Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the content of transgender curricula in the schools and the dangers they present:

Now that the new school year is upon us, it is important for parents to understand how the sexual engineers in education are trying to program students into accepting gender ideology. For an example of this, look no further than Illinois, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker on August 20th signed into law one of the most radical sex engineering curricula in the country. The scope of the Illinois curriculum goes far beyond conventional sex education programs. Indeed, it is the most extreme attempt to transform the norms and values of young people ever envisioned.

To that end, we have prepared a three-part series of reports on this subject; they will be rolled out this week.

Pope Francis has called gender ideology—the idea that the sexes are interchangeable—”demonic.” We call transgender surgery performed on minors “child abuse.” Unfortunately, the ruling class is not content to disagree: when they are not flatly lying about biological differences between males and females, they are engaged in censorship.

Over the summer, the elites went into high gear.

Twitter suspended several writers who dared to say that a male Olympic weightlifter who identifies as a female is a man.

The American Medical Association (AMA) issued a statement saying, “Designating sex on birth certificates as male or female, and making that information available on the public portion, perpetuates a view that sex designation is permanent and fails to recognize the medical spectrum of gender identity.”

[Note: The AMA is factually wrong. Gender identity is a psychological variable, one that has become increasingly politicized. It has nothing to do with any “medical spectrum.”]

The American Academy of Pediatrics not only agrees with the AMA, it would not allow doctors to set up a booth at its annual conference challenging its flawed transgender position.

Fortunately, the American College of Pediatricians and the National Catholic Bioethics Center are both telling the truth. They understand, as even middle school students do, that boys are boys and girls are girls—that’s the way human nature works.

Even more disconcerting, President Biden is trying to force doctors to perform sex transition surgeries. He was stopped by a federal court in Texas, but this issue is not over. Our “devout Catholic” president has absolutely no respect for conscience rights and is promoting child abuse as well.

The first of our three reports will focus on school curricula examples of the way transgender subjects will be presented. The second covers the physical damage that is being done, and the third examines the psychological damage.

Please disseminate these reports widely. There is much at stake, including the well-being of our children.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on what is being said about so-called Christian nationalists:

Hardly a week goes by without some pundit claiming that the United States is being taken over by Christian nationalists. Accusations are being made that are completely without foundation, and few in the media are taking them to task.

Proponents of this view like to point to the presence of a few Christian signs that were evident in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This has had almost no effect on most Americans, and with good reason: those who stormed the  Capitol were men and women who came to express their anger at the American ruling class. It was not an exercise in Christian nationalism. But to those who distrust white Christian patriotic Americans, the signs were proof that Christian nationalists are on the march.

No one beats Samuel L. Perry, a sociologist at the University of Oklahoma. “The Capitol Insurrection was as Christian nationalist as it gets.” His baseless charge was endorsed by the likes of Thomas B. Edsall of the New York Times and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Merely asserting that culpability belongs to Christian nationalists is all that matters these days. No proof is required.

Robert P. Jones is another author who is sold on the threat of Christian nationalists. Looking at the Capitol riot, he is convinced that “a significant number of the attackers on Jan. 6 were Christian nationalists and white supremacists.” He said he spotted a Christian flag at the event, adding that “Many people may not be familiar with it.” Good point: We took a poll of our Catholic League staff and no one had ever heard of it.

If the presence of a little-known Christian flag is enough to convince some activists and pundits that Jan. 6 was a Christian nationalist uprising, then it should follow that the burning of the American flag at Black Lives Matter and Antifa rallies—it happened regularly—is overwhelming proof of their anti-American agenda. They are the real threat to peace and safety, not Christian nationalists, whoever they are.

Author Katherine Stewart also maintains that Christian nationalists are a menace to society. In March last year, she cited evidence that Christian nationalists are “running the country.” Her proof? A remark made by President Trump that “by Easter” the Covid crisis would ease. That was all the evidence she needed—his dropping of the “E-word.”

