Comedy Central has recently re-broadcast a 2005 Denis Leary special called, “Merry F#%$in’ Christmas.” It also plans to air this program on Christmas Day. We complained to Comedy Central about this show in 2005 and we were rewarded with “Sacrilicious Sunday” in 2006 in which anti-Christian programs were aired all day on Christmas Eve.

Leary’s special features a skit about lesbian nuns, and a song by “Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering Church Choir” about a hooker.  But by far the most offensive part of the show is the monologue by Denis Leary on the origins of Christmas.  Here is part of what he says:

“Merry Christmas.  Tonight we celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus, whose mom, Mary, just happens to be a virgin—even after she apparently gave birth to Jesus.  At least that is what the Catholic Church would have you believe.

“Tom Cruise is taking a lot of s— for belonging to a religion, Scientology, that believes aliens came to this planet 75 million years ago. That is nothing. I was raised Catholic. We believe Mary was a virgin and Jesus ended up walking on water, creating a bottomless jug of wine and rising from the dead. Oh, yeah, and Tom Cruise is crazy.

“Listen, Christmas is built on a line of bulls—. Do I believe there was a Baby Jesus? You bet your ass I do. But I believe that nine months before he was born someone sure as s— banged the hell out of his mom.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responds as follows:

“For those who doubt there is a War on Christmas, they need look no further than Comedy Central. They are well aware that this special is offensive—indeed, mocking Catholicism is the goal—and they repeatedly re-air it, particularly on Christmas, to maximize the offense.

“I am asking Catholic League members, and friends of the Catholic League, to e-mail Doug Herzog, the president of Comedy Central, requesting that he nix the Christmas showing of this vile special, and any future showings that might be planned.”

Contact Comedy Central president Doug Herzog atdoug.herzog@comedycentral.com

Every year we are flooded with reports from across the nation about nativity scenes being vandalized. This year was no different.

Here is a list of some of the incidents that came to our attention:

· In Sandusky, Ohio a 50-year old figure of the Baby Jesus was stolen from a downtown park; it was found a few days later hanging from a ceiling fan in the apartment of the thief who stole it
· A Christian pastor in Loma Linda, California was beaten and left in critical condition while decorating his church
· In Orange County, Florida a Christian church’s drive-through nativity scene was completely demolished by vandals
· The Blessed Virgin figure was stolen from a nativity scene in front of a home in Colorado Springs, Colorado
· Twice within a couple of weeks, the crèche in Norwood, Massachusetts was vandalized
· A drive-through nativity built by a Christian church in Stone Mountain, Georgia was destroyed
· In Waggaman, Louisiana, a 38-year old man, accompanied by two boys, trashed Christmas decorations at five homes
· A 50-year old statue of a shepherd was beheaded in a nativity scene in downtown Kingsport, Tennessee
· The Holy Family was stolen from a crèche outside of a home in New Albany, Indiana
· The nativity scene in front of a Christian church in Christoval, Texas was splattered with red paint
· Figures of the Baby Jesus were stolen from homes or churches in Memphis, Tennessee; Littlestown, Pennsylvania; Valrico, California; Akron, Ohio; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Andover, New York; Sumter, South Carolina; St. Charles, Illinois; Moberly, Missouri; Lehighton, Pennsylvania; Bismarck, North Dakota; Omaha, Nebraska; Paw Paw, Michigan; North Richland Hills, Texas; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; and Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Yesterday, the editorial board of the New York Times, in an online blog, criticized Ave Maria Mutual Funds for a radio ad featuring its work. The editorial notes that on the website of Ave Maria it pledges “smart investingand Catholic values.” It then got specific: “Ave Maria, whose logo is a cross and open book within a Gothic window, conveys the implicit certainty that its vision of Catholic teaching is the correct one, that it has not misstepped in trading between God and Mammon.” It then faults the company for its “unmistakably conservative Catholic outlook,” one which it brands as “narrow.”

Responding is Catholic League president Bill Donohue:

“One might think that in a time when the American people are being routinely fleeced by unethical investors that everyone would applaud an investment house that stresses its commitment to religious values. But not the secularists at the New York Times: they are deathly afraid that Catholics like Tom Monaghan and Phyllis Schlafly, both of whom are fingered for being associated with Ave Maria Mutual Funds, might benefit from the financial crisis. A crisis caused, by the way, by irreligious investors.

“It should not matter to anyone if a private company has a cross, or a Star of David, or a crescent and star, as its logo. But to those who harbor an animus against religion, it does. It also matters to liberal Catholics who hate those ‘narrow’ conservative Catholics. Indeed, the editorial is not so much a Catholic-bashing piece as it is a conservative Catholic-bashing screed. This would be a disgraceful editorial in any newspaper—it is doubly disturbing that it should occur in the New York Times, blog or no.”

Contact Public Editor Clark Hoyt: public@nytimes.com 

Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why the war on Christmas exists:

“The root cause of the war on Christmas, which is conducted almost exclusively by well-educated white people in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia—the very same people who like gay marriage—has almost nothing to do with fidelity to law (the First Amendment in the U.S.): it has to do with ideology.

