Free Republic

It largely escaped the notice of the national media, but there has been a pretty big political story playing out in Houston the last few weeks. Well, it has been a big story, at least, for one very key GOP constituency. Here's the recap: The city of Houston a few weeks back subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors who opposed an ordinance that was aimed at increasing the rights and protections of LGBT residents of the city, which is home to the first openly lesbian mayor of a major American city, Annise Parker (D). The subpoenas were issued in response...

Harris County Precinct 6 constable Victor Trevino pleaded guilty Monday to misapplication of fiduciary property, a day after beginning trial on allegations that he diverted money from his charity for personal use. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the felony, and has asked the judge to decide punishment after a sentencing hearing on Nov. 17. The Precinct 6 constable was indicted almost two years ago on several charges accusing him of financial misconduct. He was first elected to office 26 years ago. He will resign from office on Tuesday. He also will have to surrender...

Should we make an example of her? Absolutely. I was born in Waco, Texas, and lived in Houston, so I’ve got a dog in this hunt. Really, we all do. Houston Mayor Annise Parker has disqualified herself from the privilege of serving the people of south Texas. She must either resign, effective immediately, or Houstonians should begin, without delay, the process of recalling her from office. Strike while the iron’s hot, I say, and right now it’s glowing cultural Marxist red. Parker has been caught, cold, with her hand in the totalitarian cookie jar. She has, on multiple counts, betrayed...

The mayor's office of the city of Houston in Texas confirmed Thursday that conservatives sent in more than 1,000 Bibles to the city's first openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, in protest after the sermons of five local pastors were subpoenaed in a legal dispute over a controversial ordinance some say will allow men to use women's restrooms in the city. Earlier reports noted that city officials in Houston were upset over a voter lawsuit filed after the Houston City Council rejected valid petitions to repeal the city's controversial Equal Rights Ordinance, which allows men who identify as female to use...

Then, on October 29, Senator Cruz released a statement announcing that city officials were in retreat and had withdrawn the subpoenas.

A 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision could play a role in the outcome of a lawsuit over Houston Mayor Annise Parker's denial of a petition to revoke the city's new Equal Rights Ordinance. Around 55,000 signatures were gathered to add to the November ballot a question on whether to repeal the ERO. Since "gender identity" is included in the list of categories that cannot be discriminated against for public accommodations, critics have dubbed the law the "bathroom bill," because males who identify as female would be allowed to use women's bathrooms and females who identify as male would be allowed...

Nevertheless, the mayor still seems hell-bent on defending the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance – a piece of legislation that will in part give grown men who identify as women the right to use the restrooms of their choice. “It is extremely important to me to protect our Equal Rights Ordinance from repeal, and it is extremely important to me to make sure that every Houstonian knows that their lives are valid and protected and acknowledged,” Parker said. “We are going to continue to vigorously defend our ordinance against repeal efforts.” The subpoenas were issued in response to a lawsuit filed...

"I didn't do this to satisfy them. I did it because it was not serving Houston." Following a barrage of Bibles being sent to the office of Houston Mayor Annise Parker in response to her controversial subpoenas of five pastors to turn over their sermons, the city of Houston has withdrawn those subpoenas.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker has received a flood of Bibles — somewhere between 500 and 1,000 according to a spokesman for the mayor’s office — after the city subpoenaed the church sermons of five local faith leaders opposed to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which the mayor signed in May. “This is more dangerous than anything I’ve ever seen,” Glenn Beck said last week after interviewing one of the five subpoenaed religious leaders. “This is not about equal rights. … This is about shutting people down.” Steve Riggle, the pastor of Grace Community Church in Houston, told Beck that the...

Houston announced Wednesday that it will withdraw the subpoenas of sermons from five pastors who publicly opposed an ordinance banning discrimination against gay and transgender residents, The Houston Chronicle reported. "I didn't do this to satisfy them," Mayor Annise Parker said, referring to critics of the subpoenas. "I did it because it was not serving Houston."

annie, if you are afraid of what the Bible says about homosexuality, then change your ways because you cannot change The Word. You cannot censor Pastors, you cannot censor the Bible, you cannot censor God.

