Bill Donohue

The all-out assault on Rep. Mike Johnson, the newly elected Speaker of the House, is about much more than his evangelical roots: the unrelenting attacks are meant to discourage younger Christian conservatives from running for office; they are also meant to discredit the Founders and our Judeo-Christian heritage.

Michael Tomasky at the New Republic labels Johnson a “hard-core theocrat.” Jennifer Bendery at Huffington Post says he is “one of the most extreme members of the House MAGA majority.” Bill Maher compared him to a mass shooter.

Those who call him a “Christofascist” include Faithful America (funded by George Soros), Amanda Marcotte at Salon, Noah Berlatsky at Public Notice, and David Rothkopf at the Daily Beast.

Branding him a “Christian Nationalist” are the Washington Post’s Kate Cohen, MSNBC writer Sarah Posner, Thomas B. Edsall (in a New York Times op-ed), Robert Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute, sociologist Andrew Whitehead, and Mother Jones author David Corn.

Even more incendiary—saying he is a danger to the nation—are Rothkopt, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), and MSNBC host Joy Reid.  Brian Karem at Salon even titled his piece on Johnson, “Bigger Threat to America than Hamas Could Ever Be.”

Some of these people have a long record of anti-Catholic bigotry (Maher, Marcotte and Posner); others are known for trying to normalize pedophilia (Berlatsky); Corn and Reid are left-wing extremists; Huffman says Democrats should consider taking away the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church; and Jones and Whitehead are known for smearing Christian conservatives.

Why the hysteria over Johnson? He is opposed to the LGBT agenda and is proud of our nation’s Christian legacy.

The Advocate, a gay publication, is upset that Johnson has drawn attention to the “dangerous lifestyle” of gays. Anyone in the post-AIDS era who isn’t aware of the lethal sex practices and rampant promiscuity that libertine homosexuals are known for is positively clueless.

When Corn objects to Christians who say there is but one truth, and it is Jesus, he is expressing a deep hatred of Christians. When Jones and Whitehead are angry at Christians who are proud of America’s Judeo-Christian heritage, the problem is theirs, and theirs alone.

Catholics need to know that the same people behind these vicious assaults against the Speaker not only hate the religious principles upon which this nation was founded, they hate those evangelicals, practicing Catholics and observant Jews who love them.

The model Catholic that these haters admire is our “devout Catholic” president, a man who publicly opposes the Catholic Church’s teachings on abortion, marriage, the family, homosexuality, gender ideology, religious liberty and school choice.

Show your support. Contact Speaker Johnson’s chief of staff, Hayden Haynes: hayden.haynes@mail.house.gov

Bill Donohue

Students who support the Palestinian cause at Brandeis University can still do so, but they have to choose a student group other than Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). That’s because this group is openly supportive of Hamas, a terrorist organization pledged to killing all Jews.

Brandeis was founded by Jews, and though a third of the students are Jewish, it is not a Jewish school; it is non-sectarian. In reaching its decision, administrators said that because of its support for Hamas, the “Brandeis chapter of the National SJP must be unrecognized and will no longer be eligible to receive funding, be permitted to conduct activities on campus, or use the Brandeis name and logo in promoting itself or its activities, including through social media channels.”

This is an excellent statement. Too bad Catholic colleges and universities don’t follow suit. However, it was encouraging to note that Fr. John Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, joined hands with the presidents of other institutions of higher education in signing a statement, “We Stand Together with Israel Against Hamas.” Among the signatories were the presidents of Yeshiva University, Dillard University, the Council for Christians Colleges and Universities, the State University of New York (SUNY), Baylor University and the United Negro College Fund.

This is a good time for Catholic schools, at all levels, to review their mission statement and assess if student groups on campus—independent of whether they receive funding—are supporting causes that promote the killing of innocents. That surely would include pro-abortion clubs.

Unfortunately, Boston College, Fordham University and Georgetown University—all run by Jesuits—have recognized pro-abortion clubs.

Boston Law School, Fordham Law School and Georgetown Law School have chapters of If/When/How. While its name is deceptive, its goal is not. “Law Students for Reproductive Justice [its previous name] trains and mobilizes law students and new lawyers across the country to foster legal expertise and support for the realization of reproductive justice.”

Georgetown is so committed to abortion rights that it has a longstanding undergraduate student club, H*yas for Choice. It is a “queer affirming” group that provides “safer sex supplies, including condoms, dental dams, lube and emergency contraception on Georgetown University’s campus—all of which are provided free of charge and without judgment.”

It does not matter that H*yas for Choice is not endorsed by the school and does not receive funding: It is allowed to operate on campus. If a chapter of the Klan were to seek the same status it would be summarily rejected. That’s because the Jesuits who run Georgetown are infinitely more upset about racism than they are the killing of innocent children.

