Catholic League's Donohue: "If you asked" some Hollywood actors "to sodomize their own mother in a movie, they would do so, and they would do it with a smile on their face"
On MSNBC's Scarborough Country, William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, "there are people in Hollywood, not all of them, but there are some people who are nothing more than harlots" who "will do anything for the buck," adding that, if asked "to sodomize their own mother in a movie, they would do so, and they would do it with a smile on their face."
During a segment titled "Hollywood Hating America" on the February 9 broadcast of MSNBC's Scarborough Country, William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, stated that "there are people in Hollywood, not all of them, but there are some people who are nothing more than harlots" who "will do anything for the buck." Continuing, Donohue claimed: "If you asked them to sodomize their own mother in a movie, they would do so, and they would do it with a smile on their face." Later, during an exchange with Daily Variety writer Grady Hendrix, Donohue scolded Hendrix for interrupting him, stating, "[M]y freedom of speech is also conditioned on you shutting up while I'm speaking." Donohue's comments came during a discussion about the Turkish film Kurtlar vadisi: Irak (Valley of the Wolves: Iraq, Panafilm, 2006). The film has been described as anti-American for its depictions of American troops massacring civilians. According to the Associated Press, the movie also depicts a Jewish doctor character who cuts out the organs of the massacre victims and sells them to "rich people in New York, London and Tel Aviv."
As Media Matters for America has noted, Donohue has denounced Hollywood on Scarborough Country before. On December 15, 2005, Donohue appeared on the show criticizing the award-winning film Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features, 2005), where he explained that "the difference between Hollywood and the mainstream" was that "the people who make these kind of movies, though -- like gay cowboy -- would go to see a movie called The Gay Gorilla" in lieu of King Kong (Universal Studios, 2005), which Donohue said he was planning to see.
The Catholic League professes to be "the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization" that "defends the right of Catholics -- lay and clergy alike -- to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination." Its board of advisers includes conservatives such as L. Brent Bozell III, Linda Chavez, Dinesh D'Souza, Alan Keyes, and Kate O'Beirne.
From the February 9 edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country:
DONOHUE: Well, look, there are people in Hollywood, not all of them, but there are some people who are nothing more than harlots. They will do anything for the buck. They wouldn't care. If you asked them to sodomize their own mother in a movie, they would do so, and they would do it with a smile on their face. You know, it's such a cop-out to talk about freedom of expression.
[crosstalk]
HENDRIX: Really? I think that's a founding principle of this country. How is that a cop-out? Do you not appreciate the Constitution and the Bill or Rights?
[crosstalk]
DONOHUE: Yeah, why don't you shut up -- why don't you shut up and let me finish, all right?
HENDRIX: Oh, lord.
DONOHUE: I didn't interrupt you, pal. The fact of the matter --
[crosstalk]
HENDRIX: We're not pals.
DONOHUE: -- is that freedom of expression, freedom of speech, which is in the First Amendment, is a means toward an end. It is not an end in itself --
HENDRIX: What do you think the end is?
DONOHUE: It is a mean toward the good society. And my freedom of speech is also conditioned on you shutting up while I'm speaking.
From the December 15, 2005, edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country:
DONOHUE: Well, I heard that from other people that it is, artistically, a good movie, so I haven't -- going to see it. Gay cowboy doesn't interest me. I am going to go see King Kong. I suspect the people who make these kind of movies, though -- like gay cowboy -- would go to see a movie called The Gay Gorilla. But that's the difference between Hollywood and mainstream.
The other right-wing media mogul you should worry about
Palin's book and Obama's bow: a media week to forget
Media Matters: The Palin chronicles
because "Gay cowboy doesn't interest me". But he will go to see a movie in which a gigantic ape falls in love with a beautiful woman. So it's bestiality that interests him?
...a wonder, woman! I love your posts. And yes, King Kong is a story of cross-special armour.
I spend very little time in Scarborough Country (and less and less time with cable TV news and opinion of any kind). I see I am not missing very much.
