Catholics in the largest county of the contiguous U.S. have been freed from their obligation to attend Mass over fears about mass deportation operations.Bishop Alberto Rojas announced the decision on Tuesday, saying that those who have a genuine fear of deportation are released from attendance obligation. He cited a canon law that said such an action can be taken for the sake of the spiritual good.'Sunday Mass attendance at both of our major, primarily Spanish-speaking parishes was down about 50%.' "Dispensation from the Obligation to Attend Mass: All members of the faithful in the Diocese of San Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation, as provided for in Canon 1247, until such time as this decree is revoked or amended." The bishop recommended that those affected participate in "alternative" spiritual practices, such as personal prayer, reading of scripture, or watching televised or online Masses where they are available.Rojas was born in Mexico and was named the bishop of San Bernardino County in 2019.Tennessee Catholic Conference executive director Rick Musacchio told OSV News that immigration enforcement operations were already significantly affecting attendance at Mass in some parishes."Sunday Mass attendance at both of our major, primarily Spanish-speaking parishes was down about 50%," said Musacchio, attributing the drop to ICE operations.He added that Nashville Catholics could also miss Mass if they feared deportation."Our churches remain open to welcome and serve our parish communities, but no Catholic is obligated to attend Mass on Sunday if doing so puts their safety at risk," he said.RELATED: International delegation of Catholic bishops joining march and vigil in Texas against 'immoral' mass deportation He went on to say that the Tennessee Catholic Conference is not opposed to federal enforcement of immigration law."But it really must be done in a humane and just manner," said Musacchio. "And what we have seen here in Nashville has created a tremendous amount of fear within our community — even among Latinos who are citizens."Federal mass deportation efforts are likely to significantly increase after passage of the Republican budget bill, which includes billions in new funding for border enforcement.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The fire chief of the capital city of Austin is fending off calls to resign after his response to the deadly flooding that struck Central Texas last week.The Austin Firefighters Association did not mince words when sharing its views regarding the flood response from Fire Chief Joel Baker. In a Facebook message posted Monday, the AFA claimed that except for three rescue swimmers, Baker deliberately "DENIED the deployment of Austin firefighters to Kerrville until very late into the event."'Although we had an increase of Africans that had applied, I have not really seen an increase of Africans [who have] been hired.'The "disgusted" AFA described Baker's alleged decisions during the flooding as "unforgivable" and an "egregious" and "disgraceful dereliction of duty.""LIVES WERE VERY LIKELY LOST BECAUSE OF CHIEF BAKER’S DECISION!" the group continued. "... He needs to be held accountable and fired."RELATED: Chip Roy honors heroes saving kids in deadly Texas flood and exposes media lies on 'The Glenn Beck Program' Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty ImagesThe AFA claimed Baker withheld the resources in a "misguided attempt to save money" and that finances may have played a role.A June 6 email from Andre Jordan, division chief of special operations and homeland security for the city of Austin, and distributed to various fire staff stated that the Austin Fire Department had "suspended deployments" to the fire academy and through the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System until October 1, citing a city "budget crisis" of some $800,000 due mainly to missing reimbursements from the state, according to the Austin Monitor.'It’s important that we are able to function and maintain a certain level of readiness in the city of Austin.'"The City wants to make sure this money is reimbursed before the end of the fiscal year, and does not want to be in a situation where additional money is expended on deployments and is not recouped before the end of the fiscal year," Jordan reportedly wrote.Baker admitted to KXAN on Monday that "the email should have said ... 'Based on a case-by-case basis.'" However, he insisted that his department "absolutely" did everything it could in response to the flooding and that budget issues at AFD had "nothing" to do with his decisions during it.Baker added that his primary responsibility, even during a widespread emergency, is to protect the city of Austin and its residents:It’s important that we are able to function and maintain a certain level of readiness in the city of Austin. Now, to keep in mind — again — I was not sure how much of the weather would impact my city — the city of Austin. I need to make sure that I have an adequate amount of resources within the city so I can respond for my mutual aid calls and my automatic aid calls around the city of Austin.A spokesperson from the press information office also told Blaze News that AFD began deploying rescue personnel to areas in need on July 4 and continued to do so in the days following. The three rescue swimmers were dispatched on Friday, eight other team members and a boat on Saturday and Sunday, six crew members and fire engine on Monday, and four engines and a battalion chief on Tuesday, according to an email from the PIO."The first request for aid that was communicated to AFD leadership came in on July 4, the same day we deployed," the message from the spokesperson said. "AFD evaluates deployment requests on a case-by-case basis to ensure we can meet the needs of the requesting agency/agencies without compromising staffing and resources in our City."Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and city manager T.C. Broadnax likewise stand by Baker against the accusations from the firefighters' union.But AFA President Bob Nicks is not satisfied. "We were the best rescue team in the best position to help those little girls," Nicks said, referring to the tragedy at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, according to KXAN. "Before the moratorium, this was a routine request, and we would have deployed."RELATED: Liberal women quickly learn what happens when you say vile things about little girls killed in the floods Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty ImagesFor now, members of the AFA are reportedly considering a possible vote of no confidence in Chief Baker, but Baker appears not to mind. "I absolutely will not step aside," he said, according to the Austin American-Statesman.Baker has been at the helm of AFD, with its nearly 50 stations and 1,200 employees, since his appointment in December 2018. Prior to moving to Austin, Baker spent three decades with the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department in Georgia, where he grew up. Since taking the position with AFD, Baker, touted as Austin's "first African-American fire chief," has prioritized diversity and increasing the number of "minority applicants."There's still "a whole lot of room for improvement," he said in an interview with KTBC in 2020."We had an increase of ... minority applicants who had applied. ... I have not really seen an increase of [applicants who have] been hired. So now we got to find out — we getting people applying, but what's the barrier of getting them hired? You know, are they not able to pass the written exam or the oral exam or the background checks? You know, what's out there? What's barriers are out there that prevent them to get hired?"Since his arrival in Austin, Baker has also joined the 100 Black Men of Austin and Gamma Eta Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which claims to have "supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African-Americans and people of color around the world" since its founding in 1906.Blaze News asked the AFD press office about Baker's emphasis on race and DEI but did not receive a response to those questions. The AFA and Andre Jordan did not respond to requests for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It's not often civilians get an up-close and personal look at a professional athlete's skills, but one golfer made sure not to pass up his opportunity when he met one on the golf course.The Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, was at the center of controversy over the Fourth of July weekend when it produced an unexpected viral video featuring two groups of male golfers.A man and his friend — the friend allegedly too drunk to put his ball on the golf tee — were apparently holding up another group of golfers behind them for over 20 minutes before an altercation broke out, the video shows.'You're gonna get booted the f**k out of here!'The second group finally had enough and told the first group to either move out of the way or simply drop back behind them so there was no delay."Drive the f**k up there or you're gonna get booted the f**k out of here!" one man yelled.After the man filming suggested calling the police to remedy the situation, one of the golfers holding up the second group pleaded with him and stated that his friend was indeed going to play on.As the second group continued to complain about the delay, the seemingly intoxicated golfer — still struggling to place his ball — exploded in rage after he was told that if he did not speed up he would be thrown in the lake. He soon found out he should have heeded that warning.RELATED: UFC and Trump agree to big, beautiful event that will change American history "F**king cry about it!" the man yelled back from the tee box.Instead of simply hitting his ball, the man threw his hat to the ground and started slapping his legs while screaming, "You're a f**king pussy!""Let's f**king go, man!" he continued, before barreling at one of the men in the second group, who was wearing a light blue golf shirt.As promised, the large man easily handled the golfer and tossed him into the nearby lake. Soaking wet, the man emerged from the lagoon to continue the brawl. The man in blue grabbed then him by the collar and punched him in the face several times. "Bang! Bang!" the man in blue yelled as he punched the drenched golfer. Unfortunately, the possibly drunk man continued this cycle another two times before being thrown to the ground.The fight was overwhelmingly one-sided, likely due in part to the fact that the man in blue turned out to be former NHL tough guy Nick Tarnasky, as noted by Barstool Sports and the Toronto Sun.RELATED: I played against the best, but never a man. Here’s why. Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images Listed at 6'2", 230 pounds, Tarnasky played five years in the NHL, averaging almost 100 penalty minutes per season. He was known as a tough player during his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, and his stats certainly back that up.At just 40 years old, it is not hard to see why Tarnasky was easily able to handle the golfer. He played for the San Diego Gulls as recently as 2017 in the AHL, the NHL's minor league, so it has only been eight years since he laced up his skates professionally.As it turns out, he is still in fighting shape.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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