Seeing as how people here seem to take pleasure in posting articles about liberal excesses, I thought I would balance out the equation. I assume that, in this day and age, no one would try to defend this:
You assume wrong. It is within his right to deny someone a marriage license. It is not the end of the world, if the "couple" did not like it, they can go elsewhere and get the license.
I may be wrong, but I don't think that when he became a justice of the peace, the stipulation said he had to approve any and all marriage licenses that came in front of him...?
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You assume wrong. It is within his right to deny someone a marriage license. It is not the end of the world, if the "couple" did not like it, they can go elsewhere and get the license.
I may be wrong, but I don't think that when he became a justice of the peace, the stipulation said he had to approve any and all marriage licenses that came in front of him...?
I think you are just plain wrong about this. He is not a private actor. He is an elected or appointed government official and he is obligated to issue a license to anyone who meets the qualifications.
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Also, just because the headline reads "Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License" doesn't mean that they were denied the license because they were pursuing an interracial marriage. It's the media, and this is all taking place in L.A. Come on now, do you really think the reporter on this case wouldn't try to hype this as a case of rights violation? Who knows why they were actually denied the marriage license. Was one of them wanted for a crime? Did they not bring along a necessary document when applying for their marriage license? Was one of them already married and waiting for a divorce to be finalized from their former spouse? There are a hell of a lot of options to consider here without throwing the term "Interracial" around like this judge is all of a sudden racist.
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Also, just because the headline reads "Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License" doesn't mean that they were denied the license because they were pursuing an interracial marriage. It's the media, and this is all taking place in L.A. Come on now, do you really think the reporter on this case wouldn't try to hype this as a case of rights violation? Who knows why they were actually denied the marriage license. Was one of them wanted for a crime? Did they not bring along a necessary document when applying for their marriage license? Was one of them already married and waiting for a divorce to be finalized from their former spouse? There are a hell of a lot of options to consider here without throwing the term "Interracial" around like this judge is all of a sudden racist.
From the article:
"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."
Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.
Wow, he actually lets black people use his bathroom? What a guy!
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...and now I see that this is from who else... The Associated Press. Must have been a slow news day for someone at the office and they decided to throw something together at the last minute. If he really had been denying interracial couples the right to marry for as long as this article implies he has been, there is no way it would have gone this long unreported. Essentially, it appears you have become one of millions of American citizens who were upset by a reporter trying to work their way through a slow news day or an attempted promotion. I wouldn't buy into this as being true until it hits an actual news provider such as CNN, NBC, or one of their affiliates. Watch dateline tonight. If it happened in L.A. and is without a doubt true - it will be featured at some point on the National News tonight.
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Just a note that this happened in Louisiana and not in Los Angeles.
Apparently there are other Justices of the Peace in the same local area there, so his refusal did not cause any hardship or undue delay for the couple. The media has made this into a bigger story than it actually is.
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As a justice of the peace, Bardwell as the right to make his own judgment on any case that comes before him. As he stated in the interview with the Associated Press, he didn't tell them they could not get married. He simply told them that he wouldn't do it because of the hardships that he has witnessed as a consequence. Do I agree with his decision to deny them a marriage license? No. Does he have the right as a Justice of the Peace to refuse to marry a couple, but refers them to another justice who will? Yes. The bottom line is that this couple was able to get married under another Official within the same parish. Yes, they may have been inconvenienced by having to inquire about the marriage license twice, but they were not denied any rights, least of all the right to be married to whom they desire.
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...and now I see that this is from who else... The Associated Press. Must have been a slow news day for someone at the office and they decided to throw something together at the last minute. If he really had been denying interracial couples the right to marry for as long as this article implies he has been, there is no way it would have gone this long unreported. Essentially, it appears you have become one of millions of American citizens who were upset by a reporter trying to work their way through a slow news day or an attempted promotion. I wouldn't buy into this as being true until it hits an actual news provider such as CNN, NBC, or one of their affiliates. Watch dateline tonight. If it happened in L.A. and is without a doubt true - it will be featured at some point on the National News tonight.
Are you saying the AP is not a reliable news source? They've been around for, like, 100 years. They supply news to some of the country's largest newspapers.
