[Joe Boucher]

Buddy,
show me a warrant for my arrest, or a court order but until then get the f off MY property or I’ll put you off.

[Evil Slayer]

Wonder what he meant it will get “ugly”? Would that mean rounding them up and putting them on the cattle car and taking them to the showers for cleansing?

[melsec]

Soon you will have to have a permit to have a few friends around for a BBQ.

These are such little people who have attained a little bit of power and use it in an insane way.

I would have told him to mind his own business and get a real job - it is no business of the Government what you do in your home and to answer their questions is to legitimise their harrassemnt.

Mel

[nathanbedford]

The story implies but does not explicitly state that this gathering is being treated differently because it is a religious gathering.. By reciting the questions asked of the pastor's wife such as "do you say amen" the reader is led to believe that if she just had a bunch of friends over to get drunk every Wednesday night the city of San Diego would tender its benign blessing. If that is the case, the requirement to obtain a permit would be discriminatory and hence contrary to the constitutional right of free exercise of religion.

But I suspect that is not the case. I suspect that the city objects to the assembly of people with regularity for several purposes which might include, for example, Tupperware party sales, because of the disruption to the neighborhood. Reasonable regulations are not unconstitutional intrusions on the right of free exercise of religion when applied across the board. That is because there is no constitutional right to practice a religion if the practice is in violation of reasonable police and welfare powers of the state. In other words, it is not a defense to the violation of laws of polygamy to assert that one is practicing the free exercise of Mormonism. It is not a defense to animal welfare laws that one is practicing kosher slaughter unless that kind of slaughter is approved. It is not a defense to female mutilation that one is a Muslim.

A practical solution is simply to rotate the prayer meetings among the the various penitents' houses so that the meetings at one location such as the pastor's house become so separated in time that they fall into an exclusion of the general rule.

[chatham]

As an American of some years I find this action by some dumb govt. Hack, hard to believe.

this crap must be stopped.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

No way can this be tolerated! All levels of government are just busting to do away with constitutional limits, it’s got to be stopped!

[WFTR]

Odd story - If the problem is parking and sidewalk use, why do they care whether the people pray or sing? If the problem is fifteen people showing up every week and taking up street space, the whole thing should focus on the space and not the religious nature of the meeting. If the problem is the religious nature of the meeting, then the meeting is none of the government's business. I see a couple of possibilities.

1. The couple is filling the street with cars once a week and creating a nuisance. The person from the enforcement office stupidly asked about the religious nature of the meetings rather than just tell them that they can't tie up the street every Tuesday night.

2. The couple isn't causing a nuisance but some very intolerant neighbor is upset that they are exercising religious freedom. The intolerant neighbor complained. Instead of taking a look at the situation on a Tuesday night, realizing that there wasn't a problem, and telling the intolerant neighbor to quit complaining or be cited for wasting the county's time, some brain-dead bureaucrat decided to harass this couple.

3. The couple is creating a mild nuisance but the problem is still an intolerant neighbor. This neighbor is probably the one who has 20 people to his house every Friday night but still hates the thought of these Tuesday night Bible studies.

[pnh102]

While I suspect there is probably more to this story, it is always safe to presume, until proven otherwise, that the government is always guilty of violating the rights of the people.

[FreepShop1]

"Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home? Do you sing? Do you say 'amen'?" the official reportedly asked. "Do you say, 'Praise the Lord'?"

Do you have a warrant? No? Then f**k off.

[FreepShop1]

And if they fail to pay for the MUP, the county official reportedly warned, the couple will be charged escalating fines beginning at $100, then $200, $500, $1000, "and then it will get ugly."

He has no idea how "ugly" it will get--for him. He has made a huge mistake by persecuting this couple. We take care of our own, as he will very soon find out as he's looking at classified ads for a new job.

[muir_redwoods]

"Wherever two or three of ye shall gather in My name..."

There will be charges filed apparently.

[Desdemona]

When was the right to peaceful assembly revoked? Did I miss something?

[metmom]

ping

[ovrtaxt]

They’ll need a lot of luck to stop people from worshiping in homes. Nobody has been able to stop it in 2000 years, no matter what kind of force they bring.

[PGalt]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting. Thanks to every poster. BTTT!

[bamahead]

Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here!
(View past Libertarian pings here)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Well, I guess a thursday night Tupperware party will be out of the question!

[The Great RJ]

If this same couple had weekly parties for wife swapping, dope smoking or other activities not church related would there be a need for a MUP???

[LiteKeeper]

intrep

[yazoo]

Call the bible meetings GAY ORGIES and your rights will be protected 100%.