The New Hampshire Union Leader reports on an animal cruelty case where the defense wanted to introduce evidence that the main witness (and owner of the cat allegedly killed by the defendant) lacked credibility because she was a Witch.

Vanilla-Clove Moonstone wept on the witness stand yesterday as she described seeing her former neighbor whip her cat, Buddha, to the brink of death with a white cord in summer 2007 … Before the trial began in Sullivan County Superior Court yesterday, Judge John Arnold ruled the defense could not introduce evidence that Moonstone practices witchcraft because her beliefs are irrelevant to her credibility as a witness. “Your honor, I think there’s a vast difference between Christianity and witchcraft,” Hulser argued before the ruling. “This goes to credibility.”

There may indeed be “vast” differences between Christianity and Witchcraft, but the judge wisely saw that allowing a witness to be undermined because of her faith isn’t justice. The “she’s a Witch” tactic is usually used in divorce cases, and its unusual to see such a slimy and dishonorable maneuver used in a animal abuse case. Of course, being prevented from calling the witness a witch didn’t stop the defense from calling her a liar anyway.

The defense contends the cat was hit by a car and placed on Robie’s porch, and Moonstone’s accusation is the product of bad blood between neighbors. “Ms. Moonstone, I don’t mean to be insensitive,” public defender Michael Hulser said on cross-examination, “but your cat got run over, didn’t it?” “No, it did not,” Moonstone said. “Shame on you! Mr. Robie didn’t beat your cat, did he?” “I watched him do it,” she said.

Shame on you? What is she, twelve? Is this really how lawyers talk? As for the “Witch Gambit”, while I’d like to think it isn’t as effective as it used to be, some of the comments on the article seem to prove me wrong.

Garlic -Clove Moonshot? Seven cats? Ahem, ah not quite sure what happened but I think we can move on without too much concen … With a name like Vanilla-CLove Moonstone she kind of loses credibility right off for me. Sorry….but it is what it is.

So long as you get enough people on the jury who think non-Christians are weirdos who are not to be trusted, you’ll continue to get unscrupulous lawyers trying to undermine their testimony (and tragedies that arise as people exploit those biases). Let’s be glad that it didn’t happen this time around.

ADDENDUM: Jury: Man guilty of whipping, killing cat.

After an hour and 20 minutes of deliberation, a Sullivan County Superior Court jury convicted a Claremont man yesterday of whipping his neighbor’s cat to death with a cord in July 2007. Robie, 41, cried at the defense table and then embraced his wife and children after the jury foreperson announced the verdict. He faces a maximum penalty of seven years in state prison and a fine of up to $4,000 for the felony animal cruelty conviction. A sentencing hearing will be held within 60 days.

Interestingly, a juror said they discounted Moonstone’s testimony due to inconsistencies. So even if she had been branded a Witch, it seems that it wouldn’t have affected the outcome.

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

The New York Sun prints an article on modern Pagans and opines that if mainstream integration poses too many stumbling blocks, they would fit in well with America’s long history of secluded religious enclaves.

“Drag yourself to enough roadside historical plaques around the nation’s midsection and you realize this place was built of enclaves … being remote can be good. There’s nothing like a little added geography to solve social friction. Your neighbors will bother you less if you don’t see them. Thanks to the Internet – the witch school is online, after all – and thanks to simple things like decent highways, the isolation is optional. And from trekking Mormons to the kind of frontier refugees who populated the literary prairies of Willa Cather or Laura Ingalls Wilder, there have been few things more American than finding autonomy by opting for isolation.”

You never know, the next Salt Lake City (famously founded by a Mormon enclave) could start with a group of Pagans fed up with Christian-dominated politics.

Speaking of politics, Democrat Elaine Lite, who was running for a spot on the Asheville City Council, has lost her bid.

“Challengers Dwight Butner and Elaine Lite failed to chip away at incumbents’ support … Lite, a Democratic environmental activist, wanted to slow city growth through greater restrictions on development. The publisher of Critter magazine differed with fellow progressives Freeborn and Newman on partisan elections, opposing the switch from the current nonpartisan system.”

Lite was the target of a political smear campaign that mocked her involvement in a environmental rally led by modern Pagans. Local conservative blogs spared no time in gloating over her defeat, labeling her “Elaine ‘Dances With Witches’ Lite”.

While metaphysical shops in America my enjoy fiscal success from time to time, in England it seems you can also win mainstream critical plaudits. Such is the case for Treadwell’s in London which is listed as one of the “finest bookshops” by The Guardian.

“Treadwells is full of mysterious books about magic, myth and belief amid incense and even magic wands! There’s also a lovely sofa to relax on while you read and think.”

American metaphysical shops take note!

Hillsboro, New Hampshire Police Lt. Darren Remillard is publicly apologizing to Witches and Pagans after suggesting that a dug-up grave may have been the work of local Witchcraft practitioners.

“I offer my apology to all witches and certainly did not intend to offend anyone by insinuating this was done by a witch or witchcraft. This could be a sick prank or someone misusing some sort of religion.”

The officer’s off-the-cuff statement to a local news team lead to a local outcry from the Pagan community over this misguided profiling. One wonders if this police force were visited by occult “experts” who spread disinformation about Pagan faiths?

For those of you who love beer, and you know who you are, Guest on Tap takes a look at the pagan history of beer and some modern beers made from ancient recipes.

“Leading the pack is Froach Heather ale. Dating back 2,000 years – a full five centuries before the Romans first invaded – this Scottish brew replaces hops with sweet gale and flowering heather, producing a light, mildly bitter brew redolent of honey and zesty lemon. I first had it near Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland, but you can find it in good bottle shops in the Northwest as well. Froach also brews an Elderberry Black Ale called ‘Ebulum,’ based on a drink formerly enjoyed by 9th-century Welsh Druids. Made with roasted oats, barley and wheat, it is boiled with herbs and then fermented with ripe elderberries, yielding a rich black ale with fruity aroma, soft roasted flavour and gentle finish – perfect by-the-fireplace-sipping beer.”

In accordance with my Germanic roots I’m partial to a tall Hefe-weizen with a twist of lemon. Its very tasty.

English Pop Idol star Rik Waller has decided to stop singing professionally after marrying a star-struck fan in a Pagan ceremony.

“Waller, who was once thrown off Celebrity Fit Club for binge eating, said they planned to have a pagan wedding ceremony. Miss Bliss, 23, agreed – but only if Waller ended his singing career. ‘This is definitely the real thing and, although our pagan beliefs mean that ours isn’t an engagement in the conventional sense, we have bought rings as a gesture of love and commitment to each other,’ said the singer.”

No word yet on why his Pagan wife would want him to stop singing, especially since most Pagans are quite fond of music and performing.

Finally, The Salem News takes a look at the aftermath of Salem’s yearly Halloween extravaganza and defends the towns role as a magnet for witch-loving tourists.

“Strangely, there are some who seem to pine for the days when the Essex Street pedestrian mall became a barren expanse the day after Labor Day, and every other storefront had a vacancy sign. You can visit many other older urban retail districts for that experience – and we bet their mayors would dearly love to have an event like Haunted Happenings that kept stores, restaurants and parking facilities full for a month each autumn.”

You can bet that so long as Salem is pulling in profits of over 100,000 dollars (after expenses), then the spooky, Pagan-friendly festivities will certainly continue.

That is all I have for now, have a good day!