Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a PBS show that will air tonight, “David Letterman: The Mark Twain Prize”:

Last month, David Letterman received the Mark Twain Prize, an award that is presented to comedians. Parts of this Kennedy Center event will air tonight on PBS, but a clip featuring Al Franken lauding Letterman has reportedly been clipped.

Such hypocrisy: both Franken and Letterman are sexual predators.

In 2009, Letterman admitted on TV that he was a serial predator and serial adulterer. Calling his behavior “creepy,” he admitted to exploiting his power status by having sex with young women on his staff.

In 2011, as a demonstration of Letterman’s morality, he made light of Congressman Anthony Weiner’s sexual misconduct, saying that this “kind of behavior you’d expect from a priest.”

But it is not priests who are preying on the young these days—it’s the Hollywood crowd. Indeed, they have been getting away with child sexual abuse and womanizing for decades. And not just a few are guilty. Moreover, the cover-up is widespread, and extends to journalism.

If PBS had any integrity, it would cancel the entire tribute to Letterman. There is precious little difference between Letterman and Franken—they both took advantage of young women in their employ. And they are both anti-Catholic bigots, to boot.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why Charles Manson was more than just a crazed hippie:

To understand Charles Manson, we need to acknowledge his affinity with postmodernist intellectuals. For example, Manson, along with Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault, all denied the existence of truth. In all three cases, they used their nihilism to justify their support for, or practice of, nihilistic behavior.

Vincent Bugliosi, author of the most authoritative account on Manson, asked him to comment on right and wrong, and then expressed the sentiments of his subject. “He believed you could do no wrong, no bad. Everything was good.”

Like Manson, Derrida and Foucault said there were no moral absolutes, and indeed they contended that “facts” do not exist. All that exists is merely an “interpretation” of reality.

Manson was a mass murderer. Derrida sought to eliminate all laws on sex between adults and minors. Foucault justified rape and intentionally gave AIDS to unsuspecting partners.

When a Christian acts like Manson, Derrida, or Foucault, he is expressly violating the tenets of Christianity. The difference is that Manson, Derrida, and Foucault were all compliant with the tenets of postmodernism.

Sometimes, what you see is what you get. Alternatively, it’s what happens when postmodernism triumphs over Christianity.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Bill Maher’s Friday night show:

On his November 17 show, Bill Maher proved once again what a coward he is. He had ample opportunity to discuss the pathologically sick acts of Louis C.K., but just like the week before, he never addressed him by name, opting to make light of his conduct. One can only assume that in the circles Maher runs in that masturbating in front of your date is not uncommon.

Maher spoke up about Al Franken, only to say that he “doesn’t deserve to be lumped in with Roy Moore, or Kevin Spacey, or Harvey Weinstein.” He’s right about that, but not for the reasons he thinks.

Unlike Moore, who, however unconvincing, maintains his innocence, we have pictures of Franken molesting a woman. And both Spacey and Weinstein have confessed to their abusive behavior. Which makes Maher’s half-hearted defense of Franken particularly gross. Moreover, now that a second woman has come forward accusing Franken of molesting her, Maher’s response looks even more enfeebled.

Besides defending his perverted colleagues, Maher found time to stick it to Christians again. Toward the end of his show, he said that “Since this is our last show before Christmas, let’s never lose sight of the true meaning of the season. It’s not about presents and fruit cake and putting up extra lights to show you love Jesus more than your neighbor. It’s about a teenage virgin getting knocked up by God.”

Time Warner and HBO continue to hide behind the argument that Maher is a comedian. But so is Louis C.K., and that didn’t stop the corporate brass from dumping him. Franken, of course, was a comedian when he molested the woman in the photo, yet almost no one is giving him a pass.

Why, then, does Time Warner and HBO continue to stand by Maher?

Contact Keith Cocozza: Senior VP for Corporate Communications: Keith.Cocozza@timewarner.com

To sign our petition demanding HBO reprimand Maher, click here.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Bill Maher’s last show, asking whether Maher will finally discuss Louis C.K. tonight:

On his HBO show last Friday, Bill Maher showed what a coward he is by refusing to slam his pervert buddy, Louis C.K. Instead, he made a vicious attack on the Holy Family, prompting us to start a petition asking for justice. To sign it, click here.

