Redneck Notaries

On page 15 of the November 2003 issue of The National Notary, the newsletter of the National Notary Association (NNA), they did a piece on personal bias. The gist is a notary must notarize a document if it is complete, even if the document in question is offensive to the notary.

…which turns out to be a good rule, because from the sound of things, most of the Notaries are serious reactionaries!

Example:

In 1998, Notaries learned about a document being circulated by an anti-capital punishment group based in New York called the “Declaration of Life.” This unofficial document included a request that if the bearer were killed, the murderer would be spared the death penalty. Some people carrying the card wanted their signatures on the document notarized, prompting angry letters to the NNA.

“Even the thought of notarizing something like this is repulsive to me,” Notary Kathleen Clayton of Salt Lake City, Utah, wrote. “I am appalled at the very idea.”

Dorothy Chandler of Redmond, Washington, said, “I refuse to have my name associated with anything this contrary to life as we know it on this planet. To even print such a declaration for people to sign to allow murderers to live is insane.”

So wait… the first person is appalled at the idea of sparing someone’s life, and I will bet you money that person is a Mormon, which yes is a flavor of Christianity, the religion that coined the phrase “turn the other cheek” and says that vengeance is God’s perogative only (Romans 12:19)

Incredibly, the second person calls the document “contrary to life” because it allows someone to live. And wait, you REFUSE? Sorry lady, but you can’t do that and should be disbarred. As a Notary you are an officer of the state and must serve the public, regardless of how wacky their opinions are.

Fortunately the law is behind me on this one, and the article is as well… but since only Notaries will be likely to read it I thought I’d share it with you.