NewsBusters has been quick to pounce on Helen Thomas’ recent remark that “Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists.” Noel Sheppard called it “anti-Semitic,” “disgusting,” and “pathetic,” adding, “Makes you sick, doesn’t it?”
We are by no means defending Thomas, but we couldn’t help but notice that NewsBusters and its parent, the Media Research Center, has been a tad inconsistent about denouncing such remarks. You might even call it a double standard.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue made a remark similar to Thomas’ in 2004, when he said on MSNBC, “Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. It’s not a secret, okay? And I’m not afraid to say it.” He even defended the remark in 2006.
Yet we could find no mention whatsoever of Donohue’s remark in either the MRC or NewsBusters archives. Why? Perhaps Donohue is a friend of MRC chief Brent Bozell — after all, Bozell is on the board of advisors for the Catholic League, and he dedicated a column to slobbering all over Donohue and a book he had written:
There are an awful lot of people I know in the world of public policy, many of whom I respect and admire. But beyond respecting his wisdom and admiring his courage, I just plain like Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League. I like his Irish feistiness. I like his sense of loyalty. I like his sense of humor. Most of all, I like how he drives his opponents mad. And with his new book, “Secular Sabotage: How Liberals are Destroying Religion and Culture in America.” he could be expected to be stricken from all manner of Christmas card lists — except the people he skewers don’t believe in Christmas.
Disclaimer: I’m on the Board of Advisors of the Catholic League. I’ve been involved with this terrific organization for many years because Bill Donohue invited me, and I’ve never been able to refuse Bill Donohue anything.
Don’t expect anything critical of Donohue to come out of the MRC.