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Indybay Feature

Pro-choice Messages on Indybay Anger Catholic League

by shero
The following is an email that the Catholic League sent out to its email list today criticizing Indybay because "the website embraces every conceivable anti-American, left-wing cause, including issues that are positively insane." Special thanks to Catholic League president Bill Donohue for addressing the issue in such a professional and enlightened manner. Thanks as well for sending out the email recommending your flock visit here.
From: Catholic League<lg [at] catholicleague.org>
To:
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 16:36:10 -0800
Subject: PRO-LIFE MESSAGE ANGERS BAY AREA LOONS

January 13, 2006
PRO-LIFE MESSAGE ANGERS BAY AREA LOONS

The Respect Life Ministry of the Oakland Diocese is waging a PR campaign in BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains promoting a pro-life message. One of the ads, “9 MONTHS,” calls attention to the amount of time the Supreme Court allows abortions to take place. The other ad reads, “The Supreme Court says you can choose: after the heart starts beating, after its arms and legs appear, after all organs are present, after the sex is apparent, after it sucks its thumb, after it responds to sounds, after it could survive outside the womb.” The ads end by asking “Have We Gone Too Far?”

Though most of the ads have been destroyed by pro-abortion activists, the Oakland Diocese has been busy replacing them. Many of the placards have been covered with the most incredibly vicious anti-Catholic and obscene remarks, and some of the ads have been torn to shreds.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this issue today:

“Anyone who wants to know what makes these people tick should click into the website indybay.org. It will soon be discovered that abortion rights is only one small part of the agenda: the website embraces every conceivable anti-American, left-wing cause, including issues that are positively insane, e.g., ‘Bathroom Safety for Transgenders.’

“Most Americans, including those who support abortion rights, have serious reservations about abortion-on-demand. But not these people. Abortion is regarded as sacrosanct because it affirms their vision of genital liberation—every sexual act that can be performed must be performed, and none should be burdened by pregnancy or disease.

“The pro-life campaign by the Oakland Diocese is part of a bigger effort sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops titled, ‘The Second Look Project.’ It is important that this campaign succeed, and that is why we are encouraging Catholics across the nation to generously support it. It is a great way to subvert the culture of death.”



Kiera M. McCaffrey
Director of Communications
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
450 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10123
212-371-3191
212-371-3394 (fax)
Email: cl [at] catholicleague.org


----------------------------------------------

same message also listed at the top of their website's home page as the Latest News Release for 1/13/06:

PRO-LIFE MESSAGE ANGERS BAY AREA LOONS
January 13, 2006 | The Respect Life Ministry of the Oakland Diocese is waging a PR campaign in BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains promoting a pro-life message...
http://www.catholicleague.org/
http://www.catholicleague.org/06press_releases/quarter%201/060113_bart.htm

----------------------------------------------

also see:
Defacement of Anti-Choice BART Ads Tied to Indybay in Corporate Press
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/01/1795321.php

§CL
by wiki
On October 13, 2005 Catholic League president William Donohue appeared on NBC's Today. Reacting to the priest sexual abuse scandal, he claimed that the crisis was "a homosexual scandal, not a pedophilia scandal."

The Catholic League's positions on abortion, marriage, religious freedom, and other issues reflect official teachings of the Catholic Church. The league has been at odds with other civil rights groups, such as the ACLU, that advocate for legalized abortion, homosexual marriage, and the suppression of many public references to religion.
[edit]

Board of Advisors

An array of prominent lay Catholics serve on the Catholic League's Board of Advisors: L. Brent Bozell III, Gerard Bradley, Linda Chavez, Robert Destro, Dinesh D'Souza, Laura Garcia, Robert George, Mary Ann Glendon, Dolores Grier, Alan Keyes, Stephen Krason, Tom Monaghan, Michael Novak, Kate O'Beirne, Thomas Reeves, Patrick Riley, Robert Royal, Russell Shaw, Bill Simon, Paul Vitz and George Weigel.

Many of the above, such as Novak and Weigel, are considered conservatives in the Republican vein, who disagreed drastically with Pope John II over the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq. Furthermore, others described above, such as Kate O'Beirne and Thomas Monoghan, have drawn controversy for being affiliated with Opus Dei, though the organization is a personal prelature of the Pope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_League_for_Religious_and_Civil_Rights

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Comments (Hide Comments)
by Learn to think for yourself
And discover spirituality w/out the guilt inducing myths of the Catholic child molesting church.
by refresh my memory
Those are the ones with the stake and the thumbscrew, right? Or was that the protestants? I always get them confused.
by Buy-Bull 101
Catholics are the ones who believe when you take communion, you are LITERALLY eating the blood and body of Jesus Christ. While most people who read can understand the sacramental metaphor of redemption, Catholics celebrate the cannibalistic literal interpretation. After 2000 years of eating the blood and body of Christ, it should be safe to conclude God is dead.
by here ya go
Basically, like any large and powerful religious order, the Catholics in this case are not much different from fundamentalist evangelicals like Pat Robertson or Zionist Jewish fundamentalists. It's not about "life" as some universal thing to actually protect as it is about keeping their numbers up to prevent their group from fading into the dustbin of history. Wars, the death penalty, worldwide poverty, starvation and disease, they're okay, just gotta save the "innocent" fetuses.

