SrWoodchuck Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Attorney General Abbott’s letter to Houston City Attorney David Feldman October 15, 2014 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. 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I must Share The pain! Ferguson Protesters & Allies Describe ‘American Horror Story’ They’re Experiencing in Open Letter Kevin Gosztola Friday October 17, 2014 [Editor's note: The following is an open letter written by protesters and allies in Ferguson, Missouri, where the unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown was gunned down and killed by a white Ferguson police officer named Darren Wilson on August 9. Since then, community members have been taking action. They have demanded justice, especially that Wilson be arrested. In response, police in St. Louis County have responded many times with aggressive force to suppress people assembling on the streets. After a "weekend of resistance" from October 10-13, where multiple direct actions and marches took place in the St. Louis area, the prevailing message is that the protests are making people in the community uncomfortable. They make Caucasians feel intimidated. They are inconvenient. They are just shouting when there needs to be rational discussion. They are not patient enough because there are city officials working on the very issues, which are making protesters upset. This is their response to that particular sentiment, as well as an eloquent articulation of what has happened over the past 70 days. It is reprinted with permission and was originally posted here.] We are living an American Horror Story. The unlawful slaughter of black bodies by the hands of power has continued day after day, year after year, century after century, life by precious life, since before the first chain was slipped around black wrists. Black youth, brimming with untapped potential, but seen as worthless and unimportant. Black activists, stalwart in pursuit of liberation, but perceived as perpetual threats to order and comfort. Black men, truly and earnestly clinging to our dignity, written off as the ravenous, insatiable black savage. Black women, always unflinchingly running toward our freedom, dismissed as bitter and angry after long denial and suffering. Not one group of us has been spared from the bullet or the beating, too many armed only with our Blackness, left to live this American Horror Story. The story has come alive once again in Ferguson. Ours were the bodies, the strange fruit that swung from the poplar trees. Ours were the bodies, the motionless forms stretched out in the street for 4.5 hours. Ours were the bodies, left to be seen to rot as warnings against being too uppity, too confident, too bold, too free. Ours were the bodies, served up as notice to remain humbly and quietly in our place, never to awaken America’s fear of Blackness. (Snip) And on...and on....and on...and on...and on.... _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My calender must be wrong. It says Oct. 18 2014, when it must be Oct. 18 1914. @Valin FERGUSON CRYBABIES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 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. Not Aware? Riiiight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 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. Not Aware? Riiiight. @Valin I like how Abbott proceeded. He let them have that tidbit above & then slammed them anyway. That letter is a perfect example of a verbal beating....upside they tiny heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 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. Not Aware? Riiiight. @Valin I like how Abbott proceeded. He let them have that tidbit above & then slammed them anyway. That letter is a perfect example of a verbal beating....upside they tiny heads. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Street Art Pops Up In Brentwood....Ahead Of A Killary Fund-Raiser Via WeaselZippers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 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. Not Aware? Riiiight. @Valin I like how Abbott proceeded. He let them have that tidbit above & then slammed them anyway. That letter is a perfect example of a verbal beating....upside they tiny heads. ........we'll embrace these unfortunate misguided people.....with some special "em-bracelets." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 She may retire if we take the Senate! Early Christmas present! Via iOTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Via iOTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 The great African Immigrant/New Democrat Voting Bloc & Viral Transformation of America VISA: Via BonedJello Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Mark Udall’s Painful Interview “I’m brain dead today,” Udall said. SSDD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Sums it up, rather nicely. Via MyMuseShankedMe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestVirginiaRebel Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Crowd walks out early on Obama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Obama declares November 4th a National Day of Quarantine http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=256364 President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order today making November 4, 2014 a National Day of Quarantine for those Americans who are most at risk of contracting the Ebola virus. “You cannot get Ebola through casual contact like sitting next to someone on a bus,” the President said in a press conference shortly after signing the Executive Order. “However you can catch it while waiting in line to vote.”The Executive Order only applies to registered Republicans who are currently less likely to be receiving government provided healthcare and are therefore more susceptible to catching Ebola. PeoplesCube via iOTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickydog Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Pay attention. A Hong Kong movie theater asks its patrons to leave their cellphones ON when they enter the movie. Using that, Volkswagen made an eye opening ad... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHixeIr_6BM Well, THAT would get your attention! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickydog Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Mark Udall’s Painful Interview “I’m brain dead today,” Udall said. SSDD That was probably the easiest interview that host ever did. Just whipped right through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickydog Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Obama declares November 4th a National Day of Quarantine http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=256364 President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order today making November 4, 2014 a National Day of Quarantine for those Americans who are most at risk of contracting the Ebola virus. “You cannot get Ebola through casual contact like sitting next to someone on a bus,” the President said in a press conference shortly after signing the Executive Order. “However you can catch it while waiting in line to vote.” The Executive Order only applies to registered Republicans who are currently less likely to be receiving government provided healthcare and are therefore more susceptible to catching Ebola. PeoplesCube via iOTW Good one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 OUCH! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I just had an actual thought (yes we should all be....concerned at this ) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to Osama bin Laden what Francisco Franco was to Adolf Hitler. Its a very short step from one to the other. H/T Michael Rubin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickydog Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 OUCH! Ouch is right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 @nickydog Maybe...just maybe people are starting to wake up and understand that they have made a huge mistake, in voting for and supporting this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geee Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Heritage Economist Stephen Moore Talks Energy, Economics in Wisconsin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestVirginiaRebel Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Drudge is having fun with this one: Meanwhile: DESPERATION: WENDY DAVIS SUGGESTS ABBOTT OPPOSES HIS OWN INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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