If there is anyone left in the world who views the Kim Davis as a simple county clerk standing up to the might of the United States government for the love of God and the U.S. Constitution, this article should dispel those notions.
From Vice News:
Five months before the Supreme Court's landmark decision declaring same-sex marriage legal in all states, Kim Davis, the Rowan County Clerk in Kentucky who was jailed last month for defying a federal judge's order to issue same-sex marriage licenses, wrote to state lawmakers asking them to back legislation that would exempt her and other county clerks from having to grant anyone a marriage license.
Davis sent the letter to legislators about two weeks after she took office. In it, she sought support for "possible" legislation "that would give county clerks the option to exempt themselves" from issuing marriage licenses. She wanted clerks to have the option to not only refuse licenses to same-sex couples, but to refuse them to "all parties, as to not discriminate anyone."...
"I can not ask my deputies to issue or be a party to 'the implementation of a contentious societal philosophy change' (per Florida clerk with same views) if I myself would not," the 49-year-old county clerk wrote to dozens of lawmakers. "I know the deadline is close for presentation of bills on the floor, but in light of the Supreme Court's decision to look at this in April, I feel it imparitive [sic] that we be ready to stand with our uncompromising convictions, holding strong to our morals."
Davis' communications prove that not only was her protest premeditated, she was aware of the possibility that she might have to provide marriage licenses to same-sex couples before she took the job. She spent the months leading up to the marriage equality decision gathering support from lawmakers for her push against Gov. Steven Beshear and her own constituents. When she didn't get what she wanted as quickly as she wanted it, she took the nuclear option of unilaterally denying people marriage licenses. We've all seen the fallout of that.
In addition, Davis asked lawmakers for a clear exemption to deny anyone a marriage license, whether they were part of a same-sex couple or otherwise. This is not a "reasonable accommodation", this is a carte blanche for a civil servant to not do one of the key aspects of her job while still pulling down a hefty salary.
This is not a story of David and Goliath. This is a low-rent House of Cards meets reality TV culture in which political machinations are used to make a nationwide spectacle.