I’ve asked parents who have sent their children to Georgetown if they approve of the pro-abortion clubs on campus, and they say they don’t. When I ask why they still sent them there they invariably reply that the chances of landing a good job are excellent. When I ask if their children might also land a good job if they graduated from George Washington University or George Mason University, they just stare at me.

Congratulations to Brandeis for banning pro-terrorist student groups on  campus. Shame on Catholic schools that accommodate pro-abortion groups.

Bill Donohue

In the late 1960s, while on leave from the Air Force, I came home to see my family in New York City. At that time, I was following the political upheaval that had gripped Ireland. I learned that Bernadette Devlin, the Irish firebrand, was in town, so I went to hear her address before a large indoor crowd in midtown Manhattan. I was not pleased by what I heard.

Devlin wasn’t the problem: the problem was that although this happening was billed as an Irish event, it was taken over by activists representing every left-wing cause imaginable. The war on Vietnam, the oppression of minorities, Indians, women, prisoners, students—you name it—that’s what carried the day. In short, the radicals had no interest in discussing conditions in Ireland. They simply hijacked the event to mouth their own litany of grievances.

Nothing has changed. The Left is capable of finding oppression in a box of cereal. Moreover, they are masters at linking together causes that appear to be unconnected. The same phenomenon is taking place today.

The pro-Hamas crazies have taken up the LGBT cause. Never mind that the former are known for hating and killing the latter, they have found a common enemy. That common enemy is Western civilization. And since Jews and Christians are the face of Western civilization, they are targeted, though for different reasons.

The Western haters loathe Jews because they are seen as European colonizers. But as even the New York Times recently acknowledged, “Jews have been indigenous to the Holy Land for millenniums,” and “more than half of Israel’s population are Mizrahi Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent who have often fled Arab persecution.”

The Western haters loathe Christians because their idea of sexual freedom is genital liberation. By contrast, Christian sexual ethics, as made explicit in Catholic social teachings, is based on restraint; promiscuity is taboo.

Therefore, what unites the haters are twisted notions of liberation, one political, the other sexual. Their hatred of Israel and the United States, in particular, is what animates them.

Proof of this mindset can be seen by considering the comments and voting choices made by the most left-wing segment of the Democratic Party. They are united against Israel, and they are rabid proponents of the Equality Act (it would force Catholic doctors and hospitals to perform abortions and sex-reassignment surgery).

Res. 771: “Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.”

Voting “Nay” were:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN)
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI)
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY)
Rep. Cori Bush (MO)
Rep. Summer Lee (PA)

Voting “Present” were:

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA) *
Rep. Greg Casar (TX)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA) *

* They subsequently voted against a House resolution condemning Islamist terrorism against Jews on college campuses.

All nine of them co-sponsored the Equality Act.

The same phenomenon is happening outside of Congress.

• The leader of an LGBTQ group at Columbia University barred supporters of Israel from attending an upcoming black lesbian event.
• “Queers for Palestine” show up at rallies in New York City. The leader shouts “F*** Israel.”
• “Palestinian liberation is black liberation” is their mantra.
• “Reproductive justice means free Palestine” is a popular banner.

The conflation of political liberation and sexual liberation is traceable to the cultural Marxists of the Frankfurt School in the late 1920s and early 1930s in Germany. In the mid-1930s, the major figures moved to New York City, laying anchor at Columbia University. I hasten to add that Marx himself hated the family as much as he hated capitalism.

Wilhelm Reich was perhaps the most crazed member of the Frankfurt School. He hated Catholicism and was known as the “Father of the Sexual Revolution.” He said there could be no political revolution without first witnessing a sexual revolution. Feminists such as Shulamith Firestone in the 1960s took the same position. Transgender and lesbian professor Judith Butler is the most famous contemporary writer  conflating these twin causes.

Marx abandoned his family, impregnated his maid (never supporting his son), and ripped off his parents. Reich was convicted of fraud and died in prison. Firestone was mentally ill. And Butler likes to be called “they.”

These are the kinds of dysfunctional and miserable persons who have given voice to the current state of madness.

Bill Donohue

Sabrina Carpenter is a diminutive, immature 24-year-old who likes to wear t-shirts with the inscription, “You Act Like a B****”; it’s in reference to a lyric from her song, “Feathers.” She is in the news because of a stunt she pulled at a Brooklyn Catholic Church, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

She managed to secure permission to shoot a music video featuring her hit, “Feathers.” Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan is not happy at what happened and is investigating why protocol wasn’t followed; diocesan approval must be sought before allowing performances in a church.

The video shows Carpenter prancing around the church’s altar in a “booty-showing black dress”; at one point she is shown pantless.

The context is a mock funeral: profane decorations dot the altar and there is a candy-colored coffin. Two men who sexually harassed her—taking an upskirt photo of her—were killed. She feigns being sad while obviously not distraught. In the end, she drives away in a pink hearse.

