The September 30 episode of the CBS show, “Cold Case,” featured sexually active Christian teens enrolled in an abstinence program. In the show, a trampy girl was stoned to death for breaking her chastity vow. To top it off, the Jerry Bruckheimer production depicted a minister preaching the virtues of abstinence while masturbating.

We have an idea for “Cold Case.” Do an episode on kids who reject abstinence and use condoms. But do an honest episode. Depict the way teens normally use condoms—which is to say improperly—and then show pictures of the aborted babies. It might also be worthwhile to show a Planned Parenthood counselor doing what they often do—covering up cases of statutory rape.

Bet Bruckheimer never thought of that one.

The CW television network premieres a new sitcom, “Aliens in America,” tonight. The show is about a family called the Tolchucks that takes in a Pakistani Muslim foreign exchange student. While the Tolchucks are portrayed as slightly dysfunctional, the Muslim boy is friendly, helpful and devout—a real joy to be around. The contrast between the foreign Muslim boy and the American family is integral to the plot. As producer David Guarascio told The Times Union, “We wanted to bring a character who had a sense of his own faith, and who had a strong relationship with God into this family that really doesn’t have one.”

According to USA Today, the pilot “includes scenes that satirize perceptions about terrorism” and was screened by the Islamic Center of Southern California. Additionally, the Hollywood bureau of the Muslim Public Affairs Council provided advice to the producers about the show’s religious and cultural content.

It is admirable that the show will include a positive character who is devoted to God—something that is pretty hard to find in today’s television lineup. Christians are hoping they too will see a positive reflection of their faith in the upcoming season, though we won’t hold our breath waiting for the networks to screen any shows with Catholic or Protestant organizations.

According to this article from Cybercast News Service (CNS News), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked about the poster for the Folsom Street Fair (it depicts the Last Supper with men in S&M outfits replacing Christ and the apostles and sex toys replacing the Eucharistic) she responded as follows. Her response, and the full question asked by the CNS resporter, is below:

CNSNews.com:  “I’d like to get local for a second and talk about what’s going on in San Francisco. Your spokesman told the Bay Area Reporter that the Folsom Street Fair advertisement mocking the last supper would not harm Christianity. I’m wondering if you find the advertisement personally offensive.”

“And as a follow up, the city’s Grants for the Arts program, funded by the city’s hotel tax, subsidizes the fair. Do you think that it’s fair to tax everyone who visits San Francisco and stays in a hotel to support the fair?”

Pelosi: “Well that’s not really a local question. That’s a constitutional question. That’s a religious question. That’s as big a global question as you can ask. I’m a big believer in First Amendment and therefore, as I said in my statement, I do not believe that Christianity has been harmed by the Folsom Street Fair advertising.”

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino dropped the ball today when asked by Baltimore reporter Les Kinsolving to comment on the Miller boycott.

Kinsolving:  “The President does not believe that the First Amendment prohibits him from speaking out against the Miller Brewing Company’s widely reported financing of an obscene parody of ‘Jesus Christ’s Last Supper’ in San Francisco, does he?”

Perino: “Well, you’re clearing the room, Les. I’m going to decline to comment.”

Well, we won’t decline to comment on Perino.

She was asked a legitimate question about an viciously obscene and anti-Christian event—one that President Bush would never speak approvingly of—and she got cold feet. Perino did so because she followed the lead of NBC reporter Kelly O’Donnell who stormed out of the room muttering her disapproval of Kinsolving’s question.

We’d love to know what is bugging O’Donnell (does she like public displays of S&M and Christian bashing?), but the larger issue is why the Bush administration appointed a coward as its press secretary. Tony Snow would never have allowed a member of the press corps to set the table.

Many thanks to Les for having the courage of his convictions.

Click here to read Father Jonathan Morris’s response to the Time magazine article suggesting that Pope John Paul II was euthanized. Father Morris brands the piece “blatantly irresponsible” and points out “the author’s false statements about what the Catholic Church teaches regarding end-of-life care.”

According to the Associated Press, the Italian doctor who suggested Pope John Paul II was euthanized “acknowledged she didn’t have access to John Paul’s medical records.” Despite this, and other errors in her argument that have been countered by the Vatican, the doctor continued to allege that the pontiff’s death was the result of assisted suicide.

Click here for the full story.

John Aretakis, a trial lawyer who specializes in suing the Catholic Church, has been fined by a federal judge for a frivolous lawsuit. Click here to read a full account in the North Country Gazette.

Public school calendars in New York’s Monroe-Woodbury school district list two Jewish holidays, but no Christian holidays. In response to requests by Christian parents for equal representation, the local Times Herald-Record gave “Jeers” to “some parents with not enough to keep them busy.”

Bill Donohue responded to the paper with the letter below:

Dear Letters Editor:

No wonder so many in your area called our office about your incredibly inane editorial criticizing Catholics for protesting the censorship of Christian holidays–while publishing Jewish ones–in the Monroe-Woodbury school calendar (“Jeers,” 9-17). Your quip that some parents don’t have enough “to keep them busy” smacks of elitism and a rank double standard: If Christmas were mentioned and Jewish holidays were excised, do you really believe Jews wouldn’t (rightly) protest?

Your “solution” is so politically correct it’s nauseating: delete all school holidays by name and just list “days off.” What this demonstrates is your real hatred of diversity–you just want to neuter all religious holidays in the name of “tolerance.” It’s about time you practiced it, instead of invoking it like a mantra.

One more thing. Don’t your editors have enough to keep them busy without dictating morality to local parents?

William Donohue
President
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
New York, NY

From today’s Jerusalem Post:

“Orthodox teachers of Kabbala reacted with disdain Sunday to pop idol Madonna’s Rosh Hashana visit in Israel, during which she took part in a study session of Judaism’s most esoteric texts.

“‘It is a known fact in Kabbala that impurity and evil are inherently attracted to sanctity,’ said a director of one of the most respected Kabbala yeshivot in Jerusalem who preferred that he and his institution remain anonymous.

“‘That’s why people of Hollywood, a place of iniquity and lasciviousness, are naturally attracted to the holiness of Kabbala.'”

On September 15, raunchy talk-show host Jerry Springer will kick off the 13th season of Fox’s “MADtv” by introducing a series of some of the show’s past comedy skits.  One such segment lampooned the Catholic priesthood’s sex abuse scandals.

While most people would expect a program like “MADtv” to cause offense on a frequent basis, a look at the show’s history reveals little in the way of derogatory treatment of certain demographic groups.  We found nothing in the way of complaints about the show from blacks, Hispanics, Jews, gays, or Muslims; one has to go back to 2000 for a sole complaint from an Asian-American advocacy group.

It’s the same old story–in the popular culture, most groups are off-limits when it comes to causing deliberate offense, but Catholic priests are fair game.