[BREITBART] Texas Senator Ted Cruz has weighed in regarding the controversial subpoenas that the City of Houston sent to several Houston area pastors, demanding copies of their sermons and speeches, as well as communications with church members.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the dispute stems from an anti-discrimination ordinance passed by Houston regarding discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. The pastors' churches were part of a coalition of hundreds of churches in the Houston area that opposed the ordinance. After a referendum petition seeking to get a repeal measure on the November ballot was tossed out over allegations that the petition signature gatherers were not qualified under Texas law, a lawsuit was filed, but the pastors were not a part of the litigation. The pastors have obtained legal representation and filed a motion to quash the subpoenas, arguing that they were an illegal demand of their "their constitutionally protected sermons and other communications."
Cruz agreed with the pastors and their attorneys, releasing a statement Wednesday that echoed the religious liberty and free speech arguments they made. "I'm proud to stand with the pastors," said Cruz. "Religious liberty is the very first protection in the Bill of Rights, the foundation of all our liberties. The City of Houston's subpoenas demanding that pastors provide the government with copies of their sermons is both shocking and shameful. For far too long, the federal government has led an assault against religious liberty, and now, sadly, my hometown of Houston is joining the fight. This is wrong. It's unbefitting of Texans, and it's un-American."
The senator also criticized the subpoenas as a "grotesque abuse of power" by the city government. "The government has no business asking pastors to turn over their sermons. These subpoenas are a grotesque abuse of power, and the officials who approved them should be held accountable by the people. The Mayor should be ashamed. And we should all be proud to stand up and defend the pastors who are resisting these blatant attempts to suppress their First Amendment rights."
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system... Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the city's first openly lesbian mayor, remains stubborn in her desire to pursue these subpoenas against the pastors, posting two tweets just before midnight last night calling the sermons "fair game" and taking a swipe at her critics as uninformed.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The Mayorette (or whatever the person is) has now backed down due to backlash. The City Attorney (whose primary degree is in Political Science with a law degree in there somewhere) also has in the last few hours backed down, said he never read the subpoenas that his office sent out.
#2
So Her Mayoress is engaged in a witch hunt to persecute those with a different set of beliefs or lifestyle. Don't they teach about irony in school any more? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
#4
It was never about tolerance or equality. It was about power. A lot of useful idiots serving as cover for the power grab. "But we meant well", how many times can that be repeated in history?
#5
I may be wrong, although I doubt it, but something tells me that the Mayor has never seen cause to subpoena any of the imams from any of Houston's mosques. If she is on a witch hunt for religious leaders who engage in discrimination, she would do well to start there. But then again, that would require liberals to forego their double standards as it relates to Islam and Christianity.
#8
We'll get those two first,
then the others.
What others?
Wales and the kid are the last ones.
Oh, no. Texas is full of rebels.
Lots of work to do down in Texas.
We get Josey Wales and it ends.
Doing right ain't got no end.
[GRANNIE LAUGHS]
Posted by: Anice Nim ||
10/16/2014 14:36 Comments ||
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