BTW, The Catholic League claims to speak for no one but itself, and my guess is most Catholics are very embarrassed to be associated in any way with the usually vitriolic remarks of Mr. Donohue.
Yeah, that's just what I'd expect from a Christain. "...shut up..." These cretins wouldn't know Christ if he sat down next to them (in first class of course).
These talk/scream cable shows keep people like Donohue and Coulter and others on ice, haul them out whenever they have a topic they care to speak to, because they know they will say something that will eventually end up on this website - stupid and moronic.
Private citizens, no matter what title or position they hold, speak for themselves and themselves only. To highlight it, poke fun at it, ridicule it is entertainment......to take it seriously is absurd.
Tommy, it is not absurd to expose this kind of hateful speech. I went to a Catholic school as a kid that had a building named after this guy.
What the hell is this teaching young Christians?
I didn't say it was absurd to point out - knock your lights out if you want.........what I said is that do you think clear thinking, reasonable people take this kind of stuff seriously? Of course they don't, it's so inflammatory and ridiculous most see it for what it is.
As for the teachings in Catholic schools, I can't speak to that but I would venture to guess this may be fodder for TV talk shows, but hardly appropriate curriculum for schools.
So what you're saying is, the only reason Ann Coulter gets on the tube is so the host can get their show mentioned on MMFA. That's amazing, and here I was thinking they actually agree with her. I'll have to listen more carefully, I must have missed the disagreements before.
So, along with Donohue, the The Catholic League has a board that includes such spokespeople of the RRR (Really Religious Right) as Bozell, Keyes, and O'Beirne?
They should consider re-naming this outfit The League of Extraordinarily Disgusting Gentiles.
why is it that the values i was taught in eight years of catholic school are never expressed on cable television. mr donahue represents the catholic church as much as i represent the devil. the catholic league is not a branch of the catholic church by the way. it is a right wing, pro death penalty, screw the poor, pro war group. FIND THAT IN THE BIBLE.
last night and was amazed at how much this guy resembled Archie Bunker. Just give him a bronx accent (he probably already has a dimwit wife, no one else would have him) and let him sing "Those Were the Days".
no matter what title or positions they hold..." -- so, George W Bush is a private citizen who holds the title and position of President of the United States. Edward Kennedy is a private citizen who holds the title and position of Senator from Massachussetts. By that definition everyone is a private citizen, and the public nature of their expression is irrelevant.
The issue that you "again" fail to address, Tommy, is that private citizens like Bill Donohue repeatedly get airtime on national television to spout their absurd and inflammatory opinions. It is specious to dismiss the motives for this as simply to boost ratings and get on MMfA. MSNBC could boost its ratings by running 15 minutes of Hustler videos before the news, or hiring centerfold models to read the news naked. They don't, because that would be inappropriate. It is equally inappropriate to air intellectual pornographers like Donohue to boost ratings. The outrage is not over Donohue's absurd opinions, it is over the fact that Donnohue is continually legitimized and abetted in his absurdity by national news programs.
Jimmy Carter is a private citizen who expressed his absurd opinions at Coretta King's funeral, but you sure got your panties in a twist over that. Silly conservative. Frankly, I don't pay a lot of attention to what private citizens say at the funerals of strangers.
If there is anyone who should shut up it is loudmouth Donohue. He is from the O'Lielly school of dealing with people who don't agree with him. Just shout "shut up" loud enough and you make your point. Well, from where I sit, every time Donohue opens his mouth he makes a fool of himself, and every Catholic who uses their God-given brain for the purpose God had in mind when God created us. So Billy boy do yourself a favor...shut up.
As a serious Catholic all my life I want non-Catholics to know that this excitable extreme right winger is an embarassment to me and to millions of other Catholics. I have followed his press releases carefully for about a year now .and I think he is seriously marginalizing himself. I suspect that not many bishops or cardinals in the US would want to have much to do with him.