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As a justice of the peace, Bardwell as the right to make his own judgment on any case that comes before him. As he stated in the interview with the Associated Press, he didn't tell them they could not get married. He simply told them that he wouldn't do it because of the hardships that he has witnessed as a consequence. .....
Exactly... IMO the man was simply standing up for what he believes...that does not make him a racist. He even suggested they go somewhere else to get the license.
This is not racist in my opinion, it is not an issue of 1 group being inherantly superior or inferior based upon their race. His proposition is that both white and black cultures will not accept a mixed race child. Which in many ways is true.
As such the point in contention is not a problem that would manifest itself with only black or only white marriages.
If he said he wouldnt marry them because of some virtue/failing/superiority/inferiority inherant to one of the groups then he would have been racist. Which is not the case.
Racist is a very misused epitaph.
Racially cynical is probably the best way to describe his statements and action.
Go with PI heads and quit watching The Fast and the Furious. (thanks 2 IhaveadopeGT)
Remember, it is almost impossible for anyone, myself included, to diagnose a problem over the internet without seeing the car. My advice is simply that, advice based on years of experience. I don't want you or anyone taking my word as gospel. I am trying to give some direction as to what I think may be happening.
As a justice of the peace, Bardwell as the right to make his own judgment on any case that comes before him. As he stated in the interview with the Associated Press, he didn't tell them they could not get married. He simply told them that he wouldn't do it because of the hardships that he has witnessed as a consequence. Do I agree with his decision to deny them a marriage license? No. Does he have the right as a Justice of the Peace to refuse to marry a couple, but refers them to another justice who will? Yes. The bottom line is that this couple was able to get married under another Official within the same parish. Yes, they may have been inconvenienced by having to inquire about the marriage license twice, but they were not denied any rights, least of all the right to be married to whom they desire.
I disagree. As a justice of the peace he is required to follow and uphold the law. I don't know the process in Louisiana, but I assume that he took an oath to that effect when he was sworn in. If he doesn't want to marry interracial couples, or any other group of couples, he should resign. The fact that there was another justice of the peace willing to marry them is irrelevant.
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Exactly... IMO the man was simply standing up for what he believes...that does not make him a racist. He even suggested they go somewhere else to get the license.
This is not racist in my opinion, it is not an issue of 1 group being inherantly superior or inferior based upon their race. His proposition is that both white and black cultures will not accept a mixed race child. Which in many ways is true.
As such the point in contention is not a problem that would manifest itself with only black or only white marriages.
If he said he wouldnt marry them because of some virtue/failing/superiority/inferiority inherant to one of the groups then he would have been racist. Which is not the case.
Racist is a very misused epitaph.
Racially cynical is probably the best way to describe his statements and action.
Even assuming that he had the best of intentions, I think it's important to keep in mind that it was not his decision to make. The cultural issues are for the parents to decide, not the government. Let's not forget that he is acting as a government official.
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Exactly... IMO the man was simply standing up for what he believes...that does not make him a racist. He even suggested they go somewhere else to get the license.
This is not racist in my opinion, it is not an issue of 1 group being inherantly superior or inferior based upon their race. His proposition is that both white and black cultures will not accept a mixed race child. Which in many ways is true.
As such the point in contention is not a problem that would manifest itself with only black or only white marriages.
If he said he wouldnt marry them because of some virtue/failing/superiority/inferiority inherant to one of the groups then he would have been racist. Which is not the case.
Racist is a very misused epitaph.
Racially cynical is probably the best way to describe his statements and action.
I absolutely agree. I think he would have been wiser to save himself and the couple the headaches that are going to come from the media regarding this issue, but I guess hindsight is indeed 20/20.
And I am not saying that the Associated Press is not reliable. There are plenty of instances throughout the past few years where they have jumped the proverbial gun on releasing news stories based on the attraction they would get from the public. Some of these stories would take months to actually be proven accurate. Some, on the other hand, were later regarding as entirely inaccurate and AP has actually apologized (although informally) on their website by clarifying these stories in greater detail once they actually dove into the case themselves.
As with any rights violation story, I am taking this one with a grain of salt. The shock and awe that it is causing is no doubt worth the price of publishing, but to call for the official's head on a platter is a bit overdrawn.
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Interracial couple denied marriage license in La. 
(thanks 2 IhaveadopeGT)
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