Bill Donohue Melts Down On Fox News

"I should sue the Pope for plagiarism because if you match word-for-word what I said and what he said, it's almost identical."

Pope Francis On France Attack: There Must Be Limits On Freedom Of Expression

Via Yahoo News:

Pope Francis said Thursday there are limits to freedom of expression, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith. Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks while en route to the Philippines, defending free speech as not only a fundamental human right but a duty to speak one's mind for the sake of the common good. But he said there were limits.

By way of example, he referred to Alberto Gasparri, who organizes papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane. "If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch," Francis said, throwing a pretend punch his way. "It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others."

Francis insisted that it was an "aberration" to kill in the name of God and said religion can never be used to justify violence. But he said there was a limit to free speech when it concerned offending someone's religious beliefs. "There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others," he said. "They are provocateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr. Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit."

Bill Donohue is doing cartwheels.

I am obviously delighted that the pope has taken the same position I have on this issue. Radio chatterbox Hugh Hewitt doubted last week whether a single bishop would side with me. What does he have to say now? Regarding the pope’s quip about punching those who offend us, here is what I said to Megyn Kelly last week: “If a woman has been beaten by her husband for 20 years and one day she goes out and she blows his brains out, I think we’re going to say she’s a murderer and we ought to try her. On the other hand any sensible person would say why don’t we look at the whole issue here.”

Bill Donohue: If Someone Kills the Piss Christ Artist, It Will Be His Own Fault

Piss Christ was hammered into pieces in 2011 by Catholic protesters during its display at a French gallery.

FLASHBACK: That Time In 1958 When The Supreme Court Ruled On Gay Rights

Via the Los Angeles Times:

The road to gay rights at the U.S. Supreme Court began not in San Francisco or New York, but in a small downtown Los Angeles office, where volunteer writers and editors in 1953 launched a new "magazine for homosexuals." ONE, as it was called, offered thoughtful articles, defiant editorials and none of the racy photos or sex ads often found in the gay press. "The first issue was sold in bars in the Los Angeles area for 25 cents, about the price of a draft beer," said Michael C. Oliveira, an archivist at the magazine's archives housed at the USC Library. Yet in an era when FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was routing out "sex deviates" from the government and homosexuality was a crime in every state, the journal quickly drew negative attention, culminating with a U.S. Post Office ban of the magazine as "obscene." The cover story of the first issue censored by the postmaster proved decades ahead of its time, asking "Homosexual Marriage?" To the rescue came a young, straight California attorney fresh out of law school.

Hit the link for the rest. Fascinating story.

Tweet Of The Day - Catholic League

Despite what Donohue claims above, it is Hewitt who destroys in a segment that aired nationwide today on the Salem Radio Network. (Salem is the parent company of Twitchy, Townhall, and other far-right sites.) Hewitt, perhaps obviously, is himself a far-right Christianist, which only makes his truly brutal evisceration of Bill Donohue much, much more enjoyable. Hit the link and listen - it will make your day. Infighting is funny, y'all.

PENNSYLVANIA: Atheist Protest Of Jesus Statue Charges Meets Counter-Protesters

Remember the teenager in Pennsylvania who faces two years in juvenile detention for posing on a statue of Jesus? This happened this weekend:

A successful protest, where several dozen people rallied in favor of free speech, was marred on Saturday, when a belligerent group of counter protesters, including two from what appeared to be a motorcycle gang, crashed the demonstration and threatened those in attendance, including a 14-year old boy arrested for “desecrating” a Jesus statue and Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. Incredibly, there was not a single police officer on-hand to prevent potential violence and this left the protesters vulnerable to thugs and forced them to fend for themselves. “The Bedford police placed us directly in harms way and their inaction nearly caused a full-blown melee,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “This is the first time in two decades of protesting that I’ve been put directly in harm’s way by town officials. We call on Bedford to immediately review its policies for protecting the free speech rights of those who demonstrate in their town.”

From the clip recap:

Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen, American Atheists President David Silverman and Pennsylvania Nonbelievers President Brian Fields all three organizations came together, held a press conference and a demonstration in Bedford, Pennsylvania, to speak out for freedom of speech and freedom of religion for all after hearing of a fourteen year old child is being tried in juvenile court in Bedford on October 3 2014 for “desecrating” a Jesus statue after pictures were posted on Facebook.

