Patriots mantra ‘Do your job’ resurrected in same-sex marriage standoff
No, Bill Belichick was not present.
The hard-nosed, blue collar motto of the Super Bowl-winning Patriots — “Do your job’’ — has found a new role as the rallying cry of gay marriage advocates in Kentucky.
The adaptable phrase has taken on new meaning in Kentucky’s Rowan County, where the local elected clerk Kim Davis has refused to issue marriage licenses to anyone since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
An attempt by two same-sex couples to get a marriage license on Tuesday turned into a dramatic standoff with Davis, who said she would not give them out because of “God’s authority.’’
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Davis is an Apostolic Christian who opposes same-sex marriage, and has argued that issuing licenses would violate her religious rights. Despite that claim, she was ordered to issue marriage licenses by a federal judge, and an appeals court upheld the order. The Supreme Court declined to intervene on Monday, setting up the scene above. Davis could be held in contempt of court if she continues her stance.
Same-sex marriage supporters have called for her to stop mixing her personal religious beliefs with her professional responsibilities as an employee of the state.
Or, in snappier words, “Do your job.’’
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Although “Kim Davis’’ was trending on Twitter around noon on Tuesday, #DoYourJob was not. A scroll through the #DoYourJob hashtag reveals a mix of tweets about Davis as well as a number of excited messages for the Patriots coming season.
“Do your job’’ was the oft-repeated slogan of coach Bill Belichick for the 2014 Patriots team that became the motto for the team and its fan base. The Patriots attempted to trademark the phrase in 2014, and it’s even emblazoned on the team’s over-sized championship rings.
Gallery: How people reacted to the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision.
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