Priorities
Interesting and apparently petty battle between the USCCB and Brent Bozell's Media Research Center.
...From their battlements at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops they have been wagging a pettifoggers' war with MRC over a nonsense at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to both and for nothing. MRC has a news service on the Internet, Cybercast News Service. It uses the name CNSNEWS.com and has been since 1998. Two years after it started, the bishops through their lawyers ordered MRC to cease and desist from using CNS in its name because the bishops' Catholic News Service had earlier used the letters.
MRC refused, noting that several other news organizations used the same letters, for instance, a Protestant group, Charisma News Service, the Cox News Service, the China News Service. Pick on them was Bozell's implicit challenge. Also Bozell discovered that the Catholic News Service never had the letters trademarked and believes they probably could not because of all the other organizations using these three letters. MRC proceeded to acquire its own trademark, "Cybercast News Service-CNSNews.com," along with a distinctive logo to distinguish itself from all the others. That did it. The bishops' lawyers commenced a legal battle that has run up until this very month. So far, Bozell has beaten them twice. They tried to get revoked the CNSNEWS.com trademark. That case was subsequently dismissed. The bishops then sued in federal court. That suit has also been thrown out. What next?
The bishops have not sued the Chinese or Cox, only MRC. Some around MRC think this is politics. Petty bureaucrats in the Conference of Catholic Bishops do not approve of Bozell's politics so they are going to harass him. I say it is just another example of the smugness of a group of men who have demonstrated colossal smugness for years. Their reluctance to respond when told for decades that there were priests in their parishes abusing young people is the most infamous example of the bishops' insularity. This stupid legal battle with MRC is another example, a pettier example. [Source]
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The USCCB has very likely been after Bozell on political grounds, but it would be a mistake to rely implicitly on Tyrrell. Ever since he left his wife and seven children to shack up with some chick, and started taking money from one of the country's most notorious abortionists (Edward Allred), I gave up believing his assertions on principle. I hold no brief for the USCCB, but Tyrrell is a wrong'un if ever there was one.
I think I trust Cybercast News Service as a news source more than I trust the USCCB.
I don't know if that's a sad reflection upon me (i.e. am I a bad Catholic?), or a sad reflection upon the USCCB (i.e. have they proven themselves worthy of my trust?).
I share Jay Anderson's sentiments. And since I don't believe they make him a bad Catholic, I won't beat myself over the head either. Trust and respect are earned.
Wow, this is a worthy use of the money that goes in the collection plate! (tongue in cheek)
I hope it breaks the budget of the USCCB and we can be free of this nonsense in a few years.
I think they're probably trying to get parishiners used to the process of church leaders flushing large amounts of their money down the toilet.
Greetings from Los "Billion with a "B" Angeles
Jay & Tim,
There are 2000 years of church history to look back on. Bishops have often not been worthy of emulation so don't blame yourselves when they act badly.
There is a movement in the American church to have them adored as if they were the absolute lords of the Church, not even beholden to the Pope. It's a dangerous and foolish thing and not historically correct.
This media kerfuffle is not a new turn of events when it comes to PR either. Recall that the USCCB has been involved in media schemes before--always foiled--thank God for his providence.
BTW, this very afternoon, I just finished reading Raymond Arroyo's book on Mother Angelica. It's EXCELLENT!
The USCCB has been totally off base with respect to the media for the whole history of mass media. This new foray into lunacy by the USCCB is just more of the same.