Andrew Whitehead is a sociologist at Indiana University-Perdue University Indianapolis who wrote a book on Christian nationalists with Samuel Perry. Two years ago he said that Christian nationalists “think you have to be Christian to be truly American.” He did not quote anyone to that effect. Quite frankly, as one who runs in Christian circles, I never heard anyone make such a stupid comment.

Perry and Whitehead are quite the dynamic duo. They argue that if someone believes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are divinely inspired documents, that proves they are Christian nationalists. The bar is obviously not set very high.

According to Perry, no one epitomizes the mind-set of Christian nationalism better than evangelical pastor Greg Locke. Edsall was so impressed by Perry’s observation that he cited Locke’s book, This Means War, as the definitive source of this dreaded movement.

Having never heard of Locke, I bought the book, which was published last year before the election, and searched in vain for anything Locke said about Christian nationalism. He never mentions the term. The best I could find was one throw-away sentence near the end of the book where he says, “When it comes to an election, you’d better be a Christian first and a Christian last.”

That was it. Most of the book is comprised of Protestant musings on the need for Christians to stand fast against challenges to our Judeo-Christian  heritage. If this is supposed to be Exhibit A in the arsenal of those convinced that Christian nationalists are about to take over the nation, they had better retire before more people find out about their fairy tales.

The lies about Christian nationalism have real-life consequences. Three months ago, Anthea Butler, who teaches religious and African studies at the University of Pennsylvania, accused white evangelicals of posing “an existential crisis to us all.” She said their ideas “may end up killing us all.” It is this kind of incendiary comment that should be challenged with regularity, but never is. That’s because Butler is black and white liberals  don’t have the guts to confront her.

Just as unnerving is the spectacle of states bent on adopting a new curriculum wherein teaching the truth about our Judeo-Christian heritage is considered taboo.

In Florida, one of the items deemed problematic for 7th graders holds that students should “Recognize how Judeo-Christian values influenced America’s founding ideals and documents.” Also found objectionable is the requirement that “Students will recognize the influence of the Protestant work ethic on economic freedom and personal responsibility.”

Both of these declarations are indisputably true. The problem is with those who object to them, not those who applaud them.

Christian nationalism is not only a myth, it is a pernicious lie. We should be celebrating patriotic Americans who are Christian, not castigating them.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on MSNBC’s latest attack on Christians:

Twice in one week, senior pundits at MSNBC have compared Christians to the Taliban.

On August 14, MSNBC host Joy Reid, speaking of the Taliban, tweeted that “our own far religious right” is “dreaming of a theocracy that would impose a particular brand of Christianity” on American society.

On August 18, the lead story on MSNBC’s website, written by Dan Obeidallah, picks up on the comparison by criticizing Republicans who cling to “a narrow reading of their religious beliefs,” noting that they want to make their “religious beliefs into the law of the land.”

In both cases, the MSNBC pundits claimed that Christians are, just like the Taliban, against women’s rights. (They couldn’t have been thinking about Andrew Cuomo because the “former altar boy” is a Democrat.)

Reid accused Christians of wanting to “drive women from the workforce and solely into childbirth, and control all politics.” What a plainly stupid remark. Perhaps she can explain why a record number of Republican women—35 of them—were recently elected to the Congress. They are all Christians.

Obeidallah cites three issues to prove that Christians are Taliban-like creatures: their opposition to abortion; their opposition to the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act; and their opposition to the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Regarding abortion, Christians are committed to protecting the life of unborn babies. The Taliban are known to kill pregnant women such as Masooma, who was dragged out of her house in 2019, taken to a Taliban court, shot dead, and had her corpse, and that of her baby, thrown into an open field. Her crime? She criticized the Taliban for committing atrocities.

Christian Republicans opposed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act because it redefined “domestic violence” to mean wholly non-violent acts such as “verbal” and “emotional” abuse. If that is the standard, then we will have to restock all the prisons recently emptied by Democrats.