The man is an embarassment to our species
There must be a way to get a grassroots campaign within the Catholic Church to censure this guy. Catholics are always sitting on their hands, hoping that their "holy fathers" will do the heavy lifting for them. The fathers are too busy protecting the other fathers. Have a bake sale, start a petition but censure Donohue!
We complain that the Mullahs don't publicly condemn Islamic extremists. We should expect the same sort of reasonable critique from leaders in our Christian faiths, shouldn't we? I'm sure there are Muslims out there talking about Bin Laden saying "I suspect that not many Mullahs in the Islamic world would want to have much to do with him".
Just...wow.
As a devout Catholic as well as a devout liberal, I think William A. Donohue has become an embarrassment to the Catholic League, and he certainly does not speak for all or even most of us. He sounds like a kid on the playground complaining that the other kids don't play fair. Worse still, he's beginning to sound like some of these conservative fundamentalist preachers and right wingers who find the devil in every shadow.
In fact, the Catholic Church is the most liberal and the most open church in the world. Just think of John Paul II for a real view of Catholicism. It is these conservative "American" Catholics that makes it seem otherwise. I assure you, what goes on inside Catholic churches and its theology is nothing like what William A. Donohue and those who agree with him espouse. To them, all problems would be solved if we returned to the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays. Frankly, I'd like that part returned too, but true Catholic doctorine is about reaching out and accepting all people even when we disagree with them--regardless of their disagreements with and their disparagments of us. I hope the Catholic League wises up before they become totally irrelevent.
Private citizens, no matter what title or position they hold, speak for themselves and themselves only. - Tommy
Private citizen means anyone not in government service, not representing a district or a state or the USA. Please try and be as open minded as this when a "private citizen" is critical of Bush #43, such as Michael Moore.
After all, it's just ONE person's opinion. Right?
to the catholic church, go to the link in the story about the catholic league, and then click on "about us". read the cardinals and archbishops who endorse them.
Who the hell is that guy? DONOHUE: Yeah, why don't you shut up -- why don't you shut up and let me finish, all right?
the catholic league supports the death penalty, tax cuts for the rich, and the war in Iraq. I dont remember being taught any of this in catholic school. I havent seen either of the popes endorse these either.
Anyone who claims to be a Christian in no way would support the content in most of today's movies.
Did God whisper into your ear that he needed YOU up on a pedestal deciding for us mere mortals what Christians should or should not accept or support? And what great talents do you bring to this awesome responsibility? Is it some great moral purity I have seen no evidence of or some incredible wisdom that you would certainly be hiding quite well? The arrogance of that statement is purely astonishing
Because I really don't think Jesus is up in heaven celebrating how much nudity, violence and immoral content in the mvies of today. Last time I looked infidelity, theft, and murder were not for the "Christian" to decide if they were right or not. He already told his how He felt about that. (Not to mention his name being used the manner many have come acustom to.)
I'm not talking about "Christian when I feel like it" people, I'm talking real Christians. Sorry if I didn't explain that in the first posting. I didn't think I really needed to
And you are certainly welcome to it. It is however worth no more or less than mine or any others.At the point you arrogantly decide that YOUR opinion is how Chrisitans SHOULD feel is where you go far afiield as I am fairly certain God did NOT whisper into your ear that YOU are the one who gets to make such decisions for everybody. While I actually agree that a whole lot of what comes out of Hollywood is trash it isnt up to me or YOU to decide for everyone what that is. Christians have varying opinions about a whole slew of artistic expression issues. I for one find gory horrific movies much more offensive than nudity. Thats me, I dont expect nor do I assert that my taste in this area is more important, nor what Christians SHOULD believe.
Last time I checked with my Bible, or my Pastor, Jesus was against those things. I would expect a Christian to speak out against some of the material that is coming out of Hollywood. That is not to say that Hollywood can't make these movies, it's just saying these values are not representative of what a Christian population should be a part of.