Before starting her singing career, Carpenter was a former Disney Channel star (that figures). More predictable, she is literally in love with the sexually confused. Here’s a sampling of her remarks.

• “The LBGTQ+ community has influenced who I am not only as an artist, but more importantly as a person. You are some of the most fearless people on the planet.”
• “When you come to my shows with pride flags, screaming the lyrics at the top of your lungs, I hope you feel an overwhelming rush of love and safety.”

The safety that she mentioned may be in reference to the violence that is endemic in the transgender population. Sadly, they are very good about victimizing each other (click here for the evidence).

Catholics are used to having celebrities rip off their iconography. These geniuses are very much like children, though unlike the kids their motives are malicious.

Isn’t there a mosque somewhere in Brooklyn?

Contact her executive director of publicity, Sharrin Summers, at Hollywood Records: Sharrin.Summers@disney.com

Bill Donohue

Michael McDonald, our director of communications, has prepared a report detailing the support that so-called progressives have given to Hamas. It puts to rest the notion that those who are critical of Israel are engaged in civil discourse. While some are, too many prominent Americans are not. Those who stand with Hamas stand for terrorism, plain and simple.

Religious

Liberal Protestant denominations tried to draw comparisons between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Others went further. Bishop Patricia Davenport of the Lutheran Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod said, “What we are experiencing is in part because of years of abuse, including mortal killing, perpetrated by the Israeli governmental forces upon the Palestinians….We continue to stand firm with our Palestinian sisters and brothers.” Meanwhile, Churches for Middle East Peace, an affiliate of the United Church of Christ, “is concerned that Israel’s response is disproportionate….”

The United States Council of Muslim Organizations, the nation’s largest American Muslim civil society umbrella organization, reaffirmed its “unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their right to freedom from the Israeli occupation,” and called the IDF’s response “unprovoked.” Notably, the Council on American Islamic Relations joined this statement.

Several extremist Jewish groups also rallied around Hamas’ banner. On October 18, Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow stormed the Cannon House Office Building demanding lawmakers force Israel to accept a ceasefire with the jihadists. Both are George Soros funded. Additionally, Neturei Karta (Jews Against Zionism), an ultra-Orthodox Jewish organization opposed to Israel, said, “The only responsibility for the dead Jews and Muslims is the racist and usurper government of the Zionist state of Israel.”

Academia

As journalist Bari Weiss notes, colleges and universities across the country saw students and faculty demonstrate support for Hamas. At Harvard, over 30 student groups rallied to the side of the jihadists, and hundreds of students staged a “die-in” to demand an end to Israel’s defensive actions in Gaza. A Cornell University student threatened to “shoot up” locations on campus that catered to Jewish students and to “slit the throat[s]” of Jewish men, rape Jewish women, and behead Jewish babies. Jewish students were told to be on alert because the threat was deemed credible. The student was arrested before he could act.

Activists

Black Lives Matter Chicago shared a meme on Twitter depicting one of the Hamas Jihadists paragliding into Israel before their murderous attack and captioned it with “I stand with Palestine.”

On October 13, Hamas called for a day of rage, and many Western leftists readily joined the frenzy. The Philadelphia rally was particularly vile: one of the speakers told the crowd to “give an applause right now to Hamas for a job well done.” Also in New York, the Democratic Socialists of America held a rally to show “solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist,” claiming the Hamas attack was “not unprovoked.”

On October 30, the Southern Poverty Law Center put out a statement claiming that the tragedy of Hamas’ attack on Israel “has only continued as Palestinian civilians in Gaza—many of whom are children—have been targeted with airstrikes and cut off from food, clean water, medical care and lifesaving supplies.” The next day, it changed the word “targeted” to “killed” after public outrage.

Entertainment

A letter signed by more than 2,000 actors, artists, and musicians decried support for Israel saying, “Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them….We demand that our governments end their military and political support for Israel’s actions. We call for an immediate ceasefire….”

Comedian Dave Chappelle criticized the IDF for “war crimes in Gaza.” While he initially condemned Hamas’ attack, when audience members complained about his characterization of the IDF’s campaign against Hamas, Chappelle denounced Israel for cutting off supplies to Gaza. He further lamented that college students were facing consequences for their vocal support of the Islamic terrorist organization.

Media

By far the worst of the media was the New York Times. On October 10, the newspaper removed reference to “terrorists” in its headline on Hamas’ attack, preferring the word “gunmen.” Similarly, when Hamas falsely claimed that the IDF bombed a hospital in Gaza, the Times ran with the story. It was not until the following week that it noted it had failed to verify the story.

The Spanish edition of the Huffington Post ran an op-ed by Pepe Vera that compared Israel to Nazi Germany and likened the situation of Palestinians to Holocaust victims.

