Check out this politician’s astoundingly stupid attempt to undermine gay marriage · PinkNews

According to a bill by State Representative Joseph M Fischer, a Republican, the definition of “matrimony” should be changed to exclude gay and lesbian couples.

A bill introduced by Fischer, which is 454 pages long, would reverse the “absolute Tyranny” created when the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of equal marriage last year.

It says: “We have full power to define marriage and to establish a new institution of matrimony in this Commonwealth.”

Put simply the bill would seek to redefine “matrimony”, as a pairing of two people of the opposite sex.

It reads: “As used and recognized in the law of the Commonwealth, ‘matrimony’ refers only to the civil status, condition, or relation of one male human being (‘husband’) and one female human being (‘wife’) united in law for life, for the discharge to each other and the community of the duties legally incumbent upon those whose association is founded on the distinction of sex.”

In case you were wondering, the bill is 454 pages long simply because, after defining a gay-free “matrimony”, it adds the term to all laws in Kentucky.

Check out this politician’s astoundingly stupid attempt to undermine gay marriage · PinkNews

Ted Cruz: Gay Marriage Will Pull Christian Broadcasters Off The Air | Right Wing Watch

Despite Cruz’s claim, legal analysts and religious groups have said it would be highly unlikely that marriage equality will bring about the end of tax exemptions for religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage.

Secondly, the FCC issue never came up in court, and Verrilli never came close to claiming that the government will go after religious broadcasters or people who speak out against same-sex marriage.

Cruz simply made it up.

This shouldn’t be surprising, as the Texas senator also falsely claimed that the legalization of gay marriage will lead to criminal penalties for pastors who refuse to perform marriage for same-sex couples.

Ted Cruz: Gay Marriage Will Pull Christian Broadcasters Off The Air | Right Wing Watch

ADDENDUM::Kim Davis opposes Kentucky’s separate but equal marriage license bill.

The Republican-dominated Kentucky Senate recently voted overwhelmingly to create a separate-but-equal marriage license system in the state: Opposite-sex couples may continue to call themselves bride and groom on the license, while same-sex couples can use a different form that refers to first party and second party. Republicans claim that the system was designed to “respect traditional marriage”; as John Culhane explained in Slate, the obvious actual purpose is to “disparage same-sex couples by bundling them into an android space.” (One clue as to the bill’s true intention: Republicans rejected an amendment that would create one form for everyone and allow couples to choose among the terms husband, wife, and spouse.)

Everyone is calling the Kentucky measure the “Kim Davis bill,” after the infamous Rowan County clerk who denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples last summer. But as Kentucky Sen. Morgan McGarvey—who proposed the amendment calling for a single form—wrote on Facebook, Davis actually opposes the separate-but-equal system. Instead, she supported McGarvey’s alternative, agreeing with his proposition that “one form is easier to handle, less expensive and puts everyone on equal footing”:

Kim Davis opposes Kentucky’s separate but equal marriage license bill.

Alabama Supreme Court sued for not being anti-gay quickly enough – LGBTQ Nation

The Alabama Supreme Court, including the notoriously homophobic Chief Justice Roy Moore, are being sued by a group of rightwing organizations for not ruling on a same-sex marriage case quickly enough. The groups have filed a formal complaint with state Judicial Inquiry Commission.

Marriage equality court cases have pingponged through the Alabama justice system following a federal court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. After U.S. District Judge Callie Granada’s ruling, Moore issued an administrative order to probate judges to ignore the federal court ruling and to abide by state laws.

After the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality, the Alabama Supreme Court asked the parties to submit arguments on the “effect of the Supreme Court’s decision on this court’s existing orders in this case.” After a flurry of motions and orders have followed; including another order from Moore falsely claiming that the Supreme Court’s ruling was invalid in Alabama.

Alabama Supreme Court sued for not being anti-gay quickly enough – LGBTQ Nation

Mississippi bill: OK to refuse services, licenses related to same-sex marriages – LGBTQ Nation

State officials, private business owners and others who provide services to the public couldn’t be punished for acting on religious beliefs that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, under a bill advancing in the Mississippi Legislature.

Representatives on Friday voted 80-39 to pass House Bill 1523, which also specifies people couldn’t be punished for acting on beliefs that only married couples should have sexual relations and that a person’s gender identity is set at birth.

