Have you heard the story of the poor persecuted Christian woman in Kentucky, jailed for believing in God?
I guess that would depend on where you get your news because that seems to be how the lunatic fringe of the Republican Party is taking the arrest of Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, charged with contempt of court for refusing to follow a federal judge’s order that she issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Davis’ take on the matter is that same-sex marriage goes against her religious beliefs and as such she feels she shouldn’t have to issue same-sex marriage licenses. It’s not all that different from pharmacists who want to be able to not disburse birth control for the same reason. Or public grade school teachers who want to teach the alphabet without using the letter R.
Let that sink in. Because, really, it’s exactly like public grade school teachers who want to teach the alphabet while ignoring the letter R. The letter R is very much part of the job. And if their religious beliefs prevent them from doing their job, then they should get a new one.
Imagine, if you will, someone getting a job at an adult video store and then refusing to rent anyone adult videos because it goes against their beliefs. Or a waiter at a restaurant who would gladly bring chicken and beef to the diners but refused to allow his tables to order pork of any kind … for religious reasons. How long do you think those people would be employed? And do you think they’d be made into martyrs? I have a feeling they wouldn’t.
I fear that one of the more deranged of the Republican candidates for president will mention this woman’s name as a running mate. Or at least that someone in their camps will bring it up.
Of course, Davis is famous because we — the media — made her so. And sadly, I’m not helping the matter by discussing it here in my column. But I have a job to do. And I do it. Novel concept.