Women earn less than men, in general, because they are more likely not to work in dangerous jobs, are more likely to work part-time, are more likely to turn down overtime, and are more likely to turn down promotions, all of which reflect women’s choices and have nothing to do with discrimination. Hence, new laws are window-dressing ploys.

Now how about the way the Taliban treat women? Here’s a quick sample.

• Women are imprisoned in their home
• Girls are beaten for wearing white shoes
• Girls are not allowed to be educated after the age of eight
• Girls are only allowed to read the Qur’an
• Women are not allowed to speak loudly in public
• Pictures of women are banned from all media outlets
• Women are not allowed to appear on the balconies of their apartments

Last month, it was reported that the Taliban were ordering imams and mullahs in the Middle East to provide them with a list of girls above 15, and widows under 45, to be married to Taliban fighters. They are then treated as sex slaves.

Now there are reports that this is already happening in Afghanistan as the Taliban are going “door-to-door” looking for girls as young as 12 to become “sex slaves.”

Those who compare conservative Christians to the Taliban evince an extreme anti-Christian bigotry while denigrating the condition of women who are forced to live under Taliban rule. The comparison is obscene. So is MSNBC for giving these bigots a platform.

Contact Lorie Acio, VP of Communications, MSNBC: Lorie.Acio@nbcuni.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue contacted the Pennsylvania Auditor General today about allegations that researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are engaged in harvesting the organs of unborn babies.

August 17, 2021

Hon. Timothy L. DeFoor
Auditor General
Department of the Auditor General Finance Building
613 North Street, Room 229
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0018

Dear Auditor General DeFoor:

As president of the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization, I am writing in support of State Rep. Kathleen Rapp, and Sean Parnell, who are calling for an investigation of research being performed on unborn babies by the University of Pittsburgh. It is alleged that organs have been harvested while the baby’s heart is still beating.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has earned an outstanding reputation, and that is why reports that it is operating a fetal organ “chop shop” are so disconcerting. It is not for nothing that Judicial Watch is representing the Center for Medical Progress in obtaining documentation of this alleged human organ harvesting project.

Your role is critical. You could commence an investigation of state and federal funds being used by the University for arguably criminal activity.

If it is true, as some doctors have said, that in order to perform some of these procedures, “The baby’s going to have to be either born alive or be killed immediately prior to delivery,” then justice demands that a thorough investigation take place. I urge you to do so.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

William A. Donohue, Ph.D.
President

cc:
State Rep. Kathleen Rapp
Sean Parnell
Univ. of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher
Dr. Anantha Shekhar, Dean, School of Medicine
David Seldin, Assistant Vice Chancellor for News

Contact the Auditor General: news@PaAuditor.gov 

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on lies being told about white supremacists:

White people, in general, have a difficult time defending themselves against racist comments. That’s too bad because their reticence begets more attacks on them.

In his inaugural address, Joe Biden singled out white supremacy as a force to be reckoned with. He did not define what he meant by this term, nor did he offer any examples, though many reporters noted that he was referring to the January 6 Capitol riot.

David Horowitz slammed Biden’s remark as a “monstrous lie.” The evidence supports him.

Are white people a threat to safety? The latest FBI statistics reveal that blacks, who are 12.5% of the population, comprise 58% of all murder arrests and 40% of all violent crimes. In New York City, whites are 33% of the population but account for only 2% of shootings. Blacks, who are 23% of the population, commit 75% of all shootings.

Christian Picciolini was a leader in the skinhead movement for a quarter century, so he should know who the white supremacists are. “It’s the average American. It is our mechanics, it’s our dentists, it’s our teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses and unfortunately that’s the way it’s turned into the last 30 years.”

What is really unfortunate is the bigoted swipe at virtually every white person. If what he said were true, then, to take one index, we should expect that the rate of violent crimes committed by whites would be very high, but it isn’t. That’s because the “average American” is not a white supremacist.

