Is Bill Donohue trying to force the owner of the Empire State Building to honor a religious figure? I was not shocked to read that the Catholic League, with its history of obnoxious behavior toward non-Catholics, was making noise about the owner’s refusal, per longstanding policy, not to use the building’s lights to honor religious figures or events.
The league had asked the building to relax its policy to honor the hundredth birthday of Mother Teresa, a figure regarded by rank and file Catholics to be a saint.
As Donohue apparently views himself as the Emperor of New York, made his usual bellicose remarks, but it didn’t end there. He followed up with calls for a public protest, which is not unusual for the league. What struck me this time, is that in seeking to honor a pacifistic religious figure, Donohue is making thinly-veiled threats of violence:
It’s time for people, the rank and file to say enough is enough. I hope it’s going to be nonviolent, I wouldn’t encourage violence but I know there’s a lot of anger.
Even worse, Donohue has enlisted City Councilman Peter Vallonein his attempts to bully, introducing a resolutionto try and force the issue.
Mother Teresa would be proud.