“The ideology is plainly an expression of left-wing secularism, and it is nothing if not anti-Western and anti-Christian. At its worst, it is driven by hatred; at its best, it is driven by a defensive posture, a deep sense of embarrassment over the legacy of Western civilization. There is no historical or moral justification for either. Moreover, those who are pushing this agenda generally lie about their work.

“When Patricia Short, the principal of Will Rogers Elementary in Ventura County, California, says of the school’s holiday choir that ‘We can’t have anything with a religious reference,’ she is flatly wrong: not only is there no law barring religious songs being sung in the public schools, the courts have affirmed just the opposite (see the 1980 U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Florey v. Sioux Falls School District). To show how duplicitous these cultural fascists are, consider that when a Jewish woman from North Carolina failed to get an elementary school to ban ‘Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,’ she pushed to get a Hanukkah song sung. So it’s not religious songs that bother her, just Christian ones.

“Want proof that hate is driving this assault? The head of the ACLU in New Hampshire, Claire Ebel, advises that if crèches are allowed in parks, it is permissible ‘for a display of satanic ritual.’ And this hatred of Christmas is not exclusive to the U.S. In England, Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary called Christmas ‘evil’ in a recent sermon. No wonder they are banning words like ‘bishop,’ ‘chapel,’ ‘monk’ and ‘nun’ from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. And all of this is being endorsed, if not promoted, by self-hating Christians, as well.”

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services today issued a regulation that considerably strengthens the rights of health care workers to practice according to their conscience; it affects those who work in federally funded health care institutions.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue applauds the decision:

“This regulation builds on the conscience rights for health care workers that was first broached in the 1970s by the Church Amendments, and later enhanced in 1996 by the Congress. It gives these men and women the right to be free from discriminatory edicts invoked by those who have no respect for their conscience rights. No one in the health care field should ever be compelled by law to perform or assist in a procedure that violates his or her conscience. This should be an elementary right, yet there are those who want to trespass on it.

“It is imperative that President-elect Obama resist the appeal of pro-abortion extremists to overturn this regulation. These fanatics would literally force objecting Catholics, and others, to perform abortions and other morally objectionable procedures, if they could. Consistent with the prudence he has shown so far, Obama would be wise to ignore the zealots and allow today’s regulation to stand.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments today on the league’s crèche in New York City:

“Take note all ye cultural fascists out to annihilate Christmas: The Catholic League has a nativity scene on public property in New York City, right in Central Park. We deliberately put it on the corner of 59th and 5th so that New Yorkers taking the 5th Avenue bus downtown can’t avoid seeing it.  Indeed, it’s impossible to miss. Next to it will be the world’s largest menorah, a religious symbol that some dunce lawyers still think is a secular symbol.

“Every year we get a permit from the New York City Parks Department to display our life-sized crèche in Central Park, and every year there is some atheist group—the ACLU, Freedom From Religion Foundation, etc.—that files suit in federal district court trying to censor nativity scenes. Unfortunately, many municipalities give in to the tyrants.

“The latest gambit by the anti-Christmas Czars is to flood public parks with a vast array of cultural symbols. For example, at the Fort Collins Museum in Colorado, in addition to a nativity scene and a menorah, they are displaying the Indian Diwali Festival of Lights, the Thailand Buddhist celebration of Loy Krathong, the Chinese Lantern Festival, African-American Kwanzaa, Muslim Ramadan, and the Scottish Hogmanay festival.

“It is insulting to Christians and Jews to dilute their long-standing holidays in a country founded on Judeo-Christian principles by turning public areas into a junk-yard clutter of cultural artifacts, and that is why only the nativity scene and the menorah should be allowed in the same place at this time of the year. The real goal of the cultural fascists is to water down the meaning of Christmas (and to a much lesser extent Hanukkah) via contrived competition. Let the others find another spot or another time to display their symbols.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue discusses what’s going on:

“Cindy Wigglesworth, founder of Conscious Pursuits, says Christmas represents a ‘challenge’ to employers. The so-called challenge is how to have ‘an enthused workforce and be faith-friendly and faith-neutral and not violate any laws.’ She does not say what laws might be violated, but apparently she wants to guard against the prospect of someone calling 911. In any event, she has a mind of her own: ‘We’d much rather bring your child to work than bring your faith to work. We have not had a safe way to talk about faith.’ But what if your child comes to work and tells everyone ‘Merry Christmas’? Isn’t that dangerous?

“Dawn Frazier-Bohnert works at a global consulting firm, and she advises employers not to hold a Christmas party—call it a ‘year-end’ bash, instead. She recommends ‘vegetarian alternatives’ at the dinner, ‘and be conscious that serving alcohol at parties might make some employees uncomfortable.’ There’s the rub: those who want to booze it up will also feel uncomfortable if the purists prevail. Flasks might work.

