Not content with letting Kim Davis be the only Kentucky county clerk publicly humiliating herself with outdated opinions, Casey Davis (no relation) of Casey County took to the airwaves on "The Tom Roten Morning Show”.
From Right Wing Watch:
"Davis railed against Gov. Steve Beshear for complying with the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling, insisting that the governor should flout the Obergefell decision: 'I think that’s a travesty to think that just because he don’t see it this way or his opinion is to let same-sex marriage go and it’s all right that us as Christians, we as Christians just don’t have rights anymore? That’s wrong sir. That’s not right.'
'It’s a war on Christianity,' he said. 'There is a travesty taking place with that Supreme Court ruling was completely unconstitutional, completely unconstitutional. They have no right to tell us, the state of Kentucky, that our law that was voted with what was 70 percent of the people that it was wrong, they had no right.'
An emotional Davis went on to claim that he may lose his life in defiance of marriage equality: 'Our law says ‘one man and one woman’ and that is what I held my hand up and took an oath to and that is what I expected. If it takes it, I will go to jail over — if it takes my life, I will die for because I believe I owe that to the people that fought so I can have the freedom that I have, I owe that to them today, and you do, we all do. They fought and died so we could have this freedom and I’m going to fight and die for my kids and your kids can keep it.'"
A couple of things:
1) Davis seems well-versed in the "Christian persecution" speaking points, but he's just plain wrong. Since the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision, people have gained rights, not lost them. Christians are no more persecuted against today in America than they were a year ago, a decade ago, or a century ago.
2) Davis states that the Supreme Court has no right to tell Kentucky what to do. Again, wrong. He might want to study up on the Supreme Court's constitutionality.
3) Davis says that he swore an oath to a law that says "one man and one woman". Oh dear, wrong again. The oath for clerks and deputies in the state of Kentucky actually says that these public officials must "faithfully execute the duties of [their] office without favor, affection or partiality". That means that adherents must serve everyone or be in violation of that oath. And yes, everyone includes same-sex couples.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of this rant is the fact that Davis claims that he is willing to die rather than fulfill his oath and do his job. It's an incredible overreaction to what essentially amounts to two men or two women falling in love and wishing to have that love recognized by the state. No one is storming our beaches or threatening the lives of Americans. It's just love finally being honored.
Casey Davis' statements may be pure hyperbole, but they should not be coming from the mouth of a public servant. It's time for him to either shape up or quit.