Posted on 05/03/2008 6:58:15 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
Bill Donohue may not be tired of the culture wars–or internecine Catholic wars. The head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is often over the top in denunciations of anti-Catholicism, real or perceived, and of other Catholics who Donohue sees as not toeing the proper Catholic line. But even Donohue may have outdone himself, and done in his own organization, if his latest press release prompts an IRS investigation.
The May 2 release is “Catholic Dissidents Advise Obama,” and it draws down on Obama’s Catholic National Advisory Committee, which includes several Commonwealers, such as Cathleen Kaveny and Grant Gallicho. It also includes Catholics in public and religious life, ranging from Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania to the Sister of St. Joseph, Sr. Catherine Pinkerton. Also included are more than a few writers and theologians whose work I have long admired. Point of disclosure: I have also known Bill Donohue for years, and while I think he is completely wrongheaded many times, and inimical to the church’s well-being other times, he can also be a good guy to have a beer with, as well as someone who does not run from an argument, and an advocate who can point out indisputable cases of anti-Catholicism that still persist.
That said, this latest blast is way outta line. Donohue not only labels these Obama-advising Catholics as “dissidents” but he says “Practicing Catholics have every right to be insulted by Obama’s advisory group”–setting up Catholics who back Obama as bad Catholics and opponents of Obama, by implication, as good Catholics. Donohue employs his favorite trick of the invidious–and distorting–comparison, saying he wouldn’t have gay advisors who “don’t reflect the sentiment of the gay community”–as if these Obama-backers don’t reflect Catholic opinion. (In fact, they largely do. Not that this should be about public opinion, no?)
In his closing, Donohue takes a real potshot, saying that “If these are the best ‘committed Catholic leaders, scholars and advocates’ Obama can find, then it is evident that he has a ‘Wright’ problem when it comes to picking Catholic advisors.” As if these Catholics–check out the list–are the equivalent of Jeremiah Wright…!
But let me dissect this a bit more analytically. I see four chief problems.
One is that Donohue bases his criticism of these dozens of advisors principally on the “scores” that the abortion rights group NARAL gives some of the political figures on the committee (conveniently not mentioning the presence of Democrats Bob Casey and Tim Roemer, also on Obama’s committee, who have taken stands against abortion rights in many cases). Donohue also states that Obama’s pol pals do not agree with the church’s “three major public policy issues: abortion, embryonic stem cell research and school vouchers.” That is a rather selective list, in that the bishops’ own statement on political participation, titled “Faithful Citizenship,” lists seven principal policy areas, and they include “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable,” “Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers,” and “Caring for God’s Creation.” Not to mention the church’s opposition to the Iraq War, which John McCain wants to continue.
Indeed, while Donohue has criticized McCain’s alliance with the rock-ribbed televangelist and preacher of standard anti-Catholic rhetoric, John Hagee, he has not brought similar scrutiny to McCain’s own Catholic advisory board.
And that raises the second problem, which was noted by the liberal group, Catholics United, namely that Donohue’s apparent partisanship could jeopardize the League’s 501c3 non-profit status. Catholics United also cites passages from “Onward Christian Solders,” a new book by Deal Hudson–a longtime GOP advisor–that show how Donohue has been active in helping the Bush White House and the Republican Party woo the Catholic vote.
This adds up to a big potential problem for Donohue. Yet it also adds up to a big payday for him. As the League’s publicly-available financial forms show, Donohue takes in a whopping $343,000 a year in salary and compensation. He can rightly claim that he has turned the League from a penny-ante mom-and-pop shop into the $20-million-dollar a year culture war machine that it is. But while few would disagree with fighting anti-Catholicism, I wonder how many will see Donohue as getting rich off anti-Catholicism.
A final point: Pope Benedict XVI, who Donohue spares no effort to defend, even when the pontiff is not under attack, made an explicit call during last month’s visit for Catholics to seek unity, not division. I’m not sure how Donohue’s internecine and potentially partisan sniping achieves that end, or even how attacking other Catholics connects with fighting anti-Catholicism.
No, the Sidebar Moderators work all the sidebars and forums.
I'm still confused. How can you speak of yourself in the singular ("me") while saying in posts #59 and #90 that there are four people who can log in and act as the Religion Moderator? Putting aside the fact that one of these "moderators" was just outed is an avowed Catholic hating forum participant, this duplicitous misrepresentation has certainly taken a toll on this forum. Introducing even a little transparency and honesty into this process would be a real improvement.
Never passing up a chance to play pin the tail on the donkey, I'd like to respectfully disagree with you about your not being P-Marlowe.
