Forum will publish legally-recognized marriages
July 29, 2012 at 7:01 am in Grand Forks Herald
Right now, that means anyone engaged to be married or who was legally married in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, the District of Columbia and several foreign countries could have their announcement published in The Forum. The scope of this policy will change as states and countries change their marriage laws. Continue Reading
10 years ago the Herald would run these announcements. So now the Forum decided to join the 21st century?
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Don’t you charge people to have these annoucements? If somebody is willing to pay money who cares what state or country they are having their service in. After all the newspaper is almost a dead business anyway
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I kinow the primary focus here is Gay announcements, but they keep throwing around the term “Legal” all through here. How much checking don they do for even non gay announcements to assure they too are legal. I mean virtually anyone can go on line and become an ordained minister for a price. Just because I become the Grand Puba Tundrabeast of the church of the Holy Moley does that mean my doing a few twists, jumps, shouts and whistles followed by by a few verses of the Dead’s “Trucken” (Hey…It’s about as close as you’re going to get for a ceremony from a heathen minister)will make a wedding I perform “Legal?” If not then will they make sure my sham isn’t legal?
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If you filled out the appropriate paperwork and payed the fee to have yourself declared a minister, then yes the marriage is legal.
The state is prohibited by the first amendment from deciding who is and who is not a minister. That would be an unacceptable intrusion on your religious rights.
The state simply registers you (and charges a fee for the service). After that, provided the people being married received the appropriate permits, anyone you so bless is legally married.
As I said below, in the eyes of the law, a marriage is a legally binding contract. That is why you have to go to a secular (vs a religious) court for a divorce.
For $25 or $40 bucks you can give yourself a tremendous amount of power.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Good….I’ve always wanted to be a Grand Puba of the True Heathens….Of course I’m the only member so it’s pretty easy to be the Grand Puba……I’ll marry them, But it’ll cost extra if I have to dance and sing in the ceramony….Can I get an “Alley Ooop?” Praise the whatever you want to praise…..
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Thousands and thousands of years ago, I married my wife.
We chose our favorite wedding photo for the announcement in the Grand Forks Herald. Both of us were wearing dollar-store “Groucho Marx” glasses–you know, the kind with big bushy mustaches and eyebrows attached.
The Grand Forks Herald REFUSED to run our announcement. The official rejection notice claimed our photo was TOO SHOCKING for the announcements page.
http://hbassociates.us/Wedding_Photo002.jpg
I guess “society” has become more accepting…
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And I view society as being more accepting as a good thing. I have seen so many hetersexual marriages that are a complete sham of the word marriage–who care if gays and lesbians get married and print it in the papaer. If you don’t like it don’t read it. There are so many big problems in the world and our country today to focus our efforts on–a marrigae between 2 ocnsenting adults should not be one of them.
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That was great Schurkey. My nephew wore a fake eye patch to the DMV in Omaha when he applied for his driver’s license. They took the photo and never questioned it.
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This is the most politically correct press release I have ever seen. Talk about trying to please everyone.
I understand what they are doing, and I applaud their ability to come up with a reasonable compromise, but I think in the end instead of avoiding controversy they will simple engender it.
This issue is not a legal one; it is moral. Do gay people have the same rights as straight? Yes or no. It is binary. There is very little middle ground. “Kind of pregnant” comes to mind. Either you are or you are not. Similarly either they have the same rights or they do not.
I do not think the Harald will lose much revenue either way.
It does not matter whether or not MN or any other state passes an amendment to their constitution. The Supreme Court will settle this issue, and it will not be on basis of the Civil Rights.
By definition, marriage is a contract. Under the constitution a legally binding contract entered into in one state must be honored by all other states. It is the basis of our free enterprise system. No one will touch that.
That is why the anti folks try and keep the argument in the Civil Rights realm. If they allow it to go to the economic side of the argument they have lost.
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An example of a perfectly legal marriage contract that many would find distasteful is first cousins. It is perfectly legal to marry your first cousin in 20 states. It is illegal in ND.
Even though marrying your first cousin is illegal in ND, if you married your first cousin in New Mexico or Alaska (goes a long way towards explaining Sara Palin), that marriage is recognized in ND.
Why? The constitutional protections discussed above.
This is not a civil rights issue as much as a contract law one, and those issues were settled years ago
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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To quote Bob Marley:Who are you to judge the life i live? i know i’m not perfect, and i don’t live to be. but before you start pointing fingers. make sure your hands are clean . ” Or to quote the Lord (Matthew 7:5)
“And why beholdest thou the mote in thy brother’s eye thou hypocrite, 1st cast the beam out of thine own eye.”
