NEW MEXICO RESIDENT GAVIN CLARKSON’S DRIVER’S LICENSE DEEMED “FOREIGN” BY D.C. CLERK
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Gavin and Marina Clarkson
Published December 2, 2018
WASHINGTON — Gavin Clarkson (Choctaw), the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development — Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of Interior, has experienced his share of crazy moments in Washington, D.C. However, he wasn't expecting such a moment when he went apply for a marriage license last month at the District of Columbia Marriage Bureau.
The couple selected rings made of Navajo silver and turquoise.
On November 20, 2018, when he presented his state's driver's license from the State of New Mexico, the marriage bureau clerk advised Clarkson he would need a foreign passport because the did not think New Mexico was a state within the United States.
"She thought New Mexico was a foreign country," Clarkson says of the clerk as quoted by the Las Cruces Sun-News . "All the couples behind us waiting in line were laughing."
Clarkson asked to see her supervisor, who at first sided with the clerk. Both of whom, apparently did recall their geography lessons. New Mexico is indeed part of the United States. It became a state on January 12, 1912.
A peristent Clarkson eventually convinced the clerk that the New Mexico driver's license was sufficient identification.
District of Columbia Marriage Bureau admitted its clerk had made an error.
"We understand that a clerk in our Marriage Bureau made a mistake regarding New Mexico's 106-year history as a state," said Leah H. Gurowitz, director of media and public relations for D.C. Courts, in an email to the Sun-News . "We very much regret the error and the slight delay it caused a New Mexico resident in applying for a DC marriage license."
Clarkson posted this message to his Facebook account:
November 20 at 1:53 PM · Washington ·
Mrs. Clarkson thinks that the most hilarious part was when the clerk complimented me on my English. (For those that don't know, Marina immigrated from Argentina in 1994 and became a US citizen fourteen years later).
"The clerk's office also later confirmed that it would have been easier if I had used my Choctaw tribal ID instead of my New Mexico license. Go figure," Clarkson says in a statement to Native News Online.
The couple was able to marry later in the day on November 20, 2018, on Clarkson's birthday.
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New Mexico isn't part of the U.S.. I know that our educational system is having problems but come on..New Mexico is a foreign country and you need a passport to be here...LMAO
Interestingly … the same clerk and supervisor thought they had to go to Texas to rent a car …
… wait for it …
FROM ALAMO.*
*My apologies.
I have another story about the clerk … but it's off topic so I'll save it for another time.
Ooooh, that Hertz.
I concede … your comment killed mine.
Would that constitute vehicular homicide?
And what's driving this conversation … will it tire us?
Well played, sir.
I'm not sure, but if we are not careful, it could go a little flat.
It kinda seems to have already ran into the ditch.
I'm not sure, but if we are not careful, it could go a little flat.
To air is human.
Yep, and to forget is divine.
I'm sorry … what were we talking about?
My apologies to Kavika … I have taken his discussion off the rails.
Not sure, maybe the weather ?
lol o yeah on a clear day they say you can see moscow from the District of Columbia.
Some say from the front porch I think it's outback.
lol
Most likely an honest mistake.
LMAO, I'm sure that it was. That and a lack of intelligent or skipping history or geography class could have something to do with it as well. And the supervisor backed the clerk....LMAO
Funny Dean. I get what you're saying.....very clever.
You're probably right. However, I would add stupid, ridiculous, and straight-up moronic with an off-the-chain side-order of embarrassing...for the clerk and her boss.
What wasn't an honest mistake, though, was hiring 2 people clearly lacking the most basic of credentials to hold either position.
Kudos to Mr. Clarkson and his bride for sharing their experience with a comical slant, especially the part about the compliment on his English. I can envision no facial expression accompanied by two or three befuddling blinks (the reaction one has when they are doing their best to keep the WTF look off of their face so not to hurt anyone's feelings), a slow head turn to look at his intended (who had just exhibited the same method to keep the WTF look off of her own face), followed by another slow head turn to look back at the clerk.
Someday...someday, amigo.
More stupid people in the news.
After Perries discussion yesterday and this one today, maybe an IQ level should become a more important metric than credit rating...?
The scary part of that could be that a majority can't pass an IQ test..../s
LOL.
I wonder how that office would handle folks from Paris or Odessa TX? Or Moscow Idaho? Detain them for the storm troopers.
We already know that's the case as is evident by her the current President is.
Ok folks let's keep politics out of this. It's a funny article so let's keep it that way.
