Good Friday Axed by Indiana Mayor

from Bill Donohue, President
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Bill Donohue comments on Good Friday being censored by the mayor of Bloomington, Indiana:

Bloomington, Indiana Mayor John Hamilton stuck his middle finger in the face of all Christians by taking his axe to Good Friday. And he did so in the name of tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. He also nixed Columbus Day.

The name Good Friday offends the censorial mayor, and that is why he renamed it "Spring Holiday"; Columbus Day offends him as well, which is why it will forever be known as "Fall Holiday." He did not say why Martin Luther King, Jr. Day would not be renamed "Winter Holiday."

Let's be honest. Hamilton would not rename Martin Luther King, Jr. Day "Winter Holiday" because he does not want to offend blacks. He opted to rename Good Friday "Spring Holiday" because he doesn't mind offending Christians. Yes, it is just that simple.

"These updated names for two days of well-merited time off is another way we can demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity," Hamilton said. Inclusivity is a ruse—it is a multicultural weapon used to foster intolerance of our Judeo-Christian heritage. In actual fact, Christians are being excluded by denying recognition of a central day in their religious calendar.

If Hamilton were honest, he would simply cancel Good Friday and make it a workday. Instead, he exploits a Christian holiday so that government workers can freeload off the taxpayers in the name of celebrating springtime. There is no "well-merited" meaning to that contrived argument.

Mayor Hamilton comes from a home where religious bigotry is not only tolerated, it is celebrated. His wife is Dawn Johnsen, an Alt-Left extremist and anti-Catholic activist.

In 2010, the Catholic League waged a successful battle against her: Johnsen was forced to withdraw her name from nomination to head President Obama's Office of Legal Counsel. As I explained, "we have been on a relentless PR campaign alerting the public, and U.S. senators, to her anti-Catholic record. On April 9, our wish came true: she withdrew her name from nomination."

Why did we oppose her? On March 4, 2010, I wrote to every member of the senate asking just one question: "Are you aware that Dawn Johnsen, who will be voted upon by the full Senate, sought to strip the Roman Catholic Church of its tax-exempt status in 1988?" At that time, Johnsen supported an attempt by the ACLU and others to rescind the Catholic Church's tax exempt status because of its pro-life position.

The radical secular assault on our religious ethos must be fought every time the religious cleansers rear their ugly head. Now is the time to send Mayor Hamilton a message. Contact him at: mayor@bloomington.in.gov

     

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