I'd like to take a moment to tip my hat to the Rev. Jaymi Witch.

In December, Rev. Witch (A Wiccan, if you hadn't guessed) was appointed to the position of Chaplain at Wisconsin's Waupun Correctional Institution. She'd been working as a volunteer chaplain for two years, and when the position came open, she simply applied, beating out approximately ten other people for the position. So she is now on the state payroll, doing what is effectively an administrative job for about $32,000 per year.

What's interesting-- and most gratifying-- to note is that the hiring was, as near as I can tell, a clean process. Warden Gary McCaughtry has hired her because he thought she was qualified for the job. She didn't sue her way into the job, she didn't have to scream about discrimination, and no lawyers or politicians were involved in the selection process. All of this is praiseworthy in its own right-- doing a job well, and earning a position on one's merits is probably a thousand times more favorable than winning a lawsuit.

Unfortunately, despite her qualifications, Rev. Witch has become a target.

Of course, once again, our opposition seems to overestimate the value of an old-fashioned Witch Hunt. While I'm reasonably certain that Rev. Witch didn't specifically set out to create this situation, she deserves a second tip of the hat for setting up a no-win situation for the Religious Right.

Often, when the Right tries to stomp something out on a legislative level, they invent some sort of Separation of Church and State issue. For example, the people trying to keep the Harry Potter books off the library shelves and out of the classroom have often made the somewhat ludicrous charge that Harry is teaching children how to practice Wicca. Suddenly, it's no longer about enforcing Christianity, but rather about protecting Christians from some imagined or exaggerated encroachment. It's a very politically shrewd move, as it makes them seem like the victims instead of the oppressors, and anyone of another religion who protests looks hypocritical.

But that won't work here. They specifically want Witch ousted and replaced with a Christian, and it's a lot harder to fake moral superiority that way, especially since state equal-opportunity laws make discriminating against someone on the basis of religion illegal. The moral high ground just isn't available this time; even the argument that only 30 of the prison's 1200 inmates identify themselves as Wiccan fails to hold water, as only 400 identify themselves as Christians. (No numbers on other kinds of Pagans were checked, or if they were, they didn't make the media.)

The opposition is resorting to "clever" turns of phrase like "the Wiccan Witch of Waupun", and coming on a bit too strong for their own good. Unfortunate choices of words in their press releases, such as Rep. Scott Walker's release that states "Concerned Citizens Burn Up Phone Lines in Protest" or Rep. Huebsch's choice of "Huebsch Burns Waupun Witch Project", aren't making them seem any more gentle. Rep. Huebsch has been working to increase the number of chaplains in Wisconsin prisons, but now that one has been hired that isn't a Christian, he's calling to remove the funding for the position.

Just like in 1999, when Bob Barr tried to drive us out of the Military, we're actually coming out ahead because of the controversy. The editorials I've seen have been on our side, especially since we're currently in the middle of a war with religious extremists. And once again, the language is working in our favor-- a Witch Hunt is a Witch Hunt, even when you're hunting real Witches.

© 2002 by Cather "Catalyst" Steincamp