They know about Moscow Idaho because it's right near Washington. Duh! /s.
I heard that's only on really really clear days though.
sorry .......
I'm a stinker.
Probably known as Moscow on the Potomac....
LOL, I guess that would depend on which direction their porch faced some may need to look outback.
(which really might confuse some thinking they have no outback and that's in Australia.)
lol
DOH!!!
Of course. How could I miss that?
I can't remember the last time I made a mistake.
BTW, what was it we were talking about again?
The outback? Wow! You must have really good eyes.
LOL
The out back they need to look in is Out their Back door. Thus their confusion.
You don't think the tambourines and elephants will block their view?
What in the world does Australia and CCR have to do with this...LOL
maybe for some, there'd probably be some jackassses in the way as well.
I made a joke including the outback, it grew. lol
Simple.
The thing same as New Mexico. They are all foreign.
Aren't they?
(P.S. Maybe I went to the same school as those students in Perrie's other article)
LOL.
lol
But who's kickin'?
He lost the fight...LOL
The positive take away:
At least Native Americans are recognized as American........
Yeah - Audra and I have to get our passports renewed each year for both Mexico and the U. S.
I had a 60 year old lady ask me a while back what Washington DC was ?
An american lady ta boot.
lol
Not an easy one to explain.
I just told her Washington DC is the nation's capital.
She seemed satisfied. I'm sure she was confused as she had lived in Washington state....
LOL
We need to help people get out more. Broaden their horizons.
Just a hop to a foreign country that's on our doorstep...Come on by and enjoy. No passport of visa required but a tribal ID card will help.
Could you please include a map on how to get there ? I seem to be lost.
It would depend on where you live...I'll assume that your east of NM so head west young man...LOL...
No, I better not, I'd run into california then the ocean that would be the loooong way to go.
LOL I'm right over here in phoenix.
In that case head east young man...
That sounds logical.
lol
I was glad to learn from the article they speak English well. I am not fluent in Choctaw.
Yeah seems none of us learned the native language.
Everyone speaks the same language at Choctaw,
$$
I just give those sorts of business a few bucks at the front door and go on my way.
It's cheaper that way.
New Mexico magazine's last page is a column called "One of Our 50 is Missing". It always had funny stories. Some people don't even realize there is another state between Texas and Arizona.
My oldest step-daughter moved to Georgia from New Mexico some years ago. When she went to get a Georgia driver's license, she was told they needed to see her passport. When she informed them New Mexico is one of the states, they said they didn't know anything about that and she would need to go to the sheriff's office for a license.
You have to be kidding, right Steve....
Nope. True story. Stardust never did get a Georgia license.
Wow, that is unbelievable.
You would think. But long ago when I lived in Illinois when winter hit many of us got laid off. Dealing with the government unemployment office was not only the joke of the land it was the nightmare as well.
The amount of incompetence was utterly ridiculous. People like myself that worked outside wth tools could and would figure out their jobs and show them what needed done. And that's no shit. The reason about half of them were still there and couldn't be fired was because they somehow were connected to the government.
IMO: Whats unbelievable to me is that hasn't change in 40 years.
LOL
Dad always said "Son get yourself a government job, so they can't fire your ass." (dad knew me well,lol)
LOL .. Now I know why. "they said they didn't know anything about that"
lol DUuuu !
Ha. Reminds me of the Jimmy Kimmel skits where he interviews people on the street.
I was watching a show the other night and the people did not know the Prime Minister of England. I know that would be hard for people that don't even know the states. A lot would be baffled to try to grasp that the US also has territories.
Seems to be a lot of people around that don't know basic stuff.
A lot of people dont know jack shit but they figure out how to vote straight party line at least.
HA. Easier than trying to research a candidate.
What gets me about the Kimmel skits is that people will lie and pretend they know about something, even when it is false.
LOL Yeah I've seen a few of those questioning on the streets skit things from various places. It is interesting to see how people react. Whether they know or not and as you say especially when they dont, They'll guess and look questionably at the questioner for the lead on whether they are correct or not.
Leno used to go along with their mistakes some and lead em on to say even stupider shit. He was good at that. It was almost hilarious some times.
Easier than trying to research a candidate.
Boy that's for damn sure, I research each one on my ballot, It takes me hours but I vote absentee ballot so I have about a week to do it and get it back to them.
I stopped voting straight party line when I figured out thats how the bad politicians gain power over us.
I hear it's tough to get a visa