Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the latest developments regarding the league’s protest of Miller beer:
“The Miller boycott has now reached a new level. In addition to the countless number of Catholics who have called us joining the boycott, we are now drawing the support of high-ranking members of the Catholic clergy, the Knights of Columbus in Illinois and New York and the Chaldean community in Michigan.
“Regarding the latter, there are now more than 50 businesses operated by Chaldean Catholics that have pledged to support the boycott. Led by Mike Setto, owner of Orion Keg & Wine Party Store in Michigan’s Lake Orion, many of these Chaldean store owners met last night with Miller representatives Paul J. Quasarano and Christopher Hudgens. For information about the efforts of the Chaldean community, seewww.chaldean.org; a dozen Chaldean organizations have also joined the boycott.
“As I recently told a Catholic bishop, it is not enough for Miller to say it will not approve another anti-Christian poster like the one associated with the Folsom Street Fair. What we want is an end to Miller sponsorship of all anti-Catholic events. To wit: the Folsom Street Fair included (a) the selling of religious symbols as sex toys (b) the hoisting of a stripper and a man dressed as Jesus in cages above a Catholic church on a Sunday, and (c) the public mocking of nuns.
“We are not asking for much. Just as important, we will not settle for less. Any corporation that sponsors events that belittles people on the basis of religion is no better than one that belittles people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation. Why this even has to be argued is testimony to the incredible double standard at play in our society.”
Contact Miller ace Julian Green at green.julian@mbco.com