Many people are hypocrits to their religion-not just Christians. One out of 6 women who had an abortion claim to be Christian. That's sad. The rules for Christians to live by have been laid out and while very difficult to follow, it is still expected for us to live a righteous life and not make up the rules as we go just because it makes US feel better.
My post was in no way attacking anyone who likes today's Hollywood; rather it was supporting the fact it should be expected to have a Catholic leader speak out against some of the movies that are being put out.
The premise of your statement, that Jesus wouldn't approve of most of today's movies, is probably correct. Of course, He probably wouldn't approve of the war, the rape of the environment by corporations, the exploitation of people in sweatshops, the mishandling of the economy, any of the content of Right-wing talk radio, or the hypocrisy of the Republican party in general. But I digress.
What concerns me is that you've taken it upon yourself to speak on behalf of Jesus. I've read many of your posts, and they tend to swing from the overtly nasty to the irrational. These are not Christian traits, Shannon.
I'll tell you where I'm coming from. I'm a deacon at a fundamental Bible church, and have been serving in various ministry positions for more than fifteen years. When you say: I'm not talking about "Christian when I feel like it" people, I'm talking real Christians, you're talking about me. I think we have the right to know, Shannon, are you a follower of Jesus Christ? What exactly are your beliefs?
If you are a Christian, then we can have a reasonable discussion about Jesus' teachings, and perhaps I can show you how badly your political philosophy misses the mark. If you're not a Christian, then don't ever pretend you can speak for Jesus. He doesn't like it.
I agree with you many things on this earth Jesus would not approve of, but I don't think you can just pin it on capitalist and Republican. Many Democrats would fall into that catagory as well. I didn't think sin was only committed by a certain group. Do you mean just being socialist or Democrat saves me from sin? As far as how God himself feels about war I'm sure you can see it in different ways. Did he not help David with Goliath? Did he destroy Egypt while freeing the Hebrews? Would WWII be justified freeing His people? Now we are fighting people who feel they need to remove the "infidels" from the earth. I thnk that would be Christians & Jews.
While I do not feel I've gotten "overtly nasty" or "irrational" I do sometimes get upset. It is not my intention to ever be that way, however IF I ever was I'm sureI'm not the only one! If I have been however I apologize. It is normal for Christians to become upset & it is Christian trait to stand & speak for what is right.
That is wonderful that you have been a deacon and have been involved in your church for many years. However, it you say I'm calling you a "Christian when I feel like it"? Are you? Do you live a life of a non-Christian for 6 days then become a Christian for the day on Sunday? You know many people go to church and have never been saved! I'm not passing judgement on you or anyone for this matter. I just know God doesn't like sin. There is a great deal of sin in Hollywood. A Catholic leader spoke out against Hollywood & I would expect nothing less from a man of God.
The first point I would like to make it on another post a few back saying that Donahue needs to be censured. I'm pretty sure that censureship goes against the 1st ammendment. Just because I dont like what people are saying or even how they may feel doesn't give me the right to censure them. Second point I'd like to make is this. MOST Christians ( there are always a few lose cannons out there ) don't want to " Take over the world" nor do they feel that if you aren't a Christian you are evil. We do however want to see a little dignity and decenty. We have become a society of complacence.. " If it doesn't hurt me ...." attitude. Why would ANYONE support half of the garbage that comes out of Hollywood today?? Why should everyone be subjected to soft porn Hamberger adds on network television? Why would anyone want to glorify divorce and out of wedlock birth and just plain meaness? You don't have to be a Christian to see that Hollywood has just lost thier minds.
To censure is to officially rebuke someone. There is nothing ab0ut that in the Constitution.
Has an off button and no one comes to your house and forces you at gunpoint to go see movies you dont approve of. Taste is a subjective thing. Art by its very nature is often provacative. What you think is trash someone else might think brilliant and having that choice is a good thing. Here is an idea. If you are offended by a movie. Dont go see it.
That "freedom of speech" doesn't guarantee that others will shut up while he's talking. That statement reflects what a childish, self-centered mentality this man has.