Does Maher have the guts to finally take down Louis C.K. tonight?

The question needs to be asked because Maher has spent the last 20 years bashing all priests for the offensive behavior of a few. But as everyone knows, it takes no courage to rip priests—Hollywood has been relentlessly bashing priests for decades, paving the way for the Imperial Wizard of anti-Catholic bigots, Bill Maher.

Will this little man run tonight the way he did last Friday by ignoring the sick conduct of his good friend?

Maher had plenty of opportunities to mention Louis C.K. last week, especially when he introduced Sarah Silverman, another foul-mouthed anti-Catholic bigot. It would have been so much fun to see Sarah discuss why her sister, Laura, never protested when her boyfriend, Louis C.K., masturbated in front of her. According to her account, he did so more than 20 times.

What kind of woman allows her date to masturbate in front of her over and over again? Why did she keep going back for more? Maher could have had a field day with that. But it is not too late—he could revisit the dating game experiences of Laura and C.K. tonight.

Maher should invite another one of his anti-Catholic associates, Jon Stewart, and ask him why he claimed ignorance of Louis C.K.’s pathological behavior when he was asked about it in 2016. Now Stewart admits he knew of all the chatter about Louis C.K. and regrets not doing anything about it. Instead of offering regrets, he should explain why he did nothing to intervene and then lied about knowing of his colleague’s perversions.

Maher could also ask Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and Seth Meyers why they made light of their sicko compatriot when news of Louis C.K. broke. They love to pile on priests, but when it comes to one of their own, they act like wimps.

If nothing else, Maher needs to explain his cognitive dissonance: When the subject of sexual perversions comes up, his response ranges from fury to silence. I guess it all depends on who the pervert is.

Contact Keith Cocozza, Senior VP for Corporate Communications: Keith.Cocozza@timewarner.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue released the following statement today:

Senator Al Franken should resign immediately. There is no place in public office for sexual abusers.

If Franken were an accused priest, he would be forced to step aside, pending an investigation. Given that he is an admitted molester, he should resign.

The priest reference is particularly poignant given that he has a history of mocking priests, and indeed the entire Catholic Church, for sexual offenses. For proof, click here and here.

If he does not step aside, the Senate is obligated to invoke all of its powers to see that he does.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue sent a letter today to Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes regarding recurrent attacks on Catholicism aired by its media outlets. To read it, click here.

Donohue’s letter comes on the heels of a petition asking HBO (a Time Warner holding) to grant Catholics the same respect it showed African Americans when Maher offended them in June; more recently HBO cut all ties to its Louis C.K. programs.

To sign the petition, click here.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on last night’s edition of “Full Frontal,” starring Samantha Bee:

Samantha Bee has a record of bashing Catholicism, so her stunt last night was not surprising. But she went beyond her usual vile quips when she trashed Jesus and Our Blessed Mother.

Bee began by discussing Roy Moore and a foul remark made by one of his supporters, Jim Zeigler. Zeigler implied that Moore’s encounters with minors was no different from Jesus’ parents having sex. Bee then seized upon this to make her anti-Catholic assault.

While displaying a photo of a Catholic school girl gazing at Jesus, Bee said, “Oh, come on! I may be a dirty liberal now, but I went to Catholic school. Even I know the Bible says my teenage crush, sexy buff Jesus, was an Immaculate Conception.”

This is the third attack on Catholicism this past week by media outlets owned by Time Warner. I will have more to say about this today.

Contact Bee’s publicity chief, Irving Der: irving.der@turner.com

Bill Donohue comments on the Catholic League’s response to what Bill Maher said on his last show:

As we pointed out this week, Bill Maher unleashed a vile assault on Christians, singling out Catholics, on his November 10 HBO show, “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

After discussing an offensive remark made by Alabama state auditor Jim Zeigler, who defended senatorial candidate Roy Moore by citing Joseph and Mary as an example of an older man having sex with a minor, Maher said, “Using Jesus to justify child molestation? I mean, even Catholics went, ‘Tried it, doesn’t work.'”

