Fr. Longenecker calls for boycott

Over at Standing on My Head, Father Dwight Longenecker is calling for a boycott of the New York Times and it's advertisers:

If you would like to protest the treatment of the Pope by the New York Times journalist Maureen Dowd write to the editor, Clark Hoyt. Here's his email: public@nytimes.com

Remember to keep the letter charitable, reasonable yet firm. So the get the message quickly you might want to put 'Fire Maureen Dowd' in the subject line.

Here's what I wrote. Don't copy it, and don't mention me. Just write your own email.

Dear Mr Hoyt,

As a faithful Catholic I am grateful for any effort which will help rid our church of the few pedophile priests. Honest and fair investigative journalism is part of this righteous crusade.

However, your journalist Maureen Dowd is telling lies. Pope Benedict is not guilty of any crime in the case of Fr Lawrence Murphy. You and your staff had the facts. Rather than implicate Pope Benedict the facts actually exonerate him. There are only two options: that you and your staff did not bother to understand the facts, or that you willfully distorted them. As you are intelligent people I have to assume the latter.

Shame on your paper for publishing lies and continuing this intentional smear campaign against the Catholic Church during the holiest time of our year. Would you launch a similar campaign on Muslims during Ramadan about the prophet's marriage of a young girl, the institutionalized pedophilia amongst the Taliban or the Muslims shameful treatment of women? I think not.

I have decided to never purchase your paper and to boycott all your advertisers and I will be encouraging all I know to do the same.

Yrs sincerely,

Dwight Longenecker

If you want to read what Maureen Dowd wrote go here and here and here.

We now have a list of the NY Times online advertisers and will be trying to find ways to begin a boycott by Catholics.