The bill was held for the possibility of more debate before it goes to the Senate.

Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, an attorney and Baptist minister, said the bill wouldn’t undo last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide but would balance that decision with people’s First Amendment right to act on their own beliefs.

Mississippi bill: OK to refuse services, licenses related to same-sex marriages – LGBTQ Nation

The Walmart Case That Could Expand Gay Rights at Work - Bloomberg Business

While some may see this as a case of gold-digging, the reality of it is it is not and has important implications.  The main premise, discrimination based on sexual orientation is discrimination based on gender.  Under Title VII, the EEOC has determined the reason for treating people differently is gender; it is based on the sex of the spouse.

As the article also notes it Walmart's "public persona" at risk as well, "If the company continues defending its old policy, that could carry significant reputational risks. Walmart boasts a 90 percent rating on the Corporate Equality Index compiled by the LGBT nonprofit Human Rights Campaign and last year drew friendly media attention for joining LGBT activists in opposing a religious liberty bill in its home state of Arkansas that would have shielded businesses that discriminated against LGBT customers. Walmart didn’t move to dismiss the Cote case after it was filed in July; efforts to settle the dispute through the EEOC before Cote sued were unsuccessful."

Is anti-gay discrimination a form of sex discrimination? Walmart Stores, the biggest private employer in the U.S., is the target of a lawsuit that might soon provide an answer to that question.

Walmart didn’t extend spousal health benefits to employees in same-sex marriages until January 2014, even in states where same-sex marriage was legal. Before then, when workers such as Jackie Cote applied for coverage for their same-sex spouses, Walmart rejected their requests, as it has maintained it had the right to do. While the Supreme Court last year ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn’t mention sexual orientation.

The act does provide protection on the basis of sex, and that’s a premise of the lawsuit Cote filed last summer on behalf of herself and a class of plaintiffs that lawyers now estimate to be 1,200 current and former Walmart employees. Cote, who has worked at Walmart since 1999, married Diana Smithson in Massachusetts in 2004. In 2012, Smithson, a breast cancer survivor, was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Within two years, without Walmart insurance to cover Smithson’s treatment, the couple racked up more than $150,000 in medical bills. “I thought that they would really have no choice because I was legally married in the state of Massachusetts,” Cote says.

Seeking compensation for the benefits that were denied and out-of-pocket medical expenses, the suit alleges that Walmart’s stance was unlawful because it’s a form of sex discrimination. “The sex of her spouse is the reason for treating people differently—isn’t that discrimination based on sex?” asks attorney Gary Buseck, legal director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, one of the advocacy groups representing Cote.

The case, among a recent wave of lawsuits over the past several years to grapple with this question, is headed to mediation on Feb. 22; if a settlement isn’t reached, it’s scheduled for trial in federal court in Massachusetts in November. Legal experts, civil rights advocates specializing in anti-gay and gender-identity bias, and employment lawyers who defend large companies say whatever the outcome, the case against Walmart could help set a precedent by expanding the definition of sex discrimination. That might lead other employers to reconsider the risks of discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. The argument that sexual-orientation discrimination is a form of sex discrimination can apply to other types of workplace bias as well, such as employees alleging they were fired or denied promotions for being gay.

The Walmart Case That Could Expand Gay Rights at Work - Bloomberg Business

Kentucky senate approves separate marriage licenses for gay couples – LGBTQ Nation

Kentucky‘s state Senate approved a bill Thursday that creates different marriage license forms for gay and straight couples, with one Republican senator saying any form that does not include the words “bride” and “groom” is disrespectful to traditional families.

The primary purpose of the legislation was to remove the names of county clerks from marriage licenses, a response to the controversy surrounding Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

But the Republican controlled Senate amended the bill as a way to show their support for traditional marriage. Former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear changed the marriage license form last summer once same-sex marriages became legal, removing “bride” and “groom” and replacing it with “first party” and “second party.”
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Republican Sen. Stephen West, the sponsor of the bill and whose district includes Rowan County, said gay couples could choose to use the “bride” and “groom” form if they wished.

