Attention must be paid

Phyllis Schlafly, the woman who encouraged other women to be the housewife she never was, goes to Washington University to receive an honorary degree and all hell, wait... okay, all heck...no?...um, all kinda quiet breaks loose:

Some applauded while Schlafly was hooded. But about a third of the graduating students draped in the school’s green and black robes turned their backs to her, along with some faculty members sitting on the stage behind her. Many family members in the audience also took part. Three faculty members made the extra point of walking off the stage and then turning their backs from the audience. One of the protesters was Darla Dale, an assistant dean and a faculty marshal at the ceremony. Dale said she decided to participate after making sure the protest was intended to remain respectful. Dale said she strongly disagrees with Schlafly’s views on the role of women in society as well as with her work to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. And students encouraged her to join them. "It felt good," Dale said of turning her back.

This leads Jim Hoft, the racist ninnyhammer of Gateway Pundit, to come down with a bad case of the Fluttery Blanches:

This is frightening and it is no different than what has happened in any other Leftist socialist state. The moderates or conservatives are assaulted, attacked, protested, abused until they are silenced.
AMERICA BETTER WAKE UP!!

Oh get a grip, Mary.

She was shunned, not stoned, you nit. Jesus, no wonder these guys can't win any wars; always bursting into tears at the drop of a slight, and piddling their pants at the sound of a loud noise.

It's not like "Leftist socialists" haven't given Schlafly a chance to speak her mind before:

Later, I try to get some straight answers from antigay crusader and Eagle Forum leader Phyllis Schalfly.

"You said in your speech in Escondido that you were very proud of the platform," I remark. Schlafly, who is celebrating her 72nd birthday this week, is wearing a blindingly bright, multicolored print dress, and her bleached hair is an exotic helmet, piled high on her head in hardened swirls and curls. "And yet the platform specifically calls for excluding gays from legal protection. How can you resolve this with the fact that your son is a homosexual?"

"Oh now, come on, is this really important to talk about?" she shoots back. Schlafly was horribly embarrassed in front of her religious Right chums when her son John came out reluctantly after being outed in 1992. It made Phyllis seem like a hypocrite and, worse, a hateful mother.

"Yes," I tell her, "it's certainly relevant."

"Well, look, I don't have a problem with any of that, OK?"

"You don't?"

"No. Look, my son is not going into the army or getting a marriage license."

"What about the fact that he could be fired from his job or thrown out of his apartment. Did you know that?"

"Uh, no," she says, her voice beginning to crack. "Look, this is not, just not, a subject to talk about. Go away. Run along."

"Oh, I think it most certainly is a subject to talk about," I say to her, whipping around in front of her as she attempts to turn away. "Ms. Schlafly, are you in denial about the fact that your son is a homosexual?" "Run along! Shoo! Shoo!" she says, becoming upset, gesturing with her arms. "Go! Shoo! I'm not putting up with this, I'm just not! Why can't you people just leave me alone? Why can't you just go away?" "Phyllis," I tell her, "we are never going away."

Oh. The humanity. Someone better get Hoft his laudanum and make room on the fainting couch because he doesn't want realism. He wants magic! Yes, yes, magic.

Calgon, take him away...