EQUAL RIGHTS ORDINANCE-HOUSTON
Ted Cruz gets denounces Houston subpoena of sermons
HOUSTON (AP) β U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is alleging the city of Houston abused power by subpoenaing sermons and other documents from pastors who opposed a local ordinance banning discrimination against gay and transgender residents.
Cruz told pastors and supporters Thursday at First Baptist Church of Houston that “Caesar has no jurisdiction over the pulpit.”
Christian activists sued after city officials ruled they didn’t collect enough petition signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal the ordinance. City attorneys then subpoenaed five pastors, seeking all speeches or sermons related to the petition, the mayor, homosexuality or gender identity.
Cruz calls the subpoenas stunning and unconstitutional.
Houston officials say the subpoenas may have been poorly written by an outside firm working for the city.
Sound:
101-a-06-(Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, in prepared statement Wednesday)-“dissent or challenge”-Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, says Houston city officials are harassing pastors. (16 Oct 2014)
< 100-a-04-(Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, in prepared statement Wednesday)-“stop to it”-Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, says Houston officials shouldn’t be issuing a subpoena for pastors’ sermons. (16 Oct 2014) < 256-a-04-(Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, in prepared statement)-“stop to it”-Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, says Houston officials shouldn’t be issuing a subpoena for pastors’ sermons. (15 Oct 2014) < 257-a-06-(Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, in prepared statement)-“dissent or challenge”-Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, says Houston city officials are harassing pastors. (15 Oct 2014) < PASTOR-ADULTERY ACCUSATIONS Pastor accused of affairs temporarily banned MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) β An Alabama judge has temporarily banned from the pulpit a pastor who confessed to having sex with church members and neglecting to tell them he had AIDS. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Charles Price ruled Thursday afternoon on a preliminary injunction sought by deacons and trustees of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. Price ordered the Rev. Juan McFarland to turn in his church keys and his church Mercedes and stay away from the church. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit say the congregation voted to fire McFarland after his confessions, but he refused to leave and changed the church’s locks and control of church bank accounts. The 47-year-old McFarland has been pastor of the church for 24 years. Sound: 223-a-06-(Marc-Anthoni Peacock, parliamentarian, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, testifying at court hearing)-“hell broke out”-Marc-Anthoni Peacock, parliamentarian for Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, says the pastor refused to let the congregation fire him. ((contains the expression ‘holy hell’)) (16 Oct 2014) < 222-a-03-(Nathan Williams, deacon, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, in AP interview)-“against God’s rules”-Nathan Williams, a deacon at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, says the pastor broke God’s commandments. (16 Oct 2014) < 221-a-03-(Nathan Williams, deacon, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, in AP interview)-“to that degree”-Nathan Williams, a deacon at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, says the pastor’s behavior disqualifies him from ministry. (16 Oct 2014) < 224-q-14-(Charles Anderson, attorney for church parliamentarian Marc-Anthoni Peacock, in AP interview)-“various religious organizations”-Charles Anderson, attorney for church parliamentarian Marc-Anthoni Peacock, says the courts have no business ruling on the pastor’s behavior. (16 Oct 2014) < CATHOLIC TEACHER CONTRACTS Catholic archdiocese proposes advisory committee DAYTON, Ohio (AP) β An Ohio Catholic archdiocese is proposing a committee made up of teachers who will advise on future contracts that include morality clauses. Dan Andriacco, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, told the Dayton Daily News that the idea has been in the planning stages since last spring amid controversy over teaching contracts that forbid “homosexual lifestyles,” abortion, artificial insemination and public support for any of those causes. Opponents have responded with a protest march, petitions and about a dozen billboards. About 93 Catholic schools employing some 2,800 teachers in southwest Ohio are covered by the archdiocese’s “teacher-minister” contracts. The contract for the 2014-15 school year was drafted after the archdiocese in 2010 fired an unmarried teacher who became pregnant by artificial insemination. A federal court last year ruled in that teacher’s favor, ordering the archdiocese to pay her $171,000. PAID SICK TIME-BISHOPS Bishops support paid sick time ballot question BRAINTREE, Mass. (AP) β Four Roman Catholic bishops in Massachusetts say their support for a ballot question that, if approved, would require companies to provide paid sick time for employees is driven by a desire to