Kentucky senate approves separate marriage licenses for gay couples – LGBTQ Nation

Meet The New Kim Davis: Anti-Gay Texas Clerk Still Won't Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses - The New Civil Rights Movement

Back in July, Irion County, Texas Clerk Molly Criner publicly declared that her office wouldn't issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

In an interview with The Christian Reporter News, Criner compared her plight to clerks in Nazi Germany who were asked to collect information about Jews but refused to do so.

Citing her belief that children are better off with a mother and father, Criner said she prayed about the issue extensively, becoming physically ill and not sleeping for four days. She considered resigning, but after reading the majority and dissenting opinions in Obergefell, she concluded that the court had overstepped its bounds — even though she acknowledged she's not a constitutional scholar.

Meet The New Kim Davis: Anti-Gay Texas Clerk Still Won't Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses - The New Civil Rights Movement

Cruz: 'Disastrous' Marriage Equality Ruling Led To 'Persecution' That's 'Unprecedented' | Right Wing Watch

Cruz told Mefferd that “we are seeing an assault on religious liberty from Washington that is unprecedented,” citing a number of his favorite cases of people supposedly being persecuted by running afoul of state or local nondiscrimination policies, almost none of which have stemmed from the federal government.

Claiming that “these threats are growing and growing,” Cruz said that “much of this persecution is the fruit of the Supreme Court’s disastrous gay marriage ruling last year” — never mind that every single one of the incidents he referenced happened before the ruling and were in no way connected to it.

Cruz declared that it was “very sad” that some of his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination called the Obergefell ruling “settled law,” which is, he said, why anti-gay leaders have flocked to endorse him.

“I believe that decision was fundamentally illegitimate, it was lawless, it was unconstitutional and it will not stand,” he said. “And I would note, that is precisely why Dr. James Dobson has endorsed me in this campaign, it is why Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council has endorsed me in this campaign, it’s why the National Organization on Marriage [sic] has endorsed me on this campaign and has said it cannot support Donald Trump or Marco Rubio because if we’re not willing to defend marriage, we are giving up the foundational building blocks of the family, we’re giving up the Judeo-Christian values that built this great nation.”

Cruz: 'Disastrous' Marriage Equality Ruling Led To 'Persecution' That's 'Unprecedented' | Right Wing Watch

UPDATED::Critics: Utah bill favoring heterosexual parents in adoptions is ‘unconstitutional’ – LGBTQ Nation

UPDATE::   Utah lawmakers postpone vote on bill to allow adoption by gay couples

This sounds like Huckabee's failed Dred Scott argument,

Brent Platt, the director of Utah‘s child welfare agency, said the department supported the bill because it would make the state’s adoption and foster care law conform to with federal law.

The committee’s chairman, Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, interrupted to point out that same-sex marriage is legal by case law, which means it is legal by court ruling as opposed to a law passed by Congress.

“I’m talking about the Supreme Court decision,” Platt responded.

“One decision,” Christensen said. “I’m trying to be clear.”

_

Legislation that would require Utah judges to favor heterosexual couples over same-sex couples in adoptions or foster care placements is blatantly unconstitutional and won’t hold up in court, according to gay rights advocates.

Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, said Friday that last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage doesn’t stop Utah from keeping a preference in state law that a child have a married mother and father.

Powell said his bill would not apply to private adoptions and would only involve children in state custody.

In those cases, he said a judge would “follow what’s been traditional and proven in society, that there’s a father and a mother and that gender diversity will be a broadening experience for the child.”

Powell said a same-sex couple would be given preference in an adoption or foster placement if they had a relationship with the child, such as being family members or neighbors.
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Equality Utah Executive Director Troy Williams said Powell’s proposal is clearly unconstitutional.

“Gay parents have equal protection now under the law,” he said. “Any effort by Rep. Powell to roll back the rights and liberties of LGBT Utahns will be met with fierce resistance from our community.”
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The Supreme Court ruling did not explicitly address the issue that Powell is raising but did declare that same-sex couples have a right to marriage and all the rights and benefits enjoyed by married heterosexual couples, said Douglas NeJaime, faculty director of the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Critics: Utah bill favoring heterosexual parents in adoptions is ‘unconstitutional’ – LGBTQ Nation

ADDENDUM::Kim Davis is obeying her orders, and issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples – LGBTQ Nation

 Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has obeyed orders to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the months since she spent five nights in jail for refusing to do so, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

United States District Judge David Bunning denied the American Civil Liberties Union’s request to order Davis to reissue licenses she had altered to remove her name and title or face the possibility of further punishment. He found that Davis has allowed her deputies to issue licenses to anyone eligible since September and that the altered licenses are likely valid under Kentucky law.
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On Tuesday, Bunning found that Davis has been complying with his order and that “there is every reason to believe that any altered licenses … would be recognized under Kentucky law,” rendering the ACLU’s request “moot.”

