Some of our commenters were defending Houston mayor Annise Parker’s subpoena for the sermons, speeches, and private communications of Houston area pastors. As it turns out, it wasn’t just “right wingnuts” who were appalled by this abuse of power. Even the far left ACLU is saying, “Not cool, bro.”
The ACLU said in a statement, “While a lot of things are fair game in a lawsuit, government must use special care when intruding into matters of faith. The government should never engage in fishing expeditions into the inner workings of a church, and any request for information must be carefully tailored to seek only what is relevant to the dispute.”
Following blowback, Parker announced the City of Houston would clarify the subpoenas which were, “too broad.” “We are glad that Mayor Parker has acknowledged that subpoenas issued in ongoing litigation were too broad and that there is no need to intrude on matters of faith to have equal rights in Houston. There was no need to include sermons in the subpoena in the first place,” said the Texas Chapter of the ACLU.
I just hope conservatives don’t think all gays are like the Houston mayor. There are many of us that mind our own business, we don’t go to church, we don’t care what is being said at church, we’re not interested in getting married at churches or places that don’t like gays, and we believe in leaving other people alone to get the same.
Mayor Parker is an embarrassment to herself.
I think it’s more of a “you’re letting the mask slip too soon!” thing than anything actually related to justice or decency. When attention is elsewhere, this will be tried again.
Obama’s election and re-election has emboldened the Left to let their tyranny flags fly proudly. Remember how “dissent is patriotic” was so important when GW Bush was in office, but when Joe the Plumber had the audacity to question President Boyfriend, he got his personal information rooted through? How the First Amendment just keeps getting slammed because, without a stranglehold on the truth, the Left cannot advance their agendas?
Yeah, it’s like that.
In the Bush years dissent was Patriotic. In the Obama years It’s racist.
Every now and then the aclu will back a conservative so they don’t appear to be shills for the left.
The ACLU saying something is to leftist, is like John McEnroe saying a certain female to male tranny tennis player is unsportsmanlike.
I am a lurker to your website, but I wanted to respond to something Gregory said.
I don’t think if you are true conservative that you tar all gays with the leftist brush (or the mayor of Houston). I think when conservatives start to put people into groups they tend to fall into the trap of leftists. A true conservative (and I hate using that word) makes judgments based on the individual.
I want to thank this website for reminding me that people are unique and free thinkers. It keeps me from falling into the leftist trap.
First: glad to meet you, Angie.
Second: you have demonstrated beautifully Peter’s Principle of Politics #69, which is as follows:
Conservatives like/dislike you for WHO you are. Liberals like/dislike you for WHAT you are.
Regards,
Peter H.
Nice to meet you too, Peter! 🙂
I’m not sure that the ACLU’s final sentence actual stands up to legal scrutiny, and I doubt that they actual mean it — it sounds like they’re just being conciliatory because some of their leftist friends got caught in the blowback.
In other words, they should have stuck with “the subpoena was improperly broad,” rather than pretend to support some Constitutionally bogus idea that sermons as a category should never under ANY circumstances be requested in a subpoena.