“Simma Lieberman specializes in ‘Diversity and Inclusion,’ and it shows: she wants us to celebrate ‘Diwali,’ along with non-Hindu holidays. But, she cautions, ‘Make sure your holiday party isn’t a Christmas party in disguise.’ Good idea. However, she does not say what to do if some smart aleck asks what holiday is being celebrated at Christmastime.

“Sondra Thiederman is another ‘Diversity’ expert, and she warns against Christmas decorations, recommending instead ‘flowers, balloons, candles and snowflakes.’ She also counsels against Christmas songs, suggesting ‘historical music, the big bands and the sounds of the ‘40s.’ No rap or heavy metal?

“Viacom has the best house rule: ‘Live trees solely for the purpose of a holiday decoration are not permitted.’ Those fake ones are okay.

“So this is what our troops are defending in Iraq—the right of Anti-Christmas Czars to promote thought control in America.”

More than 60 organizations have issued a 55-page report advising the incoming Obama administration on the need to provide more money for abortion-related services. “Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration” calls for the most sweeping abortion-rights reforms ever envisioned. It not only wants more money to be spent, it recommends a host of regulatory changes, stressing the need to appoint judges who will implement its plans. Significantly, it endorses the Freedom of Choice Act, the most radical abortion-rights bill ever proposed.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on what the document says about religion:

“From the very beginning, the pro-abortion industry has not only opposed any religion which is pro-life, it has adopted a confrontational approach. This document is no different. For example, in the section on ‘Comprehensive Sex Education,’ it explicitly advises, ‘Do not teach or promote religion.’ It also launches a preemptive strike against a yet to be released regulation from the Department of Health and Human Services protecting the religious rights of health care workers. The document recommends that Obama rescind the ‘Provider Conscience Regulation.’

“It is not surprising that this assault on religious liberty is being supported by groups like the Secular Coalition for America. But when religious organizations give their assent, it is troubling. Among the signatories are the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and Women of Reform Judaism; an anti-Catholic front group, Catholics for Choice, also signed the report. Evidently, their passion for abortion rights is so extreme that it eclipses any interest in the religious liberty rights of others.

“Look for traditional Catholics, evangelical Protestants, Orthodox Jews, and others to come together in an unprecedented way.”

One of the nation’s most outspoken attorneys suing the Catholic Church over cases of sexual abuse has been disciplined for his behavior. John Aretakis has had his practice suspended for one year following a decision by the Committee on Professional Standards in Albany, New York for professional misconduct. He is accused of engaging in “frivolous conduct by making false accusations against judges” and for “undignified and discourteous conduct degrading to the court.”

Aretakis has been suing the Albany Diocese for years over charges of sexual misconduct. The panel’s findings noted his “personal vendetta against the Catholic Church.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue had this to say about the matter:

“This is not the first time this publicity-seeking lawyer has been disciplined. Last year he was fined $10,000 by a federal judge for his frivolous lawsuit against the Catholic Church, and the year before he was condemned by a judge for his ‘aggressive and hostile’ behavior against the Church. His vendetta against the Church extends to the mid-1990s.

“The real story here, however, is not some unethical lawyer out to rip off the Catholic Church; in that regard Aretakis has lots of competition. The real story is the way his colleagues at SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) have reacted—with deadening silence. Their relationship includes more than joint protests outside Catholic churches: When the unscrupulous lawyer announced last April that he was running for Congress (he lost), he was introduced at the press conference by Mark Lyman, the Capital Region Director of SNAP.

“We should hold SNAP officials to the same ethical standards it holds others. And by that measure, this professional victims’ group gets an ‘F.’ Their hero is a disgrace and so are they.”

The Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based group, has asked Washington Governor Chris Gregoire for permission to display an anti-Christmas sign next to the nativity scene in the Capitol building. The sign, “Santa Claus Will Take You to Hell,” would also appear next to an atheist sign sponsored by the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke to this issue today:

“Gov. Gregoire is responsible for this mess. Having first acceded to the requests of atheists to attack Christmas, she is now confronted with the likes of the Westboro Baptist Church, a viciously anti-American, anti-Catholic and anti-gay group. There is a way to deal with this situation in a manner that is legally acceptable and morally defensible, but neither the Washington governor, nor her lawyers, have figured it out.

“The First Amendment right to freedom of speech has always been conditioned on time, place and manner. That is why gays who sought to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston and New York—for the purpose of countering the message of the parade—lost in the courts in the 1990s. In the Boston case, Justice David Souter, writing for a unanimous court, said, ‘The speaker has the right to tailor the speech’ and the law ‘is not free to interfere with speech for no better reason than promoting an approved message or discouraging a disfavored one.’

“In other words, hate groups have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech, but they have no right to set the time and place. Moreover, freedom of speech is meaningless unless it can prevail unobstructed by attempts to stifle it. To put it differently, Gov. Gregoire should have allowed the atheist group to display its sign in a different location, or at a different time, but not directly next to the nativity scene at Christmastime. Had she done so, she would be able to treat the Westboro Baptist bigots the same way.

“We have moved from censoring nativity scenes to neutering them. That the government was operative in both is particularly appalling.”