Scott Bloch commands the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and has come under attack by a left-wing non-profit group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), for his policy decisions and hiring practices. PEER, headed by Jeff Ruch, has protested publicly that Bloch has hired some graduates of Ave Maria law school. His most recent criticisms came on March 25 in an interview he had on National Public Radio (NPR). The host of the show, Bob Garfield, sided with Ruch.
Catholic League president William Donohue has had enough, and that is why he wrote a letter today, partially reproduced here, to every member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs:
To be specific, PEER director Jeffrey Ruch has persistently charged in public that it is improper for Bloch to hire graduates of Ave Maria law school; he did this most recently on National Public Radio on March 25. “Scott Bloch’s personnel practices,” Ruch previously said, “are taken straight from The Da Vinci Code rather than the civil service manual.”
If Scott Bloch were Jewish and he was publicly criticized for hiring graduates of Yeshiva University law school, it would be branded anti-Semitic. If Bloch were African American and his crime was hiring graduates of Howard University law school, it would be branded racist. The point I am making is obvious. And for good measure, consider what would happen if someone accused a Jewish public servant of taking his personnel practices straight from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
In short, when Ruch complains about Bloch, you should know what’s driving his animus. I would like to share your thoughts on this matter with the Catholic community, so please let me know what they are.
