I don't know how many people from the great state of Louisiana read my blog, but I have some information to share. Now before I go ahead lemme remind you readers that Louisiana is indeed located in the United States, and it is not a foreign country like Mississippi. OK, so now that I got that out of the way, what's the deal down in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana? Why aren’t marriage licenses issued to interracial couples?HAMMOND, La. — A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.Well at least Bardwell was honest enough to say that he tries to treat everyone equally. I try to wake up every day knowing that bigotry is a thing of the past, but I don't break any laws doing it. But Mr. Bardwell on the other hand? Well, let’s just say that he's a man who lives by his own rules. How in the hell is he the Justice of the Peace? And didn't he get the post-racial memo?
Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.
Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist.
"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."
Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.
"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer."
If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.
"I try to treat everyone equally," he said. (Click to read more)
Of course it’s often said that love is blind, and so too is Lady Justice, but then I have to remember that it’s the “Dirty South” we’re talking about here. Even so, there is no way this couple (Terence McKay and Beth Humphrey) are going to lose any lawsuit especially considering that the ACLU is in on this.
Did you like the “I’m not racist, I do ceremonies for Black couples in my house,” line? I did. I love it when they say stupid shit like that. You know, like, “I'm not racist, I went to Gym with a Black guy!” I'm assuming that there aren't that many interracial couples looking to get married down there or else this would have been a well known story way before now. But maybe this isn’t about race mixing and the production of mongrels as is the old thought.
Maybe he truly does care about the kids. I mean, the groom in this case is Black, and maybe he doesn’t want any future children they bear growing up in a single parent home after daddy bounces – you know those Black guys are good at that, right? But then again, look at how a certain well known U.S. president who happened to be a product of an interracial marriage turned out. But hey, I guess in the mind of Keith Bardwell he's an anomaly.
What do you think?
