By Peggy Weber

Recently, I was at a small grocery store and picked up a copy of a Valley Advocate newspaper. It had a cover photo about an historical cemetery and I was intrigued.

I was with my daughter, Elizabeth, and she started to flip through the paper as we drove home.

After just a short time, she closed the paper and told me there was  a cartoon in there that made fun of the Eucharist.

I could not believe it and looked when I got home.

A part of me wants to post the cartoon so you can see just how awful it is. However, I do not want to show this and give it more publicity.

I will quote some lines from it.

The cartoon is titled, “And Also With You” and has a picture priest handing Communion to a boy who is wearing a backwards baseball cap. The cartoon figure has one hand out for Communion. The other is holding an Ipod and he is wearing “ear buds”.

There are several responses made by this young man in the cartoon. I hesitate to write them. One of the mildest is “I always wondered where recycled styrofoam went.”

Another is — “You gonna finish that pimp cup o’wine, playa?”

Others have sexual innuendos and mock transubstantiation.

I was so outraged by this cartoon and thought that I had to speak out.

I called Tom Vannah, the editor of the Advocate three times and never got a return call.

I -emailed him and asked for a public apology. There was no response.

Can you imagine if any other religion had been mocked that way in a local cartoon? Can you sense the outrage that would take place?

I decided I could not be quiet or do nothing. I ask you to  contact The Advocate and let them know that they should not mock the Eucharist in this fashion.

I intend to go to my little market and ask them to think about not accepting the Advocate for distribution in their store.

I have a sense of humor and believe in freedom of the press but this cartoon crossed the line.

Please join me in speaking out.

Advocate contact info:

 Tom Vannah, editor
Valley Advocate
115 Conz St.
P.O. Box 477
Northampton, MA 01061
(413) 529-2840, ext. 218
(413) 529-2844 fax