6.27.2008
Using a Pagan to Smear Obama?
Conservative pundit Cliff Kincaid writes an anti-Obama polemic for Right Side News bizarrely equating Obama with a Pagan leader because they happen to support the same piece of legislation.
"While Senator Barack Obama struggles to keep the public in the dark about the nature of his pro-U.N. Global Poverty Act, a recent “Bay Area Interfaith Leaders’ Luncheon” was held to lobby for Senate passage of the bill, whose cost has been estimated at $845 billion. An actual witch who spoke at a “Pagan Pride” festival in San Francisco was one of the listed participants. The witch, known as the “Elder Donald Frew” of the 'Wiccan Community,'"
Gasp! Not an "actual Witch" from the "Wiccan Community"! I'm still not seeing the scandal though. I get that Kincaid opposes the legislation, and I also get that Kincaid doesn't like Obama much, but I'm still a bit fuzzy on why Frew being supportive of the bill matters in any way. Perhaps Kincaid will explain in greater depth?
"Frew’s reported participation was significant. A featured speaker at a “Pagan Pride” festival in San Franciso, he is described as an Elder in both the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn and Gardnerian traditions of modern Wicca and a High Priest of Coven Trismegiston in Berkeley, California ... According to his bio, Frew “has been very active in interfaith work on behalf of the Craft for over 17 years and is the National Interfaith Representative for the Covenant of the Goddess (the largest Wiccan religious organization on Earth).” He has represented Covenant of the Goddess at both Parliaments of the World’s Religions and serves on the Global Council of the U.N.-affiliated United Religions Initiative."
Wait. Wait. Did he just quote Don Frew's bio as why his "reported participation" is "significant"? Seems to me Kincaid is trying to whip up right-wing hysteria by invoking the old association fallacy
"A Muslim representative to the Bay Area conference was identified as Iftekhar Hai of the United Muslims of America (UMA). The UMA is a member of the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), an umbrella organization that includes controversial groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations."
Muslims! And Witches! How could anyone support this bill! This horrid bill that would ... work to eliminate extreme global poverty, a bill that is supported by such dangerous extremist groups as ... Bread for the World, the Daughters of Charity, and the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. How brave of Kincaid to sound the alarm!
It is obvious that one can oppose a piece of legislation in good faith. If something goes against your principles, criticizing its merits is perfectly acceptable. However, what Kincaid attempts to do in this editorial is cowardly and ethically repugnant. Trying to raise the specter of "witchcraft" in order to turn people (ie Christians) against the bill is the worst kind of gutter politics. The pathetic howling of a man who all but admits he lost the moral high ground long ago, and is as good as beaten.
* My favorite manifestation of the association fallacy is Reductio ad Hitlerum ("Hitler (or the Nazis) supported X, therefore X must be evil/undesirable/bad"). A fallacy that has been used against Pagans and vegetarians on multiple occasions.
Labels: Barack Obama, Cliff Kincaid, Don Frew, Global Poverty Act, legislation, Paganism, politics, Wicca
