Free Republic

On Wednesday, lawyers representing more than 1,200 California clergy sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), declaring religious services essential during the coronavirus pandemic and announcing that churches will start meeting in person on May 31 — the Day of Pentecost referred to as the birthday of the Christian church — with or without the governor’s permission. “The Day of Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the Christian church. May 31, 2020 is the 1,990th anniversary of the original Day of Pentecost that occurred in the year A.D. 30. We declare that on May 31, 2020, we...

Minnesota is moving into the third phase of its reopening under Governor Tim Walz’s plan on June 1st. After plenty of comments from the public, however, he’s been making last-minute changes to the plan. The most recent update offered more opportunities for people to out for dinner and put some food in their bellies. Food for the soul, on the other hand, still won’t be quite as available. Restaurants will be allowed to host up to fifty customers on outdoor patio seating, but churches will remain limited to 10 congregants whether they are indoors or outdoors. (Washington Examiner) Democratic...

Raleigh, N.C. — Some North Carolina business owners eagerly awaiting the move to the second stage of a three-part plan to resume activities amid the coronavirus pandemic were stunned Wednesday when they were left out of Gov. Roy Cooper's "more modest" approach to reopening. "The increases in the COVID-19 cases signal a need to take a more modest step forward in Phase 2 than originally envisioned," Cooper said at a news conference. When Cooper first laid out his three-part plan in April, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other indoor entertainment venues pointed to Phase 2 as when they could resume...

Buoyed by a letter from the U.S. Justice Department to Gov. Gavin Newsom that emphasizes the right to worship, a lawyer for a church suing over California’s coronavirus ban on in-person services says he expects thousands of congregations to return to their churches a week from Sunday. The move comes as the fight over whether the state has the right to prohibit church services for now has moved to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where a Lodi church is seeking an emergency injunction against the ban, and as hundreds of pastors have signed a petition declaring that their...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California moves through its methodical four-step process for reopening, some counties are pushing the boundaries by bypassing the state's orders or refusing to enforce rules against businesses that reopen without state permission. Tulare County, in the middle of the state's vast Central Valley agricultural region, was the latest. Its Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to move into “Phase 3" of reopening, giving barbershops, movie theaters and churches the go-ahead even before the county had been approved by the state to go deeper into Phase 2. The state called the county’s actions “hasty and careless” and...

Sometimes, a good rant is all a writer can offer. Bear with me. Last Friday morning, some 3,500 New Yorkers lined up at a Catholic church in Queens to receive free food hours before it even opened, ­according to the New York Police Department. Catholic Charities has reported a 200 percent increase in demand over the past month and a half. By prolonging the coronavirus shutdown long after its core mission was accomplished, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have plunged tens of thousands of New Yorkers into poverty. It needs to end. Now.

California reopening plan discriminates against churches, Justice Dept declares Gov. Gavin Newsom was informed that failure to accommodate religious worship could be a violation of the Constitution. PETITION: Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society! Sign the petition here. May 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – California’s official roadmap for lifting its various COVID-19 lockdown orders violates the Constitution by holding organized religion to a different standard than various secular activities, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice to California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom. The California Department of Public Health’s long-term reopening plan calls for a modest lifting...

LIVE STREAM of the Michigan protest at the State capitol building - hair cut rebellion! Police getting involved.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker says health experts are comfortable with patio dining Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday that the state will now allow dine-in restaurants to serve customers on back patios as early as May 29. This represents a victory for the Illinois Restaurant Association, which has been lobbying Pritzker to allow restaurants to reopen earlier than the previously announced June 26 target date set by the government (dine-in restaurants have been closed in Illinois since March 17). Pritzker said any open patio seating will have to be away from sidewalks. Rooftop patios may also benefit.These dates are subject to health...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump · 39m Mitch, I love you, but this is 100% true. Time is running out. Get tough and move quickly, or it will be too late. The Dems are vicious, but got caught. They MUST pay a big price for what they have done to our Country. Don’t let them get away with this! @LindseyGrahamSC

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for Harrisburg on Friday, but a storm of another sort will hit the state Capitol at noon. For the second time in less than a month, ReOpen PA and other groups from in and outside Pennsylvania that oppose Gov. Tom Wolf’s virtual lockdown of the state over the coronavirus pandemic will rally on and around the Capitol grounds. It is part of a nationwide phenomenon, a backlash against virus-related business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders that locally is receiving more than tacit support from elected officials, including county commissioners and law enforcement leaders, usually of a...

Atwater residents gave City Council a standing ovation and cheers Friday when they unanimously passed a resolution to make Atwater a sanctuary city for all businesses to open amid the coronavirus pandemic.