New York Times columnist Charles Blow is also guilty of making wild generalizations. In his piece on August 16, he says that the latest census figures are “terrifying” for “white nationalists.” He does not explain who these people are, nor does he provide a scintilla of evidence that the “white power acolytes”—whoever they are—are terrified about the census.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which was founded to combat anti-Semitism, but has more recently evolved into a left-wing activist organization, is leading the way with charges of white supremacy killings. It offers as an example of white supremacist violence the shootings at a Parkland, Florida high school, the Tree of Life synagogue killings in Pittsburgh, the shootings at the Poway Chabad in California, and a violent attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

The ADL’s analysis is sophomoric and misleading.

Nikolas Cruz, 22, killed 17 and wounded 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018. He had been expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons and was a known racist, but he was not active in white supremacist organizations. When he was jailed, he attacked an officer.

In 2018, Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life Synagogue and yelled “All Jews must die” as he opened fire on the congregants. When the National Council of Jewish Women issued a statement about the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in American history, they cited his anti-Semitism but said not a word about him being a white supremacist.

The Poway synagogue shootings in 2019 were committed by John Earnest, a young man who hated Jews and Muslims. The San Diego ex-nurse, who killed one woman, had no criminal record and had no connection to any white supremacist group.

Patrick Crusius killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019. He said his target was “Mexicans.” He was known for his anti-Mexican rants and most of those whom he killed had Spanish surnames.

These four tragedies were the work of very sick men, all of whom were bigots. But if we are to call every white racist shooter a white supremacist—when there is no evidence of ties to any such group—then we are not dealing with reality. Klansmen are white supremacists, and they are not your “average American.”

To be sure, there are violent white supremacists, but to slap the label “white supremacist” on every white bigoted thug is positively absurd. Those who do so are furthering a political agenda, and are not interested in telling the truth.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on just how far left the CDC has become:

As recently as a few years ago, no one would believe that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was to the left of the mainstream media. But a lot has recently changed.

From draconian strictures on Covid to the latest pronouncements on climate change, it is clear that the CDC has become a very political institution. Perhaps nothing shows how much it has changed more than its comments on the necessity of pregnant women to become vaccinated.

Whether pregnant women should be vaccinated is not, per se, an ideological issue. What makes it so is the linguistic politics employed by the CDC: It refers to pregnant women as “pregnant people.” This is done, of course, not to offend the sexually challenged, namely women who consider themselves to be a man and are, or may become, pregnant.

Of course, in the real world, everyone who has not yet lost his mind—the pool is shrinking at an alarming rate—knows that it is a fiction to believe that men can become pregnant. Unfortunately, the CDC is one of the foremost promoters of this fiction: it used the term “pregnant people” 29 out of 30 times in its statement recommending that pregnant women be vaccinated.

The media did not uniformly follow the CDC’s lead. Here is how prominent media outlets addressed this issue. (The numbers refer to how many times various terms were employed in their initial story on this subject.)

CDC:
• “Covid-19 Vaccines while Pregnant or Breast Feeding”
• Pregnant Women: 1
• Pregnant “People”: 29

Associated Press:
• “CDC urges COVID vaccines during pregnancy as delta surges”
• Pregnant Women: 7
• Pregnant “People”: 0
• Pregnant Patients: 5
[Appeared in LA Times, Sun Sentinel, New Orleans Times-Picayune, and NBC News Website]

Reuters:
• “CDC Recommends Pregnant Women get Covid-19 Vaccine”
• Pregnant Women: 1
• Pregnant “People”: 2

Washington Post:
• “CDC guidance now official: Pregnant people should get coronavirus vaccine”
• Pregnant Women: 10
• Pregnant “People”: 3

New York Times:
• “The C.D.C. endorses Covid vaccinations during pregnancy”
• Pregnant Women: 5
• Pregnant “People”: 2

Boston Globe:
• “FDA set to OK booster shots for limited group”
• Pregnant Women: 5
• Pregnant “People”: 1

San Francisco Chronicle:
• “CDC endorses COVID vaccine during pregnancy”
• Pregnant Women: 4
• Pregnant “People”: 0

