a job that we can
tolerate only because we sit. We meditate before bed to alleviate some
of the daily stress that would otherwise keep us up all night.
Economically and spiritually, it's always a battle just to stay put.
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Three days after being critically wounded by an ultra-Orthodox man that went on a stabbing rampage at Jerusalem's Gay Pride Parade, Shira Banki, a 16-year-old Israeli teen succumbed to her wounds Sunday afternoon. Five other people were wounded in the attack. Police confirmed that the suspected stabber is Yishai Schlissel, a Haredi man from Modiin Ilit who stabbed three participants in the 2005 Gay Pride march. He was recently released from prison after serving a 10-year sentence. Banki was a high-school student from Jerusalem, studying at the Hebrew University High School. She took part in Thursday's parade to show solidarity with her LGBT friends. She is survived by her parents and three siblings; her family decided to donate her organs.Shira's family has issued a statement.
"Our magical Shira was murdered because she was a happy 16-year-old – full of life and love – who came to express her support for her friends' rights to live as they choose. For no good reason and because of evil, stupidity and negligence, the life of our beautiful flower was cut short. Bad things happen to good people, and a very bad thing happened to our amazing girl. The family expresses hope for a less hatred and more tolerance."
