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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: A green-letter day ... Guest Opinion: Little room to compromise with deer ... Guest Opinion: Let’s talk turkey, Dear ... Our View: A green-letter day ... Guest Opinion: Little room to compromise with deer ... Guest Opinion: Let’s talk turkey, Dear ... Dianne Williamson: Rulings raise a ruckus Comment By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette DailyTidings.com By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 9:18 AM By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 9:18 AM » Social News Today we drill down on two unrelated judicial decisions that have been greeted with varied degrees of delight, dismay and the sort of rabid fanaticism common to religious zealots or pro football fans. Speaking of the latter, one of the phone calls I received last week in the wake of U.S. District Judge Richard Berman’s “deflategate” ruling was from a woman describing herself as an “old lady” who rarely reads my column. “I don’t like your style, or lack of it,” she explained, perhaps providing a bit too much information. “But I’m hoping ... you write a column of apology. Something like, ‘Hey, folks, even I can be wrong. Tom Brady is innocent.’ Or something flip like that. You should just admit you made a mistake.” This obnoxious geriatric - I mean, concerned senior citizen - isn’t the only reader who believes I should apologize for a recent column about Tom Brady, in which I opined that he had something to do with Deflategate, given the fact that, on the very day he was due to meet with league investigators, he happened to have smashed his cellphone to pieces. Now I fully realize from listening to sports radio that Tom Brady is no mere mortal, but still. This is not normal human behavior. It’s the behavior of someone who has something to hide. Anyway, the correspondence I’ve received goes something like this: “Who do you think you are to write anything about Tom Brady you stupid pathetic bla bla Tom Brady is a GOD and you’re a piece of garbage bla bla FOUR Super Bowl rings you’re a terrible columnist bla bla bla Roger Goodell is an idiot who should be fired along with you because bla bla bla I’ll never read your column again. You stink. Bla.” So now I must be the skunk at the Patriots garden party. Even though a federal judge threw out Brady’s four-day suspension last week, he never addressed the quarterback’s guilt or innocence in regards to deflating footballs. The ruling pertained solely to process, to the NFL’s handling of player discipline. The judge never ruled that Brady played no part in Deflategate. So yeah, I still think Brady cheated and lied about it. It’s hardly the biggest scandal to hit pro football, however, and I look forward to the season opener Thursday night. And I always enjoy passionate correspondence from people who I hope do not routinely operate heavy machinery. Which brings us to Kim Davis, the Kentucky court clerk who was jailed after defying a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, because it happens to be the law. Davis cites “God’s authority” in refusing to recognize same-sex nuptials, a position that’s made her a symbol of religious freedom among smaller-brained people who believe that government employees should be able to exempt themselves from laws they don’t like. “She has done her job,” said her husband, Joe Davis. “Just because five Supreme Court judges make a ruling, it’s not a law.” It’s precisely a law, but this is what we’re dealing with here. When asked in court last week by her lawyer whether she approved of same-sex marriage, she said, “It’s not of God.” I’m not the first to note that this woman should hardly hold herself up as a Christian martyr. In an interview on MSNBC, political commentator Dan Savage pointed out that Davis has been divorced three times and that she was impregnated by a man who was not her husband, but whom she later married. “Jesus Christ himself in Scripture condemns divorce, calls it adultery and forbids it,” said Savage, who called Davis a hypocrite. “Jesus Christ in Scripture says not one word about same-sex marriage.” Her lawyer claims there’s not much Davis can do, saying that “she is not going to imprison her conscience to be legally free.” Well, there’s one thing she could easily do. Davis’ job is to certify that two people have met the legal requirements for marriage. If she doesn’t want to do that, she should quit. Problem solved. Meanwhile, The Onion perfectly nailed the absurdity of the issue with this headline from 2005: “Christian Science Pharmacist Refuses to Fill Any Prescriptions.” By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette DailyTidings.com By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 9:18 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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