Quote :

"NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long. "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. Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said. "There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it." If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said. "I try to treat everyone equally," he said. Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years. Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint. Humphrey, an account manager for a marketing firm, said she and McKay, a welder, just returned to Louisiana. She is white and he is black. She plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a masters degree in minority politics. "That was one thing that made this so unbelievable," she said. "It's not something you expect in this day and age." Humphrey said she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She says Bardwell's wife told her that Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples. Bardwell suggested the couple go to another justice of the peace in the parish who agreed to marry them. "We are looking forward to having children," Humphrey said. "And all our friends and co-workers have been very supportive. Except for this, we're typical happy newlyweds." "It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry." The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice." "He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said. According to the clerk of court's office, application for a marriage license must be made three days before the ceremony because there is a 72-hour waiting period. The applicants are asked if they have previously been married. If so, they must show how the marriage ended, such as divorce. Other than that, all they need is a birth certificate and Social Security card. The license fee is $35, and the license must be signed by a Louisiana minister, justice of the peace or judge. The original is returned to the clerk's office. "I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it.""

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jy_z-Zo4fvJEf2TK1LCiiPIe9NDwD9BBR3R01

Wow.

10/16/2009 7:43:12 AM

Guess the guy never heard of Loving v. Virginia

10/16/2009 7:51:03 AM

damn that is really really fucked up

10/16/2009 8:15:51 AM

Quote :

"they use my bathroom"

10/16/2009 8:48:47 AM

"Did he just call us niggers ? Awesome !"

10/16/2009 9:05:07 AM

funny replies ITT. fucked up story though

10/16/2009 9:34:47 AM

PILES

OF

BLACKS


racism is so dumb.

10/16/2009 9:37:38 AM

MUST KEEP RACES PURE!

10/16/2009 10:02:14 AM

While pretty retarded in his reasoning and actions, can someone explain what group exactly he is bigoted or racist against?

10/16/2009 10:13:10 AM

Interracial couples are better for producing children, actually... >.>

10/16/2009 10:14:08 AM

^^ are you kidding?

Clearly he feels the black man is not good enough for the great white race.

10/16/2009 10:26:29 AM

Clearly?

Is it just white/black marriages he wont do?

10/16/2009 10:31:01 AM

Who cares? Why is LA still a state anyways?

10/16/2009 10:33:18 AM

^^ What point are you trying to make?

If you look at the history of the US, there's is a definite line between where these types of thoughts come from, and racism.

He didn't wake up one day and think "i don't think the races should mix." That ideology started back in the slave days, and persisted throughout the civil rights era, by people looking to marginalize blacks.

The fact that it's still around today without the blatant "blacks are inferior" rhetoric is because the racists are starting to realize that mainstream society doesn't tolerate racism. He's not going to come out and say "black are inferior" but he can stick to his very thinly veiled racist ideology of "I think the races should be kept separate (because blacks are inferior)." Despite what some people like to say, ideas don't exist in vacuums, they start from somewhere. Just connect the dots.

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 10:35 AM. Reason : ]

10/16/2009 10:35:34 AM

The point I am trying to make is that there is not a single race being singled out and discriminated against.

The idea is retarded, and his reasoning is bizarre but calling it bigoted is going a bit far.

10/16/2009 10:51:51 AM

Lots of the most attractive people you'll ever meet are mixed race

10/16/2009 10:54:02 AM

^^ that's like saying that the Nazis couldn't have been white supremacists, because they worked with the japanese!

Or "i don't hate blacks, I just don't like people with short curly hair!"

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 10:58 AM. Reason : ]

10/16/2009 10:57:47 AM

Quote :

""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.""

10/16/2009 10:58:37 AM

Quote :

"The point I am trying to make is that there is not a single race being singled out and discriminated against. The idea is retarded, and his reasoning is bizarre but calling it bigoted is going a bit far."

This is the argument given (which ultimately fails) in Loving but that had been acceptable in previous cases. The idea was that this doesn’t actually discriminate on the basis of race, because it treats both races equally in application.

