Tenn. County Wants to Charge Homosexuals with "crimes against nature"

[ringmastery]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=519&u=/ap/20040317/ap_on_re_us/county_gay_ban_1&printer=1

DAYTON, Tenn. - The county that was the site of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" over the teaching of evolution is asking lawmakers to amend state law so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature.

The Rhea County commissioners approved the request 8-0 Tuesday.

Commissioner J.C. Fugate, who introduced the measure, also asked the county attorney to find a way to enact an ordinance banning homosexuals from living in the county.

"We need to keep them out of here," Fugate said.

[Bertha Venation]

1. I guess they've never heard of Lawrence v. Texas

in Rhea County. :eyes:

[saigon68]

32. Here's Judge Moore on the subject

Attorney General Bill Pryor, who prosecuted Moore, on Wednesday told the court they should remove the chief justice from office because of his "utterly unrepentant behavior."


http://www.gfn.com/news/story.phtml?sid=14746


Moore, known as much for his rulings against lesbians and gays – in one decision he described homosexuality as a "detestable crime against nature" – argued he was upholding his oath of office and promises to Alabama voters when he refused to move the 5,300-pound granite monument, known locally as Roy's Rock.

The Court of the Judiciary heard six charges that Moore violated the Canons of Judicial Ethics when he ignored the order to move the monument, which was rolled to a storage room in August on instructions from his fellow justices

In February, gay rights organizations in Alabama and Washington called for Moore's resignation after he wrote in a child-custody opinion that homosexuality was an "abhorrent, immoral, detestable...crime against nature." In the case of a custody battle between a father of three children and his lesbian ex-wife, Moore said homosexuals were "presumptively unfit to have custody of minor children under the established laws of this state."

[Occulus]

2. See my thread in GD

"Growing up Gay"

Didn't I mention in there that some people would prefer we just didn't exist? Case in point.

Five years from now, if * is elected, I predict it will go from banning gay marriage to just banning gays. Homosexuality will become a federal offense.

And no, I don't think I'm overreacting, here.

[Gildor Inglorion]

7. I don't think you're overreacting, either...

This country is becoming less and less like the nation I grew up in. It's being recreated in some other image.

[saigon68]

10. some other image

It's scary all right.

These people are like dead corpses rising from the grave and getting elected. Yikes what next ----slavery?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

24. Yes

And it won't be just black people this time around.

[boobooday]

3. And now, taking the witness stand, Mother Nature!

"Yes, I would just like to say that homosexual behavior has no negative effect on nature. But depleted uranium, lead, mercury and Rick Santorum does. Thank you very much."

Thank you, Mother Nature, you may step down.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[reprobate]

16. "Crimes against Nature"? But don't they know.....

Don't they know that homosexual behavior is quite common in the animal kingdom? These "You won't find animals doing that" statements are mouthed by fools with only bible educations.

I guess none of them ever had a male dog, right? If they did, they'd know that horny beast will mount anything that stands still long enough.

Crimes against nature, indeed.

[boobooday]

28. Is it a crime against nature

When my dog humps my cat?

Hmmmm?

Call the Sex Patrol!!

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[jmm]

33. Those animals are all immoral

Help us fight gay animals for Gawwwd!!!

[thinkingwoman]

35. we had a pair of gay dogs

when I was a kid. Neither wanted anything to do with the bitches. They were inseparable.

Mother Nature didn't seem the least bit upset by it.

[SammyWinstonJack]

42. Not just male dogs

I have two female poms who find each other quite attractive during certain periods . :evilgrin:

[David__77]

4. This makes great press for our side!

Of course I can say that from the relative safety of California. But the fact that this reactionary, feudal backwater would support this is almost as fitting as Fred Phelps' "God Hates Fags" that has been so helpful in properly characterizing opposition to homosexuality.

So a TN county says "Gays out!"
Years ago, certain German provinces said "Juden raus!"

There's more than a fleeting ideological similarity. These TN leaders are a sort of confederate-Nazi mafia.

[ze_dscherman]

30. Pink triangle

Although some leading SA people were gay, homosexuals were among the first victims of the Nazis. Eventually, the SA was "purged" of gays (but mostly because of internal fights).

