Muslims Are a No-No, but,....

Apparently, Catholics are fair game?

Edwards Won't Fire Bloggers For Catholic Church Criticisms
Friday, February 09, 2007

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Thursday publicly rebuked, but refused to fire two staffers for postings on their personal Web blogs that Edwards said contained "intolerant language" that "personally offended me."

The blogs in question were written by recent Edwards hires Amanda Marcotte, who writes for the Pandagon blog, and Melissa McEwan, who runs the Shakespeare's Sister blog.

“The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people," Edwards said in a statement released Thursday.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else," Edwards added, saying he believed of Marcotte and McEwan that "it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith."

The announcement came after a report on Salon.com that the two had been fired. The Edwards' campaign release did not directly address the piece, but did not indicate any change in status for Marcotte or McEwan. A spokeswoman for the campaign said no staffers would be available for interviews on the story.

The controversy was sparked after Bill Donohue, president of the conservative-leaning Catholic League, called on Edwards to fire Marcotte and McEwan. He described the two as "anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots" and cited recent blogs on their respective sites.

Among the postings cited by Donohue, Marcotte wrote: "The Catholic church is not about to let something like compassion for girls get in the way of using the state as an instrument to force women to bear more tithing Catholics."

Donohue pointed to a posting by McEwan, in which she headlined a piece addressing religious conservatives: "What don't you lousy motherf----ers understand about keeping your noses out of our britches, our beds and our families?"

Donohue, reached by phone Thursday, said Edwards' statement does not satisfy him, and he will launch a campaign next week to point out what Donohue calls "the double-standard that he is the kingmaker of."

Donohue said the writers also made vulgar remarks about Catholic symbols, and that by Edwards not firing the staffers, he is promoting anti-Catholicism. He also said Edwards' actions should be viewed in the same way that it would be seen if Edwards had not fired a staffer who had used the 'n'-word.

"He's nothing more than David Duke with a blow-dried haircut," Donohue said of Edwards.

Another Catholic group, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, issued a statement saying it was satisfied with Edwards' actions following the "religiously intolerant remarks."

"We accept Senator Edwards' assurances that he too was offended by comments made by recently hired staffers and that religious intolerance has no place in his campaign," said the group's executive director, Alexia Kelley, adding that with roughly one-fourth of the U.S. population being Catholic, Edwards can't take the religion's members for granted.

"We hope this unfortunate incident will initiate a deeper conversation on the part of all presidential candidates regarding the broad range of issues and values of primary importance to the Catholic community, including the Iraq War, a concern for the poor, human life and dignity, the availability of health care, and a commitment to the common good," Kelley said.

In the statement released by the Edwards campaign, Marcotte said that her "intention is never to offend anyone for his or her personal beliefs, and I am sorry if anyone was personally offended by writings meant only as criticisms of public politics."

McEwan said that "Shakespeare's Sister is my personal blog, and I certainly don't expect Senator Edwards to agree with everything I've posted. We do, however, share many views -- including an unwavering support of religious freedom and a deep respect for diverse beliefs. It has never been my intention to disparage people's individual faith, and I'm sorry if my words were taken in that way.”

McEwan also defended herself on her blog earlier in the week, referencing her vote for 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry.

"I'm not going to say a lot about this right now, but suffice it to say that the fact I cast a vote, without hesitation, for a Catholic during the last presidential election might suggest I'm not anti-Catholic," she wrote. "My degree from Loyola University might also suggest the same."