Bill Donohue addresses the latest ISIS rampage:

Beginning in 1966, at the outset of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards went on a rampage destroying museums and bulldozing graves. Now ISIS is doing the same thing in Iraq. Sledgehammers have been used to behead statues and other artifacts at the Mosul Museum—winged bulls dating to the seventh century B.C. have been smashed—a winged lion has been defaced, and other antiquities have been annihilated. Great works of art, extending to the ancient Assyrian empire, have been ransacked. This happened just a few days after the burning of the Mosul Public Library. In addition, tombs have been destroyed.

This is not the face of authoritarianism—this is the face of totalitarianism. Authoritarian dictators want to monopolize their power, but they have no interest in upending the past; they leave libraries, museums, and gravesites untouched. ISIS, following Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, wants to eradicate the collective memory of the people, which is why it goes beyond killing men, women, and children: by destroying ancient works of art, and turning over graves, the totalitarians seek to erase the past, thus paving the way for the future.

Totalitarians assault art and religion precisely because they bind people to their roots, thus creating an obstacle to the new social order. ISIS barbarians want to do more than kill Christian Assyrians, and those who are not just like them—they want to kill everything that ties the present to the past.

The Obama administration does not understand ISIS because it does not understand the mind-set of totalitarians. It thinks it is dealing with a conventional sectarian struggle, the kind of uprising that pops up now and then. It is not. It is dealing with an apocalyptic movement that is fueled by a desire to own the past, the present, and the future. And like communism, it is not content to lay anchor in one country.

We need to hear from presidential hopefuls why they think the Obama vision is impaired, and what they plan to do about it.

Bill Donohue comments on Janet Maslin’s review of Frog, a novel by Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan:

Janet Maslin has been reviewing movies and books for the New York Times for several decades, and up until now she has faithfully toed the newspaper’s line on abortion.

In her 2009 review of The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe, a book about Chinese immigrants smuggled into the U.S., Maslin referred to the book’s commentary on China’s one-child policy as nothing more than “propaganda-ready stories of forced abortions and sterilizations conducted there”; she noted, with derision, that these accounts became “attractive to America’s religious right.”

Today Maslin slipped. In her review of Frog, she discusses China’s one-child policy by noting how an abortionist sought “to trap a very pregnant woman before she can give birth. A fetus in the womb is still fair game for her. But if it can manage to be born, it becomes a Chinese citizen, and she has no right to take its life anymore.”

The “it,” of course, is a baby boy or girl. But let’s not be picky: Maslin’s admission that once the baby is born, the abortionist “has no right to take its life anymore” is a frank acknowledgement that life begins in the womb.

Maslin won’t lose her job over this—it was obviously a Freudian slip. No matter, it reveals, once again, that even the most ardent pro-abortion proponents are given to inadvertent bursts of honesty.

The Catholic League’s 2014 Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism is now available. It covers anti-Catholic incidents that occurred last year emanating from a variety of sources: activist organizations, the arts, business and the workplace, education, government, and the media. In addition to a miscellaneous section, it also has two special sections: “War on the Bishops” and “The War on Christmas.” An executive summary provides an overview of the year’s most prominent issues.

Copies are being sent to the bishops, as well as to many in education, government, law, and the media. It is the most comprehensive volume on the state of anti-Catholicism in America today.

To order a copy, click here, or call our office at 212-371-3191; they are available for $10. Orders of ten or more are $5 each, while supplies last.

On February 17, eight California lawmakers wrote a letter to San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone condemning the proposed union contract for teachers who work at the four archdiocese high schools. On February 23, two of these legislators asked the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee and the Assembly Judiciary Committee to launch an investigation.

Bill Donohue wrote to the chairman of the two committees today; a copy was sent to committee members, and to the eight lawmakers who wrote to the archbishop. To read his response, click here.

