| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Land of the Free |
| Idaho city's ordinance tells pastors to marry gays or go to jail |
| 2014-10-22 |
| [WASHINGTONTIMES] Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, city officials have laid down the law to Christian pastors within their community, telling them bluntly via an ordinance that if they refuse to marry homosexuals, they will face jail time and fines. The dictate comes on the heels of a legal battle with Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers who own the Hitching Post wedding chapel in the city, but who oppose gay marriage, The Daily Caller reported. A federal judge recently ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, while the city of Coeur d'Alene has an ordinance that prevents discrimination based on sexual preference. The Supreme Court's recent refusal to take on gay rights' appeals from five states has opened the doors for same-sex marriages to go forth. The Knapps were just asked by a gay couple to perform their wedding ceremony, The Daily Caller reported. "On Friday, a same-sex couple asked to be married by the Knapps, and the Knapps politely declined," The Daily Signal reported. "The Knapps now face a 180-day jail term and a $1,000 fine for each day they decline to celebrate the same-sex wedding." The Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a suit in federal court to stop the city from enforcing the fine and jail sentence, saying in a statement from senior legal counsel Jeremy Tedesco that the government has overstepped its bounds, The Daily Caller reported. "Many have denied that pastors would ever be forced to perform ceremonies that are completely at odds with their faith, but that's what is happening here -- and it's happened this quickly," Mr. Tedersco said, The Daily Caller reported. But the city sees it differently. As far back as May, city officials were insisting that their ordinance is indeed in line with law. "If you turn away a gay couple, refuse to provide services for them, then in theory you violated our code, and you're looking at a potential misdemeanor citation," said Coeur d'Alene City Attorney Warren Wilson, to KXLY months ago. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #26 LOL |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-10-22 23:15 |
| #25 To steal a line from "The Untouchables", who would admit to being Frank G were it not so? And isn't Sydonia on Mars? As for the actual subject of this thread, speaking as a rabid free-market libertarian, if there were a vast pent-up demand for gay marriage serices, someone would step up to meet it. There is money to be made, gentlemen! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2014-10-22 22:57 |
| #24 You can't have gone to Sedona. It doesn't exist to begin with! |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2014-10-22 21:37 |
| #23 and the real Frank G is back from Sedona :-( - Should be my regular IP |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-10-22 20:24 |
| #22 Note that it and my nyms have been modified to remove, at least for this thread, any question of which is who. The issue has been referred upstairs to The Management. |
| Posted by: the real trailing wife 2014-10-22 20:10 |
| #21 Hmmmm. The fake tw has also pretended to be Besoeker in the past. The IP, however, reveals all. |
| Posted by: the real trailing wife 2014-10-22 20:02 |
| #20 18:35 was most definitely not me. Not my thoughts, and definitely not my vocabulary. Thanks, guys. |
| Posted by: the real trailing wife 2014-10-22 19:58 |
| #19 My thoughts exactly, Rambler. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2014-10-22 19:46 |
| #18 I'd hope the city officials are as interested in addressing their crime problems as they are in forcing homosexual marriages. Coeur d'Alene crime. It seems that it is quite high. They are headed towards a Constitutional showdown--and probably going to lose. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-10-22 19:15 |
| #17 Hmmm ... that does NOT sound like the trailing wife we know and love. Could somebody have hijacked her nym? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2014-10-22 19:04 |
| #16 |
| Posted by: nasty, fake trailing wife 2014-10-22 18:35 |
| #15 The rights freedom of association, of free practice of religion are easily abridge because of a link to commerce? Those are fundamental rights, and abridging them must meet a very high standard. That's the argument being used against Hobby Lobby, et all, as they fight the Obamacare abortion/abortifacient requirement up to the Supreme Court, OldSpook. Also how a number of states drove the Catholic Church out of the adoption business, and may soon drive her out of the hospital business as well, to the detriment of society. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2014-10-22 17:20 |
| #14 The pastors should call the city's bluff and go to jail. That should go over well. |
| Posted by: Anice Nim 2014-10-22 16:25 |
