Judge denies request to halt same-sex marriages in Utah

Bailey Comment: This is the answer to the question about why voter turnout in all elections are so low! Because it doesn't matter if the majority votes against something, the poor little mistreated minority always wins it anyway.

A federal judge on Monday blocked a request by Utah officials to halt same-sex weddings, allowing gay marriage to continue in the conservative state following a surprise court decision last week.
Judge Robert J. Shelby, who blocked the request on Monday, overturned Utah's ban on same-sex marriage this past Friday. In a decision Utah officials claim has caused chaos in the state, he ruled the voter-approved measure is a violation of gay couples' constitutional rights.
The decision sent couples flocking to county clerk offices for marriage licenses. About 125 gay couples obtained marriage licenses Friday in Salt Lake City, and Clerk Sherrie Swensen said her office issued a similar number Monday morning. An estimated 100 licenses were issued in other counties, while some county clerks shut their doors as they awaited Shelby's decision.
The state has tried to shut the license process down, and lawyers said they would now ask a higher court to put gay marriage on hold.
"I want all Utahns to understand I am committed to advancing this issue through the judicial system as we work toward a clear and understandable resolution," Republican Gov. Gary R. Herbert said in a statement. "I recognize that this is a highly emotional issue with people of goodwill on both sides of the debate. I encourage everyone to remain respectful of one another and of the legal process."
Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, urged the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the decision.
"It is patently wrong and unjust that the people of Utah should lose their right to define marriage because of the ruling of a single Obama appointee to the federal bench," Brown said in a statement. "This decision provokes a constitutional crisis." 
Shelby's decision last week has drawn national attention given Utah's reputation as one of the most conservative states in the country. It is also the location for the Mormon church. The gay weddings in Salt Lake City have been taking place about 3 miles from church headquarters.
For now, Utah has joined the likes of California and New York to become the 18th state where same-sex couples can legally wed.
Many Utah residents belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons dominate the state's legal and political circles.
The Mormon church was one of the leading forces behind California's short-lived ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8, which voters approved in 2008. The church said Friday it stands by its support for "traditional marriage," and it hopes a higher court validates its belief that marriage is between a man and woman.
In court Monday, Utah lawyer Philip Lott repeated the words "chaotic situation" to describe what has been happening in Utah since clerks started allowing gay weddings. He urged the judge to "take a more orderly approach than the current frenzy."
"Utah should be allowed to follow its Democratically chosen definition of marriage," he said of the 2004 gay marriage ban.
Peggy Tomsic, the lawyer for the same-sex couples who brought the case, called gay marriage the civil rights movement of this generation and said it was the new law of the land in Utah. 
"The cloud of confusion that the state talks about is only their minds," she said.
Lawyers for the state waged a legal battle on several fronts as they sought to stop the same-sex weddings.
On Sunday, a federal appeals court rejected the state's emergency request to stay the ruling, saying it couldn't rule on a stay since Shelby had not yet acted on the motion before him. The court quickly rejected a second request from Utah on Monday. The state plans to ask the court a third time to put the process on hold.
Adding to the chaos surrounding the situation is the fact that Utah Attorney General John Swallow stepped down about a month ago amid a scandal involving allegations of bribery and offering businessmen protection in return for favors. The state has had an acting attorney general ever since, and Gov. Gary Herbert appointed a replacement Monday who will serve until a special election next year.
In Shelby's 53-page ruling, he said the constitutional amendment that Utah voters approved violates gay and lesbian couples' rights to due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment. Shelby said the state failed to show that allowing same-sex marriages would affect opposite-sex marriages in any way.
The decision drew a swift and angry reaction from Herbert, who said he was disappointed in an "activist federal judge attempting to override the will of the people of Utah." The state quickly took steps to appeal the ruling and halt the process, setting up Monday's hearing before Shelby.

