Posted on 12/14/2005 5:20:00 AM PST by TaxachusettsMan
Catholic League Not Amused By ‘VILE’ Leary Special
By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - Updated: 12:15 AM EST
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has put Worcester homey Denis Leary on its Naughty List and the religious group is demanding that Comedy Central ax future showings of his “vile special” “Denis Leary’s Merry F#%$in’ Christmas.”
“Hate speech dressed in humorous garb is still hate speech,” said Catholic League president Bill Donohue. “Leary is obviously bedeviled by some disorder but nothing excuses this crap.”
In the Yuletide yukfest, the “Rescue Me” star has a skit about lesbian nuns and a song by “Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering Church Choir” about a hooker. But what really has the Catholic League ready to launch a holy war is Denis’ take on the origins of Christmas.
“Merry Christmas,” says Denis. “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 (bleep) 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.”
Leary then gives his trenchant take on the virgin birth which, trust us, did not jingle the Catholics’ bells!
“We understand Denis Leary is edgy and this is his schtick, that Boston tough guy appeal,” said Catholic League spokesgal Kiera McCaffrey. “But going after the Blessed Mother is the kind of thing that really gets our backs up.”
But the Comedy Central suits think the religious Grinches should lighten up.
“This is satire,” said channel spokesman Tony Fox. “Comedy Central is an adult network and we think Denis Leary has the right to speak freely about what he thinks is funny. We don’t cave to pressure and we’re not pulling the show off the air. That’s not something we’ve ever done.”
No indeedy. Denis’ special is schedule to air again Dec. 17, 19,21, 24 and, of course, 25.
File Under: Season’s Bleatings.
Methinks thou dost protest too much . . . Princess!
Caught the first few minutes and thought "this is stupid" and turned the channel.
OK - let me put it this way - which of those quotes depicts in some scandalous way what Catholics believe... or in any way makes Catholics look bad? - I mean really!
By way of disclosure, I'm not Catholic, and I defended the South Park "Mary" episode recently aired on Comedy central and protested by this same group. That's why I clicked on this thread, out of curiosity. And after ~that~ controversy, which I thought was baseless because SP is never gonna be bullied into retiring the episode, well, this seems like a tempest in a teapot.
Real men change the channels.
Well, it's hard to reason, let alone argue, with someone who is impressed by the courage and wit of SP.
That's pretty much ALL I need to know!
Merry Christmas!
<<< - Typical guy - We don't care about what is on TV; we care about what 'else' is on TV. The wife has to sneak around behind my back to play with the remote.
Again - a courageous response and witness-bearing solution!
Thank you!
And Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you too. :~D
And I'm not being sarcastic.
Well, I believe in free speech. I don't have to like what is said. So yes, I make a statement in favor of one of our founding principles.
But not very well.
Don't hold your breath.
Good point. We might not even know this was on if the original poster hadn't done so much advertising for it.
Luke 6:27-45
27: "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28: bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
29: To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
30: Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again.
31: And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
32: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33: And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34: And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35: But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
36: Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
37: "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
38: give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
39: He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40: A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher.
41: Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
42: Or how can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
43: "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit;
44: for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
45: The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
If we were moslems, we could get some suicide bombers to address the insult, but that's not the way of Jesus.
I understand that this is a "Christmas" special, so Leary is going to perform a heartwarming solilique that the Virgin Mary was not a virgin. Not since Linus spoke from the Gospel have I been so choked up. I'd like to see the "tough guy" let loose on Islam. Isn't Ramalamadingdong going on now? Maybe he could do a bit about Mohammed being a vicious warlord that porked (pun intended) a little girl. Somehow I don't think Leary's got the stones.
How best...
Cancel your cable and tell your cable supplier, and Comedy Central why you did it.
PS - You can live without cable TV. I've been doing it for 5 years and don't really miss it.
IMO, Leary basically said that it's easier to believe in Tom Cruise's aliens than in the Virgin birth, walking on water, the miracle at Cana, etc.
Merry Christmas back at ya!
As far as your suggestion of a "Jewish Joke Fest" anyone who's ever listented to one of the classic stand up comics, like Myron Cohen, Rodney Dangerfield, Henny Youngman, Mel Brooks, and hundreds of others have all been treated to a hearty helping of self deprecating ridicule of Jewish beliefs and practices.
As far as your suggestion for Islamic Joke fests, well since Islamics are willing to kill anyone who satirizes their religion, I think we won't be seeing a lot of it anytime soon. Is the Catholic League prepared to go to that extreme to keep Catholic Satire off the airways? If so, then that will probably put an end to it pretty quickly.
So anti-Semitic talk and Muslim-bashing works for Linda?
Like I said, Rock On, Linda!
And Merry Christmas!
Well... OK - so?
I mean really... in every religion there are "unbelievable" acts that people take on faith... and he compares them and makes that point. The reason people believe in these stories ~isn't~ because theirs seems less miraculous, is it?
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