Justice stands by refusal to give interracial couple license to wed

[47of74]

Source: CNN

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- A justice of the peace in Louisiana who has drawn widespread criticism for refusing to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple says he has no regrets about his decision.

"It's kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven't done wrong," Keith Bardwell told CNN affiliate WFAB on Saturday.

Bardwell, a justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, refused to issue a marriage license to Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond.

McKay said she was beyond shock when Bardwell's wife told her, "We don't do interracial weddings or marriages."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/17/interracial.marriage/index.html

---

Bardwell has his foot jammed in his mouth up past at least his knee by now.

[Xipe Totec]

1. Two things:

1.- Find a different JP and get the license anyway.

2.- Sue the racist bastard.

[NOLALady]

4. They did find another J P. They are married.

They want to put a stop to this kind of mess. It's happened before and the others were too scared or too cowed to do anything.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Okay, one thing left to do...

:hi:

[t0dd]

2. Okay, enough publicity. Just oust him already. nt

[bemildred]

3. Let's hope he doesn't regret losing his job either. nt

[bluestateguy]

6. Why bother trying to force someone to apologize for something that he is not sorry for?

That's something about politics that I just don't get. The obsessive demands people make for apologies when it is clear that won't make the offender actually feel sorry for what they said or did.

Just fire the clown and move on. Who cares if he makes a coerced apology that he won't even mean?

[sam sarrha]

7. but always check and see if you can hurt them real bad with a serious lawsuit first...

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

8. His "heart" (and body) must be removed from office since it belongs to a racist past.

He is unable to serve as "justice of the peace".

[BK101]

9. is he for real?

Where does he come from? Mars?

Must be a publicity stunt as as no one would really do this. I would bet even the repubs are against this guy.

[47of74]

10. Well Bobby "something called volcano monitoring" Jindal did.

[harmonicon]

16. Where does he come from? Louisiana - enough said? (nt)

[CBGLuthier]

18. and so did the victims

So,with one fell swoop you condemn the victims also. Way to go there.

[harmonicon]

21. not condemning - it's just not that surprising

The state full of racists who have shown far worse acts of racism (murder, beatings, etc.) in the very recent past. Sure, the majority, like this couple, are good people, and many - like this couple - obviously don't give a damn what someone's "race" (in quotes, because it's not a scientific term, but a social one) is.

[winyanstaz]

11. The guy needs to be suspended without pay right frikkin now....

and then investigated and then lose his license and then go to jail for denying those people their civil rights.

[tazkcmo]

23. As should those that refuse same sex marriages.

Two consenting adults should be able to wed. Period.

[winyanstaz]

24. absolutely ...

[NOLALady]

12. I don't know how to upload pictures.

Judge is at link.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/17/interracial.marriage/

[Ex Lurker]

13. I'm compelled to point out a factual error that's been repeated over and over

until it is practically etched in stone: Contrary to the headline, JP's don't issue marriage licenses, the clerk of court of the parish (county) does. The couple already had their marriage license. The JP refused to perform the ceremony. This does not detract from his racist assholery, but it is a rather major part of the story for the media to get wrong. The original reporter was lazy, ignorant, or both, and all the other media outlets were lazy, ignorant, or both for not checking facts, which would have been easy to ascertain. It makes me wonder what else they are getting wrong on a daily basis.

[Joe Chi Minh]

15. Is that really germane? To me, it sounds like pedantry. If it were a wedding

of a major federal figure, I expect some women would be interested in that sort of detail, but not at a local level, when at the folk level most of us live at, the ceremony and licence are both viewed as part of a whole.

Wedding ceremonies are mostly about sentiment, not bureaucracy. "Oh, here is a photo of us, at the counter where we were issued our licence..." I don't think so. Heck, when I forgot Valentine's Day, I was in trouble. You are, hereby, absolved from pointing out factual errors until further notice.

[Rapier09]

14. Welcome to America

Because some things just don't change

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

17. The J.P. can't apologize, has no reason to apologize

an apology would cost him "sheet cred", big time, with his local grand wizard.

[Kali]

20. sheet cred

:spray:

[Odin2005]

19. I can't believe this shit is still happening in 2009.

[Kali]

22. try posting something sympathetic to Mexicans crossing the border without papers,

you will see plenty of it right here on the DU