maintain the “dignity” of every worker. The bishops, in an open letter, are urging Massachusetts citizens to vote “yes” on a proposal that would allow workers to accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick time in a given year, earning one hour for every 30 hours worked. Companies with 10 or fewer employees would be exempt. Business groups call the question a shortsighted, one-size-fits-all approach that ignores economic realities facing many employers. They say it would place a particular burden on smaller businesses that would have to pay two people β the sick employee and his or her replacement. KERRY-BELATED EID Kerry hosts belated Muslim holiday celebration WASHINGTON (AP) β It’s a week and a half late, but Secretary of State John Kerry has hosted a celebration of Islam’s Eid al-Adha holiday at the State Department. Kerry appeared to be speaking without a script as he noted that the Muslim holiday commemorates the patriarch Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s command. The Bible and the Quran both describe it as a test of faith. Kerry said Abraham was doing it “to provide for people, and to prove something.” Kerry reiterated the administration’s insistence that the Islamic State group is not Islamic, and said its violence has the potential to unite Sunni and Shia Muslims. He told the assembled Muslim dignitaries, “I think that it is more critical than ever that we be fighting for peace.” Sound: 296-a-15-(Secretary of State John Kerry, at State Department Eid celebration)-“to prove something”-Secretary of State John Kerry says the Eid holiday commemorates the patriarch the Bible calls Abraham and Muslims call Ibrahim. (16 Oct 2014) < 295-a-15-(Secretary of State John Kerry, at State Department Eid celebration)-“in our lives”-Secretary of State John Kerry says he’s pleased to welcome Muslim dignitaries to the State Department. (16 Oct 2014) < 299-a-06-(Secretary of State John Kerry, at State Department Eid celebration)-“fighting for peace”-Secretary of State John Kerry says violence in the Mideast has left millions of refugees. (16 Oct 2014) < 298-a-12-(Secretary of State John Kerry, at State Department Eid celebration)-“the real religions”-Secretary of State John Kerry says the Islamic State group isn’t Islamic. (16 Oct 2014) < 297-a-05-(Secretary of State John Kerry, at State Department Eid celebration)-“problem out there”-Secretary of State John Kerry says Muslims should unite to fight the Islamic State group. (16 Oct 2014) < SUPPORT TO TERRORISTS-PLEA NC man pleads guilty to plans to help terrorists WASHINGTON (AP) β A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to aid Islamic extremists. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement Thursday that 22-year-old Akba Jihad Jordan of Raleigh pleaded guilty before a magistrate to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Jordan and his co-defendant, 21-year-old Avin Marsalis Brown, were indicted in April by a federal grand jury. Investigators say Brown and Jordan spoke frequently with an undercover FBI agent about traveling overseas to join extremist fighting groups. The two also talked about using weapons against non-Muslims overseas and in the U.S. The two were arrested at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on March 19. Brown pleaded guilty to the charge in August and is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 6. No sentencing date has been set for Jordan. MORMON MEETINGHOUSE VANDALISM Jesus portrait defaced in LDS building vandalism DUCHESNE, Utah (AP) β Authorities in Utah are looking for whoever vandalized a Mormon meetinghouse and spray-painted an anarchy symbol over a portrait of Jesus Christ. The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office says at least two people entered the building in Duchesne between late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Sheriff’s Lt. Travis Tucker says the vandals apparently came in through an open side door, then kicked in several interior doors to get into offices. Tucker says the suspects likely did thousands of dollars in damage by painting swear words on walls in red paint and tagging the portrait of Jesus. Tucker says the incident appears to be a crime of opportunity, and federal agents haven’t been called to investigate it as a hate crime. VATICAN-FAMILY Vatican alters draft report translation about gays VATICAN CITY (AP) β The Vatican is watering down its overture to gays, but only in the English-language version, and a spokesman says the Italian version is the official one. The initial draft report by bishops debating family issues came under criticism from conservative English-speaking bishops. So the Vatican released a new English-language translation Thursday. A section that was initially titled “Welcoming homosexuals” is now titled “Providing for homosexual persons.” And the tone of the text is significantly colder and less welcoming. The initial English version that was released Monday included a remarkable tone of acceptance extended to gays. Conservatives were outraged. A Vatican spokesman says English-speaking bishops asked for the changes, arguing that the first translation was hasty and filled with errors. But when the spokesman was shown how significantly the meaning had changed, he pledged to investigate and didn’t rule out a third version.