As they say on South Park:
"I am P-Marlowe"
"I am P-Marlowe"
"I am P-Marlowe" (NO! We broke the dam!)
"I am P-Marlowe"
"I am P-Marlowe"
"I am P-Marlowe" (You stupid *#R-*&....We broke the Dam!)
WE ALL ARE P-MARLOWE!
These religions threads are nasty, over the line, imo. Surprising to me for a conservative forum. I’ll go back to not reading them now. I don’t read them other than when they are on New Posts. Learned my lesson months ago :)
Back to skipping over them cos far too nasty for me.
“WE ALL ARE P-MARLOWE!”
Not if it’s wednesday. I’m P-Marlowe on Wednesday.
I’ve not had the time to be engaged for a few months, but every now and then there are some awesome threads on the Religion Forum. You would do well to keep mining for the gold that’s here. It’s worth it.
How often am I going to have to check your calendar for you.
You’re all mixed up again.
You are P-Marlowe on Fridays.
And just a reminder....you haven’t signed your exclusivity contract yet.
So....there!
“You are P-Marlowe on Fridays.”
Wait, wait. Then who am I on Wednesday? Now I see the problem. You are looking at a calendar. That’s a list and we don’t have lists. That means I can still be P-Marlowe on Wednesday, right (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)?
More proof that you're not me... or.. that... I'm not you.
Don't listen to him, he's always sick and always on vacation.
No I'm not, I'm hardly ever sick.
What, you don't think schizophrenia is a sickness?
Shut up!
No, You shut up.
I gotta go.
Wait for me.
Want some cheese with that whine?
Leave her alone. She's just sensitive.
No she's not, she just doesn't want anyone criticizing her church.
You're an anti Catholic Bigot.
No I'm not.
Yes you are, why can't you just admit it?
Don't call me a bigot. There are rules in the forum against personal attacks, you know.
What, and asking someone if they want cheese with their whine is not a personal attack?
Well.... maybe a little.
Bigot!
Shut up!
You shut up.
I gotta go.
Bigot!
Shut up!
Schitzo!!
I Really do appreciate those who post there. I just can’t. The nastiness overshadows the rest for me. I’ll keep reading when they show up on New Posts.
We need the Lord High Protector, KOETT, etc., etc. to decide if B-D gets to be P-Marlowe on Wednesdays. I say he can’t because he’s assigned P-M on Fridays, and even then he’s not signed an exclusivity contract. He says that it’s gotta be on Wednesdays, and besides, I should shut up, since a calendar is a list.
First, a calendar isn’t a list. If it were, you could make a pun like “calendar-less” and it would be funny like “listless” is when you say it. When was the last time you chuckled when someone said, “I am too calendarless to keep calendars.” (You’ll get no “Rotfol” outta me over that one.)
Second, he is in EST, and I am in EST, so Wednesday was over 10 minutes ago. Since he wasn’t P-M officially on Wednesday, then he couldn’t have been P-M on Wednesday. If he was he would have been, but since he wasn’t he isn’t.
Almost every one of the Religion Moderator's posts on this thread has revealed a new and previously undefined policy. This is the first time you have mentioned that there is a primary "Religion Moderator" and not the religiously balanced team of a Catholic, Protestant, Anti-Catholic, and one other mystery "confession" revealed in your post #90. It is clear from the slip up in post #9 that the other members of this "team" seem to think they can log in at will under the Religion Moderator account to remove posts they disagree with.
Petronski was completely correct to suggest in post #91 that this title of "Religion Moderator" is just a shell game. I will again make my sincere and well intentioned recommendation in post #103 that introducing even a modicum of transparency and honesty into this process would be a real improvement over its current state. The fact that one of these secret "Religion Moderators" would post an anti-Catholic thread and then threaten those who oppose its premise exemplifies how broken this forum is. Please consider changing this deeply flawed policy of Religion Moderator subterfuge and duplicity.
Again, I am not Alex Murphy. Nor does Alex Murphy have the password necessary to login in as Religion Moderator.
That is as transparent as I can be and stay within the policy.
“We need the Lord High Protector, KOETT, etc., etc. to decide”
Still no word from the (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*), eh? Maybe you should shout louder or make your dance more frenetic. He is probably sleeping or off at the celestial mall somewhere.
It’s Thursday here but I’m willing to carry on as P-Marlowe until we get a definitive opinion as to whether you breached the listless covenant by resorting to the calendar.
******************
For the most part, more and more it seems that time spent on the Religion Forum is wasted time. I see more hatred here than seems possible, more than on any of the other forums.
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