Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a phone call made today by NPR media relations manager Anna Christopher to Jeff Field, the Catholic League’s director of communications:

Earlier today, I wrote a news release calling into question NPR’s double standard: Juan Williams gets fired for making an allegedly anti-Muslim remark, but no one has ever gotten fired from NPR for its anti-Catholic fare. I listed several explicit examples, and at the end of the release, I asked those on our e-mail list to contact Anna Christopher.

Christopher called Jeff Field to complain about our news release. She accused us of “cherry-picking” instances of NPR’s anti-Catholic programming, adding that our “heated” news release resulted in a large amount of “mean-spirited” e-mails.

We didn’t “cherry-pick” anything: I simply went to our files and cited a few examples of NPR’s intolerance of Catholicism. The news release, as anyone can see [click here], was hardly “heated.” Moreover, I am not responsible for any allegedly “mean-spirited” e-mails she received.

Talk about thin-skinned. Why is it that NPR can dish it out, but can’t take it? If it doesn’t want Catholics complaining, then lay off us. And while they’re at it, they might think about leveling the playing field when it comes to employee “misconduct.”

Contact Anna Christopher: achristopher@npr.org

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on National Public Radio’s (NPR) double standard:

Juan Williams was fired from NPR because he made one allegedly anti-Muslim comment, yet no one has been terminated by NPR for its anti-Catholic fare. To be explicit, on Jan. 7, 2008, the Utah NPR station, KCPW, aired a skit lampooning Mike Huckabee that trashed Jesus. On the show, “Fair Game with Faith Salie,” the following was said: “Tired of bland unsatisfying Eucharists? Try this Huckabee family favorite. Deep-Fried Body of Christ—boring holy wafers no more….Mike likes his Christ with whipped cream and sprinkles.” After I complained, we heard from Public Radio International, which produced the show, and they pulled it, issuing an apology. While the show did not originate at NPR, its Utah affiliate did not have to air it. No one was fired.

On July 5, 1997, NPR mocked the Eucharist when host Scott Simon and musical satirist, Tom Lehrer, got together. Lehrer sang “The Vatican Rag.” Here are some of the lyrics: “Try playing it safer, drink the wine and chew the wafer”; “Two, four, six, eight, time to Trans-substantiate.”

Moreover, if Williams merits being fired for expressing reservations about people with Muslim garb boarding a plane, then why was it okay for Dahlia Lithwick of NPR (at the time) to express her reservations about having “too many Catholics” on the Supreme Court? On Nov. 1, 2005, she exclaimed, “People are very, very much talking about the fact that Alito would be the fifth Catholic on the Supreme Court if confirmed.” Earlier, on Aug. 2, she expressed concerns about the “very, very strong religious views” of Catholic Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Moreover, on July 23, Nina Totenberg of NPR raised a red flag over high court nominee John Roberts’ wife because she was “an officer of a pro-life organization.” As for Roberts himself, she said, “He’s got adopted children. I mean, he’s a conservative Catholic.”

The duplicity is sickening.

Contact NPR Media Chief Anna Christopher: achristopher@npr.org

Yesterday, a mailer by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) of Minnesota came under fire for its allegedly anti-Catholic contents. Pictured on one side of the mailer is a priest, shown from his Roman collar down, wearing a button which says, “Ignore the Poor”; on the other side there is a statement critical of Dan Hall, a Protestant minister who is a candidate for the state senate (it says, in part, “Preacher Dan Hall protects politicians—not the poor”).

On the Internet, only the front part of the mailer was shown, leading some to accuse the DFL of bigotry. Late yesterday, the DFL released a statement defending the mailing because “the text explicitly criticizes Preacher Hall,” and therefore covers any objections.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue wasn’t buying it:

The DFL deliberately exploited Catholic imagery to make a political point. Had they pictured an imam on the front of its mailing, the DFL wouldn’t treat its critics so cavalierly. If the DFL wants to paint Hall as anti-poor, then do it. But don’t do it by hijacking Catholic imagery. While the text is about Dan Hall, the teaser—that which gets the attention of the reader—is a Catholic-baiting stunt that paints priests as anti-poor.