I'm not saying this is right (obviously it is not), but ^^^ is not the first person to espouse this argument, so there's no reason to act so surprised ^^.



[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 11:06 AM. Reason : V Definitely not saying you are, just saying the idea is not a novel one.]

10/16/2009 11:01:26 AM

Ahh

The often relied on Nazi argument. Well done!

^ I don't think his reasoning is valid, nor am I in support of his behavior.

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 11:05 AM. Reason : *]

So if a person of race X doesnt think any races should inter-marry(i.e. pro-create) it automatically makes them a X supremacist?

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 11:06 AM. Reason : *]

10/16/2009 11:03:17 AM

Quote :

"So if a person of race X doesnt think any races should inter-marry(i.e. pro-create) it automatically makes them a X supremacist?"

Have you read anything i've posted?

The context matters. It's not hard to understand.

We don't celebrate Christmas, for example, because someone just said one day "you know what would be cool? putting shiny things on trees, giving people gifts, and egg nog!" The celebration came about from hundreds of years of history.

Likewise, this guy didn't just wake up one day and said "I don't think races should mix!" His ideas also are from hundreds of years of racist history.

If an alien came down from space, and the first person he met was this just of the peace, and the person shared that one single belief with the alien about the races, the alien not having any knowledge of our planet would not have enough information at that point to determine that he was particularly hateful. But once you realize why this guy thinks what he does, it's not hard to see that he is in fact racist.

10/16/2009 11:15:46 AM

What context are you applying to this guy?

That he is white and from America?

What if he were Black? Asian? Hispanic?

10/16/2009 11:30:40 AM

Quote :

"The point I am trying to make is that there is not a single race being singled out and discriminated against. The idea is retarded, and his reasoning is bizarre but calling it bigoted is going a bit far."

I would say read between these lines:

Quote :

""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.""

But you shouldn't have to be asked to read something that is in huge font, highlighted with fucking big flashing neon lights with arrows pointing to it.

This shit is just sad. This guy should be fired and barred from any government job that gives him any type of authority. Should he refuse to issue marriage licenses to poor people or overly obese people for concern for any children that couple might have??

You can't look at this in any way and not see it as bigotry.

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 11:34 AM. Reason : .]

10/16/2009 11:33:42 AM

Quote :

"What if he were Black? Asian? Hispanic?"

then they would be equally racist.

people of other races can also be racist, they don't have to be white.

people can have friends of another race and still be racist.

this man is clearly bigoted*.


*bigoted - blindly and obstinately attached to some creed or opinion and intolerant toward others;

10/16/2009 11:38:29 AM

Quote :

"What context are you applying to this guy? That he is white and from America?"

Haha, wow, you seem to have a huge chip on your soldier.

The context is history. You can draw a straight line between his belief that "the races shouldn't mix" to the people just a few decades ago who would say "the races shouldn't mix, because blacks are inferior."

10/16/2009 11:42:32 AM

^^ you have to take my question there in the context of moron's post.

I am well aware other races can be racist.

I also don't automatically peg someone as racist if their response to racist accusations is 'i have x-race friends' as many of you seem to do. Yes you can have multi-race friends and still be racist, but using that response does not make you a racist.

I think its an automatic defense response, racist or not.

^You didnt answer the question. What context are you applying to this guy? Oh, that racists have existed in the past in the country. You're making a leap.

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 11:47 AM. Reason : *]

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 11:48 AM. Reason : *]

10/16/2009 11:44:03 AM

Look, I think the guy is an idiot too, and should be removed simply for breaking the law.

but

Quote :

"Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said."

What if he actually does feel that way? What if he doesnt think any race is specifically inferior, but through whatever reasoning or things he has seen, thinks kids of mixed races are in for a tough life?

Given whats in the article I dont think its fair to automatically assign the guy a racist bigot

10/16/2009 11:55:12 AM

you're right. maybe we should change the law to reflect his attitude instead

10/16/2009 11:58:01 AM

^^no, it's not fair to automatically call him a racist bigot, but in the bigger picture he isn't helping advocate for change in the way multiracial individuals are treated by society. he is silently helping bolster the negatives he cites by eliminating the conflict necessary to change the prevalence of those negatives.