Maher wasn’t finished. “Joseph and Mary didn’t f***. Isn’t that the whole point of the story?”

Maher’s long history of assaulting the sensibilities of Catholics extends back decades (go to the Catholic League website and click on “Special Reports”). We’ve pursued many avenues of redress against him, but his corporate defenders continue to invoke a free speech argument. That answer was undercut by HBO twice this year.

Just this month, HBO announced that Louis C.K. was barred from participating in the “Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs”; it is scheduled to air live November 18. HBO also noted that Louis C.K.’s past projects have been removed from its On Demand services. It even nixed all of Louis C.K.’s programs, including “Lucky Louie,” from its website.

After Maher dropped the “N-word” on his June 2 show, HBO said the next day, “Bill Maher’s comment last night was completely inexcusable and tasteless. We are removing his deeply offensive comment from any subsequent airings of the show.” Maher apologized, saying that “The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”

Catholics want equal justice. Accordingly, we are launching a petition asking HBO to respond to Maher the way it responded to him in June.

If the “N-word” is “inexcusable,” “tasteless,” and “deeply offensive”—and it is—is it not at least as “inexcusable,” “tasteless,” and “deeply offensive” to speak in such an obscene manner about Jesus, his mother, and his step-father?

To sign the petition, click here

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Bill Maher’s latest offense against Catholics:

For Bill Maher, the allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore—a Southern Baptist—offered an opportunity to take a shot at Catholics.

On HBO’s Nov. 10 “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the host was criticizing statements by Alabama state auditor Jim Zeigler comparing Moore’s alleged behavior to Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Maher said, “Using Jesus to justify child molestation? I mean, even Catholics went, ‘Tried it, doesn’t work.'”

Nothing could be further from the truth. The abuse of minors by a tiny percentage of Catholic priests was in clear violation of the unequivocal teachings of the Catholic Church. It was never “justified” by using Jesus. Rather, the Church has responded with an aggressive campaign to protect children and root out abusers that today should be a model for all other institutions beset by sexual abuse scandals.

Then there was Maher’s obligatory resort to coarse, vile obscenity. Here was his take on the chastity of the Holy Family:

“Joseph and Mary didn’t f***. Isn’t that the whole point of that story?”

And the whole point of Maher’s tired act is to shock and offend people of faith.

Contact Keith Cocozza, Sr. VP Corporate Communications: Keith.Cocozza@timewarner.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue discusses a column posted by the Washington Post on a Colorado school board vote:

In a Washington Post blog post by Valerie Strauss, she notes that those opposed to a school voucher program won all four seats on the seven-member school board panel in Douglas County, Colorado. The headline reads, “With a Catholic Archbishop Against Them, Voucher Foes Win Control of School Board in Key Race.”

Of course, many of those who led the fight for school choice were not Catholic, never mind a member of the clergy. Now if dropping “Catholic Archbishop” in the headline were the only shade of bias, there would be nothing to complain about. But her column goes on to say that school voucher programs represent “corporate-based reform” funded “in large part by dark money coming from outside” the region.

What is “corporate” about freedom to choose? And why is it that when Hollywood celebrities contribute generously to the most liberal candidate running in other parts of the country, the term “dark money” is never used? Did those supporting school choice do something illegal?

Strauss accurately writes that the courts have differed in their rulings on Blaine amendments (they prohibit public monies to religious institutions). But she proves revealing when she describes them as “helping [to] maintain a separation of church and state,” adding that these amendments have “long been seen by many Americans as a central tenet of U.S. democracy.”

Remarkable. The Blaine amendments were born in bigotry: they were introduced in the states after Senator James Blaine, a notorious anti-Catholic, failed in his efforts to pass such legislation at the federal level. As such, they are anathema to every tenet of U.S. democracy.

It is not surprising that the school choice side lost in Douglas County, described as “one of the wealthiest counties in the country.” The rich can always buy the best education for their children, and many have no interest in granting poor non-whites the same choices that they exercise. Yet over their white wine and brie, they decry how bad the conditions are in the inner city, wondering why everyone isn’t as compassionate as they are.