NPR Website:
• “Vaccinating During Pregnancy Has Become Even More Urgent As ICU Beds Fill Up”
• Pregnant Women: 1
• Pregnant “People”: 4
• Pregnant “Individuals”: 1
• Those who are pregnant/someone who is pregnant: 7

CBS:
• CBS News Website:
• “CDC now recommends pregnant people get vaccinated”
• Pregnant Women: 1
• Pregnant “People”: 4
• Pregnant or Lactating Individuals: 1

ABC:
• ABC News Website:
• “CDC strengthens recommendation that pregnant women get” vaccinated
• Pregnant Women: 8
• Pregnant “People”: 1

CNN:
• CNN Wire:
• “CDC strengthens recommendation for pregnant women to get vaccinated against Covid-19”
• Pregnant Women: 6
• Pregnant “People”: 1
• Those who are pregnant/anyone who is pregnant: 3

Fox News:
• Fox News Website:
• “CDC advices COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women”
• Pregnant Women: 5
• Pregnant “People”: 0

The inconsistent usage that is evident in most of these listings suggests that the media are themselves in transition. A lag effect is evident: they have not caught up to the linguistic politics of the CDC.

But give them some time—by the end of the year they will retire the term pregnant women from their lexicon, referring only to “pregnant people.” Look for these geniuses to call women who menstruate “people who menstruate,” and men with prostate issues “people with prostate issues.”

It’s time we asked Bruce how Caitlyn feels about this subject. Maybe he/she/they/them (Who dat?) can figure this out.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the return of comedian Louis C.K.:

Louis C.K. starts his 24-city comeback tour on August 13 and 14 at Madison Square Garden. Whether or not he has been rehabilitated remains to be seen. The test will come during and after the show.

Louis C.K. has used the “C-word” when talking about Sarah Palin and has joked about the Parkland shooting survivors. We know him at the Catholic League for making jokes about the crucifixion of Christ and his remark about Pope Benedict XVI “f***ing boys.”

It remains to be seen if Louis C.K. can entertain his audience without being obscene or making anti-Catholic remarks. It also remains to be seen if he can restrain himself after the show is over. His past record is not endearing.

In November 2017, the New York Times ran a story about Louis C.K. being accused by five women of sexual misconduct. One story, from 2002, recounted the tale of two female comedians who accepted his invitation to go back to his hotel room for drinks.

He asked them if it was okay to show his penis. They thought he was joking, but soon found out that he wasn’t. “He proceeded to take all of his clothes off, and get completely naked, and started masturbating.” The following day, the Times ran another story, this time quoting what Louis C.K. had to say about the five women accusers. “These stories are true,” he said.

Regarding this last item, it might be best if he asked for the advice of Jeffrey Toobin at CNN on how to proceed—he is a master of the subject.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on media coverage of an Antifa event:

Antifa, the urban terrorists, brutally assaulted Christians who were praying in a Portland park on August 7th, and the media have almost totally ignored it. Dressed in black, with face coverings, the left-wing nihilists destroyed the sound system and assaulted the Evangelicals with pepper spray and projectiles.

Andy Ngo, the reporter who has covered Antifa better than anyone—and has been beaten up for doing so—recorded this savage event. Flash bombs were thrown at kids as young as four months old. “Where is your god now?” asked an Antifa thug.

The police were called to the scene but did nothing. They were acting rationally: The authorities have yielded power to street barbarians, handcuffing the cops. The same passive police presence is now routine in America’s largest cities, thanks to no bail, no prosecutions, no insurance protection for cops, and calls to dismantle the police and empty the prisons.

Quite frankly, it is now borderline legal to kill and maim innocent persons in urban America, including those whose crime it is to pray in public, never mind the police. Anarchy reigns. And what do the media do? Nothing.

Not one major newspaper or wire service covered the Antifa assault on Christians. Broadcast TV networks also ignored it, and among the cable channels, only the three conservative outlets, Fox News, Newsmax and OAN profiled the story. Ngo had video footage but had few takers.

