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UPDATED: Judge Jails Kim Davis For Contempt Of Court

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A federal judge has decided the fate of Rowan County clerk Kim Davis after she has repeatedly refused to obey several court rulings requiring her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning this morning heard from Kim Davis, her deputy clerks, and several Rowan county judges, all of whom have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples ever since the Supreme Court ruled in June the same-sex couples have the right to marry.

Judge Bunning found Davis in contempt of court and ordered Davis to jail. U.S. Marshals reportedly have her in custody.

Attorneys for Davis argued she is protected by the First Amendment from issuing licenses to same-sex couples, because doing so would “irreparably” harm her conscience. 

Davis has turned away countless same-sex and different-sex couples, including the four couples who brought a lawsuit against her back in July. Last month, Judge Bunning ruled on that case, ordering Davis to begin issuing marriage licenses. Her attorneys from the anti-gay hate group Liberty Counsel have filed several appeals and emergency motions, but have been denied at every turn. Even the 6th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court have handed down decisions indicating a lack of support for Davis’ claim that the First Amendment protects her.

Local reporters noted a heavy police presence inside and outside the court house, and even Homeland Security was present.

Outside the court house, hundreds of supporters of Davis, along with preachers, braved the 90 degree heat and could be heard loudly chanting, nonstop, “God is great!” 

They also paraded about many anti-gay signs and called marriage equality supporters ugly names, like “homo terrorist,” and accusing same-sex marriage supporters of being “rapists.” Some brought bullhorns and used them to preach, “homo love is hate,” and “repent!”

Overhead, a plane trailing a sign of support for Davis could be seen:

Meanwhile, a smaller group of same-sex marriage supporters could be heard chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Kim Davis has got to go!,” “No hate!,” and “Do your job!,” a sentiment the majority of the nation seems to support. 

UPDATE I: 1:15 PM EDT —
Judge Bunning reportedly said fines would be insufficient to motivate Davis to take action, as they could be paid by her supporters. He said she is to remain in federal custody until she agrees to issue marriage licenses, or orders her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses, without regard to gender.

The news came at about 1:04 PM, two hours after the hearing began. At that moment, marriage equality supporters could be heard cheering.

UPDATE II: 1:24 PM EDT —

Will Davis’ deputies join her in jail? 

UPDATE III: 1:35 PM EDT —

Via the AP:
“The judge gave the deputy clerks time to go meet with public defenders and said the hearing will resume at 1:45 p.m.”

FINAL UPDATES —

BREAKING: Five Rowan County Deputies Tell Judge They Will Issue Marriage Licenses

BREAKING: Marriage Licenses To Be Issued In Rowan County Kentucky Tomorrow

‘Criminalization Of Christianity’: Religious Right Goes Ballistic Over Jailing Of Kim Davis

The Kim Davis Case Is About Disobeying The Rule Of Law, Not About Religious Liberty

 

This is a breaking news and developing story and has been updated.
 

Image by Mark Barber via Twitter

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RIGHT WING HACKS

Trump Pick for Treasury Spox Spread ‘Secret Muslim’ Conspiracy Theories as an Obama-Bashing Blogger

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President Donald Trump‘s pick to become the next spokesperson for the Treasury Dept. is his former pick to become a National Security Council deputy national security advisor.

Monica Crowley, who at one point was also a Fox News contributor, withdrew her nomination for the NSC position after it was revealed she had plagiarized portions of her 2012 book and her 2000 dissertation.

Crowley, a political pundit turned lobbyist advocating for a Ukrainian tycoon, is now facing yet another crisis.

She “repeatedly spread conspiracy theories that suggested then-President Barack Obama was secretly a Muslim who was sympathetic to America’s enemies,” CNN reports, adding she “made multiple comments spreading these false claims on her personal blog and in at least one tweet between 2009 and 2015, according to a review by CNN’s KFile team.”

In one August, 2010 blog post – two years in to his tenure as president – Crowley wrote of Obama, “The question is: can he be both loyal to Islam and loyal to the United States?”

The audacity of her words is startling.

“Over the weekend, President Obama made it clear that he supported the proposal to build an Islamic mosque and ‘community center’ within a stone’s throw of Ground Zero,” she wrote of a hot-button issue among anti-Islam extremists at the time. “He made his remarks at a Ramadan dinner at the White House, where he was surrounded by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, whose mission it is to infiltrate, undermine, and ultimately destroy the American republic.”

“As a citizen and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right…to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan,” he said.

Holy Allah broke loose after those words passed his lips. How could the commander-in-chief, whose sole job it is to protect us, support the mission of these mosque-building Islamists, whose sole job it is to destroy us from within? How could he be so callous? Short-sighted? Insensitive? Ignorant?

