Benton County Blues
One Oregon county has come up with a novel solution to the gay marriage “problem” — nobody can get married there. Read:
In a new twist in the battle over same-sex marriage roiling the United States, a county in Oregon has banned all marriages — gay and heterosexual — until the state decides who can and who cannot wed.
The last marriage licenses were handed out in Benton County at 4 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. EST) Tuesday. As of Wednesday, officials in the county of 79,000 people will begin telling couples applying for licenses to go elsewhere until the gay marriage debate is settled.
“It may seem odd,” Benton County Commissioner Linda Modrell told Reuters in a telephone interview, but “we need to treat everyone in our county equally.”
If Benton County were really smart, they’d also put a moratorium on divorces. The county could then become a haven for rich guys who didn’t get a pre-nup.
(Hat tip to Aaron C. for finding that gem.)
If I was planning on getting married in Benton county, I’d have this idiot in court so fast her pointy little head would be spinning. Getting a marriage license is enough of a hassle, and usually has to be obtained once wedding plans are well under way. This keeps up for more than a few days, and Linda is going to have a line of firebreathing brides-to-be lined up outside of her office. I hope she owns a flak vest.
I don’t really see what the problem is though. A man can still marry a woman of legal age and vice versa. Everybody IS being treated equally. A debate over whether or not to expand marriage to give certain people more legal rights should have nothing to do with the current process.
How about a moratorium on sentencing criminals because their is unequal treatment among felons? How about a moratorium on issuing drivers licences because we restrict drivers to those over 16/18 and don’t equally treat 11 year olds.? How about a moratorium on milk because some are lactose intolerent and receive unequal treatment? How about a moratorium on further public service(?) by these commissioners because of the unequal distrubution of brains?