Kern County clerk plans to refuse all marriage ceremonies

[ruggerson]

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9503017

BAKERSFIELD - A county clerk in California's conservative Central Valley says she will stop performing all marriage ceremonies starting June 13 - three days before counties may begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
The Bakersfield Californian reports that Kern County Clerk Ann Barnett said Wednesday she will not have the staff or space to deal with an increase in licenses and ceremonies.

The move came after the clerk received advice from county lawyers that she could not stop performing marriages in a discriminatory fashion.

The Californian reports that Barnett also tried to resign as clerk and only maintain her duties as auditor and recorder. And she asked County Counsel Bernard Barmann to file a brief with the California Supreme Court opposing implementation of its May 15 ruling allowing gay marriage.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. I'm shaking my head

I'm sure she's probably human, just like me and you, but where do these people come from?

If it's her religious belief that's causing her to behave in such a remarkably incoherent fashion, then I say her actions are offending her Saviour, who believed we should love one another.

If she thinks she's above the law, she shouldn't be working for any government.

If she's afraid of people who love each other, she shouldn't have been performing marriages in the first place.

And, if she's not human, she shouldn't be taking a job away from a human who might need one.

[mitchtv]

12. Time to inspect the fruit crates for Bakersfield/ Kern Co

locations Good fruits coming from all over Claif right now. turn dowen Kern towns. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns in Kern to not buy from.

Kern County: Map | Physical, Cultural & Historic Features | ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Kern County Cities, Towns & Census Designated PlacesActis
Aerial Acres
Alameda
Algoso
Annette
Ansel
Armistead
Arvin
Bakersfield
Bannister
Bealville
Bear Valley Springs
Bena
Bissell
Bodfish
Boron
Bowerbank
Brown
Burton Mill
Buttonwillow
Cable
Calico
Caliente
California City
Cameron
Camp Owens
Canebrake
Cantil
Cawelo
Ceneda
Chaffee
Cherokee Strip
China Lake Acres
Cinco
Claraville
Conner
Crome
Delano
Derby Acres
Desert Lake
Di Giorgio
Dustin Acres
Edison
Edmundson Acres
Edwards
Elmo
Famoso
Fellows
Fig Orchard
Five Points
Fleta
Ford City
Frazier Park
Fruitvale
Fuller Acres
Garlock
Glennville
Golden Hills
Goler Heights
Gosford
Grapevine
Greenacres
Greenfield
Gulf
Gypsite
Halfway House
Harpertown
Havilah
Hazelton
Hights Corner
Hollis
Ilmon
Inyokern
Jasmin
Jastro
Johannesburg
Kayandee
Keene
Kern City
Kern Lake
Kernell
Kernville
Keyesville
Kilowatt
Lake Isabella
Lake of the Woods
Lakeview
Lamont
Landco
Lebec
Lerdo
Lokern
Lonsmith
Loraine
Lost Hills
Magunden
Maltha
Manolith
Marcel
Maricopa
McFarland
McKittrick
Meridian
Mettler
Mexican Colony
Midoil
Millersville
Millux
Minter Village
Miracle Hot Springs
Missouri Triangle
Mitchells Corner
Mojave
Monolith
Moreland Mill
Mountain Mesa
Myricks Corner
Neufeld
North Belridge
North Edwards
North Shafter
Oil City
Oil Junction
Oildale
Old Fort Tejon
Old River
Onyx
Palmo
Panama
Patch
Pentland
Pine Mountain Club
Pond
Prospero
Pumpkin Center
Quality
Rancho Seco
Rand
Randsburg
Reward
Ribier
Ricardo
Rich
Ridgecrest
Rio Bravo
Rosamond
Rosedale
Rowen
Saco
Sageland
Saltdale
San Emidio
Sanborn
Searles
Seguro
Semitropic
Shafter
Shirley Meadows
Silt
Slater
Smith Corner
South Lake
South Taft
Spellacy
Spicer City
Squirrel Mountain Valley
Stallion Springs
Stevens
Summit
Taft
Taft Heights
Tehachapi
Thomas Lane
Tupman
Twin Lakes
Twin Oaks
Una
Valley Acres
Venola
Vinland
Wallace Center
Walong
Wasco
Weed Patch
Weldon
Wheeler Ridge
Wible Orchard
Willow Springs
Wofford Heights
Woodford
Woody
Zentner

[Orrex]

2. If a McDonalds employee simply refuses to serve fries, that employee is fired

Ergo...


(edited for some pesky noun-verb agreement...)

[davidinalameda]

3. it's Kern County

no surprise there

[silverojo]

4. I used to live in Bakersfield

There were Republicans, but they were at least Republicans from this planet. This woman sounds more like something that would've crawled out from under a rock in the deep South, or some heavily Mormon town.

[davidinalameda]

5. you'd be surprised

I doubt there is such as thing as a moderate Repugs in this state any longer

every last one of them seems to be to the right of Rush

you saw that that moran McClintock took the repug nomination for the congress district north of Sacramento from a moderate ex repug congress critter

[ruggerson]

6. and they'll all be energized by this frigging amendment

[davidinalameda]

7. the right wingers will be

but I think that Arnold coming out against it gave some repugs an out to vote against it

[LeftyMom]

14. That district's always crazy f'n right wing.

Hell, people up there are still writing LTTE's to the Bee saying that Doolittle's not a bad guy and the liberal media's just picking on him. :eyes:

[ET Awful]

8. I used to live there to . . . there may be some from this planet, but it's the only town I'ver ever

lived where I would regularly find racist propaganda (we're talking real neo-nazi leaflets and newsletters), anti-abortion propaganda, anti-gay propaganda, etc. distributed to every door in my apartment complex.

It's also the only town I've ever lived where while driving from one town to another (Bakersfield to Oildale), there was a swastika painted on an overpass (train bridge if I recall) that stayed there for over 5 years without being painted over by the city.

It's the town that spawned "Prussian Blue" those lovely racist girls.

Don't be to quick to defend Bakersfield unless you've seen the seedy, disgusting side of it.

[ronnykmarshall]

18. I grew up there.

Back in 1984 I was appalled how many gays supported Reagan. This one guy who was a total Reaganite tried to pick up on me one time and I says to hims, I says ..... I don't "do" republicans.

[Zuiderelle]

9. Not having staff or space is a lame excuse. Have a waiting list then.

I hope they fire her. She's going to lose money for the county this way. That should be grounds enough.

[readmoreoften]

10. Yes, I imagine it'll be 100 gays a day lining up in Bakersfield. It's going to tax the system.

For sure.

[MNBrewer]

11. at least the clerk as the integrity to stop all marriages

[Creideiki]

13. Looks like Ann Barnett is taking her ball and going home.

:pout:

[dbackjon]

15. She needs to be fired

If she refuses to do her job, can her bigotted ASS.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. "Will not have the staff or space to deal with an increase in licenses and ceremonies."

That's because Kern County has FAR MORE gay couples than, say, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Riverside (home of Palm Springs) counties. :eyes:

I'm curious to see how Tulare County will handle this; they are far more conservative than Kern.

[mitchtv]

17. Merced Co has joined Kern from what I read in the Desert Sun today

nt