Just another so called Christian filled with so much hate.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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So I am filled with hate? Don’t think so. I had someone verbally abuse me today on the otherside of town. I did not give into the abuse and verbally abuse back.
Its in black and white: The Bible clearly forbids homosexuality.
Want me to state the chapter and verses? I can do that.
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Please do. I would like to see how you fit the verse dealing with a man laying with another main to this situation where 2 women are getting married.
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Genesis Chapters 18 & 19
Romans: 1: 24-27
I Corinthians 6: 9-10
1 Timothy 1:10
Romans 1: 24-27 references men lusting for men.
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Okay, how about a fem-fem exception then.
Gigitty!
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Oh, ok–you have completely changed my mind–now you are my hero.
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I was married by the Justice of the Peace so I’m sure you feel the same way about mine. So what. So many people have told me to go hell over the years…that I’m sure I won’t be seeing heaven anyway.
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“So many people have told me to go hell over the years…”
And what’s worse, you ended up in EGF.
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What the hell is hell? Hell is a superstition, a fear of god, used to control the masses.
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Hell is relative. For medieval theologians it was a hairy palm with no razor or lather. For NoDakers it a lack of all federal subsidies. For Flying Nurse and Alway correct it’s a locked room with an unremovable UND logo. For Schurkey it’s being appointed CEO of ACS.
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Thanks for the laugh Gene. I noticed you were gone for two weeks. It’s good to have you back.
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I hate to ask if he was looking for a razor or shaving creme.. (Just kidding Gene)..
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Hell is Buckeye, AZ. Above 110 for over 30 days. I literally addressed a letter to myself using Hell as the town and the correct state and zip code. It was delivered.
If the post office can find it, it must exist
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Gene either four people dislike me or they dislike you. I could use your help trying to figure this out.
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Offhand I’d say they thought I had left for good.
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I think it’s me Gene. I’m either ahead of you or behind you, depending on how we want to look at this.
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Clever Gene. I’ll remember that one! tj, my husband and I were married by the Justice of the Peace (court administrator) because our pastor could not attend our out of town wedding. It is still legal. There is nothing to say you must have a minister of some kind, so I think we are all o.k. (as far as our marriages being legal). I’m just waiting for someone to jump on this:)
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Does my reasoning bother you? I try not to be forceful, but want people to look at what is going on. and the effects of their decisions.
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I,I,I,I dont know how to respond to that……..
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Your reasoning based on the old testimate might be right for you, but they aren’t the reasoning of reasonable people…….If you believe that those parts of the old book that spoke to that are absolutely the law…….Then if your daughter (Assuming you have one) gets raped…Will you force her to marry the rapist? It’s in there so it has to be the truth and you can’t do less than what is written right……as well as the many minor infractions that can bring death by stoning….Those too should be carried out (Look out Red Lobster…Robert is coming with a rocks to take care of those going against the bible) You can focus on one foolish aspect of the old testimate and pretend that it is more realistic than the other foolish aspects….Or you can actually turn to the new testimate and concentrate on the real lessons of the bible…
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Just wondering when having the freedom to express your opinion became acceptable only when that opinion is what someone wants to hear. When an opinion is expressed that doesn’t match theirs they boycott the business or urge companies to pull advertising as in Chick Fila, they glitter bomb people, they call people racist or homophobic. Should the right to express an opinion be limited by whether or not you agree with that opinion. Just because someone does not feel that churches should be forced to perform same-sex marriages does not make them homophobic. And before you say “No church is going to be forced to perform same-sex marriages” it’s already being discussed via the threat of taking away of their non-profit status.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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When an opinion is expressed that doesn’t match theirs they boycott the business or urge companies to pull advertising as in Chick Fila
The difference in this case is Chic Fil A is a business. When a business takes a political stand there is a price they pay. That is why many if not most businesses stay neutral.
As I stated in an earlier thread, I disagree with Chick Fil A, but I admire them putting their money where their mouth is. They stay closed on Sunday. The busiest shopping day in most malls. That particular decision cost them more than gay marriage ever will.
I disagree, but if more people stood up for what they believed in, the world would be a better place.
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Spectator: as for churches losing their non profit status, I would not sweat that. Evangelical churches resemble the Fox News channel about this time every four years. To say they are non partisan would be to be breaking one of the ten commandments.
I am Baptist. I am also Libertarian. It is my great joy to mess with the Pastor and my fellow parishioners this time of year. Jesus is not Republican. He is not Democrat, Republican, or Green.
Because I believe in God, I know my Bible. Since most of them do not (Pastor excluded) it is easy to tie them in knots. It is not very Christian, and there is more than one Biblical admonition against picking on people, I cannot resist.
