Posted on 10/15/2014 7:19:07 PM PDT by bestintxas
Houston Mayor Annise Parker has backed down from the subpoenas the City of Houston issued to several area pastors, Breitbart Texas has learned.
Breitbart Texas reported earlier about the controversy, stemming from litigation challenging the city's anti-discrimination ordinance and subpoenas asking the pastors for the content of their sermons, speeches and communications with church members. Texas Senator Ted Cruz weighed in, firmly supporting the pastors in their efforts to fight the subpoenas, while Mayor Parker initially remained adamant that the city had the right to request those records. Despite posting comments on Twitter just hours before that seemed to indicate she would continue to fight this issue, she told a Houston radio station that she had changed her mind.
As reported by KTRH Mayor Parker admitted that the subpoenas were too broad, and that the pastors' sermons should not have been included. "It’s not about what did you preach on last Sunday," she said. "It should have been clarified, it will be clarified." City Attorney David Feldman had an odd admission of his own: that he had not reviewed the subpoenas before they were issued. "When I looked at it I felt it was overly broad, I would not have worded it that way myself," said Feldman. "It's unfortunate that it has been construed as some effort to infringe upon religious liberty."
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
We have slowly but inevitably become habituated to despotism as the tentacles of state control slither into every nook and cranny of American life.
Did they subpoena the sermons of the Imams of the Houston Mosques? I have not heard of any complaints from the Muslims.
What else would it be construed as? It IS an attack on religious freedom you two-faced coward!
Go Ted Cruz!
It’s evident that Annise Parker had every intention to infringe upon religious liberty.
Conduct an open air sermon on the steps of ‘her’ city hall and preach against the evil of freedom hating tyrants. Now that would be special.
As they have done with much of the rest of the Constitution, the 20th century Fabian Socialist activist judges have ignored and overturned precedent with no constitutional reasoning or justification.
I think I have a much clearer picture of why my ancestors fled England to come to America now
First happy thought I’ve been inspired to in ages.
That boy and a big stick would be a great start.
He would be one I could vote FOR instead of giving a vote against the rat alternative.
I have not cast one vote FOR a candidate since voting for him for Senate and Reagan before that.
Our congress creep is Kevin Braindead from Conroe. You gotta hold a mirror up to his face to see if Kevin baby is still breathing but they keep voting him back ‘cause nobody runs against him.
Well, Madam Mayor is a Lesbian. Married here partner of 23 years in CA in January.
Now is there any question where the ordinance came from?
Partial explanation of law applied here:
http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin827.htm
That link should have a warning. That mayor’s picture has
the Hillary look! I need a shower. I am getting grossed-out :)
> Her hat was bigger than her cattle. In a week, she’ll wish the whole thing was forgotten.
The city council should petition for her removal. This move was clearly political fueled by a personal agenda due to her lifestyle and angst against a certain class of people who don’t condone her lifestyle. It’s clearly an ethics violation and a violation of the pastor’s first amendment rights and shows bad judgment on her part. She needs to be removed from office.
Oh, YES!! May it be so.
> Did they subpoena the sermons of the Imams of the Houston Mosques? I have not heard of any complaints from the Muslims.
No because the Imams would just have had her killed. People like her only pull crap like that on people who will turn the other cheek.
Not just the commoners but the Texas Attorney General as well:
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/oagnews/release.php?id=4880
AUSTIN — Attorney General Abbott today asked that the Houston City Attorney to immediately withdraw the subpoenas sent last month to several Houston-area pastors seeking sermons, notes and other information.
In his letter to the city attorney, Attorney General Abbott said, “Whether you intend it to be so or not, your action is a direct assault on the religious liberty guaranteed by the First Amendment. The people of Houston and their religious leaders must be absolutely secure in the knowledge that their religious affairs are beyond the reach of the government.”
Mr. David Feldman
City Attorney
City of Houston
900 Bagby, 4th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
Dear Mr. Feldman:
Your office has demanded that four Houston pastors hand over to the city government many of their private papers, including their sermons. Whether you intend it to be so or not, your action is a direct assault on the religious liberty guaranteed by the First Amendment. The people of Houston and their religious leaders must be absolutely secure in the knowledge that their religious affairs are beyond the reach of the government. Nothing short of an immediate reversal by your office will provide that security. I call on you to withdraw the subpoenas without further delay.
Dear Mr. Feldman:
Your office has demanded that four Houston pastors hand over to the city government many of their private papers, including their sermons. Whether you intend it to be so or not, your action is a direct assault on the religious liberty guaranteed by the First Amendment. The people of Houston and their religious leaders must be absolutely secure in the knowledge that their religious affairs are beyond the reach of the government. Nothing short of an immediate reversal by your office will provide that security. I call on you to withdraw the subpoenas without further delay.
I recognize that the subpoenas arise from litigation related to a petition to repeal an ordinance adopted by the city council. But the litigation discovery process is not a license for government officials to inquire into religious affairs. Nor is your office’s desire to vigorously support the ordinance any excuse for these subpoenas. No matter what public policy is at stake, government officials must exercise the utmost care when our work touches on religious matters. If we err, it must be on the side of preserving the autonomy of religious institutions and the liberty of religious believers. Your aggressive and invasive subpoenas show no regard for the very serious First Amendment considerations at stake.
A statement released by the Mayor’s Office claims that the subpoenas were prepared by outside lawyers and that neither you nor Mayor Parker was aware of them before they were issued. Nevertheless, these lawyers acted in the City’s name, and you are responsible for their actions. You should immediately instruct your lawyers to withdraw the City’s subpoenas. Religious institutions and their congregants should never have to worry that a government they disagree with will attempt to interfere in their religious affairs. Instead of safeguarding that trust, you appear to have given some of the most powerful law firms in Houston free rein to harass and intimidate pastors who oppose City policy. In good faith, I hope you merely failed to anticipate how inappropriately aggressive your lawyers would be. Many, however, believe your actions reflect the city government’s hostility to religious beliefs that do not align with city policies.
I urge you to demonstrate the City’s commitment to religious liberty and to true diversity of belief by unilaterally withdrawing these subpoenas immediately. Your stated intention to wait for further court proceedings falls woefully short of the urgent action needed to reassure the people of Houston that their government respects their freedom of religion and does not punish those who oppose city policies on religious grounds.
Sincerely,
Greg Abbott
Attorney General of Texas
The nerve of this fascist degenerate. The fool should be exiled.
Bad joke...
I slapped my wrists...
Sorry
Queer and Lesbo marriages should be forced to carry around those animated babies teenagers had to in the 90s and early 2010s that cry, throw up, make diapers, need to be fed, need to be put to nap, washed, clothed, fed again.
Easy for queers to hate homos. They have the free time to attack us because they have no progeny pinning down their time all throughout the day.
And no nannies, either. These babies stayed physically glued to you. Since the homos consider us breeders the enemy.
Maybe I went a bit overboard.
Bad joke.
Still...that wench has zero right or authority to persecute churches, in search of victims, because she can’t stand herself.
Posting in fury is bad. Further explanation:
In the late 90s and early 2000s, many 13-18yo girls were forced to ‘raise’ an electronic baby, complete with carriers, clothes, bottles, diapers, everything. The effort was to point out the responsibilities of parenting.
Gays have no parental responsibilities. Their time can be spent tearing apart the family unit. Make them realize they are free to destroy the family unit because they don’t have family units to raise to adulthood.
Alrighty. You had me going there for a minute.
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