Bill Donohue comments on Comedy Central’s show, “Kevin Hart Presents: Keith Robinson Back of the Bus Funny,” which aired February 21:

This live stand-up premier was trimmed, for programming purposes, to an hour, which means the filthy attack on priests was considered too important not to make the cut. Produced by Kevin Hart, comedian Keith Robinson introduced his tirade by stating how easily offended people have become these days to what others say.

“Even criminals have the nerve to be sensitive about what the hell you say to them. Pedophiles don’t want to be called pedophiles. They want to be called priests.”

The audience responded with nervous laughter. “That was a delicious joke. I don’t give a damn about what nobody say [his illiteracy], that was a delicious joke.”

Robinson then attacked someone who didn’t clap, wondering “What the hell is your problem?” He then asks, “Are you Catholic, sir? Did a priest ever get to you? Put some baby oil on your feet so you couldn’t run in the marble hall?”

We don’t keep track of how many times comedians featured on Comedy Central attack rabbis or imams, but we doubt it happens often. Jews are respected, Muslims are feared, and Catholics are hated—not just on Comedy Central, but in the entertainment industry in general.

Why are Catholics hated? Because of Catholicism’s ethic of sexual reticence. Ironically, it’s the show-business crowd that loves the Roman Polanskis, the Michael Jacksons, the Woody Allens, and many other pedophiles.

Contact Steve Albani, Senior VP, Communications: steve.albani@cc.com

Bill Donohue comments on why ISIS succeeds in getting new recruits:

On February 16, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that “lack of opportunity for jobs” is one of the most prominent “root causes” driving ISIS recruitment efforts. Two days later, President Obama addressed the same issue, echoing Hart’s explanation.

After acknowledging that “poverty alone does not cause a person to become a terrorist,” Obama immediately cited the central role of “economic grievances.” He was explicit: “When people, especially young people, feel entirely trapped in impoverished communities—where there is no order and no path for advancement, where there are no educational opportunities, where there are no ways to support families….[this is what] makes those communities ripe for extremist recruitment.”

Today’s New York Times quotes some Muslim experts on this subject. One said that in his experience the young men drawn to join ISIS “came from a variety of family backgrounds.” Another said, “They can come from every ethnic, socioeconomic group, any geographic area.” In short, both reject the class analysis favored by the Obama administration.

Trying to get to the “root causes” of ISIS recruitment efforts makes good sense. Unfortunately, the left-wing lens used by the Obama team renders them blind to reality. It is not structural conditions that draw young men to join ISIS—it is psychocultural factors.

Laurie Goodstein, who wrote the Times article, correctly stated that many are enticed to join ISIS because “they feel alienated by life in the West and admit that they have been vulnerable to the Islamic State’s invitation to help build a puritanical utopia.” Similarly, one of the experts she mentions describes the typical recruit as “an alienated young Muslim with a black-and-white worldview, looking for purpose and adventure.”

Obama and his staff need to exchange their Marxist-infected glasses with a pair that allows for a psychocultural vision. Jobs are not the answer.

Bill Donohue comments on remarks made by President Obama this week on Muslim Americans:

It is important to reassure Muslim Americans that they are not the enemy. Indeed, they should be as welcome here as any immigrant group. But there is no need to pander to them.

Yesterday, in his remarks at the end of the “Summit on Countering Violent Extremism,” President Obama said, “Here in America, Islam has been woven into the fabric of our country since its founding.” This is simply untrue: Muslims had nothing to do with the founding of America and their cultural contributions are practically non-existent.

Obama made matters worse when he offered, as proof of his remarkable contention, the following: “The first Islamic center in New York City was founded in the 1890s. America’s first mosque—this was an interesting fact—was in North Dakota.” Well, Mr. President, the last decade of the 19th century is not exactly close to the 1770s. He is right about the first mosque being in North Dakota, but he failed to say that was in 1929.

In the same speech, Obama said that “with the brutal murders in Chapel Hill of three young Muslim Americans, many Muslim Americans are worried and afraid.” But the day before Obama wrote in the Los Angeles Times that “We do not yet know why three young people, who were Muslim Americans, were brutally killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.” Then why pretend that the three were killed because they were Muslim?

