Tag Archives: Arkansas

Dilemma

Ponderings, ,

I have a weird–what I feel to be moral–dilemma that I need y’all’s thoughts on.

And I’m guessing that by the fact that I am asking this question I probably know what my answer should be.

But, here goes.

I’m certain I’ve had other clients in the past who I didn’t agree with ideologically. But they weren’t wearing their beliefs on their skin. That I saw. Or at least they weren’t displaying them.

A client came in yesterday who wants me to redo and add to his sleeves and chest. So we are talking easily 30 or 40 hours of work.

This client is… different.

He has a large red swastika on his chest, and several other white supremacist tattoos in various places on his arms that I recognize. Very visible, as he came in wearing a white tank top.

He hasn’t said anything about covering up those tattoos with new tattoos, so I’m assuming he’s an “active” racist. Which is where my dilemma is: Have I judged him based on those? And tell him I can’t tattoo him because of those and my beliefs? Or do I ask him if those still mean something to him, and if so I can’t tattoo him, and tell him why?

Until next time...
Erik

12 of 12, May 2014 edition, and Pic a Day in May: May 12, 2014

Meme, , , , , ,

My twenty-ninth “12 of 12”. And a very special one for sure!

The 12 of 12 challenge was created by Chad Darnell and picked up from a number of random bloggers who then linked back to him and vice versa. Chad stopped doing the 12 of 12 links in December of 2011, but passed the torch to someone else who sadly hasn’t been keeping up with it. So as always, I’m giving my shout-out to Blobby of Blobby’s Blog as he is the one who inspired me to do it.

All pictures were taken with my iPhone 4S.

9:51 AM: Well, that's one way to wake up.
9:51 AM: Well, that’s one way to wake up.
10:16 AM: Anxious.
10:16 AM: Anxious.
10:47 AM: Everyone being told no more licenses would be issued in Eureka. :(
10:47 AM: Everyone being told no more licenses would be issued in Eureka. 🙁
10:52 AM: Now what?
10:52 AM: Now what?
11:19 AM: Heading to Fayetteville.
11:19 AM: Heading to Fayetteville.
12:02 PM: Married.
12:02 PM: Married.
2:48 PM: The Husbear working in the yard.
2:48 PM: The Husbear working in the yard.
2:54 PM: I still can't believe we're legally married.
2:54 PM: I still can’t believe we’re legally married.
4:27 PM: Big storm rolling in...
4:27 PM: Big storm rolling in…
5:35 PM: Beveraging Monday™ and celebrating with my buddies!
5:35 PM: Beveraging Monday™ and celebrating with my buddies!
8:04 PM: Something hysterical happened that I wasn't privy to. But there was at least eye candy to look at behind Dwayne. ;-)
8:04 PM: Something hysterical happened that I wasn’t privy to. But there was at least eye candy to look at behind Dwayne. 😉
9:26 PM: A moment of quiet. And my wedding ring is now on the proper finger.
9:26 PM: A moment of quiet. And my wedding ring is now on the proper finger.
11:09 PM: The lovely bartender Ashley. She takes care of us so well.
BONUS: 11:09 PM: The lovely bartender Ashley. She takes care of us so well.

And for my Pic a Day in May photo, I give you this:

1:07 AM: This little guy was hanging out on the screen when I got home. I've never seen a frog his color here.
1:07 AM: This little guy was hanging out on the screen when I got home. I’ve never seen a frog his color here.

Until next time...
Erik

Married, in Arkansas.

Ponderings, , ,

I should probably write about the events of today, since it’s my journal and all.

The Husbear woke me up about 9:30 this morning and said he decided we should go get married. He said he couldn’t focus all morning and decided we needed to go take part in this historic event before we couldn’t. We had actually planned on not getting married until we could in our home county of Benton, but the Benton County Clerk has refused to do any marriages.

So we quickly got ready, knowing the possibility of a stay coming down could happen. And then we headed east to Eureka Springs in Carroll County. Eureka had issued a few licenses on Saturday, so we were hoping we’d be able to get ours there. We arrived at the courthouse only to be turned away. Apparently an attorney in the county filed a lawsuit to stop the licenses from being issued there.

We were a little heartbroken, but we had a backup plan.

We jumped back in the car and drove the fastest 55 minutes ever south to Fayetteville in Washington County. We arrived at the courthouse, and headed up to the third floor. We were promptly rushed in to the County Clerk’s office where we filled out and signed some paperwork, paid $60, had a very speedy officiation, and then *bam*: we’re married.

Legally married.

In Arkansas!

The Husbear sort of broke down (a little) at that point. And I might have gotten a little misty-eyed as well. It’s weird to think that we’ve been together for 17 years, but now it’s “official”.

There were other couples there getting married as well, and pictures were being taken by people and news crews. Someone offered to take our pictures for us since we were a little busy.

Happy happy happy.
Happy happy happy.

The state Supreme Court has said they will have a stay response by noon tomorrow (Tuesday). Hopefully they stay isn’t issued, but as we saw in Carroll County, a lot of other counties are just flat refusing to offer the licenses.

This is an intresting time to say the least.

And I’m sure there’s more to come…

—–
UPDATE: The Husbear and I ended up on Joe.My.God today. Thank you Homer, and thank you Joe!

Until next time...
Erik

Marriage here in Arkansas…

Ponderings,

As a lot of you probably heard, on Friday, May 9, Circuit Judge Chris Piazza invalidated Arkansas’ 10-year-old ban (amendment 83) on same-sex marriage and recognition of marriages legally entered by same-sex couples in other states. (Full ruling here as pdf.)

In Carrol County–the next county over from us–in the town of Eureka Springs, a few licenses were issued to same-sex couples on Saturday from 9am to 1pm, when the courthouse closed for the day.

Here in Benton County, where we live, no licenses are expected to be issued today (Monday), at least according to the scuttlebutt we’ve been hearing through local news channels. The Benton County Clerk said the county will not issue any same-sex marriage licenses unless forced by a court order, and said in the letter that the Pulaski County judge does not have jurisdiction over their county and their decisions: “Amendment 83 remains binding in Benton County and will be respected.”

So the Husbear and I are torn: Do we drive to the next counties over–either Carrol or Washington–to get a license; or do we wait until the county we live in–and the county the Husbear’s family has lived in since before Arkansas was even a state–issues licenses?

I understand his sentiment for wanting to get a license in Benton County. He’s lived here all his life. And it’s where we live.

Decisions, decisions.

Until next time...
Erik