Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill Donohoe!

This is the second time this creepy Bill Donohoe person has intruded into my thought-space. I first heard of him when the story came out about the bloggers who were hired by John Edwards, and subsequently attacked by said Donohoe, the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, for hiring bloggers who had written anti-Catholic posts on their own blogs. In doing so, there has been a legal question raised about his using his position in the Catholic League, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, to attempt to intervene in a political campaign.

From what I can tell, the Donohoe creature is a media ho extraordinaire. As Jeffrey Feldman of Frameshop has pointed out, he "has made a career by claiming that even the most trivial mention of Christianity should be treated as a violent hate crime or genocidal atrocity." In fact, he once condemned an onion-dip ad as an anti-Catholic 'atrocity'. He's a busy guy. And for some unfathomable reason, he's treated by the media as a person whose opinion carries weight. Could it be because of the other people on the board of advisors of this wing-nut organization? People like Brent Bozell III, Linda Chavez, Dinesh D’Souza, Alan Keyes, Kate O’Beirne? It's fairly clear that if you look closely at this organization, it is more like a far-right Republican political organization wearing a thin, shabby cloak of 'religion'.

So, what's the latest with Wild Bill? Apparently he's got his panties in a wad about a sculpture. Artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who often uses food as a medium, has created a work of art entitled "My Sweet Lord" - a life-sized sculpture of an anatomically-correct crucified Jesus made of milk chocolate. It was scheduled to be shown at the Lab art gallery housed in the The Roger Smith Hotel in midtown Manhattan, which decided to cancel the exhibition after Bill Donohoe and the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott. When interviewed or questioned by someone who doesn't drink the Kool-Aid, he falls back on schoolyard-bully rhetoric, at one point crowing, "I got a job, and you don't!" at Cavallero, who very ably called him on his crap.

Apparently it was the idea that Jesus could actually have a penis that has thrown these people into conniptions.

In another vein, Michelle Malkin, in an attempt to secure a spot at the top of the right-wing slag heap, has called for a fatwa against furriners - a special club for those who are itching to alert the authorities about any suspicious characters they may see who look like they might be out to 'hurt America'. To this end she has composed a Manifesto, along with a secret handshake, pinkie swear and decoder ring.

What's the connection?

The razor-sharp claws of TRex from Firedoglake have taken a swipe at the controversy, and he has started his own Kool Klub, complete with the "Chocolate Jesus Manifesto":

Dear Talibangelical Christian Terrorist/Censor/Supporter/Apologist,

You do not know me, but I am on the lookout for you. I am your enemy. And you are mine.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I am in your homeowners' association, I am on your plane, I am writing for your magazine, I am a parent at your childrens' school, I am on your editorial board, and I am your coworker.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I will never forget that this nation was founded on religious and personal freedom, that the United States is not a theocracy, and that we have no monolithic national faith.

I will never forget your attempts to force your religious superstitions into the public sphere. I will always remember your crusades to pollute our government with a bunch of moralistic hogwash, and the billions of dollars every year that go uncollected in taxes on corporate christianity, not to mention the thousands of legislative hours that have been wasted as you have sought to impose your Medieval prejudices on American law.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I will never forget the humiliating defeats you have suffered in your efforts to subvert science and teach fairy tales as fact in public schools. I will fight you to see that my childrens' education is untainted by religionist dogma. I will fight your attempts to burn books, silence oppositon, and reduce the choices of every person in America.

I will never forget your murder of abortion providers, I will never forgive your gay-bashing, your race-hating, and your assaults on the reproductive freedoms of women. I will never falter in this fight. I will never make the mistake of thinking that you are rational, reasoning, or worth listening to at all. You are ideological poison, and it is my duty as a conscientious citizen to fight your brainwashing, ridicule your distortions, and counter your violent threats.

You are my country's real terrorists. You are American jihadi. You are my sworn enemies and I will fight you for my rights and for equal protection under the law until the day I die. If you want to try to silence me, then you better plan on killing me, because as long as I have a voice, I will be using it to fight you. This is my country, founded by a bunch of people who didn't want to be told how to worship God.

And we're going to keep it that way. I will resist all attempts to impose faux-Christian law in my schools, at my church, at work, on the Internet, at the public pool, and in all the areas of my town. You can do whatever you want in your church, but I will fight until my knuckles bleed to make sure your church stays at church and out of my government and for fuck's sake, out of my bedroom.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I will not submit to your will. I will not be intimidated.

I.

Am.

Chocolate.

Jesus.

Eat me.

Sweet! Sounds good to me. I can sink my teeth into that!