[Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt
Tom Hansen
thansen at moscow.com
Tue Jul 4 11:09:24 PDT 2006
Concerning Wicca -
http://www.wicca.org/
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
************************************************
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
************************************************
_____
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Ellen Roskovich
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 9:43 AM
To: privatejf32 at hotmail.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt
There is a Canadian website that I've found helpful in giving insite into a
number of religions and there's a section on Wicca. You might want to check
out www.religioustolerance.org .
Then, for those of other faiths, I'd like to hear back how you found your
religion to be represented on this site. Is it fairly accurate? Do you
agree. . . disagree?
Just think of it as a little spiritual homework. . . can't hurt ya!
Ellen A. Roskovich
_____
From: "J Ford" <privatejf32 at hotmail.com>
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt
Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:03:10 -0700
>For any Wiccans out there, could you please point me to a good web
>site(s) that would give a history and overview, if you will, of your
>faith? I am studing the Middle Ages and am interested in Wiccans as
>well as Driuids. Really interesting stuff. I am finding that the
>things we were told as children is not quite what really was in both
>of those faiths.
>
>I am also finding that "witches", as defined in those times, was not
>necessarily the correct term for what people were doing. For
>instance, a "healer" could be labled a witch when all they really
>did was act as conduit for God's healing or as a doctor, as we call
>them today. It seems to me that the Diciples could easily have held
>that same label had they lived in those times.
>
>Today, I learned from a friend who e-mailed me and who is an author
>(don't worry, Miss Joan - you're still my favorite one) and has
>researched the Middle Ages to great length, that "bull throat" or
>Morbus Suffocos was what we would call diptheria, today. Back then,
>it was fatal and considered a punishment for "evil acts", but today
>it is recognized as an illness they can cure and prevent.
>
>Anyway, any information and personal insight would be appreciated.
>
>Thanks.
>
>J :]
>
>
>
>
>>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>>To: "Joan Opyr" <joanopyr at moscow.com>, "'Moscow Vision
>>2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>Subject: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt
>>Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 16:37:17 -0700
>>
>>An editorial from the July 10, 2006 edition of the Army Times -
>>
>>For you Wiccans out there. You know who you are.
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>A New Witch Hunt
>>Search for recognition falls victim to misconceptions about Wicca
>>
>>By Charles C. Haynes
>>
>>The current flap involving Wiccans in the military is a conflict
>>that should
>>never have happened. But years of foot-dragging by the Department
>>of
>>Veterans Affairs have turned an easy case into a major controversy
>>complete
>>with charges of discrimination and threats of lawsuits.
>>
>>All VA needs to do is announce that the pentacle - a five-pointed
>>star that
>>symbolizes the Wiccan faith - has been added to the list of 38
>>"emblems of
>>belief" approved for placement on government headstones and
>>memorials. No
>>big deal, end of story.
>>
>>Instead, VA keeps saying that it is "reviewing the process" - and
>>will make
>>a decision at some indeterminate time in the future.
>>
>>Roberta Stewart has been hearing this bureaucratic mumbo jumbo for
>>the past
>>eight months. She just wants to honor her husband, Patrick, a
>>soldier in the
>>Nevada National Guard killed in combat last September in
>>Afghanistan. Sgt.
>>Stewart, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple
>>Heart,
>>among other honors, was a Wiccan.
>>
>>But Stewart's request to have a pentacle engraved on her husband's
>>memorial
>>plaque has been repeatedly denied pending review of the VA policy.
>>His space
>>on the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial wall remains blank.
>>
>>Eventually, VA will have no choice but to allow the pentacle.
>>Nevada
>>politicians from both parties, as well as advocacy groups from the
>>left and
>>right, are demanding the change.
>>
>>Then there is the small matter of the First Amendment: It's clearly
>>unconstitutional for the government to deny the Wiccan symbol while
>>permitting symbols of many other religions.
>>
>>If approval of the pentacle is inevitable, why is VA taking so long
>>to make
>>a decision?
>>
>>For Roberta Stewart, it has been a long and frustrating eight
>>months. But
>>other Wiccans have been pushing for VA recognition of the pentacle
>>for more
>>than nine years. (According to the Defense Department, some 1,900
>>active-duty service members identify themselves as Wiccans.)
>>
>>At first blush, the years of VA stonewalling doesn't make sense. A
>>glance at
>>the 38 approved emblems suggests that any religion can make the
>>list. In
>>addition to all of the world's major faiths, a number of obscure
>>sects are
>>represented, such as Eckankar, a New Age group that espouses
>>out-of-body
>>travel. Atheists have a symbol, too. If VA is applying some kind of
>>religious test to keep out the Wiccans, it's hard to fathom what it
>>might
>>be.
>>
>>Before last fall, VA blamed the rules. Applicants had to provide
>>documentation from a central authority certifying a symbol as
>>representative
>>of that religion. Because Wiccans have no recognized head or
>>hierarchy,
>>their applications were rejected. Rules are rules.
>>
>>Bipartisan outrage over Sgt. Stewart's case inspired a new set of
>>rules.
>>Now, applicants are required to provide historic background and
>>documentation of use to get a symbol approved. Roberta Stewart has
>>filled
>>out all of the forms. But she's still waiting.
>>
>>So what's the problem? VA isn't talking. But the delay may have to
>>do with
>>the fact that Roberta Stewart went public. Putting atheists on the
>>list when
>>no one is paying attention is one thing, but announcing recognition
>>of the
>>Wiccan pentacle in the glare of the media spotlight is another.
>>
>>Few people have even heard of Eckankar, but almost everyone has an
>>opinion
>>about Wiccans. Unfortunately, most of what people think they know
>>about
>>Wicca is false. Wicca is a nature-based religion centered on a
>>belief that
>>the divine permeates all life. Wiccans have nothing to do with
>>black magic
>>or satanic worship, but try explaining that to a misinformed
>>public.
>>
>>VA is probably remembering the last time Wiccans in the military
>>made
>>headlines. About six years ago, news reports of Wiccan ceremonies
>>at Fort
>>Hood, Texas, and other bases provoked some conservative Christian
>>groups to
>>call on Christians not to enlist or re-enlist in the Army.
>>
>>Under the First Amendment, the Army had no choice then, just as VA
>>has no
>>choice now, but to accommodate Wiccans in the same way it
>>accommodates other
>>religious groups. But any "acceptance" of witches - who have long
>>been
>>demonized in Christian history - is certain to stir up trouble for
>>the
>>military.
>>
>>It's also possible that VA lawyers are beginning to realize that
>>any
>>guidelines for government-sanctioned "emblems of belief," however
>>carefully
>>crafted, are unworkable. In a nation where people are free to
>>choose in
>>matters of faith, the government should stop trying to figure out
>>which
>>symbols are "acceptable" and instead allow each family to choose
>>whatever
>>symbol best represents their convictions.
>>
>>In other words, cut through all of the bureaucratic red tape and
>>jettison
>>the "emblems of belief" list entirely.
>>
>>Meanwhile, however, VA should act immediately to honor Roberta
>>Stewart's
>>request and fill in the blank space reserved for Sgt. Stewart.
>>After all, if
>>we can't live up to religious freedom at home, we have no business
>>asking
>>soldiers to die for religious freedom abroad.
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>
>>Tom Hansen
>>Moscow, Idaho
>>
>>"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the
>>tranquil
>>and steady dedication of a lifetime."
>>
>>--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
>>
>>
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