| #13 Good rant, Oldspook. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-10-22 16:05 |
| #12 Glenmore, thats a dangerous precedent you're endorsing. The rights freedom of association, of free practice of religion are easily abridge because of a link to commerce? Those are fundamental rights, and abridging them must meet a very high standard. Sorry - in THIS nation, we have always carved out exemptions for the free practice of religion. See the problem is that for them, gay "marriage" is a sham. Its a lie, it is illegitimate and cannot exist per orthodox Christian doctrine. Ethically, they can no more perform a gay marriage than they can a Satanic one - they simply are antithetical to their core religion. Also, you would willingly have the government enforce a law that forces them to act against their fundamental faith - their own moral basis - or else be forbidden to perform a ritual (marriage) and a service to coreligionists and get remunerated from it if they don't provide it to everyone? So in your view, these gays can also start suing the local Catholic parish priest because he refuses to perform the ceremony as well? It is a paid service - and under your massive expansion of government power, it gets the "commerical" treatment, and allows you to apply your threat of force to these priests who do not submit to your moral views as implemented by the government. And make no mistake - it is force we are talking about. They government will send armed agents, physically take you from your property, and will kill you if you effectively resist. Ask the Weavers. IS that really where you want to be Glenmore, on the side of the jackboots? For along those paths lie the worst sorts of oppressions. What's next Glemore, forcing Doctors and Nurses to participate in abortions? After all, that is a "right" that has been endorsed by other large government people who hold the same view as you, and it is also a business, because they charge for it, and opposition is on moral grounds. So a MD or RN who refuses is not allowed to work? See where that thinking takes you? Hint: jackboots. My personal take? If you dont like it go someplace else. The gay couple are assholes. These people perform CHRISTIAN Weddings, and the gays were not looking for that. They are in no way damaged or prevented from exercising their own lifestyle by the refusal of a religious service, a religion to which they are not a party. And the government here is being massively fascistic and oppressive. Its the kind of government that will foment armed rebellion that ends with the autocrats hanging from telephone poles (deservedly, IMHO). Keep pushing, city officials. I'm sure Coeur d'Alene has plenty of telephone poles. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2014-10-22 14:09 |
| #11 Can you say martyr? Sure you can. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-10-22 11:57 |
| #10 They're gonna look pretty stupid when they have all of the town's pastors sitting in jail. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-10-22 11:56 |
| #9 Are there any mosques in Couer D'Alene? Or is it only Christian pastors who must marry gays? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2014-10-22 10:18 |
| #8 ...so going in to a Kosher/Halal butcher and demand he provide you BBQ doesn't apply? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-10-22 09:17 |
| #7 They're running their wedding chapel as a business; as such it has to comply with anti-discrimination laws as they apply to businesses. Their personal religious beliefs will not apply. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2014-10-22 08:57 |
| #6 The pastors filed a federal lawsuit. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2014-10-22 07:32 |
| #5 ..actually nearly the entire 1st Amendment - association, speech, religion. When three percent dictate to over fifty percent their culture it's long past any relationship to democracy or republic other than the usual People's Democratic Republic of the late 20th Century. Who now is the intolerant? It was never about 'fairness'. It's always been about POWER. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-10-22 05:46 |
| #4 Seems like this would go against freedom of religion |
| Posted by: chris 2014-10-22 05:19 |
| #3 I seriously doubt this "ordinance" will hold up in a court. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2014-10-22 01:05 |
| #2 Genesis 19:5 comes to mind: and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them." Anyone think can't happen here? It's getting closer and closer to that point. At first we had to 'tolerate' it, then we had to accept it, and now these pastors have to, by law, condone it. How long before someone is forced to actively participate? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2014-10-22 00:34 |
| #1 U.S. Armed Forces Oath of Enlistment - do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic... |
| Posted by: Ebbomosh Hupemp2664 2014-10-22 00:19 |