The church should take a stance on moral issues. When it begins to endorse candidates because of their views on one of these issues,then it is time to rebuke them. That is my job.
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Having free speech does not mean that you are exempt from the consequences of exercising that right. I could say something crazy like, “I really hate corn on the cob” and all of my corn on the cob loving friends would be within their rights to call me nuts and stop hanging around me.
So if a company wants to exercise their free speech in a way that I find distastful, I can exercise my free speech by not patronizing their business. Simple, really.
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On not a light note what so ever….I just read on USA Today that there’s a church in MS that has actually forced a minister to not marry a black couple. Apparently they took a vote and told the minister he would be out if he allowed them to mary in the church….The fox party and their propaganda machine is really doing wonders moving us back towards the 50′s…..2012 and we might be seeing a resurgence of Jim Crow in the south….Really?????? How the hell did it get to this?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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These churches have always existed. What was that one university that would not allow interracial couples to go to dances together?
The trouble with people who spend too much time looking for the speck in their neighbors eye is they often forget the plank in their own.
Before you go there, yes I know what it means in Greek and in context. Most Christians are guilty of this admonition. That is why Christ gave it.
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I believe it was Bob Jones University…although Liberty U may have also had some form of restriction.
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Bob Jones it was. Thanks Gene.
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What an outdated bigatory policy. The forum should be ashamed to have such a hateful policy.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Oh, what a Solomon like decision by the state media monopoly.
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It is unfortunate that Mathew Von Pinnon didn’t confer with former Editor Zaleski to get the notes regarding the heated conversation Ricky and Jack had when The Forum refused to run our announcement in 2006.
Rest assured, The Forum has had at least one request and subsequent refusal to run a same gender wedding announcement.
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Robert, yes you are a hateful person for condeming a group of people which you do not know. You can quote the bible all you want it is just a book written by man thousands of years ago. It is irrelevant to how 2 people feel about each other. They already know how christians feel and do not care what you believe in. So what gives you the right to try and force your beliefs on them?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Do you know Robert? You condemned him.
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The traffic manual is written by men also. Does that mean I do not have to follow it and drive on the left side of the road, instead of the right side???
We have rules for a reason. Whether its the Bible or the traffic manual, we need to observe them.
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You mean like the entire Gay and Lesbian community across the nation is condemning the Chik-Fil-A owner for his opinion?
He never denied service, He never denied employment.
But he says his opinion and look at the reaction.
So much for civility from the LG Community.
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I did not condem him to hell. That is the difference between my judgement of him and his judgement of homosexuals. I am not perfect and I don’t expect anyone else to be perfect either.
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Would you if you believed in hell?
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No, I would not.
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The bottom line is the self-righteous are condemning the condemnors.
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You referring to others as self rightous…..Now that’s funny….I needed a good laugh
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Do I understand this correctly?
At least in Grand Forks…the city council has proclaimed that it’s improper to sell underwear and “adult novelties” within 500 feet of a school. School children are so fragile that seeing a mannequin in bra and panties will shatter their personalities.
So Forum Communications, through the Newspapers In Education (NIE) program, is now going to push pro-homosexual images and text to schoolchildren.
Does that about sum it up?
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Pretty much. Don’t tell me you actually expect the mob to make sense?
Remember: this is ND. We pride ourselves in never letting the facts get in the way of a good emotional argument.
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It was my impression that the intimate apparel store was black-balled because the owner didn’t ask for taxpayer money to start it up. I believe that is a sine qua non to get the council to approve anything.
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You could be right
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I don’t get a ticket or go to jail for not believing in god.
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It is funny. I just received a scathing email from a frequent contributer through this site (why they just didn’t post it on a thread I will never know) taking me to task for supporting gay marriage while calling myself a Christian and supporting other liberal social views while calling myself a Libertarian.
Poor man/woman needs to get a dictionary.
A Christian is someone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. We believe we are sinners and without payment for our sins a just God will condemn us. We believe Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. We believe the only way to heaven is through a personal relationship with Christ.
That is what a Christian is. No more, no less. A Christian is bound by the Word of God (the Bible). Where my friend is confused is he/she thinks the same rules that apply to me as a Christian, also apply to everyone else. That is only partly true. The Bible disagrees. It makes it very clear that to the unsaved (unrepentant) the Word of God is foolishness. It does no good to quote the Bible to a non believer. You have to have the Gospel before you will understand theology.
Quoting the Bible to a non believer is a waste of time. They do not understand or accept the book. If you have a Christian friend who is in a same sex relationship. then your verses are appropriate.
The world is fallen and the law has never saved one single person since creation. That is why Christ had to come.
