The resistance put the Pentagon on a collision course with states that have rejected a Defense Department request, first issued in September, to be issued to same-sex spouses so they can begin receiving benefits due to married couples.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, the Republican head of the National Governors Association, called on President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary to "stop using the National Guard as a pawn in a larger social agenda," Her spokesman, Alex Weintz, said in a statement on Friday.
"The president has made it clear he supports gay marriage. He has the legal authority to order federal agencies to recognize gay marriages. He does not have the legal authority to force state agencies to do so, or to unilaterally rewrite state laws or state constitutions," Weintz said.
Josh Havens, a spokesman for Texas Governor Rick Perry, said, "Texas Military Forces is a state agency, and as such is obligated to adhere to the Texas Constitution and the laws of this state which clearly define marriage as between one man and one woman."
Those Republican-led states are Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia. Earlier this week The Indiana National Guard reversed it's decision to not issue ID cards to same-sex spouses that “the decision was never made to not process benefits, rather the decision was delayed in order to fully understand the impacts while service members serve in different pay categories.”
On Thursday night, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to those states.
Like Perry, Republican Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant is one of those who has resisted.
Bryant says he does not have the constitutional authority to lift the ban. “The Mississippi Constitution clearly defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman and expressly prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions,” Bryant said through a spokesman.
Georgia has a similar statement: "The State of Georgia does not recognize same sex marriages and is not authorizing the to process the applications for same-sex married benefits at state facilities. Any personnel seeking same-sex married benefits will be referred to federal facilities."
My Guess is, that these Governors need a civics lesson or two (not surprisingly)
Seems they have forgotten the Selma March during the 1950's when then Governor George Wallace refused to use Alabama's National Guard to protect the marchers and Lyndon Johnson federalized the Guard and called them out himself, directly over riding Wallace's white supremacist based decision.
Alabama's resistance to change was key in national awareness and education on racial equality and I have a very strong feeling, history is about to repeat itself.
"The South Shall Rise Again" mentality of these states and Governors, need to get their collective asses handed to them.
5 comments:
well spoken
Bob
i was under the impression that the National Guard was a sub-branch of the military, and as such is under federal authority anyways. SECDEF and POTUS are the top brass for that. they dont call the President "Commander-in-Chief" for nothing...
They are indeed part of the federal government.
Governors have authority over their deployment in their own states, nationally, as in all things military, they are under the command of the President.
If I were Obama, I'd be calling some Governors to the Whitehouse to account for their actions and if they are still non-compliant, I'd have them arrested on grounds of sedition.
The first time I read about it I felt sure it would be in the south. Still so many uneducated zealots that refuse to see the tide has turned.
They truly do need their asses handed to them.
Post a Comment