Amanda Marcotte, Pandagon, Under Fire By: Mark W Adams

Pandagon is down, under a constant barrage of steaming hate and victory (lap) dances. Neverthe less Amanda Marcotte did manage to get a post out today. Since the connection might be dicy at best, I'm going to reprint her latest reaction to resigning as John Edward's blogger.

WARNING
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS QUOTES FROM COMMENTERS ON PANDAGON AND HATE E-MAILS SHE RECEIVED THAT ARE VILE AND GRAPHIC.

If you have a strong stomache and are not too easily offended, read on to see the filth that she has had to contend with -- AND HER DEFENSE. Something she wasn't able to do while still working for the campaign.

Click Below to read her latest post.

Our humble apologies, but the site is currently down.

Whenever the site is up, we get slammed and it goes down. I have to
suspend the site until the fervor dies down. In the meantime, here's
the latest post:

Update: To correct misinformation in the comments,
I was not "fired". I offered my resignation and it was accepted.

Because I had the nerve to be critical of the Catholic church's
stance on birth control and abortion---nevermind their political
opposition to distributing condoms to fight HIV, a stance that has
helped usher thousands and possibly millions to their untimely
deaths---I've gotten a number of letters from people who call
themselves "Christians", as Bill Donohue also calls himself.
Chrisitians are people who are supposed to follow the behavior and
teachings of Jesus Christ. I mention this, because it seems to me that
therefore, when Christians are contemplating an action that is morally
questionable, it appears they should consult the Bible before acting.

Luckily, I happen to have a Bible laying around this house, because
even though I'm not a Christian, I was an English major, and it is
important to Know Your Ancient Mythologies if you are reading poetry.
And I flipped to this passage that seems to have solid advice on what
to do if you've got some asshole dragging a woman in front of an angry
crowd and yelling, "SINNER!":

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught
in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher,
this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses
commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said
to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they
continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is
without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once
more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they
went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left
alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to
her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No
one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now
on sin no more.”

Granted, I don't think criticizing the church for policies that hurt
families and even get people killed is a "sin", but my letter writers
do. But I thought I'd bring up this story for two reasons. One, I've
always been impressed by the subtext of the story. I suspect, strongly,
that this story is part of the reason that Christianity was so
attractive to women in its early days, because this sort of random
misogynist scapegoating is all too real in a patriarchy,
and this story must have touched a lot of women at the time, who would
be impressed with Jesus' unwillingness to play into such misogyny. In
fact, from everything I understand, much of the history of Christian
misogyny is one 2,000 year long backlash against early female power in
the church.

I'm also impressed by how so many people who claim to follow Jesus
have basic reading comprehension problems when they regard this story.
(Not all---for instance, some fellow Pandagonians take their faith
seriously enough to read the Bible and try to follow its precepts.)
From my mailbag:

I pray that I had some small part to play in your "resigning" from
the Edwards campaign you libelous fraud!

That's from a Vivian Thomas, who also wants me to know that I'm a

worthless hag.

Catholics are concerned about killing unborn children, you stupid
bitch. Chop away if it suits you, but we don't

have to accept that as moral. That's why it's called a religion. Look
into it.

Frankly, if I were a churchy person, this "Look into it" thing would

insult me, since R.R. from Tallahassee, FL is all but saying that
religion is his excuse to declare his misogyny "moral" so he doesn't
actually have to think and decide what his morality is for himself.

Amanda,

after reading your vile screed against Catholics and the Holy Spirit, I
just had to see what you looked like. (I envisioned you eyebrow-less,
with no visible pupils, and a blank, dead stare.) I see I was correct
about the blank, dead stare, but other than that you're not too bad. I
then thought maybe you were mad at God (and by proxy Catholics) for
making you ugly, but now I'm figuring you're just mad at him for making
you a woman.

Annette D'Amato is somewhat right, that I'm angry---but not that I'm
a woman, but that people like her have such uncalled for contempt for
women. But I am impressed that I gave her a small bit of education.
Contrary to what people have been telling her, feminists are not demons
without eyebrows (she missed the boar's teeth and snakes on our heads),
but human beings.

Andy Driggers from Dallas, TX was also so moved by my criticisms of
religious anti-choicers, that he wrote:

Problem with women like you, you just need a good fucking from a
real man! Living in Texas myself, I know you haven't found that real
Texan yet. But once your liberal pro feminist ass gets a real good
fucking, you might see the light. Until then, enjoy your battery
operated toys b/c most real men wouldn't want to give you the fucking
you deserve b/c the shit that would come out of you ears.

Reminder: Donohue was claiming to be so hurt by my "bigotry". Yet,
for some reason, his supporters write me and they are more interested
in telling me that my womanhood is repulsive to them.
Interesting---almost as if his claims to speak for Catholicism were in
fact dog whistles to scare people about women's equality.

As I told some close friends in the days that Donohue was on the
news, spraying code words about "get the feminists" (which explains why
he roped Shakespeare's Sister into this, even though she really had
nothing to do with any of this---except she's pro-equality, which is
what is really what offends Donohue and all the people who gave that
anti-Semite airtime), a good half of my hate mail could be summed up,
"You have a pottymouth, you stupid cunt." An example, from Paul Bernard
of Scottsdale, AZ:

i like the way you trash talk i don't particularly want to have
sex with you but i would like a blow job.

Right wingers right now are pretending like sexism has nothing to do
with me, which is an argument that works if you think a) men get emails
about how they need to suck a dick on a regular basis and b) that
there's nothing whatsoever sexist about allowing men to curse but
hitting the fainting couch if a woman does.

Bud Phelps, another person who opposes "bigotry", as defined by
right wing shill Bill Donohue.

It's just too bad your mother didn't abort you. You are nothing
more
than a filthy mouth slut. I bet a couple of years in Iraq being raped
and beaten daily would help you appreciate America a little. Need a
plane ticket ?

Time to wake up and smell reality---real bigots follow the siren
call of the fascist right wing. Why would they even bother with
liberals and all our equality and human rights and other tedious ideas?

Romanco De Leone was also moved by Donohue's poignant claims about
insulating the Catholic church from legitimate criticisms.

YOU RACIST WHORE. FAT UGLY BITCH. SUCK MY LONG COCK ASSHOLE I HOPE
YOU KIDS NEVER LIVE AND YOUR PARENTS DIE A TRAGIC DEATH YOU ASSHOLE
BITCH!

I HOPE YOUR WOMB IS BARREN AND YOUR CAREER PLUMMETS TO HELL YOU BITCH

But I shan't belabor the point. I haven't even begun to scratch the
surface of the hate mail the Bill Donohue's "Christian" campaign
against me has inspired. This is all stuff from days ago---I've gotten
more than 100 since. Hell, from the looks of my email from last night,
I've had more than 100 in the past 12 hours from self-proclaimed
Christians who want me to know that I have hurt their feelings and this
has nothing, nothing whatsoever to do with their own misogyny and
tendency to witch hunt.