Madalyn Murray O’Hair, who succeeded in censoring prayer in the schools, but who failed in her attempt to get “In God We Trust” removed from coins, may be dead or alive—no one seems to know. But if she’s alive, she probably is wearing that mink coat she always wanted, and is no doubt driving that Cadillac she always longed for: her diaries tell us that these material possessions were the dream of her life, and given the way she looted American Atheists—robbing them of over a half-million dollars—she could well afford them.
O’Hair disappeared with the loot in 1995, along with her son and granddaughter. The diary that she left, though not complete, provides a birds-eye view of what was rumbling through her mind. Often seriously depressed, O’Hair ripped off the taxpayers by failing to pay a quarter- million dollars in back taxes. Uncle Sam’s solution was to confiscate the contents of her home and auction her wares; included in this package were her diaries.
What interests the Catholic League most about her diaries was the finding that she was a relentless bigot. News reports show that she “harshly judged almost everyone around her, often singling out Jews, blacks, gay men and lesbians.” What she had to say about Catholics was not reported, but if she had no use for gays, blacks and Jews, it would be mind-boggling to learn that she didn’t detest Catholics with a passion.
Margaret Sanger started Planned Parenthood and hated blacks. O’Hair started American Atheists and hated blacks (and others). Moreover, both organizations have been at war with Catholicism from the get-go. Makes us wonder how anyone who really believes in tolerance could ever support either group.
