Gale Garriott, chief counsel of the Agency Counsel Division of the Arizona Attorney General’s office, has issued a memo banning the display of Santa Claus from areas open to the general public. In his memo of November 28, Garriott banned any items “that have a religious significance attached to them.” He personally listed Santa Claus as an... [Read more...]
In response to a complaint by the Catholic League, eBay, the Internet auction site, has withdrawn an offensive item from its listings, the “Weird Tattooed Jesus Statue!” The statue depicts Jesus with three eyes, vampire teeth and a dagger tattoo on his chest. The base is covered with roses and green painted skulls. It was designed by Michael... [Read more...]
On December 7, menorahs were removed from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach. On December 10, they were restored. The initial complaints were made by those who contended that the menorah is a religious symbol and should therefore not be displayed on government property. The second round of complaints came from the Jewish War... [Read more...]
The University of Northern Iowa will host the Terrence McNally play, “Corpus Christi,” December 12-14. The play depicts Christ having sex with the 12 apostles. Catholic League’s president William Donohue explained his reaction: “The taxpayers in Iowa are being asked to give the University of Northern Iowa a Christmas present—a three day... [Read more...]
According to the Harvard Crimson, the campus of Harvard University is dotted with cardboard Santas and menorahs and most of the University Houses have both a menorah and a Christmas tree. But there is no mention of a nativity scene anywhere on the campus. Indeed, there is considerable controversy over the scheduled placement of a Christmas tree... [Read more...]
Catholic League president William Donohue has written to New York City Schools Chancellor Dr. Harold Levy asking him to allow the placement of nativity scenes in the New York City schools. He has also asked him what disciplinary measures will be taken against Dr. Fran Levy, principal of PS 22, for discriminating against Christians. The following statement... [Read more...]
The principal of The Thomas Jefferson Magnet School of Humanities in Flushing, New York, Dr. Fran Levy, has issued a memo to teachers encouraging them to bring to school religious symbols that represent the Muslim, Kawanza and Jewish religions. (Kawanza, however, is not a religion.) No mention of Christianity was made. Indeed, when a Christmas... [Read more...]
New York City Schools Chancellor Harold Levy is allowing Muslim students to pray in school during Ramadan; areas will be set aside for group prayer by school officials. Permission is granted provided that the prayers do not disrupt classes or interfere with the rights of other students (e.g., non-Muslim students cannot be denied access to the same... [Read more...]
The May Catalyst featured a story on the controversy over an offensive photo collage of Our Lady of Guadalupe on display at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The issue has largely been resolved. The outcome is a mess for both sides. The usual chorus of artistic liberty was sung by the free speech crowd. They defended the... [Read more...]
William A. Donohue When someone lies, he is guilty of disinformation, the deliberate dissemination of information known to be untrue. When someone mistakenly provides the wrong information, he is guilty of misinformation. Though in both cases truth is a casualty, only those guilty of the former are properly met with moral outrage. And it is precisely... [Read more...]