Town Official Attacks Catholics -On Video!

CMR lesson number one: If you’re going to do something stupid don’t do it in front of a video camera. If Paris Hilton has taught us anything it’s that.

We here at CMR do stupid things all the time. I mean severely stupid. (I’m not even talking about Patrick getting his head caught in the banister again) But thus far we’ve been able to narrowly avoid serious disgrace or the condemnation of polite society. Unfortunately, a South Carolina County Councilwoman did something very very worthy of the condemnation of polite society…ON VIDEO!

Democratic Councilwoman Laura Von Harten announced to all the world that her hatred for all things Catholic made her an unfit public servant. Von Harten announced (for absolutely no reason) at a public meeting that she would vehemently oppose a minor zoning change to allow St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church to expand slightly because of the Catholic Church’s position on abortion and female ordination. That makes sense. You can’t build an extension because I can’t be a priest -not that I want to anyway.

This charming member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort called the Catholic Church’s policy barring women from serving as priests “an affront to my dignity and all of womankind.”

Of course, there was a brouhaha raised and she was forced to apologize and Von Harten has agreed to abstain from any votes on St. Gregory’s rezoning, saying her “personal opinions are obviously going to get in the way of me making a fair decision.”

According to the Beaufort Gazette her apology said:

“I truly intended my remarks on human rights to pertain to the Catholic Church as a political entity, with a seat at the United Nations, but I acknowledge that I offended individuals in my own community,” she wrote.

“In no way did I intend to infringe on anyone’s freedom of religion. In no way did I intend to disparage any individual member of the Church. I respect the rights of all people to worship in the church of their choosing. Given the history of persecution endured by members of the Catholic Church, I regret my insensitivity on this matter.”

I’ve got to tell you. As insincere as the non-apology apology was, she at least didn’t announce she was going into Rehab or say she was still in shock from being beaten up by an altar boy the week before.