The Pagans are coming ... oh, wait ...

"I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history. We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism."

Gee. For some reason, I think Mr. Newt Gingrich considers that a bad thing. And his buddy Mike Huckabee and the other pious attendees of last weekend's "Rediscovering God in America" conference most likely agree.

What's interesting to me is that rather than being outraged by the comment, I find myself in a strange simultaneous mix of amusement and frustration, pity and chagrin, instead. He's the curmudgeonly old geezer muttering about hoodlums on his lawn.

Then again -- this is why I don't like most sitcoms. Watching self-absorbed, self-righteous people make fools of themselves just makes me uncomfortable. Hm.

Granted, the comment was a cast-off, meant to pander to his audience in that lowest sort of insular fear-mongering over the vaguest of nebulous threats. It was undoubtedly meant to get his Christian brethren fired up and active in politics again. Perhaps, say, frantically protesting equal marriage or camping out at abortion clinics. It wasn't meant as an insult to an actual group of faiths -- in fact, I'm betting the idea that there are more and more people out here who happily accept that "pagan" accusation never even occurred to good old Newt.

I feel like I should be able to muster up more amazement that he really is so oblivious. But ... nope. Mild surprise is all I've got.

There's been much discussion about this in the Pagan blogosphere, of course, ranging from the obligatory outrage to outright laughter. Outside the PB, not so much, yet. Although I must say columnist Tony Norman over at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had an interesting reaction to the comment. First, he contrasted the comment to one of the themes of Obama's Cairo speech -- strength through religious pluralism -- and second, he expanded on the appearance that Gingrich seems to consider "pagan" a catch-all for anything that might possibly be a threat to his entrenched right-wing fundie agenda. "Pagan" is the new "liberal;" a code word for domestic terrorists and anti-religious vandals, traitors, marriage-mockers and war apologists.

Now that I think about it, I'd probably feel even more sorry for the barmy old fool if I could be sure his ignorance and spite existed in a vacuum. Alas, quite the opposite is true.