The person whose name appears on the mailing is Brian Melendez, the state chair of the DFL. The Harvard-educated lawyer, it turns out, offers his services pro bono for cases involving consumer fraud. He should therefore know a thing or two about deceptive advertising, especially given that he concentrated in ethics while attending Harvard Divinity School. We contacted his office yesterday looking to give him a chance to explain himself, but he never got back to us. Perhaps that’s because he was too busy advising the DFL how to handle questions about deceptive advertising and unethical behavior.

Contact Melendez: chair@dfl.org

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the debate between Catholics United and the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List):

On one side of the dispute is a dissident Catholic group which seeks to criminalize speech, and on the other side is a pro-life group which represents the position of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and has the support of the ACLU. Moreover, the dissident Catholic group, Catholics United, is taking a direct shot at the bishops by claiming, in effect, that the USCCB got it wrong when it concluded that abortion funding was contained in the health care bill.

Two years ago, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput accused Catholics United of doing a “disservice to the Church.” He was right. Now the group is seeking to censor the speech of the SBA List, claiming it is misrepresenting the record of Rep. Steve Driehaus: the SBA List says that when Driehaus voted for the health care bill, he voted to support “taxpayer-funded abortion”; it sought to launch a billboard campaign alerting voters about this, but was challenged by Catholics United saying that the SBA List was guilty of making “false statements” in campaign advertising. The dispute, which is before the Ohio Elections Commission, will not be resolved until after the election; if the SBA List loses, it faces criminal charges.

Catholics United is saying that Francis Cardinal George, the head of the USCCB, got it wrong when he said the health care bill “appropriates billions of dollars in new funding without explicitly prohibiting the use of these funds for abortion.” It further maintains that a unanimous opinion of the legal experts advising the bishops got it wrong when they came to the same conclusion as Cardinal George. And it also claims that the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service got it wrong when it concluded that abortion funding is allowed under the bill.

It is clear that Catholics United wants to muzzle the free speech of the SBA List and is actively undermining the bishops.

Contact Catholics United head Chris Korzen: ckorzen@catholics-united.org

Provincetown, Massachusetts, a small resort town on the tip of Cape Cod, was once a sleepy Portuguese fishing village. In recent years, it has become popular with homosexuals, both for year-round dwelling and as a summer vacation spot. Gays say they feel comfortable in Provincetown, which was honored by the Anti-Defamation League as worthy of the title “No Place for Hate.”

Though Provincetown’s police chief says they haven’t seen an incident of a hate crime in over 10 years, all is not well in this supposed bastion of tolerance. While Provincetown’s gays may enjoy freedom from harassment, some of the town’s Catholics have recently come under attack for their stance on upholding traditional marriage.

Massachusetts petition #05-02 is called the Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage. The petition states: “When recognizing marriages entered into after the adoption of this amendment by the people, the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall define marriage only as the union of one man and one woman.”

A website found at the address KnowThyNeighbor.org has published the names and addresses of the petition’s signers. (The site also lists the names and addresses of those who signed a similar petition in Florida.) Most of the Provincetown residents who signed the petition are also members of Saint Peter’s, the local Catholic church. Some of those who supported the petition say they have since been subjected to insults and accusations from fellow townspeople.

One woman who signed stated that a copy of the list posted on KnowThyNeighbor was left on her windshield. Another parishioner reported that the publisher of Provincetown Magazine saw her shopping and shouted that she was a bigot. The publisher, Rick Hines, admitted he confronted her, saying “you run into someone you know sees you as a second-class citizen and it’s human to respond.” Heterosexual visitors to Provincetown cited instances of being sneeringly labeled “breeders” by local gays. In addition, seasonal workers from Jamaica and Eastern Europe have complained of hearing racist and bigoted comments from both tourists and residents.

After the media began reporting on these accusations, many of those who live in Provincetown said that the supposed tension is little more than media hype. However, the situation was certainly troublesome enough for the police chief to hold a town meeting to address the need for civility and respect. Furthermore, it is apparent that for some homosexuals in Provincetown, supporting traditional marriage is synonymous with bigotry: the president of the Provincetown Business Guild, Steve Tait, described the circulation of the petition by St. Peter’s Church as “the first act of hate.”

The Catholic League believes that the situation in Provincetown is certainly worthy of attention. Indeed, after a league member who attended the police chief’s meeting contacted us, we were even more certain. The member reported that at the meeting, he brought up a popular local T-shirt store called Don’t Panic! He questioned why the store, located in a town that is supposedly “No Place for Hate,” sells shirts reading “Catholic School Survivor,” “Catholic Boy Gone Bad,” and “Jesus is Coming. Hide the Porn.” No one could answer him.

