Bill Donohue comments on Whoopi Goldberg’s defense of Bill Cosby:

Twenty women allege that Bill Cosby raped or otherwise sexually assaulted them, often drugging them first. Taking his side is his friend, Whoopi Goldberg. Yesterday, Cosby thanked her publicly.

Cosby’s tweet came in response to remarks made by Goldberg on the November 17 episode of “The View.” Speaking about Barbara Bowman, one of the first to accuse Cosby, Goldberg wanted to know why she didn’t avail herself of a rape kit, or seek medical help. Then she addressed other charges against him. “No one has met these other women as of yet. And quite honestly you know, look, having been on both sides where people allege that you do something, it doesn’t matter now. The cat is out of the bag, people have it in their head….”

Then the question of settlements was raised. “Settlements don’t necessarily mean you’re guilty,” she says. “You generally settle because you just don’t want to put your family through it again….”

When Rosie O’Donnell said it is difficult to discuss an accusation made against a friend, Goldberg answered rhetorically (though it is obvious she had Cosby in mind). “Well,” she replies, “you say listen this is a friend of mine and I don’t know. This is not the person I know, but we’ll wait and find out what happens.”

Goldberg’s reaction is at least defensible. When serious accusations are made, serious evidence should be offered; settlements are indeed a common way for innocent people to move on; and when an accusation doesn’t fit the profile of a personal friend, doubt lingers.

The problem I have with Goldberg is her duplicity: when sexual abuse allegations are made against priests, she reflexively assumes they are true. But we know for a fact that is simply not the case. Priests deserve better, from Whoopi, and from many others.

Contact ABC PR staffer, Lauri Hogan: Lauri.L.Hogan@abc.com

Bill Donohue introduces the Catholic League’s 2014 Christmas billboard:

For the past several years, we’ve been engaged in a battle of the billboards with our atheist foes at Christmastime. The typical venue has been New York City, the media capital of the nation. This year we chose to put our mark on the culture by making a statement in Los Angeles, right outside of Hollywood.

The billboard, which will be on display until December 28, is huge and illuminated. It is posted on Pico Boulevard, just west of Fairfax Avenue, in one of the most heavily traveled East-West arteries in Los Angeles. Located in the Miracle Mile district of Mid-City, the billboard targets traffic traveling between Century City and Downtown Los Angeles.

To see what it looks like, click here.  Below is the text:

NOT ALL CHRISTIAN HATERS ARE EQUAL:
ABROAD WE’RE BEHEADED
AT HOME WE’RE BASHED 

THE DIFFERENCES ARE PROFOUND;
SO ARE THE SIMILARITIES

HAVE A PEACEFUL AND JOYOUS CHRISTMAS

No, the Hollywood moguls who disrespect Christians are not the same as radical Muslims who behead us, but both are full of hate. Moreover, both need to be challenged. Christians are fed up with the barbarians abroad and the bigots at home. It’s time all these bullies learned to practice the virtue of tolerance and the meaning of diversity.

Bill Donohue comments on the decision by officials from Piedmont, Alabama to bow to pressure from bigots:

Yesterday, we congratulated city officials in Piedmont, Alabama for its “Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas” theme for this year’s Christmas parade; the event is December 4. What was kept quiet, until now, is the news that on the day after the Freedom from Religion Foundation contacted them threatening a legal confrontation, November 25, the attorney for Piedmont agreed to rename the celebration the City of Piedmont Christmas Parade.

To give in to bullies who seek to scrub America clean of our Judeo-Christian heritage is wrong, but in a time of scarce resources, we understand the predicament. What these cultural fascists will not succeed in doing is stopping the Catholic League from sending people like them a pointed message this Christmas season. Check back tomorrow for what we are unveiling on the west coast.

Bill Donohue comments on China’s embrace of our Catholic schools:

A delegation of top Chinese educators wanting to learn about the achievement of U.S. elementary and secondary schools decided not to visit a single public school district. Instead, they ventured yesterday to West Virginia to learn more about the stunning success of schools in the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

An entourage of educators from Wenzhou, China visited Wheeling Central Catholic High School, the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University, and St. Michael Parish School in Wheeling. They came to observe classes and learn more about curricula, teacher training, student development, and school safety. They also sought to foster a student exchange program between the two cities.

