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CBS Drives Away 'Anti-Gay' Catholics
Townhall.com ^ | October 17, 2014 | Brent Bozell

Posted on 10/17/2014 7:36:12 AM PDT by Kaslin

While the cultural commissars keep throwing praise and awards at raunchy shows on trendy Internet streaming channels, CBS has a series of highly-rated traditional police or military shows that get no attention or respect. "NCIS" keeps spinning off shows -- this year in New Orleans -- and "Blue Bloods" is a consistent Top 20 performer despite airing on Friday night. You won't see its star Tom Selleck at Emmy awards time.

"Blue Bloods" deals with an Irish-Catholic family of cops, headed by New York police commissioner Frank Reagan, played by Selleck. Some Catholics became fans of the show as a rare portrayal of a church-attending Catholic family dealing with today's thorny issues.

Some controversial topics lend themselves to debate. But the Hollywood left has another view of its pet causes. There is no moral relativism. There is right and there is wretchedly wrong.

On Oct. 10, someone at CBS pushed for a Very Special Episode on homosexuality -- and the allegedly horrific Catholic stance on it. At the opening of the episode, a policeman is "outed" by being at a crime scene in a gay neighborhood. This leads to Selleck's police commissioner having to discuss it at a press conference.

A reporter -- clearly speaking for Hollywood -- sneers at the top cop: "The Catholic Church condemns homosexuality as a sin, and the commissioner is famously Catholic. How do you line up your anti-gay faith with your role as an equal-opportunity employer?" Selleck's character replies: "What my men and women do in private is their own business."

The reporter shoots back: "So you only condemn homosexuality on Sunday?" All Selleck's character can offer is, "Well, I do believe the church is a little behind the times on this. But then, I still miss the Latin Mass; so next question."

This clumsy non sequitur spurred the rest of the show's plot. The producer wheels in a new character, Cardinal Brennan -- a stand-in for Cardinal Dolan of New York -- painted as a good friend of the commissioner's. Over lunch, he demands a public apology for the anti-Catholic slur over lunch -- although he apparently agrees in private that the church teaching is wrong.

"Come on Greg, give me a break. You and I have talked for hours about ways the Church needs to reform," Selleck's character laments. The cardinal replies, "Alone, in private, just between us men." The commissioner drags in the clergy sex-abuse scandals: "I do believe the church is backwards on this. And of all the stands to hold onto, in the midst of the scandals of the past decades." The cardinal shoots back "The Catechism of the Catholic Church remains firm on the matter, Frank." He then holds out his ring for an outraged Selleck to kiss.

CBS doesn't care that the Catechism's paragraphs on homosexuality preach "respect, compassion, and sensitivity" to people with homosexual attractions. That's never enough for Hollywood. The minute it suggests these men and women are "called to chastity" to avoid sin and "fulfill God's will," the conversation is over.

The episode's stick-figure propaganda continued. Because of his refusal to apologize, the commissioner is removed as guest of honor from a fundraising banquet for his old parish school. The episode ends with a religious sister who runs the school. Here comes another liberal plot twist. She confides, "Commissioner, the day I entered the convent started on the train platform in Madison, Wisconsin, where I kissed my girlfriend goodbye," and "there's never been a day I'm ashamed of who I was before, so thank you."

At CBS, the kangaroo court convenes, and the defendant is guilty before the episode is even written. It's an eyebrow-raiser when a network knowingly drives a program's natural audience away because it can't help but scratch a persistent leftist itch.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: bluebloods; catholicchurch; catholics; hollywood; tomselleck
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To: Kaslin; BillyBoy; GOPsterinMA; fieldmarshaldj

My mom is a big fan of this show. She was really pissed off by this episode. I watched it, it was horrendous. Highlights include the fake Cardinal making Selleck kiss his ring and a nun revealing that she used to lick carpet.


41 posted on 10/17/2014 4:00:44 PM PDT by Impy (Voting democrat out of spite? Then you are America's enemy, like every other rat voter.)
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To: Kaslin

I didn’t watch this episode after reading the guide write up about it. Done with this show. Also they have a new show called “Stalker” which I wasn’t sure about so I decided to watch the second episode. They had a lesbian wedding as a subplot. Done with that one too. Good luck to them with their gay audience.


42 posted on 10/17/2014 4:08:50 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (Liberals make unrealistic demands on reality and reality doesn't oblige them.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Because this is what we are going to get,up hill all the way.America has lost her first love [JESUS CHRIST] like it or not.This has been going on for many years the last 40 years


43 posted on 10/17/2014 4:32:58 PM PDT by primrose (w)
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To: longtermmemmory

I really can’t tell you more than 3 or 4 names of shows that are on network TV.

The only network program that the husband and I watch on a regular basis is “Jeopardy”, which, I have noticed in the last year or so is increasingly pushing left wing thinking.

Well, we were watching “Blue Bloods” on DVR fairly regularly, but that is history now....

