Our troubles with Wal-Mart began when a woman e-mailed the company complaining about its policy of encouraging its employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." The response she got, from a Customer Service employee by the name of Kirby, was astounding. Here's what Kirby said (we are reproducing his statement exactly as it was [...]
By November 3, the Catholic League had already seen the first attempts to censor Christmas in 2005. Bill Donohue had to this say: "The regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in San Diego announced this week his disdain for 'Christmas programs' and his support for 'winter programs.' Morris S. Casuto explained his reasoning by saying, [...]
The Catholic League was bombarded with complaints on the morning of November 4. Those who contacted the league were upset by "Secrets and Flies," the November 3 episode of the CBS program CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. "Secrets and Flies" revolves around the murder of Christina, a single mother. After an autopsy reveals that Christina was a virgin, [...]
Veteran CBS producer Bruce Rheins crossed the line recently when he sought a patent for a wine he dubbed "Jesus Juice." This is the name that pop-singer Michael Jackson allegedly used when he served wine to his young accuser. On the label of the Merlot wine is a picture of Jackson in the image of Christ [...]
In the last issue of Catalyst, we ran a story on education wherein we mentioned an ugly incident attendant to National History Day. No sooner was the November issue printed when we learned that the dispute ended amicably. On August 1, William Donohue wrote to Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day (NHD), about the contents [...]
Bill Donohue went on NBC's "Today" show in mid-October to discuss the sexual-abuse scandal in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and the next day he was attacked by the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Donohue then challenged the president, Neil Giuliano, to a debate on TV, but the gay leader declined. So [...]
The Children's Museum of Manhattan likes to honor the holidays of Hispanics, Jews, Muslims and African Americans, but not of Christians. For example, in October the museum featured Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as aRamadan in New York City Festival; the latter event meant that children were read stories about Islamic traditions. But there were no [...]
Pop-singer Madonna used to be known as "The Material Girl." But now she says she's changed. However, her new documentary, "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret," which is a behind-the-scenes account of her "Re-Invention Tour," contains more than a flash from her past. One part of the film, in particular, caught our eye. Here's what [...]
In late October, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy considered the issue of allowing pharmacists the right to deny a prescription for medication they cannot in good conscience fill. "At stake is the right of patients to obtain prescribed medication from their local pharmacist versus the right of pharmacists to abide by their moral or religious convictions," [...]
The decision by the Bush administration to help rebuild those areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina includes awarding public monies to parochial schools and other religious institutions (exclusive of houses of worship). We commended the administration in a statement released to the media on October 19: "On both moral and legal grounds, the Bush administration made [...]
