'Anti-Christ' Suspended From New York Times Newspaper

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., March 26, 2007 -- Charles Merrill,
whose cousin, Charles Merrill, founded Merrill Lynch, has
had his blogging account suspended by a publication owned byNew York Times Corp. because his blog name was
"Anti-Christ."

Merrill states, "I have been a very frequent blogger to the
online Hendersonville Times News,
http://www.hendersonvillenews.com, which is owned by the NewYork Times. Suddenly out of nowhere, because they found myusername offensive, the paper removed me from the site."

Merrill, 72, a Palm Springs resident, is an artist and
self-made millionaire. His late wife, Evangeline, was the
only daughter of Johnson & Johnson founder Robert Wood
Johnson. He is a life-time member and financial contributor
to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, http://www.ffrf.org,
an organization currently arguing a case before the Supreme
Court on whether the FFRF can mount a First Amendment
challenge to the Bush Administration's "faith-based"
initiatives.

"Ironically, the New York Times, in a February 28th
editorial this year, argued on behalf of the Freedom From
Religion Foundation's position and against the Bush
Administration's stand on mixing up religion with the
government," Merrill said. "Yet, on the other hand, the
Times-controlled newspaper says I can't have a username
such as 'Anti-Christ.' Frankly, I am very surprised at the
Times' bigoted position and being suspended because of my
username. It is taking away my First Amendment rights as a
U.S. Citizen to express myself as an atheist."

Merrill continues to be under attack by the IRS for not
filing income tax in protest on over two million in stock
sales and income for 2004. The IRS is withholding 28 percent
of Merrill's income that they know about, until he files a
report. Merrill and his partner Kevin Boyle are not filing
Federal income tax because the Federal tax code is
discriminatory towards domestic partners and will not extend
the same benefits as married couples receive.

An irate Merrill states, "We are atheists, so we don't care
what our civil union is called. They can call it
un-sanctified marriage by heathens or Federal Civil Union,
whatever. We just want the same Federal tax benefits
afforded to everyone else." Merrill and his partner were
named by the leading gay magazine Out as two of the 100 men and women who rocked 2006. Out magazine wrote in its
December 2006 issue: "A marriage license in exchange for a
tax payment - sounds reasonable to us."

"The New York Times defends our freedom from
state-controlled religion on the one hand, and then cuts us
off on the other. Does this make sense?" asks Merrill.