By contrast, the recent CNN interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was covered by almost all the mainstream media: print, internet and television gave it wide attention.

She said that on the day of the Capitol riot, January 6, she feared for her life, adding that she also feared she would be raped. Yet unlike the Christians who were attacked, no one laid a hand on her. They couldn’t—she was not in the Capitol when the riot occurred (she was safely tucked away in her office).

Unlike the Christian victims of Antifa, AOC’s tale of woe is patently contrived. For the media to play up her phony story while dismissing the real-life Antifa riot, smacks of ideological and religious bias. No wonder the public holds the big media in such low esteem. Cub reporters earn more respect these days.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the collapse of Gov. Cuomo:

On this date in 258, St. Lawrence was roasted to death on a gridiron for remaining loyal to the Catholic Church. Fast forward to August 10, 2021, when another Catholic, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is being roasted by the media for his disloyalties. Indeed, he’s toast.

Even in leaving, Cuomo still doesn’t get it. “In my mind,” he said, “I’ve never crossed the line with anyone. But I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.”

He should have—he was the one who redrew it. In 2019, he bragged that New York is “the most aggressive state in the country on women’s rights. Anything I can do on sexual harassment we will do.” Thus did he unwittingly lay the trap that would eventually ensnare him.

In 2019, the “former altar boy,” as he liked to refer to himself, signed the Child Victims Act, a law which suspended the statute of limitations for sexual offenses against minors. At the time, he singled out the Catholic Church for condemnation, knowing full well that this problem was most acute in the public schools. Last year, he authorized a one-year extension of the law (the statute applied to others but rapacious lawyers focused almost exclusively on the Catholic Church).

How ironic it is to note that the Child Victims Act, which was never about justice for everyone, is set to expire on August 14, the same week Cuomo packed it in following multiple sexual misconduct allegations.

Now, at least, there may be justice for his many alleged female victims. As such, this is making for a very Catholic ending.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on how the media covered Simone Biles’ religion:

Everyone knows that Simone Biles may be the greatest gymnast of all time, and everyone knows she is black. But few know she is Catholic. Why is that?

The Catholic media mentioned her religious affiliation but the big media did not.

The following newspapers made no mention of her Catholic faith: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The Associated Press also failed to cite her Catholicity.

The following TV networks failed to mention her Catholic religion: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and PBS.

In her autobiography, Courage to Soar, Biles mentions the role her religion has played in her life and how it has helped her during times of adversity. She has spoken eloquently about her Confirmation experience, and why she chose St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, as her confirmation name. She occasionally carries a statue of St. Sebastian and often carries her white rosary in her gym bag.

So why the blackout? The media constantly tell us that President Biden carries a rosary, so why the reticence when it comes to Biles?

Politics explains why. Biden’s policies are at war with the teachings of the Catholic Church, alienating many Catholics, including the bishops. But the media want him to succeed, and their way of rescuing his religious status is to flag his rosary story.

The situation with Biles is different. Having experienced mental stress at the Olympic games, forcing her to withdraw from a few events, some in the media exploited her racial status with tales of victimhood. None was more melodramatic than Politico.

“Biles is part of a new, more subtle chapter of Black activism that is elevating personal reflection and self-care over the emotional stoicism and reliance that has long been a feature of Black struggle, and of Black success.” Those words of wisdom belong to Erin Aubry Kaplan, an opinion writer for the New York Times. Simply because Biles was stressed out was enough to prove that she has earned a place in the Black Struggle Hall of Fame.

The way the media frame things, to be black is to be a victim; to be a Catholic is to be a victimizer. Therefore citing Biles’ religious affiliation gets in the way of their narrative, which is to cast her as a member of the oppressed class.

All men and women share multiple status identities, and many have a master status. When it comes to public persons, however, the media are not interested in how they identify themselves—they do it for them. In the case of Biles, she is a black female. End of story. No other identities are allowed.

Such is the sad state of identity politics these days.