And I heard that the American Atheists had a sweet spot staked out for protest…of course today would be the day that my boss, in a fit of responsible behavior, failed to cancel our monthly departmental meeting like he was supposed to (he’s cancelled ‘em like clockwork every month since last September, dammit!). So in short, I couldn’t go. But all was not lost–the boyfriend flung himself boldly in the breach (he works just outside DC) and armed with my digital camera (which I neglected to supply with fresh batteries before handing over to him, oops, but he resourcefully hit a Rite Aid on his way to the Metro station) he nipped over to the protest site in my stead.
Now, I do understand that a big part of the character of most atheist types is an aversion to being a “joiner.” Yep, I do understand that…but c’MON, folks, he says that the area staked out was easily big enough for 200 people!…so that the 35 or so who showed up were kinda ambling around their large empty space in polite nerdy silence, triangulated between those in an ecstasy of Catholic wish fulfillment (a horde, on both sides) and to the rear a large loud vocal contingent of anti-Catholic Christians who spent a lot of time shouting “Celibacy is Demonic!” (Not that I don’t feel that way about it myself, especially when it’s mine and it’s involuntary.) However, he did snap a few shots of two of the more distinctive atheists present (see below) as well as a policeman who, in spite of the far more vigorous crowds surrounding the tiny atheist contingent, kept his video camera aimed at Teh Godless the whole freakin’ time. The cops shooed them all away before noon, so no Pope pics. Oh well…
