dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Anonymous ID: 3d8c04 Feb. 3, 2022, 4:33 p.m. No.15539466 🗄️.is 🔗kun

thanks baker

A church in southwest Oregon is suing the city where it's located over a strange new local ordinance that limits the number of times per week the institution can serve free meals to needy residents.

St. Timothy's Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Brookings, Oregon, last week, arguing the city violated the church's constitutional right to religious expression by barring it from serving the community, NPR reported.

For more than 75 years, the church has been serving its local community, often by providing services to people who are homeless, sick, or otherwise in need, the diocese noted in a press release. Perhaps most notably, the church has become a refuge for the hungry, frequently serving free meals to people in need from the church property.

St. Timothy's and other local churches are the only nonprofits in the city that provide meal services. And when other churches suspended their meal services during the early stages of the pandemic, St. Timothy's decided to up its offerings to six days a week, typically serving up to 70 people each lunchtime.

But the charitable services apparently rankled some members of the community, who sent a petition to the city council complaining of trespassing, littering, and noise in their neighborhood and asking that the city suspend the church's homeless services.

In response, the Brookings City Council approved an ordinance that churches obtain a "benevolent meal service" permit to provide meal services on their property, limiting such services to two times per week.

The city maintained that the ordinance was adopted as a way to satisfy the concerns of local residents while still respecting the needs of the individuals who go to St. Timothy's for meals.

"There is nobody on this council that has made an attack on St. Timothy's whatsoever. It's not because we're all wicked. It's because we're meeting needs [to serve] a dual purpose. There are other ways to explain what's going on without vilifying the City Council," Brookings Mayor Ron Hedenskog said, according to Wild Rivers Outpost.

"I'm upset over this. I've been upset over it for weeks. There has never been a statement from this council or staff about shutting down benevolent kitchens. We're looking to strike an equilibrium," he added.

But the church and its diocese have refused to comply, arguing their congregants' religious liberty rights have been unduly burdened.

"The parishioners of St. Timothy’s are obeying the teachings of Jesus when they provide food and medical care to their community," Bishop Diana Akiyama said in a statement. "As Christians, we are called by faith to feed the hungry and welcome the stranger. Providing hospitality to all who enter St. Timothy’s in search of help is integral to our beliefs."

"We’ve been serving our community here for decades and picking up the slack where the need exists and no one else is stepping in," the church's reverend, Father Bernie, added. "We have no intention of stopping now and we’re prepared to hold fast to our beliefs. We won’t abandon the people of Brookings who need our help, even when we’re being threatened."

In the lawsuit, St. Timothy’s and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon are asking a federal court to declare the ordinance invalid on constitutional grounds.

"The St. Timothy’s meal program is not only a vital service for many, but also a protected expression of faith," Samantha Sondag, an attorney at Stoel Rives, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs, said.

"The City of Brookings is attempting without justification to restrict Father Bernie and the congregants of St. Timothy’s right to worship as their conscience dictates," Walter Fonseca, special projects counsel with the Oregon Justice Resource Center, added.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/oregon-town-limits-church-meal-services

By Richard Moorhead

February 3, 2022 at 2:48pm

A woman appointed as the Washington Post’s national editor last month is married to the chief of staff for Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, raising questions about the independence of the outlet’s coverage of the federal agency and the FBI’s affiliation with the establishment media.

Jonathan Lenzner, a federal prosecutor who was named the FBI director’s chief of staff in December, is married to Matea Gold, who was named the national editor of the Washington Post in January, according to a report published Tuesday by RealClearInvestigations.com.

Gold married Lenzner in 2006, when she was a writer for the Los Angeles Times.

Responding to a request for comment from RealClearInvestigations on the conflict of interest, the Washington Post clarified that Gold would be recused from any coverage of the FBI.

The Post claimed that the Jeff Bezos-owned paper’s managing editor, Steven Ginsberg, would assume Gold’s duties in situations involving coverage of the FBI.

“We have every confidence in Matea’s professionalism and high standards,” a WaPo spokeswoman said.

“She has recused herself from this area of coverage to avoid even the appearance of partiality.”

The Post claims that Gold will be barred from directing or editing coverage of government officials such as Wray or Attorney General Merrick Garland. Gold’s byline features extensive coverage of news related to the federal justice system in the past, such as the Mueller investigation and the firing of former FBI director James Comey.

At the time, Jonathan Lenzner was the acting U.S attorney for the District of Maryland.

Lenzner’s role as a federal prosecutor arguably merited disclosure in connection to Gold’s work.

The lack of transparency in the matter raises questions about the integrity of Gold’s present recusal, which was only announced in response to an inquiry into her connection to the FBI.

In an article announcing her promotion last month, the Post cited Gold’s editorial involvement in such matters, including having “spearheaded” an illustrated report on Robert Mueller’s ultimately empty investigation into claims of collusion between former President Donald Trump and Russia.

The FBI declined to comment in response to inquiry from RealClearInvestigations regarding the impropriety of Lenzner’s hiring, only providing a link to his government biography without addressing Lenzner’s proximity to one of the most well-funded media organizations in the United States.

Lenzner’s wife isn’t his only connection to liberal politics. Lenzner’s father, Terry, was a private investigator employed on numerous instances by former President Bill Clinton. The New York Times reported that during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Terry Lenzner was called by independent counsel Kenneth Starr to testify before a grand jury over his work for Clinton.

Terry Lenzner also investigated the case involving Paula Jones, a woman who sued Clinton in a sexual misconduct lawsuit, according to The Times.

https://www.westernjournal.com/conflict-interest-washington-posts-national-editor-married-fbi-chief-staff