Kim Davis is obeying her orders, and issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples – LGBTQ Nation

NC lawmakers, magistrate want to defend gay marriage exemption – LGBTQ Nation

Trying to digest this narrative.  But it comes down to one thing - money, "The request marks the latest incidence in which the Republican-led General Assembly has hired private attorneys to defend legislation, spending several million dollars."   And of course, my usual cash-cow, Alliance Defending Freedom,is in the midst of things.

Two North Carolina lawmakers and a magistrate have asked a federal court to let them defend a religious exemption law involving civil marriages challenged as discriminatory against gays.

They largely blame their request on Attorney General Roy Cooper, who is personally opposed to the law but whose office represents the state in the litigation.

Senate leader Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore and Alexander County Magistrate Brenda Bumgarner filed motions this week to intervene in the lawsuit as additional defendants, represented by private attorneys. They contend that Cooper cannot adequately defend a law that he is known to personally oppose.

NC lawmakers, magistrate want to defend gay marriage exemption – LGBTQ Nation

Judge’s order strikes down Nebraska ban on gay marriage – LGBTQ Nation

A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction striking down Nebraska‘s now-negated ban on gay marriage and civil unions.

The injunction issued Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon was largely a formality, as a Supreme Court ruling in late June legalized gay marriage across the county.

Bataillon’s injunction orders state officials to treat same-sex couples the same as different-sex couples in everything from processing marriage certificates to issuing birth certificates.

Judge’s order strikes down Nebraska ban on gay marriage – LGBTQ Nation

GOP Frontrunner Donald Trump Vows to Undo Nationwide Marriage Equality | Human Rights Campaign

"It has been ruled upon. It has been there. If I’m elected I would be very strong in putting certain judges on the bench that maybe could change things, but they have a long way to go," he said on Fox News Sunday. "I disagree with the court in that it should have been a states' rights issue."
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But Trump isn’t the only GOP Presidential candidate to attack loving, committed same-sex couples. Marco Rubio has similarly vowed to try and overturn last June's decision. And eight candidates -- Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee -- have pledged their support for the discriminatory First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) -- or similar legislation -- to open up broad loopholes and put LGBT Americans at risk for discrimination in their daily lives. 

GOP Frontrunner Donald Trump Vows to Undo Nationwide Marriage Equality | Human Rights Campaign

Gay marriage opposition kills IRS tax conformity bill – LGBTQ Nation

Idaho lawmakers have sent a tax conformity bill back to the drawing board because it would have removed an unenforceable rule banning joint returns from same-sex couples.

Members of the Idaho House of Representatives voted 54-15 Thursday to send the bill back to committee. The legislation is brought annually to make the state’s tax code conform with changes to federal tax code. This year’s version sought to remove a requirement for same-sex couples to file separate state tax returns. That requirement is now void because the U.S. Supreme Court rules last year that states can’t enforce gay marriage bans.

Gay marriage opposition kills IRS tax conformity bill – LGBTQ Nation

ADDENDUM::Hawkins County approves antigay marriage resolution – LGBTQ Nation

Despite last week’s defeat of a proposed state bill that sought to defy the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, two Tennessee counties have attempted to vote on resolutions against the ruling.

A Hawkins County resolution against the ruling was approved 13-3 on Monday with three abstentions, the Kingsport Times-News reported.

It is unclear what effect the resolution will have, though, since the Tennessee House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 4-1 on Jan. 20 against the Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act sponsored by Republican Rep. Mark Pody of Lebanon. Pody argued that the ruling should not supersede an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
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The Washington County Commission was also due to vote on a similar resolution Monday, but the commission canceled its entire meeting because of overcrowding inside a packed 200-seat courtroom, the Johnson City Press (http://bit.ly/1SJtfnJ ) reported.

The vote was postponed so a larger venue could be found to host the public meeting.