Oh, yeah, and we do watch some Baltimore local news at night.


44 posted on 10/17/2014 5:13:12 PM PDT by Bigg Red (31 May 2014: Obamugabe officially declares the USA a vanquished subject of the Global Caliphate.)
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To: wordsofearnest
Never seen it never will.

Well then, there's at least two of us.

45 posted on 10/17/2014 6:41:55 PM PDT by Graybeard58 (Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Eccl 12 V.13)
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To: Kaslin
Blue Bloods nearly always treats the Catholic Church with respect. It's one of the many reasons I like the show so much.

The episode in question was not their finest hour. My son likes the show as much as I do. He missed that one but planned the taped version. I told him he would not like it. After watching, he agreed.

There have been many series I liked in my life. There has never been one that I liked every episode. It says right here when the episode in question shows up on rerun, I'll take a pass.

My wager is, over the long haul, Blue Bloods will continue to treat the Catholic Church with respect. I think they took their first run at that in the 10-17-14 episode.

I'm way too old for hero worship. Tom Selleck hasn't lived the perfect Catholic life. I'm clueless as to his persuasion. He has a long, long history of Part B of the Greatest Commandment: You will love your neighbor as yourself.

I would have never watched my first episode of Blue Bloods were it not for Tom Selleck's participation. I doubt he would continue with a show that would manifest the CBS disdain for the Catholic Church. If you watch Blue Bloods every week, you won't be disappointed very often.

46 posted on 10/17/2014 9:43:08 PM PDT by stevem
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To: Kaslin
Blue Bloods nearly always treats the Catholic Church with respect. It's one of the many reasons I like the show so much.

The episode in question was not their finest hour. My son likes the show as much as I do. He missed that one but planned the taped version. I told him he would not like it. After watching, he agreed.

There have been many series I liked in my life. There has never been one that I liked every episode. It says right here when the episode in question shows up on rerun, I'll take a pass.

My wager is, over the long haul, Blue Bloods will continue to treat the Catholic Church with respect. I think they took their first run at that in the 10-17-14 episode.

I'm way too old for hero worship. Tom Selleck hasn't lived the perfect Catholic life. I'm clueless as to his persuasion. He has a long, long history of Part B of the Greatest Commandment: You will love your neighbor as yourself.

I would have never watched my first episode of Blue Bloods were it not for Tom Selleck's participation. I doubt he would continue with a show that would manifest the CBS disdain for the Catholic Church. If you watch Blue Bloods every week, you won't be disappointed very often.

47 posted on 10/17/2014 9:43:15 PM PDT by stevem
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To: Commander X

I happened on NBC News with Brian Williams tonight. After a panicky long story on Ebola then a short one on ISIS, Williams, with all the authoritarian manner he can muster, says we’ll be right back with stories on the surprising rock band leader Bono and an even more surprising look at what NFL quarterbacks say in the huddle.

Things are so bad for the left they have to dig up tripe like this to avoid reporting on it.

Good God what a farce.


48 posted on 10/17/2014 9:48:25 PM PDT by Rennes Templar (Obama: First ever POTUS to be retired while still in office.)
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To: Kaslin

Read the headline and just knew what show CBS was screwing with.


49 posted on 10/18/2014 3:44:02 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici
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To: All

Shame on Tom Selleck. What a disappointment; I thought he was better than that.

When the show first came out, I felt it was anti-Catholic, so I never watched it again. Looks like I did the right thing.


50 posted on 10/19/2014 12:59:22 AM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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To: Kaslin

I actually gave up on this show a season or so ago. They had an episode with a “conservative” talk show host who called the black mayor a porch monkey and was saying other racist stuff that conservative hosts only say when written by a liberal. The host was having a town hall appearance in NYC and Tom Selleck’s character made sure to have only minority police officers working to guard the place, which enraged the host and kept all of his conservative, racist listeners away from the event.

This was after an episode where a prostitute was murdered, and of course the murderer turned out to be her devoutly Christian mother who opposed her lifestyle. And another episode where a Muslim terrorist was planning to blow up a park, and it turned out to be a blue-eyed blonde who had married a Muslim and became a radical. Her husband and every other Muslim shown were appalled by her actions and complained that she had twisted their beliefs.

I watched the first season of Persons of Interest, which had a little bit of a “blame America” undercurrent to it. I stopped watching early in season 2 when our heroes were charged with guarding a doctor and her “wife.”


51 posted on 10/19/2014 1:44:50 AM PDT by Rastus
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To: Bigg Red

since trebeck “came out” it is no surprise.


52 posted on 10/20/2014 12:32:30 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Rastus

given his history, I am surprised Seleck is involved in such writing.


53 posted on 10/20/2014 12:34:05 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: longtermmemmory

Seriously? Alex Trebeck on Jeopardy?


54 posted on 10/20/2014 3:53:30 PM PDT by Bigg Red (31 May 2014: Obamugabe officially declares the USA a vanquished subject of the Global Caliphate.)
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