Bill Donohue wrote to the store’s owner, Skylar Hynes, and asked him to do his part to end the current problems by removing the offending shirts from his Provincetown location. If Provincetown is truly a village without bigotry, locals will be making the same request of him.

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 here is what Donohue told the media on October 28:

“Two weeks ago today, GLAAD president Neil Giuliano issued an alert asking his members to contact NBC’s ‘Today’ show protesting its decision to invite me on the program on October 13. Giuliano accused me of defaming gays and using ‘malicious smear tactics.’ My ‘malicious smear tactics’ included saying that ’79 percent of the victims [of priestly sexual abuse] in Los Angeles are male,’ and that ’81 percent, according to the John Jay study a few years ago [of victims nationwide since 1950] were male.’ I also said that, according to the study, ‘almost 80 percent are post-pubescent.’ My conclusion? ‘It’s homosexuals.’ I added, ‘I’m not saying homosexuality causes someone to be a predator, that would be malicious. But I am saying this: We have a problem within the Catholic Church of some homosexual men who are putting their hands on the kids. They’ve got to be thrown out.’

“There is nothing defamatory or malicious about anything I said, but there is something malicious about Giuliano’s attempt to defame me. So when I was called by a CBS producer to appear on Viacom’s gay cable network, Logo, I told him on October 24 that I would go on providing he could arrange a debate between Giuliano and me. GLAAD has been called by CBS several times this week asking for Giuliano to debate me, but he refuses to do so.

“It’s time for gays to demand that Giuliano resign. The man is not a leader. He is a rip-off artist getting rich by exploiting gays: he wants them to think that he’s their hero, when in fact he runs away from a fight.”

You can contact Giuliano by e-mail: giuliano@glaad.org.

GLAAD not only went after Donohue, it criticized the “Today” show for inviting him to appear. Indeed, Katie Couric was condemned for being too deferential to Donohue. What GLAAD wants is to censor Donohue. All the more reason Giuliano’s refusal to debate him is irresponsible.

But this is what we’ve come to: the leader of an advocacy group attacks the leader of another advocacy group and then runs when challenged.