Obama also said yesterday that we need to listen to the voice of “former extremists” who say “It’s not a revolution or jihad.” We should also listen to those such as Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of the founder of Hamas; he was once deeply committed to jihad. After he converted to Christianity, he said of Islam, “It is not a religion of peace. The biggest terrorist is the God of the Quran…The more you follow the steps of the prophet of Islam and the God of Islam, the more you get closer to being a terrorist.”

We need to have a mature conversation about this issue and stop the pandering.

Bill Donohue comments on a Gallup poll released yesterday that details how the states vary on church attendance:

Gallup’s latest effort on measuring religious practices is drawn from its daily tracking interviews in 2014. It sought to tap how often Americans in each state attended church, synagogue, or mosque.

The study found that ten of the top 12 states with the highest religious attendance are in the South, along with Utah and Oklahoma. The least religious part of the nation is found in New England and the Northwest, with Vermont leading the pack.

Mormons are the most practicing of any religious group and they dominate in Utah; Baptists and blacks are also known for their church-going; this explains the high numbers in the South. New England and the Northwest are regions that are heavily secular.

From other studies, especially the work of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, we know that the most religious states are known for their conservative values, and the least religious are bastions of liberalism. More important, the former are also the most generous, as measured by charitable giving and voluntarism, and the latter are the least generous.

Liberal elites in the media, entertainment industry, and higher education, of course, like to stereotype religious conservatives as uncaring and lacking in compassion, when, in fact, they are precisely the people who are the most charitable. Indeed, if the elites wanted to identify the most uncaring among us, all they need do is look in the mirror: their pro-poor rhetoric is belied by their personal miserliness.

Here’s the bottom line: liberal secularists are a social liability, living off the moral capital of practicing Christians and Jews.

Here is how ISIS, Pope Francis and President Obama responded to the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians:

ISIS:

“A Message Signed With Blood To The Nation Of The Cross” is the title of a video it released. “All praise is due to Allah the strong and mighty.” It boasted how it was “chopping off the heads that have been carrying the cross for a long time.” Indeed, it pledged to “conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission, the promise of the Prophet, peace be upon him.”

Pope Francis:

“They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians.”

President Obama:

“The United States condemns the despicable and cowardly murder of twenty-one Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL-affiliated terrorists.”

Bill Donohue comments as follows:

ISIS said its killings were done in the name of its religion, Islam, and that Christians are the enemy. The pope agreed that these Egyptians were killed because of their Christian religion. By contrast, the president cannot not bring himself to identify either the religion of the terrorists or their victims.

Now consider what Obama said last September about another issue of violence: “Too many men of color feel targeted by law enforcement—guilty of walking while black or driving while black….”

Can anyone imagine Obama saying, “Too many men feel targeted by law enforcement—guilty of walking while male or driving while male”? He is thus dishonest and duplicitous.

The following is an excerpt of remarks made today on KFI Radio (an ABC affiliate) in Los Angeles:

Bill Handel: “Do you think the pope masturbates?”
Gary Hoffman [co-host]: “No.”
Michelle Kube [producer]: “No, I don’t think.”
Handel: “I’m willing to bet there have been times when…”
Hoffman: “He’s tearing that little fella right now”
Handel: “I think so too.”
Kube: “Oh stop it.”
Handel: “Now, if he doesn’t masturbate, do you think the pope has wet dreams? Where that cassock of his, he wakes up in the morning and there’s the old stain there. What do you think?”
Hoffman: “Yes.”
Handel: “Ok.”
Hoffman: “Not now. Probably when he was a teenager.”
Handel: “Oh come on.”

Bill Donohue comments as follows:

We are urging all Catholics to contact this radio station about this obscene attack on the pope.

Contact the show’s executive producer Michelle Kube: michelle@kfi640.com