I’ve just been told by an assistant to Mr. Vince Minto, Glenn County’s Clerk-Recorder, that the county has been “ordered” by the state of California to comply with the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. She said that he consulted extensively with a staff attorney and concluded that he didn’t have any choice in the matter. She said the forms have all been changed (although the forms on the website still say “bride” and “groom”) and are “in place” for compliance next week. She said that the county does not perform weddings or otherwise solemnize marriages.
How utterly depressing. This, in the county where Proposition 22 received the highest percentage of votes. The lack of backbone just astounds me. Truly we are living in the world described by W.B. Yeats: “the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity”.
UPDATE: I just contacted the clerks’ offices of Tehama, Shasta, Siskiyou and Modoc counties, and I was told in every case that they will not only be issuing licenses to same-sex couples, but also performing same-sex marriages, which they are not required to do. Sheep, that’s what they are. A bunch of pathetic sheep.
New Sherwood 
Here’s a report on a county that has not capitulated: No gay weddings in Kern County.
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Yes – I also posted on that story a few days ago.
However, if you read carefully you will see that Kern County will be issuing same-sex marriage licenses. The clerk has only said that they will no longer perform marriages, which they are not required to do anyway. Glenn County doesn’t perform marriages either. In other words, Kern County will be doing no more than what the state requires of them. I think what the clerk did in Kern is very important symbolically, but unfortunately there isn’t any civil disobedience here.
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Here’s an idea: All the county clerks quit their jobs, a sort of protest strike. None of the other business gets done, either. Nah, I guess that wouldn’t work.
What about the idea of not issuing any marriage licenses at all to anyone? Would that be civil disobedience or a grey area?
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Lydia: I’m pretty sure that not issuing marriage licenses would be civil disobedience. So far as I know, every county in California is changing its forms and will issue licenses to same-sex couples. The battleground thus far has been centered on the performance of marriage ceremonies, which is optional anyway.
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