March 24, 2014 – ChicagoPride.com, “Bill Donohue backs out of NYC pride parade; blames ‘gay training sessions'”
March 23, 2014 – patdollard.com, “Catholic League Calls For Boycott”
March 23, 2014 – Edge Boston, “Catholic League Calls For Boycott of Guinness”
March 22, 2014 – Christian Post, “Catholic League’s Bill Donohue Will Not Be Marching in NY Gay Pride Parade With ‘Straight Is Great’ Banner”
March 21, 2014 – Dallas Voice, “Catholic League to march in NYC Pride after gays excluded from St. Pat’s marches”
March 21, 2014 – “The Capitol Hill Show” with Tim Constantine, Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 21, 2014 – CNS News, “Catholic League Calls For Boycott of Guinness, Sam Adams”
March 21, 2014 – ConWebBlog, “CNS Promotes Catholic League, Doesn’t Disclose Bozell Is On The Board”
March 21, 2014 – Newsday, “Catholic leader plans to be in pride parade”
March 21, 2014 – Newsmax, “Donohue Gets Green Light to March in NYC Gay Parade”
March 21, 2014 – Village Voice, “Catholic League’s Bill Donohue Seems a Little Nervous About Actually Marching in the Gay Pride Parade”
March 20, 2014 – Huffington Post, “Leading Gay Marriage Opponent On Losing The Battle: ‘I Have A Lot More Freedom Now'”
March 20, 2014 – FrontiersLA.com, “Bill Donohue of Catholic League Wants to March in NYC Pride Parade”
March 20, 2014 – Gothamist, “NYC Gay Pride Parade Welcomes Catholic League ‘Straight Is Great’ Sign”
March 20, 2014 – CathNews USA, “Catholic League President Calls For Beer Boycott Over LGBT Rights”
March 20, 2014 – The Advocate, “Op-ed: Gay and Faithful Aren’t Mutually Exclusive”
March 20, 2014 – Star Observer (Australia), “Boycotts Threatened in Wake of St. Patrick’s Day Protests”
March 20, 2014 – Dailykos, “Catholic League’s Bill Donohue declares holy war on gay loving beer maker”
March 20, 2014 – Newsmax, “Donohue: Gay Pride Putting Up Blocks to Stop Me Marching”
March 20, 2014 – Raw Story, “Bill Donohue wants to ruin New York City’s LGBT pride parade by participating in it”
March 20, 2014 – One News Page, “Let the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue March in the Gay Pride Parade!”
March 20, 2014 – Newsmax, “Donohue Gets Green Light to March in NYC Gay Parade”
March 20, 2014 – Noodls, “Boycott Donohue’s Boycott”
March 20, 2014 – Noodls, “Petition to boycott Guinness”
March 20, 2014 – Drudge Report, “Catholic League Prez Files to March in Gay Pride Parade”
March 20, 2014 – The Last Tradition, “Catholic League’s President Bill Donohue calls for the boycott of Guinness, Heineken. And Sam Adams for the bullying of Catholics by Gay activists on St. Patrick’s Day parade”
March 20, 2013 – Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show,” Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 20, 2014 – The Washington Times’ “The Ernest Istook Show,” Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 20, 2014 – Political Thrill, Catholic League Bill Donohue Calls for Boycott of Guinness
March 20, 2014 – Iowa Catholic Radio’s Morning Show, Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 20, 2014 – Brunch News, Catholic League’s Bill Donohue: Boycott Sponsors Who Bowed to Gays
March 19, 2013 – The “Rush Limbaugh Show,” Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 19, 2013 – People for the America Way’s “Right Wing Watch,” Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 19, 2013 – DFW Catholic,” Catholic League’s Bill Donohue calls for boycott of Guinness over St. Patrick’s Parade flap
March 19, 2014 – UPI, “Catholic group calls for beer boycott over companies’ support for gays on St. Patrick’s Day”
March 19, 2013 – Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show,” regarding the decision to boycott Guinness
March 19, 2014 – Al Jazeera America, “Catholic group calls for boycott after beer makers support gay rights”
March 19, 2014 – Noodls, “Guinness Boycott Soars”
March 19, 2014 – Chicago Phoenix, “Boycott Guinness, Heineken, Sam Adams for LGBT advocacy?”
March 19, 2014 – InvestorPlace.com, “Why Some Catholics Are Calling for a Beer Boycott”
March 19, 2014 – Catholic Canada, “Guinness Boycott Soars”
March 19, 2014 – Daily Mail, “‘Heineken was always slop’: Catholic League president calls for boycott of beers that dropped out of St. Patrick’s Day parade over gay controversy”
March 19, 2014 – GOPUSA, “Time to Boycott the Beer”
March 19, 2014 – Breitbart, “Catholic League Bill Donohue Calls For Boycott of Guinness”
March 19, 2014 – Religion News Service, “Do we have to stop drinking Guinness…?”
March 19, 2014 – Time.com, “Bill Donohue said Heineken, Guinness and Sam Adams were Opposing free speech by pulling sponsorship from the St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York and Boston. Both parades barred open LGBT participation”
March 19, 2014 – Cleveland.com, “Beer boycott pushed…”
March 19, 2014 – Joe.My.God, “Bill Donohue: I’ll Make Guinness Suffer”
March 19, 2014 – CBS 2 (New York, New York), “Catholic League President Furious After St. Patrick’s Day Parade Boycotts”
March 19, 2014 – Catholic.org, “Catholic League’s Bill Donohue calls for boycott of Guinness over St. Patrick’s Parade flap”
March 19, 2014 – Champion News, “Catholic League Bill Donohue Calls for Boycott of Guinness”
March 19, 2014 – The Hollywood Gossip, “Catholic League President Calls for Beer Company Boycott”
March 19, 2014 – The Tablet, “US mayors boycott St. Patrick’s Day parades after ban on gay groups’ banners”
March 19, 2014 – The Daily Beast, “Catholic Group Wants Beer Boycott”
March 19, 2014 – Life Site News, “Catholic League’s Bill Donohue calls for boycott of Guinness over St. Patrick’s Parade flap”
March 19, 2014 – SDPnoticias, “Triste desfile de San Patricio en NY; sin alcalde, cerveza ni gays”
March 19, 2014 – LaRed21 Mundo, “Dia de San Patricio sin cervezas, alcaldes, ni gays, en medio de duras protestas”
March 19, 2014 – Boston.com, “Catholic League president calls for boycott of Guinness, Heineken, and Sam Adams”
March 18, 2014 – ABC KVUE.com (Austin, TX), “St. Pat’s parades proceed amid tension over gays”
March 18, 2014 – Boston Magazine, “Taking Sides Was Good Business for Sam Adams”
March 18, 2014 – Examiner.com, “Bill Donohue: Boycott Guinness, Sam Adams and Heineken for pro-gay withdrawal”
March 18, 2014 – ABC 7 Eyewitness News This Morning (New York, NY), Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 18, 2014 – Irish Central, “Why did Guinness boycott of parade baffle Rupert Murdoch?”
March 18, 2014 – Huffington Post, “Bill Donohue Of Catholic League Urges Beer Boycott of Guinness, Heineken, And Sam Adams For Supporting Gay Equality”
March 18, 2014 – On Top Magazine, “Bill Donohue Calls On Catholics To Boycott Beer Companies Over Pro-Gay Stance”
March 18, 2014 – New York 1’s “New York 1 News,” Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott the St. Patrick’s Day parade
March 18, 2014 – WPIX 11’s “News at 10” (New York, New York), Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott the St. Patrick’s Day parade
March 18, 2014 – New York 1’s “The Call,” Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 18, 2014 – KDKA CBS (Pittsburgh, PA) on Bill Donohue’s decision to boycott Guinness
March 18, 2014 – The Washington Times, “Catholic League tells faithful: Boycott Guinness, Heineken, Sam Adams”
March 18, 2014 – One News Page, “Bill Donohue Of Catholic League Urges Beer Boycott Of Guinness, Heineken, And Sam Adams For Supporting Gay Equality”
March 18, 2014 – Targeted News Service, “Guinness Boycott Advances”
March 17, 2014 – The New York Post, “Boycotting Heineken and Guinness”
March 17, 2014 – Religion News Service, “Quote of the Day: Catholic League president Bill Donohue”
March 17, 2014 – New York Observer, “Catholic Group Calls for Guinness Boycott”
March 17, 2014 – TheBlaze, “Why a Catholic Leader Is Calling for a Beer Boycott”
March 17, 2014 – The New Civil Rights Movement, “Catholic Blowhard: Boycott Guinness If You Believe in Tolerance, Diversity”
March 17, 2014 – Joe.My.God, “Bill Donohue Has The St. Patrick’s Sadz”
March 17, 2014 – Targeted News Service, “Boycott Guinness, Sam Adams, Heineken”
March 17, 2014 – Good As You, “Bill Donohue boycotts Guinness, Sam Adams; throws shade at Heineken”
March 17, 2014 – Christian Newswire, “Boycott Guinness, Sam Adams, Heineken”
March 17, 2014 – AM New York, “Catholic League head calls for Catholic boycott of beer”

