This is a new story that will continue to develop, but I wanted to put this out there now.
CNN is reporting that Tangipahoa Parish Justice of the Peace, Keith Bardwell is coming under fire for denying a marriage license to Beth Humphrey and Terence McKay. The couple, astounded by the JOP's justification, that the couple interracial off-spring would face problems from racism.
Bardwell is now facing calls from Bobby Jindal, the couple, who has since found a more reasonable Justice of the Peace and married, to step down for his overt racism. The US Justice Department is also now hinting that a federal civil rights investigation may be in the offing and I hope it does.
It would be naive to state that we are beyond racism in this country. While we have come to understand what equal protection under the law means, we still have people and areas where old norms still cause the kind of problems Bardwell is accused of. There is also a clear difference between bubba hating interracial dating and marriage and a publicly elected official propagating it.
Bardwell should resign his position and publicly apologize to the couple for his grossly wrong and illegal conduct. Failing that, Governer Jindal should seek whatever remedies are available to him under state law to remove or otherwise impeach Bardwell from his position and bring the full force of Lousiana law down upon his head.
There is no room for this or any other kind of racism in this country. It only seeks to open old wounds that as we see from idiots like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson love to pour salt into.
Mike Rowland
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