(Tenn) County retreats from call to ban gays

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/03/18/county.gays.ap/index.html

The county that was the site of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" over the teaching of evolution Thursday reversed its call to ban homosexuals.

Rhea County commissioners took about three minutes to retreat from a request to amend state law so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature. The Tuesday measure passed 8-0.

County attorney Gary Fritts said the initial vote triggered a "wildfire" of reaction. "I've never seen nothing like this," he said Thursday.

But Fritts said it was all a misunderstanding.

"They wanted to send a message to our (state) representative and senator that Rhea County supports the ban on same-sex marriage," he said. "Same-sex marriage is what it was all about. It was to stop people from coming here and getting married and living in Rhea County."

[specter]

1. Yeah

Im sure it was all about gay marriages. F***n bigots.

[markses]

2. "I've never seen nothing like this." LOL

Methinks the reporter may be making fun of our grammatically challenged friend there. Reporters usually clean up stuff like that (although excellent studies have shown that - at least until the mid-1990's - negatively characterized African Americans and non-native English speakers mysteriously kept their non-standard constructions, while those who were being positively characterized had their statements mysteriously standardized).

[specter]

3. What is a christian????

But 12-year-old Caitlin Kinney, attending the meeting with her mother, said she supported the commissioners' initial vote.

"I think they should go further, try to see if they can ban them," she said. "It's not a Christian thing." - no wonder im an atheist

[dusty64]

12. Ya gotta wonder what

kind of hateful brainwashing that child is being subjected to at home.

[lastknowngood]

4. perhaps they got a few thousand calls with threats of law suits

n/t

[mike1963]

5. Well, I know for a fact that 2 of those idiots got calls with promises

of a major whoop-ass...

I say no more about it here...
:evilgrin:

[Sandpiper]

6. Misunderstanding my ass

They were just surprised when they found out that the Strom Thurmond/George Wallace shit doesn't work anymore.

[LDS Jock]

7. I'm sure..

so many gay couples were on their way to Rhea County to get married and live. Just a way to backtrack on an issue once the world outside the county lines found out how biggoted they are.

[HuckleB]

8. Oops. They used their outside voices.

Rhea county ought to rename itself, "Scumbag central," with the slogan, "prejudice rules!"

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. "Surprised?"

More like scared shitless. Assholes.

[jsw_81]

10. Amazing

It's been over 75 years since the Scopes trial, and these idiots in Rhea county are still backwards, uneducated hicks.

Some of them even seem to be proud that they're backwards and uneducated. :shrug:

[kiwi]

11. Laughing...

because I lived there for three years - a long time ago.
My ex-husband is from there - he moved back after our divorce.
They present themselves as a town full of "Christians" - the truth about that little piece of land and its inhabitants shows otherwise.
Kiwi

[NashVegas]

13. Meanwhile ...

http://tennessean.com/government/archives/04/03/48524183.shtml?Element_ID=48524183

[maxanne]

14. they aren't even brave enough

to stand firmly behind their bigotry - sorry bunch of weenies.

I can't believe this place exists. A county that celebrates it's lack of evolution on an annual basis.

As Jello Biafra said, "If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve."