Separation of church and state does not call into question the right of Catholics to control the education of their children. There are Catholic schools in France and in the USA.

The writer is less than honest when she states that the school was maintained by non-denominational taxpayers. She insinuates that Catholics do not pay tax.
She also seems to be questining the right of Catholic schools to teach Catholicism. And seems to think that the Catholic church is responsible for there being no non-Catholic schools within easy reach of her home. Her anti-Catholic rant fails to acknowledge that it is for the parents of children to decide what control (if any) the Catholic, or any other church, shall have over the education of their children. And she refuses to acknowledge that the Catholic church has a right to preach what it wants to preach about Gays, lesbians or anything else. From her rant, one could get the impression that Catholic schools are in the habit of sending out snatch squads to grab the children of non-Catholics from the streets and drag them kicking and screaming to be “indoctrinated” in a Catholic school.

Dermot Ahearn and the Papal nuncio are probably embarrassed at the way they overestimated how Irish heretics might seize on the opportunity to damage the Catholic Church when it was at its weakest point. Now the blasphemy law, so beloved of certain fashionably educated activist types, will lay gathering dust until such time they decide to use it a false concession in the future.

If it was designed as bait to provide a distraction it certainly got swallowed hook line and sinker. That’s what happens when an organisation is led by a self promoter whose main aim is to get a share of the limelight and bask in the reflected glory of associating with visiting stalwarts of the worldwide atheist movement.

No one asked questions.

Atheist Ireland along with the gutless artists community have been careful not to go raising a stink about the rape and torture of children and the countless broken victims still waiting for some sort of justice. That just doesn’t go down too well when you’re planning a career as the “atheist” dinner guest in polite society. You don’t want to come across as the mad protester. How courageous to challenge a law by posting blasphemous statements from other people many of them dead, not in the country or even fictitious.

I’m sorry to see the nasty government just refuses to arrest anyone for blasphemy. After going to all the trouble of pasting other people’s words all over a website the sneaky mandarins in Dáil Éireann just won’t take the bait. Why oh why are they not applying to the US government to have Mark Twain’s body exhumed and extradited to face charges here in Ireland. He’d be a really high profile target.

Hey I have a great idea for anyone who really wants to test the blasphemy law: Head down the the Mosque on the North Circular Road dressed as Mohammed and hand out leaflets of the Danish Cartoons.

That ought to do the trick.

Or dress up as the Virgin Mary with a new boob job and keep flashing Catholics as they leave Mass. You could have a sign offering safe sex because you’ll still be a virgin after.

Cowardly hypocrisy: it’s Ireland’s number one product.