The old ruse of playing victim

I wrote about the new support by the Mormon Church for a bill to ban discrimination of sexual minorities. I discussed what may and what won't be in the proposed bill. Yesterday, NPR interviewed Dallin Oaks, another of the Twelve Apostles. It began well:

It is a change in tone [not doctrine], but it's also an appeal to both sides of a very divisive debate. That they speak to one another with respect and avoid public intimidations and boycotts and some of the tactics that have been used so far.

Respect from the Mormons? A good step forward. But then Oaks thoroughly blew it in his next statement. He refers to the campaign to defeat same-sex marriage in Calif. Back in 2008, heavily financed by the Mormon Church and manned by its members.

We were really the victims of intimidation and retaliation and boycotts in California. Many of them lost jobs or publicly intimidated and boycotted against the businesses, and we're pleading that that not be repeated.

They were the victims? Pardon me while I gasp at his audacity. This ridiculous claim by religious conservatives is so old a grave should be dug so it can be pushed in.

The rest of the interview was a lot of answer avoidance to some lame questions.