The Chinese dignitaries chose the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston schools because of the academic excellence that they provide. As is true nationwide of Catholic schools, almost all the students in the diocese graduate and are accepted in a college or university. Its students consistently score higher on standardized tests than both West Virginia public school students and the national average.

Chinese educators will never visit the public schools in Paterson, New Jersey. Figures just released show that of a total of almost 26,000 students in grades K-12, exactly 19 of them earned SAT scores that are considered college ready. That is a success rate of .0007 percent. Moreover, 66 employees who work in the Paterson school district earn at least $125,000 a year.

The most reliable socio-economic ladder in the U.S., especially for minorities, is the Catholic schools. The Chinese Communists know it. So why don’t minority leaders and urban mayors, as well as the president? Why do they continually oppose vouchers for Catholic schools? They may not intend to keep minorities in their place, but what they do surely has that effect.

Bill Donohue comments on religious holidays in the public schools:

We are not supposed to say that we are a Christian nation, but everyone knows we are. In 1892, the U.S. Supreme Court explicitly said we were. Atheist Sam Harris knows we are as well, which is why he titled his anti-Christian book, Letter to a Christian Nation. Indeed, 8 in 10 Americans are Christian, and 95 percent of Americans who practice a religion are Christian. Moreover, the people who founded America were not Hindu or Muslim—they were Christians, men who drew on the Judeo-Christian ethos to establish the freest nation in the world.

Given the data, why are we afraid to recognize Christian and Jewish holidays in the public schools, while saying no to all other religious holidays? Because of the secular virtue of inclusion? All holidays exclude people. To wit: Mother’s Day and Veteran’s Day exclude most people. So what? Moreover, is there any other nation in the world that feels compelled to lie about its history by recognizing cultures and traditions that have absolutely nothing to do with its heritage?

In New York City, we have an agnostic mayor, Bill de Blasio, who refuses to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade but is committed to recognizing Muslim holidays in the schools; Diwali, the Hindu holiday, is giving him fits over what to do. The New York City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, also believes in nothing (save for dabbling in Voodoo), will not march with Irish Catholics, and is mostly known for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Both of these neo-Marxists now want to close the schools for the Lunar New Year, a Chinese holiday that is so “sacred” it is celebrated in Communist China.

The Board of Education in Montgomery County, Maryland says it will continue to close the schools on Christian and Jewish holidays, but it will not allow the schools to say why. By pretending no one knows why the schools are closed on these days, they believe they are practicing tolerance. Actually, they are lying. Welcome to the Land of Diversity and Dishonesty in 2014.

Bill Donohue applauds city officials in Piedmont, Alabama:

The theme of this year’s annual Christmas parade in Piedmont, Alabama is “Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas.” Kudos to Mayor Bill Baker and the seven members of the city council for their wisdom and fortitude. Of course, the anti-Christian crowd isn’t happy, as witnessed by the reaction of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF).

The parade, which will be held Thursday evening, is being protested by FFRF on the grounds that it “alienates non-Christians and others in Piedmont.” It did not name a single person in Piedmont who objected, but even if such a person exists, feeling alienated is not a constitutional basis for violating free speech.

“The sentiment of ‘Keeping Christ in Christmas,'” says the attorney for FFRF, “does not qualify” as a secular celebration. But Christmas is a national holiday, and therefore enjoys a secular status, even if its cultural roots are religious.

Here’s a reality check for FFRF: Religion is the most defining element in any culture, and some of its traditions ineluctably become secularized over time. In this case, the refrain “Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas” is simply a call to honor the meaning of this holiday: No Christ, no Christmas. That, of course, is exactly what bothers FFRF—Jesus Christ!

The Catholic League salutes Mayor Baker and the City Council for making this important cultural statement. We urge all municipalities across the United States to follow suit and adopt the Piedmont model of celebrating Christmas.

To congratulate Mayor Baker, contact: Bill.Baker@piedmontcity.org