US Politics Mega-thread - Page 2064

On June 27 2015 01:26 Stratos_speAr wrote:


Fuck yea. Thank God we live up here. We have some people who are annoyingly conservative, but even the conservatives in our politics aren't batshit-crazy Southern conservatives.

Louisiana's attorney general said Friday that the state does not need to do away with its same-sex marriage ban in the immediate wake of a historic Supreme Court ruling that declared same-sex couples have the right to marry anywhere.

"There is not yet a legal requirement for officials to issue marriage licenses or perform marriages for same-sex couples in Louisiana," a statement from Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's (R) office read. "The Attorney General's Office will be watching for the Court to issue a mandate or order making today’s decision final and effective and will issue a statement when that occurs."

Caldwell noted in the statement that he'd already successfully defended a "traditional" definition of marriage at the federal court level -- Louisiana's same-sex marriage ban was the first in the nation to be upheld by a federal court -- and suggested that the Supreme Court was trampling on states' rights.

“This Supreme Court decision overturns the will of the people of Louisiana, and it takes away a right that should have been left to the states," he said in the statement. "Louisiana voters decided overwhelmingly to place in our constitution an amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman."

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that there are other obstacles to the start of same-sex marriage in Louisiana, at least for the next few days. Attorneys for seven same-sex couples filed a motion asking the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling after it was handed down, which could delay the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses.

On June 27 2015 01:34 Stratos_speAr wrote:


Apparently. I live in Northfield.

On June 27 2015 01:31 ThomasjServo wrote:

Saint Paul yo.

The Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples across the U.S. have the right to marry left officials in Texas reeling.

Following the ruling, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued a directive on Friday ordering state agencies to "prioritize compliance" with the First Amendment and Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The directive states that agencies should make sure that nobody "takes any adverse action against" people "substantially motivated by sincere religious belief."

"The law protects religious liberty not only in houses of worship—but also in schools, in businesses, in the military, in public forums, and in the town square. These protections are afforded to all people, of all faiths," Abbott wrote in the directive. "Yet in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, the law’s promise of religious liberty will be tested by some who seek to silence and marginalize those whose conscience will not allow them to participate in or endorse marriages that are incompatible with their religious beliefs."

In a statement blasting the Supreme Court's decision earlier on Friday, Abbott said that he would take direct action to protect the religious liberties of Texas residents.

"As I have done in the past, I will continue to defend the religious liberties of all Texans—including those whose conscience dictates that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman. Later today, I will be issuing a directive to state agencies instructing them to prioritize the protection of Texans’ religious liberties," he said in a statement.

Abbott wrote that the Supreme Court has become "an unelected nine-member legislature."

"Five Justices on the Supreme Court have imposed on the entire country their personal views on an issue that the Constitution and the Court’s previous decisions reserve to the people of the States," he said. "Despite the Supreme Court’s rulings, Texans’ fundamental right to religious liberty remains protected. No Texan is required by the Supreme Court’s decision to act contrary to his or her religious beliefs regarding marriage."

The state's attorney general also expressed concern that the ruling could lead to intolerance of certain religious beliefs.

The White House has churned out about 40 new measures to fight carbon pollution just since the start of 2015, stepping up the pace ahead of critical talks for a global climate change deal.

Two years after Barack Obama’s sweeping promise to fight climate change on 25 June 2013, the president has used his executive powers to spit out new climate events or announcements at a dizzying rate of one every 4.5 days this year, according to the running tally kept by the White House.

Those measures are offset by furious attempts by Republicans and industry to stop the climate plan in its tracks, and other Obama policies which campaigners say would increase the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, such as opening up the Arctic, one of the world’s great “carbon bombs”, to oil drilling and expanding coalmining in Wyoming’s Powder river basin.

A new free trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, could also weaken climate protections, campaigners said.

But Obama is still constructing a significant record on climate change.

“You are seeing a president who believes that one of his deep legacies will be bending the curve on addressing emissions in the United States and abroad,” said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth. “This is the place where the administration made a clear decision that it can get something done with or without Congress, and it can do something politically on a substantial issue.”

Obama first set out his climate ambitions on a sweltering June day in 2013, telling students at Georgetown University: “I refuse to condemn your generation and future generations to a planet that’s beyond fixing.”

Since then, Obama has taken initial action on all 75 of the goals set out in the plan to cut carbon pollution, prepare the US for climate change, and help reach a global warming deal, according to an analysis by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES).

“The administration is making good progress, and cities, states and businesses are all taking stronger climate action,” said the C2ES president, Bob Perciasepe. But he said it would be impossible to meet all of those goals during Obama’s remaining time in office. “We’ll need continued federal leadership to reduce the emissions causing climate change and prepare for climate impacts.”

The centrepiece of Obama’s climate plan, the first rules to set limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, are due to be finalised by the Environmental Protection Agency in August – much to the fury of industry and a Republican-controlled Congress.

On June 27 2015 05:04 TheTenthDoc wrote:


I don't understand. Do they think churches are going to be forced to hold weddings for gay people or something? The only people I can think of whose religious liberties are threatened are those handing out marriage licenses, and I'm pretty sure they can still defer to colleagues that do feel comfortable with it a la pharmacists and emergency contraception.

On June 27 2015 05:04 TheTenthDoc wrote:


I don't understand. Do they think churches are going to be forced to hold weddings for gay people or something? The only people I can think of whose religious liberties are threatened are those handing out marriage licenses, and I'm pretty sure they can still defer to colleagues that do feel comfortable with it a la pharmacists and emergency contraception.

Edit: I guess it would be a problem if 100% of those at town hall are unwilling to do so, but I don't think that's likely to be true for every town hall in a county.

On June 27 2015 01:06 Plansix wrote:

Lets not act shocked since his options on other civil rights issues have been equally enlightened.

On June 27 2015 05:09 Introvert wrote:
Tax status is also in question. It was brought up in oral a argument and the government was less than clear on what changes or actions could take place.