Christian Right attacks Pagan Democratic Party officer (updated)

This is one of those diaries I hoped I'd never have to write. But as the Vice Chair of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee, this duty falls to me.

On Monday, the Christian Civic League of Maine decided to attack our county chair, Rita Moran, on the basis of her Pagan faith. This comes two weeks after a major victory in a special election in our county. Flip for more...

Two weeks ago, we had just completed one of the first major accomplishments since taking over leadership of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee in 2005. Between the combination of hard work by our candidate, Deane Jones, and his team, and the efforts of our County Committee and its volunteers, we won a special election for a State House seat.

Very soon after, the Christian Civic League was irate, attacking Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for paying for a "push poll" condemning Penny Morrell's abortion stance:

Over $918 has been spent within the last week by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England's Action Fund -- MEPAC on the campaign of Maine Democrat State Representative Candidate Deane Jones of Mount Vernon.  Jones is running for the Legislature's vacant House District 83 seat against Republican Penelope "Penny" Morrell. Morrell is employed by Maine Right to Life.  Jones was endorsed by EqualityMaine in his failed bid for the same office last year. (source)

And, in another article, they state "Pro-Sodomy, Pro-Abortion Forces Pick Up Legislative Seat" in the headline. They also state that Morrell "handily won" her hometown of Belgrade- but when you only win your Republican-leaning hometown by 80 votes, that's telling a different tale. One that involved someone calling to congratulate us on that achievement at the victory party, actually.

So, so far, so good. Nothing out of the ordinary. Right-wing crazies are pissed off that we beat them, and handily at that- by about 60%-40%. But this is where it gets weird.

On Monday, our county chair received an e-mail from the state party chair, Ben Dudley. He was forwarding a letter from Mike Hein of the Christian Civic League. I won't post the content of the e-mail here, but the gist was it was demanding her resignation because she was Pagan. The Pagan listservs are lighting up, talking about the action being taken by the CCL, and referring to this article:

Democrat County Chair Worships Witchcraft Goddess; Promotes Paganism

Rita Moran is well-known in Central Maine as the longstanding Kennebec County Democrat Chair and the the owner of Apple Valley Books at 121 Main Street in Winthrop. Less well-known is Moran's involvement in one of Maine's thriving underground pagan worship circles.

And it goes on from there. You can imagine that by now, people are a little nervous- they are posting the location of her store, her home, and multiple methods of contact. Anyone who visits Daily Kos regularly knows that they are inviting hatemongers to attack her. And it gets even more interesting in the comments section of the website.

Right in the comment submission form, it states that an e-mail is required, but will not be published. If you read the comments, you will see that there are e-mails in the comments supporting Rita, that have been posted there by the CCL. There is also personal information, as much as they could find on Google- including addresses, phone numbers, and even dates of birth. The comments themselves have been heavily edited, as stated by some commenters on some of the Pagan blogs (I won't source this, to respect their privacy- but Googling "rita moran pagan" should cover it if you're curious).

At first, we were hoping that this attack would be a simple deal. Crazy wingers attack, we ignore, they remain in obscurity. Rita wanted her privacy, as we keep our politics and our religion separate around here. But the actions of this organization are dangerous, to say the least. Contact with the hate crimes division is being considered.

Also, as Paganism is poorly understood, we stand to lose donors to the County Committee. Her small local bookstore also stands to suffer. So I will do what I'm supposed to do when we're attacked, and that is ask the progressive blogosphere to jump in and get our backs.

If you support our work in electing good Democrats to office, and fighting back against the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, and the referendum to repeal the gay civil rights, then get our backs. Join the Pagan community which has already been so generous, and help both the Kennebec County Democrats and Rita herself.

We have no overhead costs, and no paid staff. Every dime you give us goes directly to work, and we work for every Democrat in the county. Our State Senate is only held by a one-seat margin, and we plan to take back one of those seats in the heart of Kennebec in 2008. As many of you know, Maine is the testing ground for many types of legislation- Clean Elections included. "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." We intend to stay blue.