Unions

Workers United, the union which represents nearly 9,000 Starbucks baristas, showed its support for Hamas when it tweeted “Solidarity with Palestine!” in the immediate wake of Hamas’ murderous rampage through Israel.

Politicians

The Squad, long known for its support of leftist causes, was squarely on the side of Palestine. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-D) was the most outspoken of them all. When Hamas falsely claimed that the IDF bombed a hospital in Gaza, Tlaib repeated the story. Even after American intelligence and photographic evidence confirmed that the hospital was hit by a stray rocket launched by a Palestinian group, Tlaib continued to push Hamas’ false narrative.

Bill Donohue

When Josh Shapiro was the Pennsylvania Attorney General he went after the Catholic Church with a vengeance for allegations of sexual abuse made against priests, most of whom were either kicked out of the Church or were dead. How ironic it is to note that now that he is governor, he is in hot water over his handling of sexual misconduct in his administration.

Shapiro has been governor since the beginning of the year, and he is already caught up in a shady deal that makes him look like a raging hypocrite. To wit: His office recently wrote a check for $295,000 to settle a sexual harassment complaint against one of his top advisors, and in doing so the public was intentionally kept in the dark. Looks like Mr. Transparency is caught in a web of deceit and hypocrisy.

The advisor in question is Mike Vereb, Shapiro’s longtime buddy and member of his cabinet. About a month ago, he abruptly resigned. Known in Harrisburg as a womanizer, the woman who brought him down accused him of multiple offenses. In her formal complaint, she said that aides in the administration had joked about her having a sexual relationship with Vereb (her name has not been made public).

According to the accuser, who started working for Vereb in January, in February she told him about the rumors and he demanded to know what was being said. That’s when things got dicey.

In reference to the gossip about their alleged encounters, Vereb allegedly baited her, saying if that is what she wanted, he’d comply. “If you decided you wanted to do that,” he said, “and go close the door to this office, tell me to bend you over this conference table, hike your skirt up, and [expletive deleted] you from behind, that would be our decision to make.”

The woman accuser said Vereb advised her to “wear lower cut tops and shorten the slits in your skirts.” When she told him she was not interested in having a sexual relationship with him, he said, “well [expletive deleted] you then.”

Questions remain as to when Shapiro learned of his friend’s behavior. We know it took more than a week before he said a word about his departure. We also know that months went by between the time of the complaint and Vereb’s resignation.

One reason why we don’t know more is because of the nondisclosure agreement (NDA): both the accuser and Vereb are barred from discussing this matter. Pennsylvania, unlike neighboring New Jersey, still has NDAs on the books. Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation four years ago barring NDAs in settlement agreements involving sexual misconduct.

Apparently, Shapiro likes keeping the public in the dark. On January 18, lanscasteronline.com ran a piece, “The Shapiro Team Failed Transparency Test.” It was in reference to having more than 300 members of his transition team sign a NDA that barred them from publicly discussing their work. “And because the team is organized under the federal tax code as a so-called ‘dark money’ group, it does not have to publicly disclose the private interests that may be underwriting its work.”

Shapiro’s inauguration committee operated under the same cloak of secrecy. His donors are not known to the public. In the ten months since he has been governor he has not shared his daily calendar, so the public hasn’t a clue who is coming and going. His predecessor, Tom Wolf, did not operate this way, so Shapiro can’t say he is following precedent.

Over the summer, Shapiro agreed to give the state’s 80,000 union workers a 22 percent raise. But we know nothing of what transpired, and  that is because Shapiro is keeping that a secret as well. On top of that, the legislature never voted for the over $3 billion in new money.

All of this is in stark contrast to Shapiro’s image as the great defender of the rights of those victimized by the Catholic clergy. This has angered many, including Democratic activist and civil rights advocate Julie Roginsky. “He made it clear that those kinds of abuses should not be covered up.” But that is exactly what is happening in the Vereb case.

Shapiro’s 2018 grand jury report on the Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania resulted in the prosecution of only two priests. But he knew from the get-go most of the accused priests were untouchable, either because they were dismissed, deceased, or their case was beyond the statute of limitations. This was a grandstanding show designed to elevate Shapiro’s status as a brave fighter against sexual abuse. The Vereb matter shows what a joke this is.

None of the priests had a chance to defend themselves—there was no cross examination—and those who fought back won. The Catholic League filed an amicus brief on behalf of eleven priests who claimed that their reputational rights would be violated if their names were released to the public. We won 6-1 in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2019.

The Catholic Church did away with NDAs years ago. Shapiro still has them, and he uses them to avoid scrutiny. In short, Mr. Transparency is a monumental fraud.

Contact Shapiro’s Press Office: ra-gvgovpress@pa.gov