I am nothing like Christine O’Donnell

"I'm you...only smugger."

I thought I could let the whole Christine O’Donnell dabble-gate blow over without comment. But then the candidate from Delaware released a new political ad in which she says, “I am not a witch. I’m nothing you’ve heard. I’m you.”

Oh, dear Christine, you are so not me. Unlike you, I believe in evolution, I don’t believe that scientists created mice with human brains (human brain cells do not a human brain make), I don’t believe that masturbation constitutes adultery, I do not believe all homosexuals suffer from mental illness, I think women should be able to continue serving in the military…goodness, the list goes on and on. And let’s not even get into the hard core political questions behind the Tea Partiers in general. But none of that has to do with religion, or whether you’re a witch or not. Why do you have to keep putting that in the spotlight?

The way that O’Donnell has played this whole thing has been disrespectful of Pagans and Wiccans from the very start. When she first said she “dabbled into witchcraft” (uh, preposition much?) on Politically Incorrect in the ‘90s, she confused Witchcraft with Satanism. (And seriously, what self-respecting Satanist would even have a picnic on an altar?) Then when those old comments saw the light of day during her current campaign, she defended herself by saying, “How many of you didn’t hang out with questionable folks in high school?” Because certainly any teenagers who start spiritually seeking – or even outright rebelling against their parents’ religion – are “questionable folks.” (I would say “questioning” instead.) Then she followed it up with a joke: “There’s been no witchcraft since. If there was, Karl Rove would be a supporter now.” Ha ha.

And now this. This whole, “I am not a witch. I am you” line of reasoning casts witchcraft into the negative column – something that no everyday person would ever want to be. Something that no one would ever admit to even if they were. And this is the final insult to plenty of Wiccans who now feel forced to speak up to defend their beliefs – indeed, to defend their right to follow any religion they please without it being trotted out in political debates and scandals.

This whole thing reminds me of how hard Barack Obama had to fight during his campaign to stress he was a Christian, not a Muslim. And how hard he’s still fighting, when his religion should have nothing to do with how he runs the country. It depresses me to no end that Americans have this idea that if you’re not Christian, there’s no way you could be voted (or remain) President of our land.

Here are some links to YouTube videos by Witches responding to O’Donnell’s annoying “I am not a witch” ad. If you see any more – or upload one of your own – please post the link in the comments section so we can have a great collection!

Star Foster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOjmZWeCBo4

Peter Dybing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKZvo7ijxY

The Pagan Mom Blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9laxaPBZyKY 

Kei Dallmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRMt6jNPDSY

Rebecca Chow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjsDD_DDsd0

Sara, a.k.a. Mabonwy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12g6vTgJJIM