The Kennebec County Democrats ActBlue page is here.

And, the next time you want to buy a book, please consider buying it from Rita's bookstore, by clicking here.

I thank you for all that you do. Let's kick some winger ass!

(Crossposted at Turn Maine Blue)

UPDATE: I received from Rita a couple of notes she sent to the Pagan community and felt she should have posted here to break her silence. Some of the information is also included in the diary I wrote up, but better to post what she said than try to edit it like crazy. Also, some of the info is now a tad old, since we have received some donations from some folks in the Pagan community since this broke.

Sadly, as of now, none from DKos.

I've been a bit shaken up by all this. While I've never denied being Pagan, I considered it a private matter. Lots of folks figured it out; lots of folks enjoyed the plausible deniability my privacy offered. Perhaps even more disturbing is how Michael Hein and Company have both edited the comments supporting me, and investigated folks posting those comments, posting additional information about them which they did not want posted.

I have the full support of the Maine Democratic Party, and the Executive Committee of my own county Dems, and resignation is not in the picture.

My primary concerns are financial. When this happened, I "zeroed out" the donation total on our county Dems website ( http://www.kennebecdems.org). There has not been a single donation since I've been "outed". I'm even more concerned about the loss of business here at our bookshop as Michael Hein's attack turns to even more vicious rumors.

I guess what I'd ask from the community is whatever support they can offer. Tranquil energy, book orders, donations to our county committee if you wish to recognize that aspect of my community service.

and

Thanks to all for your words of support. Some of you have contacted me off-list to ask if I knew why I became a target, and why at this particular time. It wasn't until I had a great discussion with one of our local legislators that I was able to understand this.

Here goes: I've worked hard to become an effective county chair, leading a county which has many, many swing voters. If I were forced to resign, there is nobody with the time and experience to take over and do the job as it needs to be done in this critical cycle (a targeted US Senate race, plus a presidential election coming up next year). That's the "why".

The "why now" seems even clearer. On June 12th a special election was held to elect a representative to the Maine House. The principal difference between the two candidates was the issue of choice, with the Republican candidate actually being on staff at Maine Right to Life. We won, they lost and, two weeks later, the smear campaign began. Coincidence? You tell me.

UPDATE 2: The Christian Civic League has purged their website of comments. Anyone know how to find 'em in a Google cache?

UPDATE 3: We are up to over $600 in donations (and don't even know who raised us 3 of them!) Multiple people have given me information on how to score a Google cache of the comments, and they are saved on my hard drive.

The backlash on the CCL has been amazing. I'm sure that Michael Hein is just waiting for a group of mean old nasty Pagans to turn him into a newt. (He'll get better.) It doesn't look likely that we can prosecute for hate crimes, but we are eyeing what we can do in regard to their tax-exempt status. The hunt continues. Thank you all.

•  Tips for Rita

  because it seems like though Pagans never try to hurt anyone, so many try to hurt them.

  Thank you for your support.

  by Eddie in ME on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 10:35:08 PM PDT

  •  These wingnuts are getting a bit Klannish

    I have seen this before.  Next come the burning crosses, the burning books, and finally the burning people.

    We have to stop them now.

    by feduphoosier on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:09:14 PM PDT

    •  Some discussion is going on about a lawsuit

      but no one is sure how illegal what they're doing is. The information they're acquiring is technically public. But they're violating their own terms of service by posting e-mails they say won't be posted.

      We're not sure how to act in that department. But we do know we can kick the crap out of their candidates, and do so regularly.

      by Eddie in ME on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:31:08 PM PDT

      •  threats against public official: illegal as hell

        Once the righties cross the line to anything that could be interpreted as a threat, they are committing a crime similar to threatening assassination of an elected official.  At that point you can get the police and possibly FBI involved.  

        Remember, the old line "I know where you live" is a threat.  And when people do it online, it's still a threat.

        Meanwhile, what to do about this:

        Go after the righties and confront them directly:  

        "These people are engaged in bigotry and religious smear tactics.  They are promoting a de-facto religious test for office, which is unconstitutional and un-American.  They should be ahsmed of themselves.  If that's the type of society they want, they should move to Iran."

        The simplest definition of pagan is, "someone who believes that God is found in nature."   (We'll leave aside for the moment the subtle distinctions between "God" and "Goddess," let the righties try to explain that the deity has exclusively male gender, and if they try to push that point, ask them if God has a penis, which should make their heads explode or make them say something they will later regret.)  Do not try to over-explain because that sounds like an apology, but have this definition and this line of reasoning available if needed.

        Your friend needs a few things. to protect herself:

        An intruder alarm at both home and workplace, that is equipped with both a landline and cellular connection to the security monitoring station.  The alarm needs to have a "duress" code, so that if she is being attacked, she can dial that code, appearing to turn off the alarm, when in fact it summons help immediately.  

        A firearm in case someone comes to her house or workplace and makes a direct physical threat.  (And practice, practice, practice; learn how to use it safely.)  

        A portable recorder that's easy to turn on so she can capture any live threats on tape (or nowadays on digital memory); BTW there are microphones made for iPods, and that combination is a good discrete way to record.  

        An answering machine that will keep recording when you pick up the phone to speak, or the following combination:  On her answering machine, her message should include a phrase such as "calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance" (yes, use this at home too, people have gotten so used to hearing it when they call coroporate switchboards that they will probably ignore it).  Then obtain a recorder coupler at Radio Snack, of the type that records when any phone in the house is in use; and a cassette recorder.  She should make and receive all her phone calls from the phone nearest the recorder so she can turn it off during regular conversations and turn it back on again when done.  The point of this is to obtain recordings of threats that can be used to identify the callers and used as evidence.  The disclosure "calls are being recorded" is sufficient for legal notification in two-party notification states.  

        Outdoor lights around the house, that are triggered by motion sensors, are a good idea.  Replace bulbs as soon as they burn out and be very suspicious if they are burning out more often than would be expected.  

        Keep the car indoors in the garage at times when it is not visible in a very public place, the point of this being to minimize the opportunity for righties to vandalize it or worse.  

        And of course, good locks on the house (Kwikset is the most common residential lock but not good enough; Schlage is better, Medico etc. are excellent), locks on windows, and so on to keep intruders out in the first place.  

        The point of all of the above is not to get paranoid, but to give yourself the reassurance of knowing you're taking all reasonable steps.  By analogy, wearing seatbelts and having airbags in the car does not engender paranoia, if anything they contribute to the sense of safety on the road.  

        by G2geek on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 01:53:34 AM PDT

  •  They deleted my first post

    So I tried another one, this time more insulting.

    by Hannibal on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:20:42 PM PDT

  •  Pagans never hurt anyone?

    Umm... What happened to history?

    While I support freedom of religion that remark is pretty damned silly and does your case (which I agree with) absolutely no good at all.

    by Demena on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 01:18:10 AM PDT

    •  Which history?

        Modern paganism hardly goes back further than the 19th century, and that's by a very loose definition of the term; in that time there haven't been any incidents (outside of fiction) of religious-inspired violence by pagans, to my knowledge; perhaps you know of some examples you could share.

      by WIds on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 02:18:11 AM PDT

      •  If you are going

        to claim paganism as a "new" religion with no prior traditions then you can claim this cleanliness.  But pagan traditions have existed for a long time and much archaic spirtuality is described as pagan and much of it has been far from clean.

        by Demena on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 06:41:40 AM PDT

        •  Well

            I'm aware that some pagans would like to claim a long historical pedigree.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be), a large part of their supposed history is "underground", undocumented and unverifiable. Although it used to be an article of faith in the neopagan community that paganism had, by some means or another, survived in Europe through the Middle Ages to the present, increasing numbers of pagans accept that it is a late 19th/early 20th century re-creation, based partly on local traditions of various origins (including Christian origins), partly on the academic study of ancient European pagan religions, and in good part on the invention and ingenuity of the founders of neopagan sects.

          by WIds on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 07:51:48 AM PDT

          •  I would characterize it more as a rebirth...

            It was the christian's who slaughtered the pagan's once christianity was founded (around 135 ad).  They all but exterminated the pagan's.

            Yes, the pagan culture then went underground (it had to).

            As christianity lost its hold over governments, the pagans then started coming out again, but it is true, it is in a different form from the historical pagan.

            So actually, both are right depending on the context you wish to use it.

            by MotleyPatriot on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 07:55:30 AM PDT

            •  No, they are not.

              Yes, the pagan culture then went underground (it had to).

              As christianity lost its hold over governments, the pagans then started coming out again, but it is true, it is in a different form from the historical pagan.

              The above is not true.  It certainly is a 'different' form.  No resemblance to the 'original'.

              by Demena on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 06:07:19 PM PDT

              •  That was my entire point...

                The term "pagan" is being used to define both sets... the old and new... kind of an umbrella term, so to speak.

                Like I said, the "rebirth" of the "pagan" was done in a different form... granted.  But the term "pagan" was still applied to both.

                by MotleyPatriot on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 07:23:56 PM PDT

                •  No, you don't have a point.

                  What is true is that the term was appropriated, stolen if you will.  As I said, call yourself a Modern Pagan and I'll have no isse..

                  But appropriation of a term does not mean you are entitled to it.  It is like Microsoft trying to copyright the word windows.

                  by Demena on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 02:14:27 AM PDT

                  •  I must say I'm curious.

                    I write a diary about a woman being threatened by a hate group, and all you do is go on about the validity of the usage of the term "Pagan" to describe a group of polytheist nature worshippers?

                    Seriously. There are bigger fish to fry here!

                    by Eddie in ME on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 07:17:12 AM PDT

                    •  If

                      you were not intrested in what followed you could have made that point at the begining.  So it comes across somewhat sourgrapish particularly since it is a strawman.  

                      Pagan have hurt people.  The peple who have apropriated the term to describe themselves and only themselves cannot say that pagans have not hurt people, they can say that modern pagans have not.

                      Similarly, christians can't say they haven't hurt anybody but some groups of them can.

                      And the reason this is not trivial is because the very meme that encourages the falsehod is the same one that allows people to believe that "americans don't torture".

                      I have nothing against pagans, ancient or modern.

                      by Demena on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 09:32:18 AM PDT

    •  they certainly never hurt anyone

      what is your definition of pagan?  i mean, you realize it's in no way an ethnic or social grouping, right?  even saying "i'm pagan" implies a complete lack of structure in one's spirituality.  believe you me, ain't no such thing as a coven of pagans.

      if you're using the term to be loosely synonymous with older, "heathen" cultures, that isn't the same thing as being a modern pagan at all.  the term had little meaning in any demographic way until very recently.  it still has very little.  and in any event, those "heathen" cultures certainly didn't kill in any more a concerted fashion, or at a rate greater than any of the great societies through history.

      by Cedwyn on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:40:57 AM PDT

      •  If you want to claim this;

        even saying "i'm pagan" implies a complete lack of structure in one's spirituality.  believe you me, ain't no such thing as a coven of pagans.

        Then I suggest you call yourself a "Modern Pagan" rather than pagan as it seems you are describing a schism I suppose.

        by Demena on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 06:44:12 AM PDT

        •  okay, seriously

          please tell us what your definition of pagan is.  

          anyhoo, we live in the modern age, no one need make any such distinction when self-identifying as pagan.  to do so would be redundant...

          regardless of its historical origins and context, where it literally meant "of the country," (i.e., following the natural cycles of the earth) in modern parlance, "pagan" is decidedly associated with religion.  it's kind of a truism that the only people using "pagan" in the former sense are, well, pagans.

          the more i do tihnk about it, though, it is a form of worship - belief in other "powers," (e.g. invoking gods/goddesses) rituals, ceremonies and what not.  but it's too decentralized a faith system for any church structure to be useful. and  that's the thing:  while being a pagan implies certain things about one's belief systems, it's more of a spirituality thing than a religion thing.  which is why they hate it.  

          anyhoo, my bigger point is that we're in a discussion about religion and so it's obvious that is the working definition of "pagan" for now.  and what is this "schism" of which you speak?

          by Cedwyn on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 07:59:02 AM PDT

          •  I already did.

            And there is nothing stopping you doing some research.

            by Demena on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 06:08:07 PM PDT

            •  where? in reply to me asking you?

              because i've missed your working definition of "pagan."  

              by Cedwyn on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 03:25:53 PM PDT

              •  So,

                go back and look.

                by Demena on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 10:27:03 PM PDT

                •  aaah yes...i ask you a direct question

                  and you expected that i would, for some reason, feel compelled to search the entire thread to find it?  don't flatter yourself, darlin' - i don't care that much.

                  by Cedwyn on Sat Jun 30, 2007 at 10:01:08 AM PDT

                  •  Exactly

                    by Demena on Sat Jun 30, 2007 at 05:40:24 PM PDT

•  My neighbor thinks we are pagens because

  as she says, we have a broken cross hanging on our house (it is a large Peace sign i made).  I patiently explained to her that we are not pagans, but heathens - somehow that didn't make her feel any better.

  Wow, a whole $918 for a push poll - man I lave small local politics.  I say figure out a way to use the attacks to your fund raising advantage - maybe a free spell with every donation (as you can see I know nothing about pagans)

  by ETinKC on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:02:56 PM PDT

  •  We are doing that

    but quite by accident. When this thing hit the Pagan listservs, we scored about $500 in donations.

    Our goal is to do the same as Ethan Strimling did when the CCL came out with "Homos for Strimling"- profit from their dumbfuckery (h/t Hunter).

    by Eddie in ME on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:05:37 PM PDT

    •  Hey i just realized that i have some friends

      who just moved to Maine like a couple of weeks ago.  She was a great Dean supporter and spent many a cold days going Door to door with me in Iowa.  I am sure she is trying to get settled into her new job, but where should i send her if/when she is ready to get involved again.

      by ETinKC on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:16:27 PM PDT

      •  Send me an e-mail

        It's in my bio (just click my name). Let me know where she is located and I will try to set you up with some contacts for her local municipal and county committee.

        Good to hear from a Perfect Stormer.

        by Eddie in ME on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:22:19 PM PDT

  •  I'm curious...

    What exactly is the difference?

    (Please, humour a confused Offlerian.)

    by Cynical Copper on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:30:53 PM PDT

    •  Really nothing - but I like the confused

      look in her eye.  Heathen is a reference by judeao Christians to all non believers, but most likely started as a reference to the natural religions like paganism.

      From google:

      • a person who does not acknowledge your god
      • not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and Islam

      Originally people of the heath or moor. Originally, it was a Christian term to denigrate followers of the old, pre-Christian Religion. Followers of Asatru and other ancient reconstructed aboriginal religions have embraced the term.

      Within a European Christian context, paganism is a catch-all term which has come to connote a broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices (see Cult (religion)) of a natural religion (as opposed to a revealed religion of a text), which are usually, but not necessarily, characterized by polytheism and, less commonly, animism. There is little organized "-ism" in paganism.

      In reality - we are Atheist or what ever term you want to use - but I like to be whatever will get the most shock value at the time.

      by ETinKC on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:47:38 PM PDT

    •  fair enough

      what's an "offlerian"?

      by Cedwyn on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:44:24 AM PDT

      •  You know, Offler

        The Crocodile Headed God... part of the service is trailing your finger in a pool filled with baby crocodiles (of course, I'm non-practicing, so it may have changed) and the priests fry sausages so the essence and smell floats up to offler and then the priests eat the sausages' eartly remains, which they clainm turn to dust and ashes in their mouths.

        (Personally, I think the sausage part is a bunch of hooey)

        Actually, That's just just something I picked up from Discworld.  I'm still nominally christian, but of a particularly agnostic bent (Valarist practically).  I prefer to think of the one known currently as Jesus as the first Maia since Melian to have a functional reproductive system.  That therefore leads to his Authurian descendant, Percival, who did collect rhe Holy grail and now is immortal and runs the Illuminati (which is slowly losing ground to the power of the hyper-corperation and their mortal, short-sighted CEO's).

        Looks around What?

        Wel, not so much believe as think is an interesting scenario.  

        by Cynical Copper on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 12:36:30 PM PDT

•  That's some weird shit

  With all that personal info posted. I posted a comment under a fake name, just to see what would happen. Christians like that really piss me off.

  by Hannibal on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:11:44 PM PDT

•  Turn The Tables

  My suggestion: Call on the state GOP to denounce the CCL for its hatemongering, anti-American attack on religious freedom. And call on Susan Collins to do the same.  Do it quick. Do it hard. Do it without apology.  And do not let up.  Force them to choose between bigotry and moderation.

  The only reason folks like Collins are still in the Senate is that they get away with courting two diametrically opposed types of voters. Make her choose between the two.

  They want to make it about your local county vice-chair. You make it about their US Senator.

  Just what kind of leader is she?

  I'm not kidding.  Enough of their phony moderates who enable crypto-fascists.  She wants to be a modeate. Fine.  Have her denounce those hatemongering anti-American bigots.  Have her say she wants nothing to do with them.

  by Paul Rosenberg on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:43:14 PM PDT

  •  They're largely marginalized

    GOP doesn't touch them. The problem is that you fall into a spot where you also have to ask yourself, if you attack them, then do they gain legitimacy and publicity? We've been sort of straddling the fence on this.

    Also, until I talked to Rita tonight, she's been just sort of hoping the whole mess would blow over. She's concerned about her privacy, and what may happen to her should we go after them. Tonight, she gave me the go-ahead to post this, I was refraining out of respect for her.

    I'm chomping at the bit to go after them, personally. Time will tell...

    by Eddie in ME on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:50:12 PM PDT

    •  Attack

      with laughter and ridcule.  Any cartoonists around?

      by Demena on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 01:21:53 AM PDT

  •  Perhaps Susan Collins would have something to say

    by Spud1 on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 02:04:34 PM PDT

•  I propose a googlebomb

  Here's how it works. I picked a short phrase they wouldn't want to be associated with, and found a place on their site where both words of the phrase appear fairly close together. Even better, the two words I use appear in two consecutive headings. I now create a link.

  Religious Pornography and I use the phrase Religious Pornography once again right after the link.

  Anybody got a web site? Do something similar there. Use the words Religious Pornography exactly, vary everything else ever so slightly.

  If enough people do this, anybody searching for Religious Pornography will learn that the Christian Civic League of Maine is the place to find it.

  by brmehlman on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 12:21:06 AM PDT

  •  niggling detail

    the odds of anyone searching "religious pornography" aren't so great.  googlebombs work best when the phrase is perfectly innocuous, or at least neutral.  the bomb is all in the hyperlinking, or association, step of the process.

    and god they're fun!

    by Cedwyn on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:48:42 AM PDT

    •  You're probably right

      It's a balancing act. I picked the words from their H1 tags that I figured would cause them the most pain. More generic words would likely annoy them less but generate more traffic. Unless they were too generic, in which case they'd be diluted by too many other appearances around the web.

      by brmehlman on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 07:15:09 PM PDT

    •  Oh, and ...

      I'm going to go find a comment of yours somewhere that I don't particularly disagree with and recommend it to make up for not getting back here in time to do it for this one.

      by brmehlman on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 07:17:58 PM PDT

•  I'm always surprised pagans don't have

  a better reputation.

  As a child (and adult) I was charmed by the Disney movie "The Three Lives of Thomasina" and whenever I heard pagan I thought of the healing lady in it...though I'm not sure the term was used.
  The movie charmed my children too. Perhaps it should be required viewing.

  by joynow on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 03:00:52 AM PDT

  •  In part this is because the term Pagan

    covers a broad spectrum of beliefs, so of which are intertwined. Attacks such as this one simply play on the ignorance of some, conflating paganism with witchcraft or devil worship.

    One wonders if the CCM would attack Native Americans practicing their traditional religion(s).

    by Spud1 on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 06:23:24 AM PDT

•  I'm curious,

   How does Deane Jones's election effect the balance of repubs and Dems in your state legislature?  And congratulations on picking up a Good Blue Seat. the repub. opponent, penelope morelle works as an office manager at the Right to Life office? No conflict there, heh, (sn)  sounds like some good maine activists worked the districts and came out with a much needed Win.  Congrats, again.

  by oceanview on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 04:23:49 AM PDT

  •  Fair-sized Dem majority

    in the House, anyway. Deane just adds to it.

    Our problem is in the Senate where we only hold a one seat majority. The Senate district which takes up a large majority of Kennebec is currently held by a Republican. This isn't the time to get into the "why" of it, but it was an ugly race.

    by Eddie in ME on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 10:02:59 AM PDT

•  My $.02...

  First, you never, ever, say "oh, it'll go away, we'll just ignore them"...

  John Kerry did that and by the time he decided to retaliate it was too late.  

  Second, you attack what they put forth...

  In this case, they are claiming, or implying, the person is into (or supports) witchcraft.  Attack that.  If I were writing a press release (with 5 minutes to do it), it would look something like this:

  "The CCL in their attack on Rita Moran has entered a place our country hasn't seen since the Salem witch trials in the 1600's.  They are working to promote hysteria and violence towards an elected official by insinuating a foolish stereotype.  

  The opposition could not defeat Rita on the merit of issues and could not defeat her at the polls.  Instead, they have lowered themselves to not only character assassination, but, to goad someone to violence.  This is reminiscent of those who not only tried, but succeeded, in bringing the violence during the witch trials.  Their actions prove that they have no moral barrier they will not cross, no act they will not commit, no reprehensible behavior they will not condone.

  This is why Rita Moran was judged the best candidate for the position, because she is above this and is working to help everyone, regardless of religious affiliation.  She will continue to do so and we call on everyone to denounce these attacks on her by the CCL."

  Ok... it's only a 5 minute quick type and we all know this would go through many rewrites, edits, etc etc...

  But you attack them... hard... and slam them right into the dirt on the very issue they are trying to use.

  by MotleyPatriot on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 04:43:24 AM PDT

  •  Press Release Idea

      sounds well crafted and an effective way to deal with this.

    by oceanview on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 04:46:23 AM PDT

    •  yep... and should be done ASAP...

      Don't let this fester as people wonder "does she really??? why haven't we heard from her????"

      Issue ASAP and slam HARD.

      by MotleyPatriot on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 04:47:38 AM PDT

    •  Or at least a call to Andrew Russell at the

      Portland Press Herald with all the facts in hand.

      by Spud1 on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 02:02:46 PM PDT

  •  Further...

    may we draw to the attention of the CCL a certain section of the US Constitution?  Article 6 states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States".

    The image of the CCL as 17th century hatemongers would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

    by mem from somerville on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:07:42 AM PDT

    •  and that is exactly how you paint them...

      as 17th century fanatics who don't live in the reality of todays society.

      You fringe them and cull them from their own herd.

      by MotleyPatriot on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:14:04 AM PDT

    •  yeah

      somebody upthread made the brilliant suggestion that any public response should say "they're trying to establish a de facto religious test for public office."   or some such.

      by Cedwyn on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:52:03 AM PDT

  •  You do say that

    when it's your religion you're dealing with. Something which she has long kept a private matter, separated from her politics. I agree with what you're getting at, however. I'd love to pound them into the pavement.

    by Eddie in ME on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 10:04:16 AM PDT

•  This deserves more attention than Coulter!

  It is a very clear case of religious intolerance and organized intimidation.  At some point, I would see there being grounds for filing action against CCL referencing some RICO statutes and domestic terrorism.

  by coffeeinamrica on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:12:40 AM PDT

•  riiiight.. the same xians who glorify

  Santa and the easter bunny.  

  by pkbarbiedoll on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:12:51 AM PDT

•  Also, let me add another nickel...

  You never... EVER... go on the defensive.  You do not debate merits, you do not try to "clarify", you do not let them manage the framing.

  For example:

  "Q:  Rita, do you really do witchcraft?"

  "A:  That question holds zero relevance here.  This is about the baseless attack by this group to promote mass hysteria based on ancient prejudices to intimidate me based on religious belief.  If the candidate who won was a Buddhist would this group have attacked their religion?  A Muslim?  A Protestant?  By their own actions, we can only guess they would.  It is obvious that they have nothing else they can attack.  This behavior is intolerable."

  "Q:  But you haven't answered."

  "A:  And I won't.  I am not here to defend my religion, just as they would not defend their religion from such baseless insinuations.  Thousands were killed based individuals like those associated with this group stirred up the masses on these same types of insinuations.  Society moved beyond superstition, beyond trying to create lynch mobs, yet, these people are trying to recreate just that."

  "Q:  Well... that's kind of harsh, don't you think?"

  "A:  Yes.  And they deserve no less for this type of ploy.  I think losing at the polls and in a fit of childish reprisal attacking someone's character based on insinuation and baseless allegation deserves to be dealt with harshly."

  See... never defending... always reframing... always putting the other on the defensive...

  by MotleyPatriot on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 05:12:58 AM PDT

  •  From Article VI of our Constitution:

    The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

    by Spud1 on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 06:18:11 AM PDT

•  Hide witch hide, the good folks come to burn thee

  their keen enjoyment hid behind a godlike mask of duty

  Jefferson Starship - Blows against the empire

  Been wait for years to find a situation in which to use this line

  by dbadw on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 07:08:55 AM PDT

•  Thank you for this diary, Eddie.

  And thank you for the update from Rita - glad to see she has the support of the party.  :)

  by Debbie in ME on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 11:53:20 AM PDT

•  Deeplinked @Turn Maine Blue

  here.

  by mainefem on Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 12:50:51 PM PDT

•  Thank you Eddie for blogging about this...

  ...I also did a post in support of Rita Moran:

  http://whitenoiseinsanity.wordpress....

  I also gave $25.00 to the Kennebec County Democrats and have urged the readers of my blog to do the same.

  The Christian 'right' continues to be wrong in everything they do.

  by KayInMaine on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 04:00:04 PM PDT

  •  Thank you, Kay

    I'd seen the post after I checked your blog, having seen you comment on one of the Pagan blogs.

    It was part of what made us decide to put this one up, after I informed Rita that Maine bloggers picked the ball up and ran with it. She'd been hoping for no effect at all, heh.

    Instead we're getting letters of support from other countries. I must admit, the outpouring of support has been awesome.

    by Eddie in ME on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 04:53:53 PM PDT

•  Strange how things happen

  Strange how things are happening for Rita. I remember when I was a member of ETPN when I had opened the first all Witch shop in Maine and some had passed around worse crap/rumors about me and my business, I asked for some "support and help" and Rita as well as a few others of ETPN, told me to "laugh it off and continue on that this is something that ETPN doesn't get involved with. What did you think would happen by opening a store like that?"  Where was the support then? Now this happens to her and she wants us all to help and support her?
  I'll help from a distance and ask that my Goddess Hekate look over this situation and deal with it as she sees fit. I will also light a candle for Rita for a positive outcome.  

  by Scott Prophecy on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 04:21:27 PM PDT

  •  Actually

    this happened to her and she hoped it would blow over.

    When it didn't, we stepped up and said we should make some lemonade out of the lemons we were handed.

    I can't speak to your situation, because I don't know anything about it. But I would certainly frequent your store, myself, if it's still around! :)

    by Eddie in ME on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 07:15:12 PM PDT