[walkon]

5. Strip Mining

A real crime against nature in Tennessee.

www.socm.org/stripmining.html

[Bertha Venation]

13. Hear, hear!

[theHandpuppet]

6. Great!!!

Let's make sure that's Mary Cheney's first pit stop for her job with the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign! :D

[bbernardini]

8. Even scarier is the Yahoo message board for this article...

Looks like a lot of ignorance, but it's hard to tell for sure, as my workplace blocks me from going any farther than the message subjects. I suggest you all get on there and overwhelm the fools. I'll do the same when I get home from work later this evening.

[Chelzek]

27. pay no attenton to those freaks

the right wing there only posts at yahoo because they are too nutty even for your right wing repub. Example - a person changed the article to a ban on blacks to which one responded "BOTH articles sound great to me"

[madrchsod]

9. must not watch john stewart

last weeks "gay animal" bit..yes strip mining is the real crime.

[Rex]

11. I wish these RW assholes would leave nature alone!

They seem to really have a knack at destroying ANYTHING remotely involved with nature.

[Mountainman]

12. Would that include frankenfood too?

Isn't it a crime against nature to genetically alter food? How about damming rivers so fish can't span? How about spraying a whole area with herbicide?

[BabsSong]

14. I take it that county won't be voting Democratic this November???

Ahhh, the knowledge that stupidity is still alive and well after all these years.

[NashVegas]

17. Do Not Expect Much from TN

Look at today's headline:

http://tennessean.com/government/archives/04/03/48468751.shtml

Legislation banning civil unions advances

A ban on civil unions raced out of a Senate committee yesterday despite protests of one senator that the legislation plows new legal ground and should be reviewed by the state attorney general.

Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, said the legislation is just as discriminatory as old laws that kept whites and blacks from marrying.

...

The legislation says same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships are not legally recognized in Tennessee and that civil unions or domestic partnerships recognized in other cities and states are void and unenforceable here.

Both the House and Senate in this state are controlled by DINOs. Cohen is one of the few with a spine.

[kitkatrose]

49. There is some hope for TN. Don't write us off yet.

We got a dem govenor in and I know that Memphis will go dem. Nashville might. I'm not sure about Chatanooga and you can probably forget about Knoxville.

I'm really happy Cohen reps me; makes me feel better about my home city. :)

[peacebuzzard]

20. It's just one fam damily there anyway....

and yes, to keep your job, if you have one, you are a repuke.( in Dayton) But in TN you have some cities that might pull for the blue.....I am not going to loose hope yet for Tennessee. There could be enough votes for our side and not enough for the other for an upset. We shall see. :*

[Claire Beth]

36. I think there is HOPE in Tennessee...

I live in a fairly conservative area of middle TN and help a friend of mine at his "family owned" hardware store on weekends. MOST people here have NOTHING good to say about Bush, and I know for a fact of some previous Reagan, Daddy Bush, and Shrub supporters who are HIGHLY irritated at Dubya and say they will definitely NOT vote for him this time.
We keep the TV on CNN or MSNBC all the time for the purpose of being able to educate and discuss politics with those who are interested. I can't say positively how the election will go in TN in November, but I can say that there is very slim support for Dubya right now in this area and we are doing EVERYTHING we can to keep it that way and show our support for Kerry!

[donco6]

15. As depressing as it is . . .

. . . I kinda have to laugh at this one. The comics will have a field day with this.

[bluestateguy]

18. It's a Red County

Gore 38.1% 3,722
Bush 60.4% 5,900
Nader 0.8% 74
Other 0.8% 76

[Chelzek]

23. I feel for those 74

that voted for Nader. Must be hell living in the place.

[theHandpuppet]

29. It's actually a very WHITE county...

Should it be surprising that the only hate crime reported in 2002 by the Rhea County Sheriff was categorized as "anti-white"? Considering the county is over 95% white, this is quite remarkable, eh? Yep, good ol' Rhea County sounds like a great place to live -- NOT.

[David__77]

34. Not too red really...

In some counties, it was Bush 5-to-1 or more. Try Provo Utah. But I suppose this was "Gore's home state." These elected officials are nuts.

[skippysmom]

19. Shaking my head

What will they think of next?

[Chovexani]

21. Can we charge Rhea County with something?

How about crimes against sanity?

