HEADSCRATCHER: a "Wiccan" priestess gives invocation to Iowa state house

Ok, I may be late to speak about this at the online rant party, but believe me, my forehead slapping did occur when I heard about this in late March-early April.

To confess, I thought it was an April Fools' joke at first.  Here's the article, as I first saw it:

http://www.kcrg.com/subject/news/wiccan-priestess-to-give-invocation-to-iowa-house-20150328

But while I am usually happy when well-spoken, educated, non-costume attired paganfolks get a chance to speak about the beauty and legitimacy of our path as a spiritually affirming religion...unfortunately, this follows with my being gobsmacked by the "one step too far" statements the token witchypoo or paganpeep makes, if not spouting Gandolfy, Morgan-Le-Fay-ish stupidity in the press.

Now, I'll also tell you that I've done press interviews myself and I know FIRST HAND that those really swell reporters who seem really sympathetic and interested in what we had discussed during the interview are also the self-same jerkfaces who then published hatchet jobs of what was actually said.  All the off-the-cuff trivial platitudes and sidebar comments that were made somehow took precedence over the really astute, journalism-worthy tidbits that were supposed to be the meat of the article. 

So I get that there is a small chance that Ms. Maynard was taken out of context and really isn't as dumb as she sounds. 

Yet, the quote of hers which sent my bullshit-o-meter to eleven was that she didn't want there to be any negative backlash for her giving the opening prayer.  She wanted to draw a line that she was a self-proclaimed Wiccan and "Wicca has a bad reputation as a religion as many may associate it with witchcraft..."


Hello?  HELLO MCFLY?  Wicca IS Witchcraft. 

If the general public is still all bent out of shape about what witchcraft is, now would have been a really swell time for you to....I don't know....educate them about why it isn't all dark agey ooga-booga and IS as valid a spiritual pursuit as prayer, meditation or other forms of communing with deity.

But no.  You took the cop-out plea bargaining BS way out, huh?  You played into the fallacy just for the sake of having your 15 minutes of fame.

And what is most astounding to me is that you're supposed to be a Cabot Witch?  Um, what do you think ol' Laurie would have to say with you being a freaking sell out?

Well, yeah.  You didn't promote the Craft, you didn't do anything to change anyone's opinions about what witches...er, wiccans...do.  All you did was have your day in front of the cameras making the rest of us feel like we've gotten shafted by the press in April rather than October.

Thanks for nothing, Ms. Maynard.  That isn't a pointy witch wicca hat you're wearing, honey....it clearly says "DUNCE" on it!