How could he….support the enemy?

To be clear, Muslims have the same right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, and the commander-in-chief’s sole job is to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” something conservatives are loathe to remember.

Crowley, who once stated her goal was to become a U.S. Senator for New York, continued her anti-Islam Obama bashing.

“Obama was born to a Muslim father, which under Islam automatically made him a Muslim. He says he converted to Christianity as an adult, which under Islam makes him an apostate. He grew up in Indonesia, which is the most populous Muslim nation on earth. His stepfather was also a Muslim. He was steeped in Islam thoughout his formative years, so it should come as no surprise that he has loyalties to Islam. During the 2008 campaign, he even slipped and claimed that the United States has “57” states, instead of 50. The number of Muslim states in the Organization of the Islamic Conference is 57.”

57 is also the number on bottles of Heinz ketchup but that says nothing about the now-former president’s burger-and-fries proclivities.

CNN goes on to report that Crowley also “Called birther conspiracy theories legitimate,” and “Said Obama was on the side of terrorists.”

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COMMENTARY

Franklin Graham: ‘Believing the Word of God Doesn’t Mean That You’re Homophobic’

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Homophobic Franklin Graham has made being anti-LGBTQ a large part of his work, and he’s back to attacking the LGBTQ community because it’s a day that ends in “y.” His latest assault is of course one that ignores the teachings of his savior Jesus Christ and tries to pit Christians against LGBTQ people rather than trying to unite people by preaching the actual meaning of Christ, which Christians say is love.

Graham’s atrocious message: “believing the Word of God doesn’t mean that you’re homophobic. It means you’re truthful.”

He neglects to say which word of God, and I’m not an expert but I’ll bet all theologians would say references to homosexuality are a tiny, tiny portion of the Old Testament (some say there are just seven) and are reportedly absent – except for one – in the New Testament.

Graham could have chosen any story in the news of the day to use as an opportunity to advocate for his faith. Instead, he turned to a Fox News article to drum up a two-year old event, then tried to use it to attack LGBTQ people.

“Ashlyn Harris of the U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team was recently in the news for accusing former teammate Jaelene Hinkle of homophobia,” Graham wrote on Facebook Wednesday, as Joe.My.God. noted.

Related: Franklin Graham Goes on Anti-Gay Rant, Says ‘Gay Pride Flag Is Offensive to Christians,’ Gets Totally Destroyed

“Why? Because Jaelene took a stand for her faith. In 2017, Jaelene refused to play two matches for the U.S. Women’s National Team, reportedly because she wouldn’t wear the team’s gay pride-themed jersey. Jaelene has said, ‘This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will.’ She’s right—and standing with that truth takes courage. Ashlyn Harris needs to understand that believing the Word of God doesn’t mean that you’re homophobic. It means you’re truthful. Jaelene chose her faith above fame, above soccer, and above her peers. Let’s encourage Jaelene in the comments below.” he wrote.

Graham, at the end of that post, is apparently using his faith and Jesus Christ to try to drum up his Facebook engagement numbers, but, whatever.

Graham could have tried this experiment instead, but he never will. He could have asked: “What passages in the Bible could Jaelene have used to support her teammate?”

How about these for answers?

“Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:37-39

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31

And especially:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” – Colossians 3:12

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FRANKLIN GRAHAM CALLS ON CHRISTIANS TO JOIN DAY OF PRAYER TO HELP TRUMP DEFEAT ‘ENEMIES’ TRYING ‘TO DESTROY HIM’

IN INSANE DIATRIBE FRANKLIN GRAHAM CALLS EQUALITY ACT ‘CATASTROPHIC’ AND WARNS IF PASSED US ‘MAY NEVER RECOVER’

‘GLORIOUSLY IRRELEVANT’: FRANKLIN GRAHAM’S ‘FRINGE’ VIEWS ON GAYS ARE ‘MORAL MANURE’ TO EVEN HIS HOMETOWN PAPER

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SELECTIVE 'RULE OF LAW'

Attorney General Bill Barr Orders Executions of 5 Death Row Inmates After Two Decades of Unofficial Halt

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Attorney General Bill Barr has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to resume executing federal death row inmates, starting with five who will now be put to death starting in December.

The federal government has had an informal moratorium, an unofficial pause, on federal executions, given concerns over the methods used, The Washington Post reports. The last federal execution took place in 2003.

“The Justice Department upholds the rule of law — and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system,” Barr said in a statement.

A 2014 study found one in 25 people sentenced to death are innocent.

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.

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