10/16/2009 12:08:39 PM

Quote :

"Given whats in the article I dont think its fair to automatically assign the guy a racist bigot"

even if that is the position you are taking the man still isn't willing to perform the duties of his job as they are described and thus should be removed, unless in the future he does uphold those duties.

otherwise he, or any other justice of the peace, could start denying marriage licenses to fat people, poor people, deaf people, etc...

his justification does not make what he did okay. it is my belief that if he was not inherently racist and had 'the welfare for the kids' in mind then he would be applying that conviction across the board and not just to mixed couples.

10/16/2009 12:37:11 PM

paging BigHitSunday

10/16/2009 12:43:39 PM

Quote :

""I have piles and piles of black friends."

lol are they in a pile in his backyard or something

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 1:03 PM. Reason : or in piles and piles]

10/16/2009 1:02:56 PM

Quote :

"and had 'the welfare for the kids' in mind then he would be applying that conviction across the board and not just to mixed couples."

10/16/2009 1:04:36 PM

i guess this guy's never heard of halle berry

10/16/2009 1:13:15 PM

This is the dude...

10/16/2009 1:32:10 PM

thats the husband to be. does anyone have a picture of the JoP

10/16/2009 1:50:09 PM

dont know which one is supposed to be him though

10/17/2009 1:59:31 AM

Quote :

"What if he doesnt think any race is specifically inferior, but through whatever reasoning or things he has seen, thinks kids of mixed races are in for a tough life?"

you kidding me? it is none of his goddamn business no matter what his motivation

does he not let poor people get married either??

or if the people are really stupid, he wouldnt let them get married?


the dude is a fucking racist, he wants his whites to be whites and his blacks to be blacks so that he doesnt get confused when he hates people

that said, the guy has a good point, everyone wants to tell their children they can grow up to be anything they want even president, but with a mixed race kid, that is just a joke. i mean, think about it! a mixed race president! lollololololol

10/17/2009 2:05:37 AM

What legal grounds was there for denying a license? Nevermind the subjective/emotional stuff that goes with (that's what the media will latch onto), what legal grounds was there for denying a license? Can they deny a license because they are simply having a bad day and wish to marry nobody that day? Or, does it have to have a valid regal reason attached to it? (Honestly don't know ... asking).

10/17/2009 10:02:28 AM

i think Lokken actually has a great point

10/17/2009 2:43:33 PM

Chit Box / Soap Chat wants their thread back?

10/17/2009 4:29:16 PM

time for another beer summit

10/17/2009 7:05:19 PM

Quote :

"What legal grounds was there for denying a license?"

Don't know about in LA but in NC they can deny you a license for:
- being under the age of 15
- being under the age of 18 without parental consent
- being previously married without proof of divorce
- being gay

That's about it.

[Edited on October 17, 2009 at 9:33 PM. Reason : forgot the last one ]

10/17/2009 9:30:36 PM

^being cousins

10/17/2009 9:31:13 PM

^ Actually that's legal in NC

10/17/2009 9:34:04 PM

being double cousins

10/18/2009 2:27:08 PM

The guy was wrong but it seemed like the position he's playing is "I don't want children to have to be brought into the world as interracial." It seems he's trying to prevent the future sufferings the children will go through by racists, based on the things he said.

Quote :

"Interracial couples are better for producing children, actually... >.> "

this is biologically proven (not being sarcastic)

10/18/2009 3:40:30 PM

10/18/2009 4:21:48 PM

Quote :

"that said, the guy has a good point, everyone wants to tell their children they can grow up to be anything they want even president, but with a mixed race kid, that is just a joke. i mean, think about it! a mixed race president! lollololololol"

lol that'll be the day!

10/18/2009 5:39:42 PM

^^ I love how everything "bad" was directly linked to communism back then

10/18/2009 6:03:32 PM