Hawkins County approves antigay marriage resolution – LGBTQ Nation

This former ‘exgay’ leader realized she was doing more harm than good. She’s now officiating same-sex weddings. – LGBTQ Nation

For years, Wendy Gritter led the ex-gay ministry New Direction (an affiliate of Exodus International), and her mission in life was to “cure” gay people.

She eventually put the pieces together and came to realize she was doing more harm than good, publicly apologizing for the harm she’s done.

And now, she’s clearly working to right her wrongs.




This former ‘exgay’ leader realized she was doing more harm than good. She’s now officiating same-sex weddings. – LGBTQ Nation

PS::  Like Matthew Vines, who I applaud his efforts, I will give kudos where they are due.  BUT,,, I am an anti-theist and I am against any form of institutional religious indoctrination.  I struggle with this aspect being that one can assign any interpretation to the Bile one wants - pro or anti.  While I applaud both their efforts, I have reservation.

January 23, 2016::End of the day round-up (pg 2)

Mike Huckabee Throws A Fit While Defending Duggar Family In Iowa

"You’re accusing me of supporting child abuse," the Republican presidential candidate shot back. "I’m gonna take you on on that because that hurts my feelings."

When the woman persisted, Huckabee said, "You have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know that family and I do."

He added: 

"I never supported anything that happened to those daughters. I supported the fact that those daughters were maliciously and savagely abused not just by their brother, but by the news media who exploited them for their own purpose without regard for what it was doing to those young ladies."

Huckabee then accused the woman of abusing "the reputation of a godly family who had been through hell."
"I'm going to ask you to stop talking about them unless you personally know them," Huckabee said, before accusing her of trying to "make a scene."

"We're finished with you... You're done," Huckabee said. "You can either stay and be quiet or we're going to ask you to leave."

 Martin O’Malley Brings Workers’ Chaotic Schedules Into The Presidential Race

Some of them are familiar ground for his fellow Democratic hopefuls, such as calling for paid family leave, equal pay, and reducing the burden of college debt. But he also surfaced some ideas that haven’t gotten much traction in the campaign thus far.

Two of his so-called rights address the chaos many people who work in service jobs like retail experience: erratic schedules and the inability to get full-time positions. Under the banner “The Right To A Predictable Weekly Schedule,” O’Malley promises to “lobby for, pass, and implement the Schedules That Work Act.” That’s a bill that Democrats in Congress introduced to require that employers give at least two weeks notice of schedules and pay workers who are told to be available for an on-call shift but not asked to come in or who get sent home before the end of their scheduled shift.

Scheduling has become a more prominent issue given that at least 10 percent of the country’s workforce is given irregular or on-call shifts, and the share is even larger among retail employees — more than a quarter. “Erratic and constantly changing schedules leave many workers—especially in growing low-wage industries—unable to plan ahead to make ends meet,” O’Malley says.

In response to my query - Why is O'Malley the only candidate broaching this topic* - I received the following.  But here's the thing, I am not completely sold on either Clinton or Sanders, but O'Malley is a complete unknown to me at present.  This election is too important (just taking into consideration possible SCOTUS appointments) to "waste" my vote.

[* I believe the press/media briefly mentioned Sanders interest in this topic as well but for some odd reason it does not stand out in my mind.  Why possibly O'Malley's comments caught my attention.]

So this political ad - Hello Dem’s…. ‘Lookin’ for Fun and Feelin’ Bernie?’ — Not me. Here’s why. - courtesy of Nick Kelly, has me pondering,,, Is a outlier candidate a viable challenge within the Democratic Party? What about on the national stage against the Reich?

David Barton Removes Claim About Chaplains at the University of Virginia in New Edition of The Jefferson Lies

In the new edition of The Jefferson Lies, Barton continues to assert that Jefferson wanted to establish a “transdenominational” school but he leaves out the chaplains story. From the new edition:

4. DID JEFFERSON EXCLUDE RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION FROM THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM?

As already noted, in 1818 Jefferson and the university Visitors publicly released their plan for the new school announcing that it would be transdenominational and making clear that religious instruction would be provided to all students. But Jefferson insisted on additional steps to ensure that religious training would occur at the university.

Barton, David (2015-12-22). The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson (Kindle Locations 1997-2000). WND Books. Kindle Edition.

