Yesterday’s edition of the Detroit Free Press ran a cartoon by Mike Thompson on the subject of vouchers that was blatantly anti-Catholic.  All six cells ridiculed school vouchers, but it was the last one that crossed the line with Catholics.   In reference to a “Vouch-O-Matic” machine that destroys the constitution, sucks millions out of public education, blinds the voters and churns out wooden nickels, the sixth graph reads, “To Order, Rush Your Tax Dollars To: The Roman Catholic Church c/o Kids First!  Yes!  ORDER NOW!”

Catholic League president William Donohue responded as follows:

“If there is one public policy issue that cannot be discussed without anti-Catholicism rearing its ugly head, it is school vouchers.  Every time this issue is put to the voters, some bigot conjures up fears of a Catholic windfall.  So it is not surprising that in Michigan, where a ballot initiative on vouchers is pending, that Catholic bashers would surface again.  And they did, with the Detroit Free Press leading the way.

“The offensive cartoon by Mike Thompson in yesterday’s paper is not an isolated incident.  Indeed, he got his cues from Ron Dzwonkowski, editor of the editorial page, and publisher Heath Meriwether: the editorial on school vouchers in last Saturday’s Detroit Free Press ended with the crack, ‘Catholic priests are expected to preach at least one of their sermons on vouchers with the theme ‘eyes wide open.’  Amen.’  This editorial obviously gave Thompson the green light to bash Catholics, and he did just that.

“The Detroit Free Press owes Catholics an apology.  Even Geoffrey Fieger would have to agree with us on this one.”

Patrick Buchanan has secured the presidential nomination of the Reform Party and is soon to be in command of $12.6 million in federal campaign funds.  Recovering from gallbladder surgery, Buchanan has announced that he will open this new phase of his campaign with an appearance at Bob Jones University.  “I thought it would send the right message that first, I stand by my friends,” Buchanan said.

Catholic League president William Donohue didn’t see it that way:

“When George W. Bush went to Bob Jones University, he did so as part of a typical stop made by political hopefuls who campaign in South Carolina.  He later regretted the way he handled this visit and thus put the issue behind him.   But the situation with Pat Buchanan is different: of all the places in the United States to restart his campaign, Buchanan has deliberately chosen to go to Bob Jones University so he can ‘stand by his friends.’   Then let him stand alone, without any support from Catholics.

“Since the school was the subject of controversy last winter, it has relaxed its policy on interracial dating, but has done nothing to change its anti-Catholic image.  But this is of no consequence to Buchanan who, in fact, says he is ‘offended’ by the negative media the school has received.  That his fellow Catholics have every right to be offended by the rank anti-Catholicism that marks Bob Jones University seems not to matter.  Moreover, one wonders why Buchanan isn’t offended by those who call his religion the ‘Mother of Harlots.’

“Buchanan is not alone among Catholics who have no problem recognizing anti-Catholicism when it stems from the academy or Hollywood, but are utterly unable to do so when it comes from their ‘friends.’  The Catholic League does not suffer from this disability and that is why we will continue to denounce anti-Catholic bigotry independent of its origins.”

Catholic League president William Donohue explains why he is asking Hillary Clinton to return a donation given to her campaign by a hate monger:

“I was disturbed to read an article in today’s New York Post by Robert Hardt Jr. and Gregg Birnbaum that cited a donation of $8,200 by Dale Djerassi to the ‘New York Senate 2000’ committee of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.  They reported that Djerassi had participated in a ‘St. Batman Crucifixion’ in 1994.  As they said, ‘The performance art piece was a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus, featuring a naked man wearing a Batman medallion and mask being tied to a giant cross by Djerassi and another man.’  (Pictures can be accessed on the web at popov.com.)  Their description is actually an understatement: the pictures show full-frontal male nudity complete with a graph of the Christ-figure falling to the ground carrying the cross.

“It should also be known that the ‘St. Batman Crucifixion’ was performed at the Djerassi Foundation in Woodside, California.  The secretary of the foundation is Dale Djerassi.  The foundation, now known as the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, is a current and past recipient of NEA money.

“Not surprisingly, Djerassi runs in the same circles as Mrs. Clinton: in June 1999, he was one of 30 people at a private fund-raising event that was organized by Mrs. Clinton’s friend, Susie Tompkins Buell (Hillary was traveling at the time and couldn’t make it).

“The Catholic League wants Mrs. Clinton to return the money.  She set the precedent: in April of this year, she returned a $22,000 donation from a Miami businesswoman tied to international drug trafficking.  The woman, Vivian Mannerud, made the contribution in the form of ‘soft money,’ exactly the kind of transfer made by Djerassi in June.

“There is no room to equivocate on this: Djerassi’s work is Christian bashing at its worst and that is why Mrs. Clinton must return the money.”

The ABC network featured a segment of “Politically Incorrect” Friday night that attacked Pope John Paul II.  The offender was actor Jay Mohr.

The offensive segment began when host Bill Maher set Mohr up by mentioning that there was a recent Vatican document on the Church and salvation.  Mohr then attacked the pope: “The Vatican is some 80-year-old guy who lives in a bullet proof bubble, wears a bib—they got to wipe his mouth.  He’s in a diaper and he’s trying to tell me who to have sex with.”

Catholic League president William Donohue commented as follows:

“About a year ago, Jay Mohr was asked to respond to those who are concerned that TV is abandoning standards of good taste.  He replied, ‘As far as pushing the envelope, the line is gonna move every year.  It’s gonna get lower every year.’

“On August 16, Olivia Cohen-Cutler, vice president broadcast standards & practices at ABC, wrote me about another episode of ‘Politically Incorrect.’  She said, ‘I can assure you that many ethnic and religious groups, including Jews, Asians, Africans, and Hispanics, as well as Catholics, find themselves the target of Mr. Maher’s pointed repartee and are all equally offended by those of his comments that are directed towards them.’

“If Mohr really wants to push the envelope, he should try bashing gays.  After all, since it’s politically incorrect to do so these days on TV, that would really push the envelope.  As for Cohen-Cutler, I noticed that gays were not on the list of groups who have been offended by ‘Politically Incorrect.’  Since she is so concerned about equal opportunity, it would behoove the producers of the show to start gay bashing right away.

“Now the civil way to deal with this problem would simply be to stop bashing everyone.  That’s the kind of equality that most Americans want.”