You'd think Katie Couric would aspire to be an anchorwoman for all the American people, now that CBS appears to be wooing her for the Throne of Rather. So why did she have to be so rough on Thomas Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, for being a Catholic?
Monaghan has an extraordinary American story. After struggling badly with his
brother in a failing pizza business, he bought his brother out in 1960 and by
the 1980s had accumulated amazing riches. He was enjoying them too, all the
gaudy trappings of success, and then he read the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S.
Lewis. Reading about the great sin of pride, his life changed dramatically. He
stopped concentrating on material things, instead focusing his energies, and his
wealth, in pursuit of spiritual good. He poured millions upon millions of
dollars into pro-life and Catholic philanthropy. Among other ventures, he
founded Ave Maria University. After facing zoning problems with his first
location in Michigan, Monaghan struck a deal in southern Florida, not to merely
build a Catholic college, but a truly Catholic town, open to anyone aspiring to
live in communion with traditional values.
And for that he earned the ire of Katie Couric. Monaghan and his developer
partner Paul Marinelli appeared on the three network morning shows on March 3,
but whereas ABC and CBS were calm, Couric's performance on NBC was so harsh it
was jaw-dropping.
Not once throughout the entire interview did she salute him, thank him,
congratulate him for his philanthropy. Monaghan is putting up a whopping $400
million to create an island of peace in a world gone mad, and she had nothing
nice to say about it. She only joked lamely he was spending $400 million of his
own "dough" (get it? As in pizza?) - and moved straight to hardball.
As NBC dutifully plastered the words "Catholic Town USA" on screen, Couric began
pestering Monaghan about his hope that pharmacists would not sell contraceptives
there. She asked about it four times. After four denials, she started
dropping the bombs.
| "Some people," she claimed, think Catholic values might be "deemed wholesome, but in other ways, I think people will see this community as eschewing diversity and promoting intolerance." Marinelli refused to take the bait, and instead calmly explained that this town was open to all people of all faiths with a "traditional family value perspective." Couric was unconvinced and shot back, "Does that mean you would welcome Jewish residents?" |
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It was an ugly question
with the veiled accusation of bigotry lurking just below the surface. And when
she was done, she switched gears, clumsily dragging in words that suggest racism
to the audience: "But do you think the tenets of the community might result in
de facto segregation as a result of some of the beliefs that are being espoused
by the majority of residents there?" What in the world was Couric imagining in
Ave Maria, Florida - the great Catholic menace?
After pestering the Ave Maria duo about whether the cable TV system will be
smutty enough, Couric returned to touting the concerns of the "people." It's
always "people" or "some people," never a source identified. "At the same time
you can understand how people would hear some of these things and be, like, wow,
this is really infringing on civil liberties and freedom of speech and right to
privacy and all sorts of basic tenets this country was founded on. Right?"
Like, wow, Tom Monaghan is now un-American? Somehow the concept of freedom of
association, that people are free to build a community based on common beliefs,
something American children learn about in their history books, from Amish
communities to Shaker communities to Mormon communities to Jewish communities,
is a frightening and alien concept to Couric -when conservative Catholics start
talking about it.
Couric betrayed her secular liberal allegiances with her final shot when she
concluded the interview: "Well, we'll probably be following this story, because
I know the ACLU is too." Then she laughed.
Other religions have started up communities founded on their beliefs. In
southwestern Iowa, some New Age Hindus have created the town of Maharishi Vedic
City, a religious center based on the principles and teachings of Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi. There's been no dire civil-liberties alert from Couric yet, even
though the city has banned the sale of non-organic food and the use of synthetic
pesticides and fertilizers.
Stop the presses! Get Couric on the line! Civil rights at risk! Intolerance and
bigotry afoot! Oh, wait....wait. You said Hindus? Oh, never mind.