You’ve probably heard of Kim Davis by now. The county clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, has been in the news recently for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, despite the June 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. Actually, news reports say Davis, an elected official, hasn’t issued any marriage licenses since the ruling.

But since when do we get to be poor losers under God’s authority? That’s the excuse Davis gave for not providing service to the gay couples who crowded her office this week.

Don’t we teach our children to do better than that? That if they break the rules, they don’t get to play ball?  We certainly don’t urge them on in the name of God.

But instead of coming to the victims’ defense, her bully circle is telling her to stay in the game. Fight her corner. Don’t give up!

If she were my kid, and she refused to let someone else win, I would take her straight home.

Here’s my take: Davis is operating under the misconception that her religious beliefs trump the law. An Apostolic Christian, she is convinced that it is her First Amendment right to uphold her religious convictions while serving as county clerk on the public payroll.

How arrogant can one person be?

She can oppose gay marriage all she wants. In her church, at home, or marching in the streets. But not as county clerk.  Why?

Because America is not a religious state. We do not have sharia law, like Islamic countries. And while the very term is anathema to Conservatives, some Christians would love to see the United States come under religious law.

Rue the day.

However, it’s unlikely anyone is going to make Davis step down, at least for a while.

Kentucky Governor Steven Beshear, a Democrat, won’t comment – though he supports enforcing the law. The county attorney won’t take up the case, referring it to the state’s attorney general, Jack Conway, a Democrat who is running for governor. His office is supposedly looking into the matter.

With all the people in charge tiptoeing around, afraid to put pressure on the guillotine in an election year, Davis’s fate is now up to the Supreme Court.

They should be able to settle the case in a heartbeat.

According to The New York Times, “On Monday, a stay granted by the District Court expired, and the Supreme Court rejected without comment Ms. Davis’s emergency application for a new stay, pending the outcome of her appeal. That left her no legal grounds to refuse to grant licenses to same-sex couples.”

All that’s needed is a quick look at part of the oath she took:

30A.020 Kentucky Oath of Clerk and Deputies.
 I will not knowingly or willingly commit any malfeasance of office, and will faithfully execute the duties of my office without favor, affection or partiality, so help me God.”  The fact that the oath has been administered shall be entered on the record of the Circuit Court.
Effective: January 2, 1978
History: Created 1976 (1st Extra. Sess.) Ky. Acts ch. 21, sec. 2, effective January 2, 1978 

What you may not know about Davis is that she is a second-generation county clerk, with a son poised to take the reins. According to ABC News, “Davis served as her mother’s deputy for 27 years before she was elected as a Democrat to succeed her in November. Davis’ own son is one of the six deputy clerks also summoned to appear before (U.S. District Judge David) Bunning Thursday at the federal court in Ashland.”

Looks like a lot of political inbreeding going on in Rowan County.

As the situation plays out, Davis’s champions, and her opposition, are making a lot of noise. Not all of it is joyful, however. According to an ABC News Report, the banter goes something like this:  “‘Praise the Lord! … Stand your ground,’ her supporters shouted, while the other side called Davis a bigot and yelled: ‘Do your job!’ Ordered to move to the courthouse lawn, each side tried to out-do the other with chanting, hymn-singing and sign-waving.”

Grasping at straws, her lawyers have asked for asylum for her “conscience.”

But Davis isn’t a conscript, for pity’s sake. She wasn’t forced into her position.

What about city fire fighters? Could they extol their religious beliefs to keep from serving a segment of the population? How about a public health nurse? Could she refuse to treat a Muslim?

We can’t slice and dice the law.

As far as her firmly-held beliefs, did the county clerk ever quiz heterosexual couples about having premarital sex, or whether they’ve been divorced? According to news reports, Davis has been married and remarried several times, and given birth two children out-of-wedlock.

Where does this hypocrisy come from? And where does it stop?

It wasn’t all that long ago that people had tantrums over interracial marriage, including county clerks. I’m sure many couples were refused marriage licenses.

However, the United States Supreme Court invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage in the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967). The case was brought by Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, who were sentenced to a year in prison for marrying.

I guess Davis will become a martyr for her cause, to the glee of her lawyers and FOX News.

Sometimes we really do have to make that child go sit down. The music has stopped and the other kids are eating party cake. But there she is: the one who didn’t win, throwing a temper tantrum.

Davis isn’t resilient enough to deal with it. And she lacks sufficient empathy to see someone else’s perspective – which is the definition of a liberal. At Davis’s age, it’s hard to grow new brain cells, although some of us manage to do just that. FFG