Mississippi Lawmaker Floats Getting Rid Of Marriage Licenses Altogether

[DonViejo]

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples have a right to marry, some state officials are looking into opting out of issuing marriage licenses entirely.

Republican Mississippi state Rep. Andy Gipson, the chairman of the state house judiciary committee, told the Clarion-Ledger that the state is looking into eliminating state marriage licenses.

"One of the options that other states have looked at is removing the state marriage license requirement," he said. "We will be researching what options there are. I personally can see pros and cons to that. I don't know if it would be better to have no marriage certificate sponsored by the state or not. But it's an option out there to be considered."

Clerks in Mississippi were ordered on Friday not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples until the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals lifts its stay on gay marriage.

Lawmakers in two other states have considered bills that would nix state marriage licenses. Oklahoma legislation would eliminate marriage licenses and instead allow officials to sign off on marriage papers.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/andy-gipson-mississippi-marriage-licenses

[JustAnotherGen]

1. This is so vindictive and short sighted

If Chris Christie by edict removes my marriage license - the raised one with a seal from Trenton -

My entire application for citizenship based on marriage in Italy goes away. I would essentially be trapped by America from inheriting property my husband accumulated prior to marriage and possibly screwed on what we have together - over there - by the American government.

Will the answer be for us to just give up our citizenship so we can be very married?

Are they thinking this through? Nope - they aren't.

They are throwing a massive temper tantrum and behaving like childish spoiled brats just because they didn't get their way.

[Iliyah]

2. UGH

[longship]

3. Rachel covered this last Friday. Her response was simple and concise.

An eye rolling "Good luck with that."

[bulloney]

4. If we can't play by my rules, I'm taking my ball and go home.

Do these cretins really believe the institution of marriage is destroyed? Or are they just so blinded by hate toward a group that's different from them that they lose all rational thought processes?

The conservatives have fought against equal rights against three main groups in the past century or so, and lost - Blacks, women and now, gays.

[gratuitous]

5. That's it: A temper tantrum by a spoiled child

Look for more stamping of little feet, threats to hold their breath until they turn blue, and screaming runs to their room where they'll slam the door. Real hard.

Then you'll be sorry.

[StarlightGold]

6. Fine, they can hold their breath

until the rest of the country turns blue.

[mythology]

9. The only problem is that people can and will suffer while

This incompetence gets sorted out. Hopefully it can be slapped down quickly.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Actually, that is a good idea.

and here is why.

In the SCOTUS ruling, they referred 86 times to "the right" to marry.

A right is a thing that you inherently possess as a consequence of being human.
You have the right to free speech.
You have the right to freedom of religion.
You have the right to keep personal effects, such as papers and property, free from unreasonable search and seizure.
You have the right to personal property which may not be taken from you by the government without compensation at its fair market value.

At the moment any entity requires you to obtain a license you no longer have a right -- you have a privilege.

a right requires no permission from anyone to exercise.

Something to think about.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. You...you...Anarchist..you!

The liberty of man consists solely in this, that he obeys the laws of nature because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been imposed upon him externally by any foreign will whatsoever, human or divine, collective or individual. Mikhail Bakunin

[mythology]

10. But the government does have a responsibility to ensure that the

Benefits of marriage are available. If you take that away there's no protection for guaranteeing your spouse can come visit you in the hospital or you can file joint taxes.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. No need to take benefits of marriage away even if there is no license.

You just register that you are married.
Exactly as is done in some other countries.
"Proving" a marriage does not infringe on a right to be married.

[Yavin4]

11. This is what bigots do.

The response to allowing Blacks to sit any where on the bus was to de-fund public transportation. The response to de-segregating schools was to de-fund public education.

[LuvNewcastle]

12. All this could have been avoided if

our governor hadn't gone on tv and acted like a big fucking baby. He is a fundie, and he once said that all Democrats care about is aborting babies. All he had to do was state his disapproval of the decision and declare that Miss. would follow the law. But no, we have to do things the hard way in this state so politicians can stroke their egos. I wish I could go to Jackson and vomit on him and the rest of those teabillies.

[Solly Mack]

14. If they nix marriage licenses, someone needs to set up shop as "God's House of Wedded Bliss"

and issue genuine and sanctified holy writs of marriage for $1,000 a pop.

They'd get takers.