Dent County, Missouri Will Lower Flags to Half-Mast to Mourn Gay Marriage "Abomination"

[Contrary1]

No folks, not The Onion. All Repubs...who woulda thunk?

"The County Commission of Dent County, Missouri, voted unanimously today to lower flags on two county buildings to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 decision legalizing gay marriage -- or, as the county's presiding commissioner puts it, "the U.S. high court's stamp of approval of what God speaks of as an abomination."

Those flags, on the Dent County Courthouse and Judicial Building, will be lowered below half-mast on the 26th of each month until June 2016, so that "all who see these flags at this lowered position be reminded of this despicable Supreme Court travesty," per a letter written by Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles and first reported in the Salem News Online.

The vote was confirmed to Riverfront Times by the Dent County Clerk.

Dent County is roughly a two-hour drive southwest of St. Louis, just past Rolla. With a population of approximately 15,000, the county is the self-described "Feeder Pig and Calf Capitol of Missouri."
The trio who voted for the year of mourning -- commissioners Skiles, Dennis Purcell and Gary Larson -- are all Republicans..."

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2015/07/dent_county_missouri_gay_marriage.php

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Awww..they haz a sad! I can only think of one response...

Love won!

[SamKnause]

2. Hateful idiots.

[Egnever]

3. Have been contemplating moving to springfeild

This does not bode well.

[TlalocW]

6. Really?

Home of Baptist Bible College - alma mater of Jerry Falwell?

A friend of mine went there. I visited him. It was weird.

TlalocW

[Egnever]

9. Yea we have just been looking

Real estate there is very reasonable and the job market for what we do is there as well. It is exactly things like Jerry that have been holding us back.

Financially the move looks really good for us socially not so much.

[TlalocW]

10. It's kind of a weird place

I don't know much about Springfield. I hung out at BBC when my friend went there in his early-to-mid 20s. He's pretty religious but not in your face about it. When preparing to go there, he looked at the various things students had to agree to and then went to our hometown doctor (the only Jewish guy in a small Kansas farming community) to write him something that says that he had sensitive skin so he wouldn't have to shave his facial hair. The doctor replied, "So you want me, a Jew, to lie to Baptists for you? *pause* Okay."

He also had to sign agreements that he wouldn't listen to certain music (wasn't going to happen, plus he built himself a recording booth in his campus apartment) and wouldn't go to the movies (also not going to happen - he loves movies). The women on campus have to wear modest dresses, and the men ties. I was an anomaly because I was walking around in sneakers and a Superman t-shirt while I accompanied him to classes.

I learned something interesting - at nearby Silver Dollar City, three is a slow boat ride through a shooting gallery (light guns are in the boat). SDC is one of the few things they can go to, and they do incessantly, and if you ask just about any of the student body, they can tell you their high score on it. We skipped his last class on Friday to go there.

TlalocW

[Egnever]

13. How long ago was that?

If you don't mind me asking.

[TlalocW]

14. Well, now I'm feeling old...

About 20 years. So maybe I'm talking out my ass.

TlalocW

[Egnever]

15. Thanks :)

I am sure I could have made that same trip around the same time. The poster below didn't paint a much better picture sadly.

[Contrary1]

8. Most of my in-laws live there...

My husband returned from a visit a couple weeks ago. He said that most of the dinner conversations were either about Gay Marriage, or the damage Obama has done.

It is my experience (with his family), that they pretty much believe anything that is spoon fed to them. They don't ask questions, they just believe it.

I have seen this over and over with them for the last 40+ years, from religion to politics, to not questioning cancer treatment, to Walmart being the best thing ever, to Fox News.

Hell, when my sister-in-law was diagnosed with COPD, she didn't ask her doctor what that meant, even though she didn't know. Five years later, I think she still has no idea. She does know, however; that she needs to lug oxygen around with her.

Their unawareness (and willingness to remain that way), still astounds me after all these years.

Stay away...there are a few places worse than Indiana in this country. Missouri is one of them.

[Egnever]

12. Yea that is what I am afraid of.

We aren't really social people but we do have kids and it is for them I worry about the impacts of living there.

[shenmue]

4. Pfffft

[Solly Mack]

5. So, for a few hours a day, once a month, they're going to throw a pity party.

How is that different from any other day?

[Aristus]

7. Cry me a river, douchebags...

[gkagejr]

11. My stomping grounds

I live in Crawford County which borders Dent County and I am not surprised to hear about this. I am also the former chairman of Missouri's 16th Senatorial District which contained Dent County so I'm very familiar with the area. In 2010 I ran for County Clerk on the Democratic ticket in Crawford County and was beaten 3 to 1.

The most frustrating part of all this is that it proves that bigotry and discrimination are alive and well in Missouri. In 2009 I testified at a Missouri Senate Hearing in favor of the Missouri Non Discrimination Act (MONA) which would make it illegal for employers to fire or discriminate in against anyone in the LGBT Community. I don't know what the future holds but one thing I do know is that someday, maybe Missouri will enter the 21st Century.

Springfield Missouri is a very nice city/town and there are quite a few active liberals and progressives in the area. If you do decide to move there message me and I will help you get in touch with them.