Kim Davis does believe in divorce

Kentucky’s Rowan County Clerk of Courts, Kim Davis, has made quite a stink about her religious beliefs trumping her obligations to fulfill her duties as a taxpayer-paid elected official. Today she denied a marriage license to two men applying for one, saying she was denying the license under “God’s authority.”

Davis’ version of Christianity allows her to stand in judgement of same-sex couples who want to be legally married. Her “special for me” ruling request from the United States Supreme Court has been denied. Now she, and her deputies, have a court date on Thursday for contempt of court charges.

Interestingly, Davis has a long personal paper trail concerning her own marriages. According to US News and World Report, Davis has been married four times.

If you Google divorce in the Bible, the results at the top of the search are dominated by Christian organizations condemning divorce.

I can’t work out in my mind how Davis’s Jesus doesn’t allow same-sex marriage, but DOES allow divorce for the only people Davis says should marry, heterosexuals.

Adultery must be ok with Davis’ Jesus too. According to news reports, Davis gave birth to twins five months after her first marriage ended in divorce. The first husband wasn’t the father of the babies. The twins’ father is the man Davis married on her third trip to the altar. But the second husband adopted the twins.

That must make for some complicated seating arrangements at family holiday dinners.

I can’t wait to see who shows up where family usually sits behind the defendant in court. Davis’ current husband, Number Four, says he’s a a “redneck hillbilly” who supports the Second Amendment. This cast of characters could make for an interesting piece of “performance art.”

Quit whining!

I can’t even wrap my head around Minnesota’s Republican State Rep Andre Keiffer’s comments on equal pay legislation for women in her state.

Keiffer must be sharing a playbook with Texas GOP leader Beth Cubriel, who thinks women are just so “busy,” and we should learn to be better negotiators.

Ralph Reed is still stuck in the middle of the 20th century too. He thinks we can reduce the demand for food stamps by making divorces harder to obtain for women who have children.

We need more Elizabeth Warrens and Al Frankens in all levels of government.

When courage replaces fear

This New Year’s Eve, for the first time in 30 years, I will not be celebrating with my husband. Instead, I will be celebrating with steadfast girlfriends, some who stepped from fear to courage years ago, and some more recently.

The unexpected is part of our lives. It comes in the form of small things like finding there aren’t any eggs in the frig when you have started mixing the pancakes (from scratch). Or that the job isn’t the right fit. Or the marriage. Or that marriage isn’t an option because you love someone who also has two X chromosomes just like you.

Later today I will join three brilliant women (we will miss you Marie!) for a walk on the beach, dinner, lots of laughter, maybe some tears, and a toast to a New Year where all of us will have crossed from some fear of our own to courage.

I am so lucky.

Rural and Progressive

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