Bill Donohue released the following remarks today:

Hanukkah is currently being celebrated, but fortunately for Jews they are not being attacked by David Silverman. No, like other haters in the atheist community, the president of American Atheists saves his vitriol for Christians.

Silverman’s latest assault is a huge billboard in New York’s Times Square. The message is neither new nor particularly offensive: “Keep the merry! Dump the myth!” What is offensive is the photo below a picture of Santa—it depicts Jesus with a Crown of Thorns on the Cross [click here].

The decision by Silverman to exploit Jesus crucified as part of his annual attack on Christmas is not hard to explain. Two years ago, he ran a billboard on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel that said, “You Know It’s a Myth: This Season Celebrate Reason.” I answered with a billboard on the New York side of the Lincoln Tunnel which read, “You Know It’s Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus.” We both actually had some fun with that exchange.

Last year Silverman’s billboard outside the Lincoln Tunnel featured a picture of a statue of the Roman god Neptune, a classical portrait of Jesus, a depiction of Santa, and a guy in a devil’s mask. It said they were all myths. When asked by the New York Times why I wasn’t upset, I said, “It’s inane. Nobody knows what this means. I mean, Neptune? Over here, we just looked at each other in puzzlement.”

This year Silverman wanted to make a big splash, so he decided to draw blood. It shows what he is made of. He and his supporters do not want to be left alone—they want to inflame the passions of those with whom they disagree. Unlike Christians who do not provoke, harass or otherwise mock atheists, Silverman and his ilk want nothing more than to stick it to Christians at Christmastime. It’s who they are.

Contact: dsilverman@atheists.org