Welcome to Missour-ah! If you don't fit in, get the fuck out!

I REALLY need to move...

Ah, but you see, therein lies a large part of the problem - the lack of response from Christian moderates, liberals, and conservatives (in the former sense of the word). They have not spoken out loudly enough against those that would besmirch their religion. They leave the "fight" to activists and atheists who will surely turn around good thinking American's opinions.

Americans are not going to listen to the well reasoned arguments from myself and my fellow atheists. They are not going to listen to the agnostics and other "minorities". No, the majority position must speak up and quell the tides of evil within it's own ranks.

The same pattern has been seen in virtually every civil rights struggle. Once blacks won the allegiance of a number of whites willing to work on the front lines with them, the struggle moved forward. The same with women, Jews, and other minorities in America. The same will also be true for homosexuals.

So, until the majority Christians who do not support the efforts of these fundamentalists speak forcefully and loudly and publicly for their positions, the oppression will continue, spread, and worsen.

You know, one of the funny things about being married is that everyone just totally takes your word for it. I mean, I'm sure we still have our marriage certificate filed away somewhere, but I have no idea where it is, and if you came to my door with the sheriff and said "produce it right now or get the fuck out" I'd probably be getting the fuck out right now instead of typing this.

But no one ever does. No one ever looks at us twice, because we're opposite sexes. Even though we have different last names, no one has ever even THOUGHT about asking for some kind of evidence.

I would be shocked if all kinds of unmarried likely couples (i.e., opposite-sex ones) weren't using this to get away with stuff all the time. "Yes, we're married" is just never going to be challenged anywhere.

Which suggests a way to use this law against the idiots who passed it. Demand to see their certificates. Start with the mayor. Bring the local TV station with you. Demand that eviction proceedings be started against anyone who can't produce a certificate NOW. If they give you any "oh, it burned in a fire", demand that they write to the issuing county for a new one, NOW.

If I lived there, I would immediately start lobbying for a law demanding that all persons within the city limits carry a notarized copy of their certificate on their person at all times.

I'm also curious to see what the eviction process is going to look like for people who own their homes. Evicting a renter is fairly difficult even in the most conservative communities; a homeowner? That's got to be hard.

I'm thinking there are some lawyers in the area who are already making plans for new yachts and luxury vacations as a result of this.

I'd also like to point out how spectacularly anti-historical this is. It's very typical for the most entrenched "conservatives" to want to conserve aspects of traditional American life that are actually not that traditional. Ever heard of common law marriages? Unmarried couples living together are extremely common in American history. In fact, I'll bet that the percentage of couples who were formally married in the eyes of the law was much less a hundred or two hundred years ago.

In my genealogical research it's extremely common to find people who are "married", possibly even preacher-married, who have never seen or asked for governmental confirmation of their status.

Nice. Here's the city's official press release:

STATEMENT BY Mayor Norman C. McCourt at May 16, 2006 City Council Meeting:

The City of Black Jack, Missouri was incorporated in 1970 using the name that had been associated with the general area since the late 1800’s due to the fact that a grove of Black Jack oak trees was a meeting place for farmers on their way to and from markets in St. Louis. Since its incorporation the city has experienced significant growth with an estimate today of more than 7,500 residents and 2,500 dwelling units.

The City adopted its first version of an occupancy permit law in 1985, and most recently amended the ordinance in 2004. Approximately 89 other municipalities in the St. Louis metropolitan area have some form of occupancy permit requirements. Most occupancy permit codes include a definition of "family," some of which are more restrictive than Black Jack’s and some of which are less restrictive than Black Jack’s.

The purpose of these occupancy permit laws generally is to:

avoid overcrowding by non-related parties,

assure the lifelong maintenance of the cities housing stock,

prevent new buyers from being obligated to repair residences that were not kept up to code,

preserve the character of the neighborhoods and the City

and to protect the general safety and welfare of the City’s residents.

The character and stability of a City is not an accident it is the result of years of hard work by the residents and individuals living in the City.

The City provides information about its occupancy permit requirements to anyone who requests it from City Hall. Before a residence is sold, it must be inspected to be certain that it is up to the requirements of the code so that the new owner is not faced with significant expenses to bring the residence into compliance with the City’s housing code.

In addition, real estate agents should inform their clients of occupancy permit requirements for any community where a buyer contemplates purchasing a home. The real estate agents have access to information which shows the requirements and restrictions of various cities in this regard. Furthermore, the City’s application process for an occupancy permit is intended to prevent any surprises to potential home owners. The application process apprises applicants of the City’s requirements and restrictions regarding occupancy prior to issuing a permit.

Contrary to much media hype and public comment, the current definition of "family" in the City of Black Jack Code does not prevent an unmarried couple from living in the City. Under the City’s Housing and Zoning Codes, each of the following three separate groups of people constitute a "family" when living together as a single non-profit housekeeping unit in a dwelling unit:

a. An individual; or

b. Two (2) or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption; or

c. A group of not more than three (3) persons who need not be related by blood, marriage or adoption.

As it generally does when an issue arises in connection with one of its ordinances, the City Council has initiated a review of the definition of "family." At its meeting on March 21, 2006, the City Council directed the Planning and Zoning Commission to review the current definition of "family" in the Zoning Ordinance and to recommend to the Council any changes to the definition that the Planning and Zoning Commission deems appropriate.

At its meeting on April 26, 2006 after a public hearing and discussion, the Planning and Zoning Commission made a recommendation to the City Council for a proposed change the definition of "family".

At the May 2, 2006, City Council meeting the City Council accepted the report of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Subsequently, Bill #963 was introduced and read for the first time at the meeting.

At tonight’s meeting after the second reading of Bill #963 the City Council voted 5 to 3 to rejected Bill #963.

As Mayor, I am required by state law to uphold the laws of the City of Black Jack. Tomorrow, we will follow our normal administrative process and request compliance by any individuals that are living in the City who are not in compliance with the Code.

The City will have no further comment on the situation this evening.

Yabbut, yabbut: there's a lawyer in me struggling to get out, and he wants to know, what about groups that partially meet different parts of the code? Like the family in question; the couple aren't related by any of the three, but they are OK under b); but their kids put them over the limit; but their kids ARE related by blood. The law is too confusing and contradictory to stand, seems to me.

I think unmarried residents worth their salt in Black Jack, MO need to speak with their property taxes... and move out of Black Jack, MO.

I think the ACLU should challenge this - it certainly seems illegal on its face.