Who Is the Lawbreaker —the Pastor or the Governor?

By Woody Jenkins, Editor • SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT — For much of the past six months, Rev. Tony Spell has been called a lawbreaker by the Governor, the Mayor-President, the national media, and some of our citizens, but just what laws has he broken?

Before the Governor Edwards issued his emergency orders, Rev. Spell had never been arrested.  He has a clean driving record except an alleged unpaid traffic ticket they had to go back to 1999 to find and even it is in question.  He runs a large church with seven buildings over 31 acres. He keeps an immaculate property.  Everything is in good repair.  It is always clean and well kept, even though the state often fails to keep up its property on the neutral ground in front of the church.

The city imposes every manner of regulation on the pastor, and he complies scrupulously. He was a contractor before becoming a pastor, and he knows all aspects of the construction business. Even though many of the regulations are unnecessary and overly burdensome, imposed by people who suffer no consequences for their nonsensical regulations, he complies.

Here are some examples:

•The building used for girls Sunday school and worship services, $24,000 fire alarm system, accompanied by $40 a month monitoring fee.

•Sprinkler system for the gym, $86,000

•Fireproofing in stairwells, $14,000

•Bricks required by Central’s curb appeal ordinance, $55,000

• And there’s much, much more.

What law has Pastor Spell broken?  The truth is none. What he did do is defy the governor’s illegal, unconstitutional order not to hold worship services.  That order was ultra vires, without legal authority, and is not a law!

WHAT ABOUT THE GOVERNOR? Has he broken any laws?

Well, he’s sitting there in the Governor’s Mansion, barking out orders, despite the fact that most of orders have no basis in law.

Here are some of the laws he’s broken:

•Under the federal and state constitutions, citizens have Freedom of Religion.  Yet, he ordered thousands of churches in this state to close, violating their First Amendment rights.

•He issued orders prohibiting people from gathering at weddings, funerals, parks, birthday parties, political meetings, and sporting events, violating their Freedom of Assembly.  Ironically, he endorsed mass protests by Black Lives Matter.

•He ordered tens of thousands of businesses closed, violating their Right to Property and abrogating the contracts they had with landlords, employees, independent contractors, suppliers, and customers.

•While most small businesses were forced to close by Edwards, he allowed their large competitors and big box stores to stay open, cornering the market. He thereby denied to business owners Equal Protection of the laws.

• While the Governor closed down dental offices and many medical facilities, denying the owners and employees the right to earn a living, he intentionally left open the abortion clinics in the state.  With that action alone, he proved beyond doubt that none of this was about saving lives!  If he wanted to save lives, he would have closed the abortion clinics.

•His order mandating the wearing of masks violated the Right to Privacy in the Louisiana Constitution.

• His constant attempts to preempt the power of the legislature to make laws violated Article II of the Louisiana Constitution on Distribution of Powers.

His negative impact on the lives of our citizens is incalculable and it will take years to undo what we can.  Meanwhile, there’s no doubt who the lawbreaker is.  It’s John Bel Edwards!