I can remember in the 1980s when Pat Robertson once openly said he largely opposed abortion because white Christians had to remain dominant in America forever, and he was worried about foreigners and atheists destroying his "Christian America." Of course, he mostly makes it sound like it's all about this universal value in LIFE to get the lemmings to follow along, as that has more appeal than him just yelling, "Breed, damn you, so I have more to reign over!"

Hardcore Zionists in Israel have about the same take. This group has no qualms about coming straight out with their motivations:

- this ad asserts that 40% Arab is the end of israel so don't have an abortion if you're Jewish: http://www.indybay.org/uploads/israeli_ynet_racism.swf

- the ad on an israeli news site takes you to this video (http://www.efrat.org.il/files/efrat_files/internethomeen.wmv) on this site (http://www.efrat.org.il/en/). the URL for the video is probably temporary

And just look at the Catholic interest in large families, no birth control, etc. etc. It's a boon for the wealth and power of the pope and his minions.

As someone else said somewhere on this site earlier, it's NOT pro-life, but PRO-BIRTH that these nutjobs are really after, at least by those in power, as some of the regular Joe lemmings undoutedly truely believe they are doing God's work and fetuses are more valuable than adults.
by Can I get a hallelujah?
Ahmen. It's not pro-life, it's pro-birth---and then there are the parroting shills running around for the nut-job ideologues.
by pray tell
They surely get paid.

What do they get paid?

How much is it worth to D'Souza, Chavez, and the rest of the wealthy right-wing American catholics to pay idiots like the Catholic League President and their Director of Communications to come up with really clever lines like "Bay Area Loons" and "genital liberation"?

That's quality thinking, right there. The propaganda value alone must be enormous. Whatever the amount spent to produce such monumental screeds, it's money well spent to be sure.
Good for the Catholic League! It also says a great deal about the mondern day book burners of the left who are left having to deface and destroy that which they do not like. Yes folks, it's 1933 all over again in the Bay Area and the Brownshirts are back.
by ex
Does the Catholic League even *have* meetings to *attend* in person, or is it only an in-name-only group comprised of getting stupid e-mails and seeing whatshisname make daily appearances on Fox News and Scarborough Country? It speakes volumes that the same scripted e-mail is exactly the same script as what's on the web page- other than the president, the communications director, and whoever signed off as being on the "board of advisors," who the hell is a member of this group and can vouch for some activity that isn't dictated and scripted out of the New York office miles away? What, do no Catholic League members in the Bay Area have permission to offer their opinion on this matter- or does all comment have to originate from the "official" CL HQ in NY? There is no Catholic League per se: it's one person collecting other peoples' money to send out faux press releases and do photo ops. There's nothing to see here. Keep moving.

by Lets take up arms
This is why I am ready to take up arms against the religious right and NOW the Oakland Diocese or whatever the fuck they are called.


"the website embraces every conceivable anti-American, left-wing cause, including issues that are positively insane, e.g., ‘Bathroom Safety for Transgenders.’"

There are trans people who are full blooded Americans. Bathroom safety is a problem. Yes you frickin religious freaks bash people while taking pisses.
If you didn't want to be such perverts then bathroom safety would not be an issue. Stop getting wierd and then that stuff won't be needed.

As far as the religious right. I am NOW ready to take up arms against there flaky mentally ill bull shit.

I support IndyBay the website and the content.
by Blood for Baal
Next month, the Catholic League's poster campaign will reach out to young boys in need of older men's company.

"Son, on your knees, let us pray."
by Tom Shea
I'm not sure what exposure people have with other Catholics or the Church to think the Church or its' "minion" are so maniacal.

Even though the Catholic Church teaches the faith...people decide for themselves what they believe and support.

If everyone Catholic were so "lost" how would we be so Numerous, Organized and Educated?

Also the Pope did not believe the U.S. should go to war in Iraq...nor does it teach that the death penalty is a good thing...however it does hold the as you put "innocent" fetus, ahead of someone guilty of murder.

I myself am not in favor of the war or the death penalty, however the unborn have NO voice....we were all their at one time and I'd like to think that even if given the choice of being "unwanted or dead" I'd take unwanted.

I get nothing from those who have abortions and those who don't, nor am I cold about how scared a woman might be if she is pregnant and doesn't want to be.

