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Satire: Houston Persists in Effort to Stifle Speech
Semi-News/Semi-Satire ^ | 18 Oct 2014 | John Semmens

Posted on 10/18/2014 12:15:39 PM PDT by John Semmens

Though the City of Houston has backed off its demand for local area ministers to submit copies of their Sunday sermons to the City’s attorneys, it is now demanding copies of any non-sermon speeches they may have made.

Mayor Annise Parker, Houston’s first openly lesbian mayor, defended this blatant invasion of freedom of speech, arguing that “Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) is the law of this land. No one is entitled to speak out against the law, especially not church leaders.”

“Churches have special exemptions from government taxes,” Parker pointed out. “As a quid-pro-quo for this benefit they ought to respect and teach respect for the duly enacted laws of the community—you know ‘render unto Caesar’ and all that. The City has a right to ferret out those who have violated this quid-pro-quo so that targeted corrective action to revoke these special exemptions may be undertaken where warranted. The requested copies of speeches will help the City distinguish which churches have violated their obligations under these exemptions.”

if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...

http://azconservative.org/2014/10/18/troops-being-deployed-to-ebola-zone-get-skimpy-training/


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: censorship; churchstate; democrats; satire

1 posted on 10/18/2014 12:15:39 PM PDT by John Semmens
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To: John Semmens

Where is the satire?


2 posted on 10/18/2014 12:17:56 PM PDT by P-Marlowe (Saying that ISIL is not Islamic is like saying Obama is not an Idiot.)
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To: John Semmens

Elected officials have a special exemption for being stupid and destructive.


3 posted on 10/18/2014 12:17:59 PM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: John Semmens

Semmens arguments are more convincing than the mayor’s and the attornies’.


4 posted on 10/18/2014 12:22:36 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
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To: John Semmens
I said it on another thread and I am saying it again: COWBOY UP! Houston Christians! Surround your church, surround you pastor's home and dare anyone to cross to deliver such a warrant! If you let them come for your Pastor they will soon be coming for you!! Time to make the Bundy ranch look like a square dance!

"Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying."
5 posted on 10/18/2014 12:49:48 PM PDT by Kartographer ("We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.")
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To: John Semmens

It is unfortunate that the headline must include a satire notification. I so enjoy the responses of people who don’t know that it is (barely) fiction.


6 posted on 10/18/2014 12:52:43 PM PDT by lurk
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To: lurk

I so agree with you! I love when John takes me in - it’s like a reality bath. Fans of John need to make sure he keeps in FR but I must admit I hate the new headlines that announce it’s a satire. This was done, I believe, through humorless folks embarrassed that they were taken in.


7 posted on 10/18/2014 1:36:21 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me)
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To: John Semmens

Don’t give them any ideas.....


8 posted on 10/18/2014 5:20:40 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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