'Duck Dynasty' patriarch Phil Robertson says he 'will not give' after homosexuality comments

Phil Robertson, one of the stars of the A&E reality show "Duck Dynasty" who ignited a national controversy this week with remarks in a magazine interview comparing homosexuality to bestiality, vowed he would not "give or back off" as he joined his family at church in West Monroe, La.
MailOnline reported Sunday that Robertson allowed one of its reporters into a Bible study class he led at the White's Ferry Road Church of Christ.
"I love all men and women" Robertson said, according to website. "I am a lover of humanity, not a hater." When a member of the class thanked Robertson for saying what he said in the interview, he appeared to shrug it off, saying "I didn’t think much of it at all, but it seems a lot of other people did."
Robertson was suspended indefinitely by A&E after saying that "everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong... Sin becomes fine ... Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."
In response to A&E's sanction, the Robertsons have reportedly considered pulling the plug on the popular program. Politicians, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have leapt to the family's defense, decrying what they see as an attack on free speech and Christian values.
During the class, which lasted approximately 45 minutes, Robertson said of the reaction to his comments, "I am just reading what was written over 2,000 years ago. Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom. All I did was quote from the scriptures, but they just didn’t know it. Whether I said it, or they read it, what’s the difference? The sins are the same, humans haven’t changed.
"If you give them the bad news, they’ll start kicking and screaming. But you love them more than you fear them, so you tell them."
The rest of the flock, decked out in Duck Dynasty hats and bandannas, stood by the family and the sentiments Phil Robertson expressed.
Alan, Robertson's eldest son, helped deliver a Christmas-themed sermon. He started off by referring to last week's controversy.
"Hope your week went well," he dead-panned. "Ours was kinda' slow."
Phil Robertson concluded his Bible study class with a prayer that went, in part, "I will not give or back off from my path because you conquered death, Father, so we are not worried about all the repercussions."

GLAAD: Lethal Enforcers of the Left's Tolerance Mob

Michelle Malkin

"Duck Dynasty's" Phil Robertson is not alone. He's the latest in a long, long lineup of politically incorrect targets of the left's sensitivity mob. Founded in 1985, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) gangstas won't stop until both the cultural and legal enforcement of their agenda are the norm.
The A&E network (Atheists & Elitists) suspended the reality TV patriarch and self-made businessman on Wednesday for the Biblical views he expressed in an interview with GQ. Robertson was asked by the liberal magazine what he viewed as sinful. Drawing on the condemnation of sexual immorality in Corinthians 6:9, he cited "adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't inherit the kingdom of God."
Robertson's punishable transgressions? Responding honestly to a question posed to him (this was not an unsolicited "anti-gay rant"; it was a response) and abiding by his Christian faith. GLAAD's P.C. Praetorian Guard sprung into repressive action. The same group that initially gave f-word-spouting, homophobic liberal Alec Baldwin a pass accused Robertson of uttering "some of the vilest and most extreme statements" against "LGBT people" ever. (They should listen to the Koran-inspired executioners' rants of gay-hanging and gay-stoning Iranian mullahs sometime.) GLAAD also railed against Robertson's "vile" preference for female anatomy over male as if it were an international human rights violation.
A&E folded faster than a stadium seat, immediately disavowing Robertson and suspending him from his family's show indefinitely. Meanwhile, network execs continued to cash in on the lucrative "Duck Dynasty" empire with a marathon of program reruns on the very day they threw Robertson under the bus. The network is free to do that, of course. And I am free to tell you all about the radical thugs that A&E indulged.
GLAAD has worked tirelessly to marginalize and suppress the free speech of Christian leaders, Christian businesses and conservative talk-radio hosts dating back to their infamous Dr. Laura boycott 13 years ago. The group's mission is not about equality or defending against "defamation." It's about silencing critics, making open debate radioactive, demonizing people of faith and making even the slightest perceived slight a hate crime.

Cracker Barrel pulls 'Duck Dynasty' merchandise

Cracker Barrel said it pulled some Duck Dynasty merchandise from its stores over concerns it might offend guests, a move that infuriated thousands of customers and confused many others.
"We removed selected products which we were concerned might offend some of our guests while we evaluate the situation," Cracker Barrel said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
The full statement read:
“Cracker Barrel’s mission is Pleasing People. We operate within the ideals of fairness, mutual respect and equal treatment of all people. These ideals are the core of our corporate culture. We continue to offer Duck Commander products in our stores. We removed selected products which we were concerned might offend some of our guests while we evaluate the situation. We continually evaluate the products we offer and will continue to do so.”
Cracker Barrel's statement led to confusion among some customers who wondered if the restaurant was removing Duck Dynasty products owned by A&E or products owned by the Robertson family's Duck Commander business.
Cracker Barrel did not return phone calls seeking clarification or comment.
However, some of the restaurant's employees are speaking out. Television stations in Atlanta and Virginia reported that employees were told to pull Duck Dynasty products from the shelves and slash prices on the remaining products.
The move comes after Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson was indefinitely suspended from the popular A&E show after he made comments the network found offensive to homosexuals.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Robertson responded to an interviewer's question about what he considered to be sinful behavior.
"Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't inherit the kingdom of God,” he said, paraphrasing a passage of New Testament scripture.
On Thursday the Robertson family affirmed their support for the patriarch and hinted they may not return to the show without the man who founded the business.  Bailey Comment: " What guests do they mean, the 90% of people who are not gay or the 10% who are"?