I am surprised that Barton left this story out because in February 2015, Barton told the same story to Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. He told this story as evidence that he is positively revising errors of academic historians.

Sadly there is not much more that can be said in regards to cases such as these. Like ALL the cases prior, the Giffords lost because they knowing violated the law(s).  Add to that, they , like the Kleins, have become cash cows for the firms representing the Reichs agenda.

New York Wedding Venue Loses Appeal To Refuse Serving Same-Sex Couples 

Liberty Ridge Farm in upstate New York just lost an appeal in its effort to justify discrimination against same-sex couples. An appeals court unanimously affirmed the State Division of Human Rights’ determination that the couple who owned the wedding venue, Robert and Cynthia Gifford, violated the state’s nondiscrimination law when they refused to host a wedding for Melissa and Jennifer McCarthy back in 2012.

Represented by the conservative legal juggernaut the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the Giffords argued that because their farm is private property, they should not be considered a public accommodation. They also argued that they did not actually engage in discrimination based on sexual orientation, and that being compelled to host a same-sex wedding violated their freedoms of religion and speech. The court rejected these claims outright.

Because Liberty Ridge is open to the public as a venue for wedding ceremonies and receptions, its facilities “fall comfortably within the broad definition of ‘place of public accommodation,'” the court wrote. “The fact that the wedding ceremonies occur on private property and pursuant to a written contract does not, as petitioners contend, remove Liberty Ridge’s facilities from the reach of the Human Rights Law; the critical factor is that the facilities are made available to the public at large.”

 

U.S. Supreme Court rules Florida's death penalty system is unconstitutional

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's unique capital sentencing system on Tuesday in a ruling that found the state gives too much power to judges, and not enough to juries, to impose the death penalty.

In an 8-1 opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the majority, said that the state's sentencing procedure is unconstitutional because juries play an advisory role in recommending life or death. State law requires judges to make the final decision, after giving "great weight" to jurors' recommendations.
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In Tuesday's opinion, Sotomayor wrote that the central problem with Florida's law is the lack of authority it allows jurors, who are not required to give a specific factual basis for their recommendation. Judges must consider the jury's vote, but they can act independently, sentencing defendants to life or death regardless of the jury's advisory opinion.

"The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death," wrote Sotomayor. "A jury's mere recommendation is not enough."

The opinion was joined by six justices, with the exception of Justice Stephen Breyer, who wrote a separate concurring opinion, and Justice Samuel Alito, who was the lone voice of dissent.

January 16, 2016::End of the day round-up

Reflections on the Bill Gothard Phenomenom and Scandal…

Why do I compare Gothard and Piper and their movements? The comparison has nothing to do with scandals; it has only to do with the kind of single-minded, overly simplistic, absolutist dedication of core followers. Both were perceived by many developmentally immature evangelical Christians as “the recovery” of true, authentic Christianity that, if adopted by all Christians, would solve all the major problems facing and infiltrating Christian churches from secular culture. The single enemy of both, whether followers know it or not, is the rise of anomie out of the secular and pluralistic cultural revolution of the 1960s. Both offer “the cure” for all that ails church and society. Both have strongly ideological and demogogic features. Both have the tendency to idolize power. Leaders of both failed to recognize the predictable abuses of their teachings by their absolutizing followers.

The core problem with both movements is threefold. First, they tend to take one rather idiocyncratic idea and blow it up into the interpretive key to the whole Bible and Christianity in general; Second, they tend to totalize an ideology developed out of that idea/key as something that cannot be subjected to critical scrutiny without revealing the critic’s spiritual weakness if not outright rebellion against God. A problem with both is that they did and do not regard their signature teachings as proposals for consideration but rather regard them as having the status of divine revelation itself. (How many times have I heard YRRM people call high Calvinism “a transcript of the gospel itself?”) Finally, both tend to elevate a single individual teacher as above question or criticism and both of those teachers are noted for rarely, if ever, saying “But I could be wrong.”

Another judge criticizes Jehovah’s Witnesses’ court tactics

Jenkins didn’t elaborate on the collaboration, but her remarks were not the first time a judge has taken issue with the Watchtower’s tactics in court. In two cases in California, judges issued default judgments to plaintiffs because the Watchtower refused to produce documents and witnesses.
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A Reveal investigation last February found that since 1989, the Watchtower had directed Jehovah’s Witnesses elders to hide child sexual abuse from secular authorities. The Watchtower’s pattern of secrecy subsequently was highlighted during an inquiry by an Australian government commission, which found that the Witnesses had failed to report more than 1,000 suspected child sexual abusers in that country.