Things start to get heated around the 8:00 mark.

Red-Caped Catholic Loons: Ban Satanist Events Because Religious Freedom

American Family Association: The First Amendment Only Applies To Christians

"I have contended for years that the First Amendment, as given by the Founders, provides religious liberty protections for Christianity only. Most attorney types, befuddled by years of untethered Supreme Court activism, think it covers any and all religions you can name. The results of this expansive but badly misguided understanding of the First Amendment have not been too costly to this point. But with Islam growing in America like a noxious weed, some of the more troublesome aspects of this distorted view of religious liberty are becoming evident, when it comes to things like school curricula, halal food, and Christian evangelism at Muslim street fairs. These problems have been brought into stark relief now by Satanists, who are pressing for exactly the same kind of religious liberty protections the Supreme Court just recognized for Hobby Lobby." - American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer, writing for the AFA's website.

Quote Of The Day - Tristan Emmanuel

"In both Britain and Canada, for example, we still had blasphemy laws on the books no less then ten years ago. The penalties - the penal sanctions - were fines and possible imprisonment, not hangings and whippings, but this is beside the point. [snip] One can advocate for the law principle, while not advocating for a particular type of punishment, which historically was left to the discretion of the courts. At any rate you so-called Christians helped to prove my point perfectly. You do not care about God’s honour and yet you have the audacity to call yourselves Christians. Therefore I say again, America, and especially American Evangelicalism, is hanging on by a thin thread. Don’t be surprised if God sends an unlikely candidate to judge your lawless society." - Tristan Emmanuel, telling fellow Christians that God will smite them (or something) for denouncing last week's column in which he lamented that Bill Maher can't be punished for blasphemy. As for the atheists that reacted to that column, they are "children of the Devil" who are spreading the lie that Emmanuel wants Maher publicly whipped when really, just a nice long prison sentence would do.

BRITAIN: Street Preacher Awarded $20K After Bust For Anti-Gay Speech

Britain's Daily Mail tabloid reports that a street preacher has been awarded just over $20K in a lawsuit filed after he was arrested for telling two teenagers that they will burn in hell for being gay.

John Craven, 57, recited from Revelation after two gay teenagers asked about his views on homosexuality. But after he read from chapter 21, verse eight – which says sinners will burn in a lake of fire and sulphur – police arrested him on suspicion of committing a public order offence. He was taken to a police cell where he claims he was denied food, water and access to medication for his rheumatoid arthritis. He was fingerprinted, had to give a sample of his DNA and told he was being investigated for allegedly using insulting words with the intention of causing harassment, alarm or distress – which could have led to a six-month jail sentence. Two days later, however, police told him there would be no charges and no further action.

The Christian Institute, Britain's version of the Family Research Council, funded the suit on Craven's behalf. According to the above-linked source, damages were awarded due to a violation of the Human Rights Act, as Craven was denied the freedom to "manifest his religion and freedom of expression, including the freedom to impart ideas without interference by a public authority."

NOTE: The Craven outcome, if accurately reported, appears to contradict previous incidents in which street preachers were arrested and fined for anti-gay public speech.

Ireland Sees Anti-Pantigate Bill

Last month there was an uproar in Ireland after state television paid off anti-gay columnists who claimed that they were libeled when drag activist Panti Bliss called them homophobes. The flap became known in the press as Pantigate and turned Panti Bliss into an international icon. Today a bill was introduced in Ireland's legislature that would grant broadcasters some protections against claims of "offense" by remarks such as those made by Panti Bliss.

Via Eile Magazine:

Stephen Donnelly, an Independent TD for Wicklow and East Carlow, has introduced legislation earlier today in Dáil Éireann that would change the Broadcasting Act to prevent litigious-minded groups and individuals from shutting down public debate. The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2014 removes any reference to the term “offence” from Section 39 of the Broadcasting Act, as a result, Broadcasters would no longer have to ensure that nothing that could be termed offensive is broadcast. “I do not believe that people should be censored for saying offensive things” said Donnelly, “whether that offence is reasonably caused or not. The legislation in its current form gags free speech, harms public debate and means broadcasters can be bullied by the litigious and thin-skinned.”

(Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

Fox Anchor Greta Van Susteren Tries To School Sarah Palin On Free Speech

Via Mediaite:

In a Facebook post, Palin declared that “free speech is an endangered species.” Monday night on Fox News, Greta Van Susteren attempted to explain why invoking the First Amendment in this case does not actually make any sense. Palin said she would leave it to the lawyers to decide whether it’s a “free speech rule of law or not,” and would herself focus on the larger question of “whether we’re allowed to express our personal opinions without threats of intimidation and mockery and criticism and loss of jobs and revenue.” “I think people loosely use the term ‘free speech,’” Van Susteren said, without saying which “people” she was referring to. She added that “if the market wants to be such that people don’t want to watch someone, so be it.”

Brian Brown Has The GLAAD Sadz

"As you have undoubtedly heard, the special-interest homosexual group GLAAD launched their campaign to bully A&E networks into suspending Ducky Dynasty star Phil Robertson from his own show simply for honestly answering questions put to him in an interview with GQ magazine about the tenets of his faith. It clearly demonstrates how intensely aggressive and intolerant the radicals pushing the same-sex marriage agenda are... and how far they will go to ensure that religious views about sex and marriage are altogether removed from the public square! They're going after basic first amendment rights — not just religious liberty, but free speech as well! We must put a stop to this! NOM's mission is to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, getting wrong both the name of the show AND the definition of freedom of speech.

HomoQuotable - Michelangelo Signorile

"The Duck Dynasty controversy has become so ugly so fast. It's time to just call it what it is. Religious zealots like Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson are using the Bible to defame a group of people and excuse horrible actions against that group in the name of their Bible, refusing responsibility for the hate their words condone and inspire. And much of the media seems to be going along with it because the Robertsons, a Louisiana family with a reality TV show on A&E, are home-spun country people whom everyone seems to love. I'm seeing way too much defense of this crap as free speech -- as if every corporation is forced to allow its employees to spew vile and offensive defamation against people. Try telling your boss that he or she is like a pig-f**ker and see how long you keep your job. Just tell him or her it's in the Bible, and see if that keeps you from getting shown the door immediately without collecting your stuff." - Michelangelo Signorile, writing for the Huffington Post.

Quote Of The Day - Matt Taibbi

"Conservatives have always had trouble grasping the difference between public censorship and private enterprise. With a few exceptions, like whistleblower laws and National Labor Relations Board protections against being fired for off-site discussions about work conditions (exceptions that, in almost every case, conservatives bitterly opposed), there is no legal or constitutional right to free speech on private property. You can be fired for calling your boss a dick, and you can just as easily be let go by a profit-seeking media company for imperiling its relationship with advertisers. And incidentally, this is the way true conservatives, and especially true hardcore speech advocates, have always wanted it. Could you imagine the uproar if someone passed a law saying that Martin Bashir couldn't be bounced from a broadcast job for saying Sarah Palin was a good candidate to have feces shoved in her mouth? Now that would be censorship. Remember, nobody heard a peep from Sarah Palin about free speech after that episode." - Matt Taibbi, writing for Rolling Stone. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

TEXAS: Red-Caped Catholic Loons To Picket The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told

"One word describes the indecent play: blasphemy. Blasphemy is not free speech. Defamation is not artistic expression. The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told is a twisted version of the Bible story told from a pro-homosexual perspective and doesn't belong in any theater. It begins with scenes of 'Adam and Steve' expelled from a Garden of Paradise with full frontal nudity and ends with the Blessed Mother portrayed as a lesbian. This immoral and defamatory play drags the pure and immaculate reputation of the Mother of God into the mud of unnatural vice. As most Americans prepare to celebrate Christmas, the Kalita Humphreys Theater is going out of its way to attack the Mother of God. Not only does this gravely offend her Son Jesus Christ, but it also wounds countless Catholics who regard the Virgin Mary as their own mother. For decades the homosexual movement has been calling for more and more tolerance. However, there's nothing so intolerant as blasphemy."- John Ritchie, head of Tradition, Family, & Property, announcing a protest to be held tomorrow.

RELATED: In April the red-caped Catholic loons staged a noisy protest outside of the Broadway production of The Testament Of Mary.

New York Times To Publish Documents Leaked To Guardian By Edward Snowden

Citing oppressive measures by the British government, the Guardian has partnered with the New York Times to publish documents leaked to them by Edward Snowden.