I just don't believe two wrongs make a right. Were all entitled to our opinions and the reason the Catholic League sent the email out to begin with is not that some have a different view than us...just that some people are hostel with our point of view.
by deanosor (deanosor [at] comcast.net)
1st of all indybay does not have editorials. It definitely did not call for any defacement of anything. Individuals posting commentary on an open publishing called for that like i am supportig it now, with the caveat of not getting caught directly acting against Catholic Churhc bullshit.
Secondly i didn't know Indyaby had a dating service. If it does put me down for wanting "every sex act that can be performed" with one caveat fo own that it must be voluntary. Where do i sign up.
by Tom Shea
According to your rational we should abandon the education system too. 18% of teachers have crossed the line and had sex or inappropriate behavior with a minor.

Compared with 3% of Catholic Priests accused of sex with children the majority high school boys....I guess according to your belief the Church should not allow ANY homosexual priests either huh?
by where do you get these stats?
We like to have sources.
by Tom
The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems which was developed by the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Human Services.

This is cited at the Catholic League's website.
by That's usu. the common courtesy
When you make an assertion---we provide links to back up/support our arguments.
by an agnostic
catholicdarkages-logo3.jpg
Is that a sword? Real nice. Catholics glamorizing killing people - unbelievers only, in the name of their God, of course. They'd like to bring us all back to the european dark ages, when their dominance of the world was unquestioned. Check out Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" to discover what total Catholic control and corruption looks like, and for a good laugh.

Or is that an upside-down cross in their logo? The mark of the beast perhaps?


BTW, that 18% figure is totally made up and supposed to trick you into thinking, "Well, catholic priests don't molest *that* much - it's far worse in those secular public schools where every fifth teacher is a molester."
by Holy See, Holy Do
This is an interesting article. It seems the Pope sneaks back to his old apartment each day to spend a few quality hours with his choir boys. Sodomy and Mozart: perfect together.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/14/wpope14.xml
by hey holy see
to Mozart. That would be wrong.

But have at the Pope by all means.
by Hey tom
I'm converting
by Tom • Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006 at 8:54 PM

Wow...I'm so impressed with your observations and tolerance that I'm turning Atheist.

Maybe a Catholic on this website angers some...that's too bad.

I guess tolerance only works for some.

Are you so harsh on the Muslim and Jewish faiths? Probably not....

Uh, Jews and "Zionists " are the hands down favorite targets of indybay. Check out some of the Palestine threats and you'll learn how Jews are a threat to world peace, motherhood and the AMerican way.
by Does Catholicism breed perversion?
Does Catholicism breed perversion?
by Catholics: The Tolerant Bigots
Apparently tolerance doesn't work for Catholics. They hate women, transgenders, gay folks, people who use birth control, DAs who prosecute pedophilia...

They do tolerate sexual abuse and criminal coverups, though.

After all, the defacement was clearly political -- sometimes it took the form of mini-essays scrawled across the ad. It's not just random vandalism. If there is a marketplace of ideas, this is what it looks like.
by yes it should
How many women in poverty affected by the right to choose have $43,000? A sharpie pen is more in the price range. I say go for it until they provide a space for truly free speech for all and not just those with big bucks.
by they dont support &quot;free speech&quot;
They dont support free speech rights any more than they do freedom of choice over one's own body. They are merely posing as victims in a pathetic attempt to cynically manipulate public opinion.

Here's what they really act like on the playground:

by A
The level of religous bigotry and steroetyping coming out is scary. Many Catholics are involved in activists groups and are against the right. One hopes those who display such bigotry neve achieve power. No wonder the left is so out of touch.
by PLC
I am a pro life anti war, anti capital punishment Catholic. I alos oppose the conomic structures which promote the reasons fo abortion and the culture which adds to a lack of care and support for women in need. To push abortion as a solution is to abandon feminist ideals. It is to allow unjust social structures, male oriented work practices, sexism, poverty, career pressures and discrimination to go unchallenged. Abortion, along with war and capital punishment are acts which degrade life. They offer no solution. The unborn is a life. Science has shown us this. Instead of denying science and promoting this barbaric practice we should be supporting people socially, financially and emotionally who are faced with unplanned pregnancy. Pushing them towards the doors of abortion clinics is certainly not progressive. Abortion remains the left's huge contradiction.
But their church isn't.
by Roy Messier
Couldn't have said it better myself!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the chuckle
by T-Zilla
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

-Samuel Johnson.
And repeated by many people since.

The Catholic Church has been involved in massacres since the 4th Century with the burning of Pagan temples, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and let us not forget the current Pope was involved with the death of Argentinians as part of the function of the church. The church has allowed many priest to molest children and practice many abuses. Meanwhile, the church doesn't like abortions, but it doesn't allow birth control.

The Pope also wants to give the appearance of being a kinder gentler church by saying atheists could go to heaven, and more acceptance of gay people, but then turns around to condemn them.
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