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riversedge

(75,145 posts)
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 04:05 PM Friday

Housing Secretary Lets Staff Go Home Early For Easter To Reflect On Jesus

Source: huff Post


“We go into this holy weekend with freedoms that the world has never known,”
reads a department-wide email from Scott Turner’s chief of staff.

Jennifer Bendery Apr 18, 2025, 01:39 PM EDT


WASHINGTON – Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner told his thousands of federal employees that they can leave work early Friday in honor of Easter and Passover, sending them a brazenly religious message declaring “all men are endowed by their creator” with certain rights and referencing a time when “Jesus broke bread and drank wine with his disciples showing that sacrifice can truly change the world.”

Turner informed HUD workers in an internal email Wednesday night that they can leave work four hours early Friday to begin their religious rituals.


“America’s founding fathers proclaimed that all men are endowed by their creator with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — this declaration rang true as the Jews fled Egypt and found freedom in the Holy Land, and it rang true once again when Jesus broke bread and drank wine with his disciples showing that sacrifice can truly change the world,” reads the email sent on behalf of Turner via his chief of staff, Andrew Hughes.

...............

“I hope that everyone at HUD takes a moment to recognize what a privilege it is to live in a country that puts her citizens first,” reads Turner’s message.


Not only does the HUD secretary’s message blur the line between church and state, but his call on staff to reflect on how how lucky they are to live in a country that “puts her citizens first” is wildly disconnected from the reality that President Donald Trump is actively looking for ways to deport U.S. citizens, arresting and detaining U.S. citizens, deporting U.S. citizen children with parents who are undocumented and, most alarmingly, defying a Supreme Court order to bring back a Maryland man who was in the country legally but deported to El Salvador due to an “administrative error.”

...............................


Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hud-scott-turner-easter-us-citizens_n_67f93f90e4b060848e3e3f56





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Housing Secretary Lets Staff Go Home Early For Easter To Reflect On Jesus (Original Post) riversedge Friday OP
I can imagine his prayer, surfered Friday #1
Time to reflect on how tRump is the polar opposite of Jesus Blue Owl Friday #2
When I was in the Military 40 years ago I had Good Friday off. Jacson6 Friday #3
Not now WmChris Friday #4
It is up to the soldier's commander. The administration is not micro managing unit level passes & leaves. Jacson6 Friday #5
Not yet WmChris Friday #7
If he had just let them off, it would have been OK with me MurrayDelph Saturday #15
All Government employees so.... WASTE and ABUSE eh Eloon?? Bengus81 Saturday #22
Yes but the US military didn't cram religion down your throats like this. Irish_Dem Saturday #20
There is no line between church and state anymore, was there ever? walkingman Friday #6
Puts its citizens first? lonely bird Friday #8
If he really cared about Jesus... jmowreader Friday #9
According to the Bible, the resurrection occurred on Sunday. TomSlick Friday #14
Dear Jesus, save us from your fan club synni Friday #10
I'm With Anthony Bourdain... MayReasonRule Friday #11
so do they reflect on this? DBoon Friday #12
I remember working for several companies and they gave Good Friday off ! kimbutgar Friday #13
Pick Your Battles Roy Rolling Saturday #16
Politics bmichaelh Saturday #17
Who's going to turn down an early shift end? RandySF Saturday #18
"We go into this holy weekend with freedoms that the world has never known," the nelm Saturday #19
Going to let those workers off early on the Friday before Labor Day? Bengus81 Saturday #21

surfered

(6,305 posts)
1. I can imagine his prayer,
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 04:08 PM
Friday

Lord, I ask your blessing in my endeavors to deny shelter to the homeless. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jacson6

(1,153 posts)
3. When I was in the Military 40 years ago I had Good Friday off.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 04:11 PM
Friday

Allowing employees to have religious days of observance is not a bad thing. IMHO.

The military did the same thing for Jewish & Muslim soldiers on their holidays.

Jacson6

(1,153 posts)
5. It is up to the soldier's commander. The administration is not micro managing unit level passes & leaves.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 04:18 PM
Friday

At least not yet!

WmChris

(305 posts)
7. Not yet
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 04:47 PM
Friday

Unfortunately intimidation and innuendo go a long way into decisions involving what might bring the commander in chiefs wrath.

MurrayDelph

(5,534 posts)
15. If he had just let them off, it would have been OK with me
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 12:17 AM
Saturday

but that little editorial message creates a hostile work environment.

Bengus81

(8,706 posts)
22. All Government employees so.... WASTE and ABUSE eh Eloon??
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 08:18 AM
Saturday

Better have at that you fucking POS starting Monday.

Irish_Dem

(68,464 posts)
20. Yes but the US military didn't cram religion down your throats like this.
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 08:10 AM
Saturday

At least they didn't when I was a kid in a USAF family.

jmowreader

(52,160 posts)
9. If he really cared about Jesus...
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 05:59 PM
Friday

…he would have just declared a four-day holiday around the start of April and not made his staff come in at all. It would have been four days rather than three because some Christian denominations celebrate Easter Monday - if you believe the Bible you know that if Jesus was crucified on Friday the rock is still in front of the cave on Sunday and Monday is the actual day He rose.

TomSlick

(12,341 posts)
14. According to the Bible, the resurrection occurred on Sunday.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 09:49 PM
Friday

Luke 24:1-12 "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. . . "

The sabbath is the seventh day of the week, i.e. Saturday. The first day of the week is Sunday. That is why the early church moved from observance of the sabbath to observance of the Lord's day.

Easter Monday is the second day of Easter Tide.

DBoon

(23,664 posts)
12. so do they reflect on this?
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 08:18 PM
Friday

"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

Roy Rolling

(7,279 posts)
16. Pick Your Battles
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 04:13 AM
Saturday

This guy has a shitload of faults and incompetencies to report. Leaving work early on a Friday is just petty.

bmichaelh

(781 posts)
17. Politics
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 06:36 AM
Saturday

Once, I worked for a hospital.

In my department, many of the members would go to the local 1st Baptist Church on the weekend.

It was a political decision not a religion decision.

During the week, some of these would bully co-employees; sometimes, for their idea of fun, other times, to get ahead.

Many of the management would enable this behavior or ignore the problem.

RandySF

(73,505 posts)
18. Who's going to turn down an early shift end?
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 06:59 AM
Saturday

I remember having Good Friday off as a public employee in Michigan.

the nelm

(67 posts)
19. "We go into this holy weekend with freedoms that the world has never known,"
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 08:09 AM
Saturday

As they go about their days removing freedom after freedom...talk about tone deaf.

Bengus81

(8,706 posts)
21. Going to let those workers off early on the Friday before Labor Day?
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 08:15 AM
Saturday

Yeah....sure you will.

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