I’ve already blogged about Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses because she’s afraid it would somehow entangle her in people’s gay marriages, which she (erroneously) says her Jesus forbid. A legal case followed from her refusal to obey court orders given her. Today, as Reuters reports, she was held in contempt and jailed for her childish defiance (WebCite cached article):
A county clerk in Kentucky who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds was held in contempt of court by a U.S. federal judge on Thursday and sent to jail.
Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, 49, was led away by U.S. marshals who confirmed she was under arrest.
Davis’s assistants are now the judge’s targets:
Davis’ deputies still face their own reckoning as [District Court Judge David] Bunning assigned each of them attorneys and said their fate would be determined at a hearing later on Thursday. He warned they could face fines or jail.
We’ll see whether or not they comply with Bunning’s orders to give marriage licenses. I suspect Davis’s attorney, the dour and angry Christofascist Mat Staver, will try to prevent them from doing so, if any are willing, on the grounds that Davis herself never gave them any authority to do so.
And with that, Dear Reader, the Religious Right has a new martyr! Ms Davis will sit in prison, looking as wan and pathetic as she can, while her attorney and other champions run around telling everyone she’s being “persecuted for Jesus.” It’s not clear what will happen if this drags on. It’s possible she might be removed from her job, but the only mechanism for that — which I’m aware of — is for the Kentucky legislature to impeach her … but since that’s dominated by other Religious Rightists, odds are that won’t happen.
Of course, that’s the real solution here: For Davis to resign from a job whose duties she no longer wants to perform. But she won’t do that, because … let’s face it, folks! … this whole case is all about her! She set herself up to become a martyr for her Jesus and she plans to cash in on that. Imagine what will happen once this case is over — however it gets resolved. Ms Davis will at the very least go on the evangelical Christian lecture circuit and publish a memoir of her supposed persecution. She’ll make a fortune just on those two moves. She could also establish a ministry, likely an anti-gay one, and that also will gin up a pretty solid income. She might also land a gig as a radio or television host, which will be all the more lucrative. A run for public office is also very possible, if not likely. Her friend Mat Staver and his organization will also profit from this, in the form of massive donations which I’m sure he’s been reeling in for the last few weeks over this.
In short … as of today, this woman is set for life. And her friend Mat Staver and his outfit are, too. Her time in jail — and his legal work on her behalf — will end up being small investments with a colossal return.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.