New Virginia bill would let clerks deny marriage licenses to gay couples

Republican Sen. Charles Carrico of Galax, whose southwestern district borders Kentucky, said many of his constituents were concerned about what happened to Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk, and asked him to help Virginia officials who are put in the same position.

“I’m just trying to clarify what the options are if they have a right-of-conscience issue,” said Carrico, who said he opposes gay marriage.

Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has already vowed to veto the bill if it passes the GOP-controlled General Assembly.
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Carrico’s bill specifies that clerks and deputy clerks wouldn’t have to issue licenses if they object on “personal, ethical, moral or religious grounds.” It would establish a process to ensure that people whose licenses are denied would be able to get one from the Department of Motor Vehicles, Carrico said.
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The Virginia Court Clerks’ Association hasn’t taken a position on whether clerks should be able to refuse licenses, but doesn’t believe the DMV should have the power to hand out licenses, said Chaz Evans-Haywood, Rockingham County Clerk and the group’s president. If the bill moves forward, the group will push to ensure it specifies that if one clerk declines, another clerk in the county or a deputy clerk would have to issue the license, he said.

“We want to make sure that everyone who comes to the door is taken care of equally,” he said.

Seven days from the "5th Annual International Day of Protest Against Hereditary Religion" which is taking place on January 23, 2016. Here is part 2 of 4 from 2014 to tickle your appetite.

One Of The Largest Coal Companies In The United States Just Filed For Bankruptcy

“U.S. coal consumption is declining dramatically as coal-fired power plants are shutting down. Coal is being displaced by renewables and natural gas, and the Asian markets that all coal companies were looking to as their saviors are moving in the opposite direction,” Ross Macfarlane, senior advisor with Climate Solutions, told ThinkProgress. “[Arch’s bankruptcy filing] wasn’t unexpected, but it’s still very significant in that it shows that the second-largest coal company in the United States is unable to pay its debts and provide any return at all to its shareholders.”

As a company, Arch has seen a fairly rapid decline in the value of its shares following a flurry of domestic acquisitions in 2011. Those acquisitions, which totaled in the millions, were based on the presumption that the coal industry would see rapid overseas growth in the coming years. That overseas growth never materialized, with coal consumption several key nations like China peaking, or appearing to peak, in the past few years. In early 2011, stock in Arch Coal peaked at $260 a share — on Monday, shares in Arch Coal were worth less than a dollar. During that time, Arch Coal executives doubled their pay, despite falling share prices.
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“After carefully evaluating our options, we determined that implementing these agreements through a court-supervised process represents the best way to solidify our financial position and strengthen our balance sheet,” Arch’s chairman and CEO John W. Eaves said in the press statement announcing the Chapter 11 filing. “We are confident that this comprehensive financial restructuring will further enhance Arch’s position as a large-scale, low-cost operator.”

WATCH: Stephen Colbert’s fascinating interview with pyramid-discovering ‘space archaeologist’ Sarah Parcak

Parcak, an associate professor of Anthropology and director of the Laboratory for Global Observation at the University of Alabama, recently was awarded the 2016 $1 million TED Prize for her talk on how she uses satellite imagery to discover below-surface ruins.

South Dakota to pay $242K in gay marriage fees

South Dakota on Friday agreed to pay $242,000 to attorneys for same-sex couples who challenged the state’s ban on gay marriages.

Attorney Josh Newville said the deal was finalized Friday, bringing to a close the lawsuit filed in federal District Court in May 2014.

“I’m glad we don’t have to fight over it anymore,” he said. “I’m certainly relieved and excited that it’s wrapped up.”

Newville sued the state on behalf of six same-sex couples, challenging South Dakota’s ban on gay marriages and its refusal to recognize marriages of same-sex couples who legally wed in other states.

U.S. District Court Judge Karen Schreier ruled in Newville’s favor in January, but put her decision on hold pending appeals. A federal appeals court affirmed Schreier’s ruling in August, allowing attorneys to proceed with their plan to seek legal fees from the state.

South Dakota to pay $242K in gay marriage fees