Take a look at P.J. Gladnick’s post over at Newsbusters . The gist: Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s daughter had trouble getting her driving test done to get her driver’s license. Parker, a lesbian who married her partner out of state after being elected mayor of Texas’ largest city, blamed the problem on the Texas Department of Public Safety and, specifically, on Texas law which does not recognize same-sex marriage. Their daughters are adopted and they also have a foster son. Parker launched her blame game in this tweet. Daughter needs drivers test. Has all docs, some in MomA name, some...

The daughter of Houston Mayor Annise Parker was briefly denied the chance to take a driving test this week because her birth certificate and other documentation indicated she has two mothers, the mayor said.. Parker, who married her longtime partner, Kathy Hubbard, in California this year and remains a rarity as an openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city, complained on her Twitter account on Friday.

Transcript of Joel Osteen's invocation prayer over Houston Mayor, Annise Parker, who was inaugurated as mayor of Houston. She is the first openly gay mayor of the city: FATHER, THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME TO COME TOGETHER WITH OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO CELEBRATE YOUR GOODNESS AND THE GREAT CITY WE LIVE IN, AND THE NEW LEADERSHIP WITHIN OUR CITY. LORD, WE ASK YOU FOR WISDOM FOR ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. LORD, WE PRAY THAT YOU WILL GUIDE THEM, DIRECT THEM, THAT YOU WILL HELP THEM MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR OUR CITY. LORD WE JUST PRAY FOR YOUR STRENGTH...

The city of Houston, Texas (Mayor Annise Parker), has issued subpoenas for pastors' sermons... Not surprised at all. To get right to the point without taking up any unnecessary space, who do statists want Separation of A.) Church and B.) State, but not Separation of B.) State and A.) Church? They apparently want the forward of this, but not the reverse. And they want religious folk to butt out of politics, but they seize every opportunity to stick their noses into the affairs of religious folk. In your opinion, why do you think this is; what do the statists want?

Although much has been reported regarding the ethics and legality behind the city of Houston's subpoena of five Houston-area pastors that had asked them to turn over all of their sermons that address homosexuality, gender identity, and the city's first openly-lesbian mayor, little attention has been given to who those five pastors actually are and the ministries they operate.Although those five pastors, Steve Riggle, David Welch, Hernan Castaño, Khanh Huynh and Magda Hermida, were not technically parties of the lawsuit against the city's new equal rights ordinance that sparked the need for the subpoenas, they all participated in the coalition...

The recent arguably unconstitutional moves by the Houston city council to subpoena the sermons of five area ministers, as well as internal correspondence dealing with social issues, should have the American Civil Liberties Union and everyone else who believes in free speech and religious freedom up in arms. We as Americans must guard every aspect of our Constitution and recognize when it is being threatened. One of the great dangers in America today is extreme intolerance in the name of tolerance. For example, in this Houston case, it is presupposed that the pastors in question may have said something that...

Houston Police are responding to a shooting in progress outside Ben Taub Hospital in the Medical Center. The incident happened in the outpatient pharmacy area, between the pharmacy and a parking garage. The area now cordoned off by police is a busy walkway, used to get to and from Ben Taub to the public parking garage, ABC 13 reports.

Houston recently passed an ordinance through its city council that has sparked quite a bit of controversy amongst conservative evangelicals. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), a broad-sweeping, left-leaning law trumpeted by the City of Houston and its openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, is supposed to protect gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination. All well and good, but according to the Independent Journal Review, the ordinance to ensure nondiscrimination, discriminates against those of faith who oppose it. Five pastors, members of Houston's conservative, evangelical base, oppose HERO, as does the liberal Americans United for the Separation of Church and...

People say America is one of the most religious countries in the world. But is it religious in the way that you think it is? You’re bound to learn something new in this list: