Have you seen this charming video taken outside a counter-demonstration by pro-life supporters in the wake of the anti-abortion bill being filibustered by that wonderfully heroic pink shoe wearing Congresswoman? It quite clearly records members of the pro-choice side chanting "Hail Satan" in response to those right wing nut jobs singing "Amazing Grace." How dare they sing such a judgment laden song!
Now, I will be charitable and allow that the erstwhile Satanists probably were not literally asking people to praise the name of Lucifer and holding him up as an object for worship, but were instead being douchey protesters who thought it would be totes funny to rile up those conservative, war-on-women opium snuffers by jokingly worshiping the Prince of Darkness. Ha, got you! This tactic also had the salutary effect of making the pro-choicers seem like the mature and learned party to this debate as well. Witness the heroic girl at the end of the video, absolutely exuding maturity and moral nuance. Combined with this not at all inappropriate sign being held by a seven year old girl at the same event inferring something about copulating with a Senator and this was not a bright and shining moment for the Defenders of Women Everywhere (or at least half of women some places).
Cue the left wing spin, please, Atlantic Monthly. You see, writes Elspeth Reeve, we can't even be sure what the protesters were actually shouting. It may sound like Satan, but it could really be anything. Like all of those other words that sound like Satan. CNN's Mark Rubin who was there and can confirm that it was in fact Lucifer, Son of Morning, who was being hailed at the rally, reassured people that it was only about five people actually shouting this imprecation so there is no sense blowing what a small group of nutjobs like to shout as part of a protest out of proportion. Rubin went on to announce that not all supporters of Christianity or traditional marriage will be compared to Westboro Baptist Church members in the future so as to keep things fair.
Then when Reeve goes on to address the sexual sign being held by a seven year old girl she states that it was either faked or not from the event even though the woman next to the girl is wearing a shirt that was made especially by the pro-choice crowd for this demonstration. She concludes, having thoroughly eviscerated this meme, "The anti-abortion crowd will have to stick with its five satanists." Ha! Is that all you got anti-abortionists? Five piddly Satanists. But wait, we find out in an update that the picture really is real. Some mom did let her daughter wear that, as well as her other daughters wear signs that say "Every Child a Wanted Child." "Oh, honey, of course I love you. After all, I did want you enough to let you be born!" This draws the furious ire of Reeve who writes "gross." Boom! She knows how to throw down the gauntlet both ways!
I guess my point in this post, other than this really rankled me, is to show two things: one, when left wing crazies do something it doesn't reflect back on the movement as a whole, whereas right wing folks do not have this option. Every conservative had to answer for Todd Akin in the last election. Two, liberals are just as into indoctrinating kids as they accuse conservatives of being. For a thought experiment, consider what Ms. Reeve's reaction might be in the pages of the Atlantic if a pro-life supporter had their daughter holding a sign that read "Jesus wants me to be a mommy who stays at home and supports my husband." Something tells me a) she would not questions its veracity and need to retract her statement of doubt, and b) she might have a stronger dismissal than the one word "gross." Personally, I would rather my kid be "indoctrinated" with Bible verses about grace than a doctrine that says some kids are not wanted and sexualizes their prepubescent bodies, but, hey, that's just me.
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