As for being a Libertarian, I would recommend this person go to the website. Libertarians do not trust the government. We believe in freedom of choice and personal responsibility. It is not the government’s job to tell me who to marry. We also believe in the legalization of marijuana and the end to most foreign entanglements. In other words sell pot in liquor stores (after taxing the hades out of it) and get the troops home NOW, not in 2014.
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So, you say you are a Christian.
Therefore as stated above by you…..”A Christian is bound by the Word of God (the Bible).”
So….How again can you believe Homosexuality is not a sin?
Unless you fall into the category where you say “It makes it very clear that to the unsaved (unrepentant) the Word of God is foolishness.”
So, using your own words, i would guess you are of the unsaved group and therefore are all for Gay marriage.
Surely you must see the conflict and why the person addressed the issue.
You talk out of both sides of your mouth too often to know exactly where you stand.
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Nurse it is not that I do not understand the bible, it is simply I don’t believe in it. There is a big difference
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That is what I said Ron: to a non believer the Bible is foolishness. That is what I mean: you do not believe so to you the Bible has no more meaning than the phone book; maybe less.
There are many sides to this argument. Using the Bible to make a point with non believers is simply futile.
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Just a tip, Ron. If you hit the “reply” button underneath the post that you are replying to, people will be able to follow your conversation better. I hope this doesn’t come off as snarky, because I don’t mean it as such.
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Just a tip katie, the reply button doesn’t exist in the mobile version.
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Then perhaps you should refrain from replying the the mobile version, because it’s hard to follow what you’re talking about sometimes.
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I find it odd that people argue constantly that there is a “Gay” Gene that is responsible for this behavior. when it has been proven time and time again that no single gene determines a particular behavior. Behaviors are complex traits involving multiple genes that are affected by a variety of other factors.
This means you have the ability to choose your behavior.
Those who practice this “Alternate” lifestyle are free to do so, just dont expect the laws to change to give you special treatment.
Marriage, is defined as a man and a woman for one reason – the children and their well being.
When you show me a gay couple that have the ability to make a child on their own i will fully get behind allowing them to marry.
And for those who absolutely swear up and down that the Homosexual lifestyle is one that a person is born with, i ask what is it about Prison that seems to bring out the Gay gene in so many?
Its because it does not exist.
Its a lifestyle. accept the fact that not everyone is going to agree with your choices.
I dont agree with it, but i wouldnt freak out if a couple of gays moved in next door to me.
I believe in live and let live, but to make special exceptions to the sanctity of marriage is not right.
If its truly about medical care decisions etc… Power of Attorney will allow you to ensure that you can be every bit as involved as a spouse.
But in the end, its not really about any of this is it?
Nope, its about forcing it down mainstream Americas throat and then choking them to death on it because you have a govt that will allow it.
I for one can not believe we allow sexuality to be this public anyway.
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Capt, that has to be one of the most hateful ignorant rants I have read on here. The sad thing is the majority of homosexuals don’t force their choices down your throat just like most christians don’t force their judgements downeveryones throat. You are living in a very sheltered life to believe the language and beliefs you just posted are ok to state publicly. There is nothing illegal and nothing wrong with people who choose to have same sex relationships. It is only misplaced fear and myths that people like you believe in is what is wrong in this debate!
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Pick up a paper and find a single page that doesnt speak about that lifestyle on it somewhere.
Same thing about a magazine.
Watch a tv show and yep, there it is representin!
Its ALL over.
How can you possible say it isnt being oversaturated and crammed down peoples throats.
Is it not enough to accept that they do what they do and live and let live?
Must i endure their lifestyle in my face at every turn?
The simple fact that sexuality should be kept to ones self and in the home is irrelevent, they are going out of their way to be in the media constantly.
I dont have to hate them to be sick of being subjected to it at every turn.
Could you imagine the uproar if every show had a person preaching the word of god?
People would lose their minds, but at least they wouldnt be called a bigot for having an opinion.
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Alright capt let’s look at the directv lineuo 13 religious networks with 7 being strictly christian. And 7 preaching ‘the word’ one way or another at 932 pm on Saturday august 3rd. Now directv only carries 1 channel that can be classified for gay and lesbian viewers called logo and guess what is on at that same tine nip/tuck a medical drama that can be found on multiple other channels. As a matter of fact logo ussually plays multiple mtv reruns to fill the time and rarely has a “homosexual based show”. If I do my math right here it is the christans jamming their beliefs down your throat and not the homosexuals on cable television. Check mate!
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Whoops Friday evening
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Today it has been teen mom on logo all afternoon. Hardly preaching a homosexual message again.
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