The New York Times is in the Snowden game. The paper — which NSA leaker Edward Snowden deliberately avoided over his fear that it would cooperate with the United States government — is now working with the Guardian on a series of stories based on documents that detail National Security Agency cooperation with its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ. “In a climate of intense pressure from the UK government, The Guardian decided to bring in a US partner to work on the GCHQ documents provided by Edward Snowden,” Guardian spokeswoman Jennifer Lindenauer said in an email. “We are continuing to work in partnership with the NYT and others to report these stories.”

Last month British officials demanded that the Guardian hand over Snowden's documents. When they refused, the officials reportedly made them destroy several hard drives in their presence. The Times and the Guardian have worked together in the past on the Wikileaks story and on the News Corp wiretapping scandal.

American Street Preacher Arrested In Britain For Homophobic Speech

The religious right has a new martyr in former Los Angeles County police officer Tony Miano, who was arrested in Britain earlier this week for allegedly using homophobic speech as he preached to passersby on the street. Via the Christian Post:

He was found to be in violation of Public Order Act Section 5, for "using homophobic speech that could cause people anxiety, distress, alarm or insult," Miano said in a YouTube video posted on Wednesday. Preaching from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, Miano spoke about sexual sins for 25 minutes before being cut off by Metropolitan Police officers who said that although preaching in itself is not an offense, the specific part of the Bible he was preaching from was interpreted as homophobic by the woman who called to complain. Miano told police officers that he doesn't hate homosexuals, and then reiterated that he was preaching about all forms of sexual immorality – lust, fornication and addiction to pornography. He said that he "loves homosexuals enough to bring them the truth of the Gospel."

Miano claims he spent seven hours in jail. His encounter with the police begins at the 25:00 mark in the video below. A transcript of his interview at the police station is here.  According to the Christian Legal Centre, which is representing Miano, police initially offered to let him off with a £90 fine, but then decided to prosecute him after he vowed that he would repeat his actions. It's unclear if any prosecution will actually take place.

Quote Of The Day - Phil Horgan

"A key teaching of Christianity is to hate the sin, but love the sinner. We incarcerate convicted persons for their crimes, not out of hate for the individual. But with Whatcott, the Supreme Court of Canada has stated that criticism of behaviour can be treated as potentially hateful speech against the minority. Will criticism of activities at gay pride parades be treated similarly? Will criticism of certain homosexual sexual activities be now conflated as an example of hate speech of an individual or minority? This conflation of behaviour with the person or group, is a proposition at odds with most religious teachings, and of concern coming from our highest court." - Phil Horgan, president of the Catholic Civil Rights League, reacting to yesterday's unanimous ruling that upheld hate speech laws.

Headline Of The Day

The Canadian Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that hate speech laws are a "constitutionally valid" limit on freedom of expression. The precedent-setting ruling resulted from the case of an anti-gay preacher who distributed homophobic fliers in Saskatchewan.  Pastor Bill Whatcott (below) had won an earlier appeal of his conviction in the provincial court.

The Saskatchewan law, which is similar to others in Alberta, BC, the Northwest Territories and federally, “appropriately balances the fundamental values underlying freedom of expression with competing Charter rights and other values essential to a free and democratic society, in this case a commitment to equality and respect for group identity and the inherent dignity owed to all human beings,” wrote Mr. Justice Marshall Rothstein for the court. “Framing speech as arising in a moral context or within a public policy debate does not cleanse it of its harmful effect,” the judges decided.

In their ruling, the Supreme Court issued three guidelines for lower courts to consider in hate speech cases.

First, these laws must be applied objectively, which is difficult in the case of subjective emotion, though not impossible, the judges ruled. Second, hate must be understood to be the extreme manifestations of the emotion described by the words “detestation” and “vilification,” but nothing less. “This filters out expression which, while repugnant and offensive, does not incite the level of abhorrence, delegitimization and rejection that risks causing discrimination or other harmful effects,” they wrote. Third, tribunals must focus their analysis on the effect of the expression at issue, namely whether it is likely to expose the targeted person or group to hatred by others.

Whatcott's fliers claimed that a local Saskatchewan gay publication was publishing ads from pedophiles. Four citizens then filed complaints. Whatcott has long been a martyr to American evangelicals who frequently cite his case as an example of homofascism. Expect many more of those claims in the coming days.

UPDATE: Longtime JMG reader Tone was one of the four complainants in the original case against Whatcott.  Feel free to congratulate him for sticking with the case all these years.