Newsmax Obama Poll Results

Overall, do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's job performance? Approve 92,480(15%)   Disapprove 487,916(84%)

Compared to previous presidents, how would you rate President Obama? Average 16,910(2%)   Better than most 82,425(14%)   Worse than most 481,872(82%)

Do you approve of his job handling the U.S. economy? Approve 91,945(15%)   Disapprove 485,826(84%)

Do you believe President Obama's new healthcare law, known as Obamacare, has helped or hurt you? Helped me 57,750(9%)   Hurt me 414,697(71%)   No difference 107,302(18%)

Do you trust President Obama? Yes, I trust him 91,990(15%)   No, I do not trust him 486,788(84%)

It's hard to secure the border when the Government is smuggling in illegals

The head of the union representing thousands of federal immigration officers backed a federal judge's claim that the Department of Homeland Security is delivering children smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border to their illegal immigrant parents. 
"This is exactly what's happening," Chris Crane, head of the National ICE Council, told FoxNews.com.
Crane was reacting to a blistering court order from U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, which detailed the alleged policy. The Texas judge said the "dangerous" practice is effectively aiding human traffickers and particularly the drug cartels, which run many of these operations.
It remains unclear, though, which agency may ultimately be responsible and how widespread the practice is.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed in a statement to Fox News that it was following the law, and that its officers are committed to the "safe, fair and humane treatment" of minors. 
But a law enforcement official claimed that in many cases, minors crossing the border are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services. The official cited The Homeland Security Act of 2002, as well as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, in describing how "unaccompanied alien children must be treated at entry including requiring formal removal proceedings and the need to quickly be transferred to the care of HHS."
The official described how only certain minors could be returned without going through that process.
However, the 2002 law cited by the official was the same one that Judge Hanen argued did not apply in these cases. The relevant section of that law refers to "unaccompanied alien" children who have no parent in the U.S.
The judge noted that the children in question were all accompanied by the person smuggling them over the border, and did have a parent in the U.S.
"There is nothing in this Act that directs and authorizes the DHS to turn a blind eye to criminal conduct," he wrote, adding the 2002 law "provides no excuse" for the practice.
Crane claimed that immigration officers are in fact shepherding children who cross the border illegally and delivering them to parents in the U.S., at least in some cases. 
"That's what we do now, we babysit kids," he said.
He concurred with Hanen in arguing that, despite the humanitarian interest in connecting children with their parents in the U.S., the government could be putting more children in danger by inadvertently encouraging smuggling.
"The very people patting themselves on the back as humanitarians are putting these children at more risk than they've ever been before," he said.
The federal judge's statement last week was prompted by the case of Mirtha Veronica Nava-Martinez. She was arrested at the Texas-Mexico border in May and pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle a 10-year-old child originally from El Salvador. After the sentencing, the judge wrote, he decided to go public with additional details from the case.
He wrote that the "conspiracy" started when an illegal immigrant in Virginia hired smugglers to get her daughter from El Salvador to Virginia. She paid $6,000 in advance. But after the smuggling operation was interrupted by federal agents, he wrote, "the DHS delivered the child to her."
Further, he wrote, this was the fourth case he'd seen in as many weeks along these lines. In one case, he claimed, the U.S. government "flew a child to multiple locations" in the U.S. at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.
The administration, though, stresses that DHS is focused on "sensible, effective immigration enforcement" that prioritizes deporting "criminal aliens" and "egregious immigration law violators."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Thursday that in fiscal 2013, the agency removed 368,644 people, most of whom were caught while or shortly after trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Nearly 60 percent had a criminal record.