[KinkyDem]

25. Can we charge them for

the construction costs of a big barbed wire fence to keep their dumb asses there? Hell, pull the electric wirtes and cut off there water and imports from out of county.

That is what they want I'm sure. TO live in a box and never be chalanged and never have to face the idea that they may not be right.

[bobthedrummer]

22. Genetic modification, cloning, and a lot of other things are crimes

against nature imo. Forced drugging, clandestine human experimentation, a lot of things.

[peacebuzzard]

50. It is true! Breast Removal there is elective surgery.....

jus' somthin to do. Somthin' to talk about. I mean, heck, I jus' might get cancer---geez, and with the horrendous pollution levels ignored by the populice, cancer in the area really is prevalent.

[pw]

26. I'm sure Ashcroft will get right on it

And send prosecutors down there to tell people they can't enact laws that conflict with federal standards, the way he did when states passed medical-marijuana laws...

[trapper914]

31. And when the U.S. Federal Court System rules against them...

...the rednecks will accuse the courts of "legislating from the Bench."

If the Governor doesn't address this, I hope some of the more gay-friendly corporations will re-consider doing business with the state of Tennessee. This is beyond the pale.

[snippy]

37. How very republican.

[colonel odis]

38. rhea county is a festering sh*thole in the middle of nowhere.

not that the body's action isn't reprehensible. but as a tennessean, i wouldn't take this as the beginning of the end. it's more like your drug-addled cousin at thanksgiving strapping on his tinfoil hat and blabbering about ufos. you just sort of nod, give them a piece of pie, and let them go back to their own bizarre little world.

it's ok to screw goats and cousins. but heaven forbid a man screw a man or a woman screw a woman.

[SammyWinstonJack]

43. LMAO

"it's okay to screw goats and cousins,..." Perhaps those worried about homosexuals being a *crime against nature* should address the goats and cousins issue. :evilgrin:

[0007]

46. "it's okay to screw goats and cousins" - only if they're not ugly

Some sheep herders find true love, I hear!

[RainDog]

39. Deny Tennessee ANY federal funding

if its courts uphold any such bullshit laws.

These red (neck) states make me puke (and I'm from Tennessee, fwiw, and thankfully do not live there anymore) because they bitch and moan about taxes and liberal gubmit while THEY are the ones who GET MONEY from the liberal states.

So I say, if they want to act like a theocracy, then they should not receive ANY money whatsoever from any govt program or anything related to a govt program.

I am ready to take it to the streets with the Bush Tali-born-agains, because they are trying to overthrow our govt little by little, and they will not take my country from me without a fight.

I am a hetero, but this bullshit sort of talk is straight out of the Reconstructionist guidebook of Gary Bauer and Ralph Reed.

[ScottInFlorida]

40. What the heck is a crime against nature?

What the hell is nature anyway?

A crime against an intimate object?

For crying out loud, if you think marrying someone of the same sex is wrong then don't do it, otherwise, shut up about it.

Last I checked homosexuals are still considered human beings.

Regards,

S>

[megatherium]

41. Pollution.

Global warming. Mountaintop-removal coal mining. Oil prospecting in wildlife refuges. Deforestation. That sort of thing.

[0007]

44. Give me a fucking break - HELLO - this is the twenty first century

[bushisanidiot]

45. Backwoods Nazi Repukes..

keep it up, boys. You sure are gooooood advertisement for the republican party's "big tent".

hope this story gains traction. heh..

[cleofus1]

47. I'm not shocked

I'm disappointed that my fellow human beings can act in such a reprehensible manner.

[Solon]

48. Hell if these counties and some states hate freedom so much?

Why not let them leave? Secede dammit, I'm sick of these assholes. We keep the cities, these states are literally sinkholes to the rest of the country anyways.

[kayell]

51. For one thing, because some of us live here

in rwinger land. Do you want to turn over the fates of millions of gays, lesbians, blacks, browns and assorted liberals to the relatively small percentage of people in southern states who are that bigoted?

[ZR2]

52. Can we charge the repukes

with "Crimes against intelligence" ?

[kayell]

53. That shouldn't be too hard to prove! The court will be overwhelmed

with evidence. LOL

:hi: Welcome to DU!

[arwalden]

54. Disgusting! Vile!