<html><div style='background-color:'><P><STRONG>This is kind of the Doug Wilson approach to witchcraft. . . send money and I'll tell you all about it.</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Just an observation. . . did I really offend anyone?</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Ellen</STRONG><BR><BR></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #a0c6e5 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">
<HR color=#a0c6e5 SIZE=1>
From: <I>"Tom Hansen" <thansen@moscow.com></I><BR>To: <I>"'Ellen Roskovich'" <gussie443@hotmail.com>, <privatejf32@hotmail.com>, <vision2020@moscow.com></I><BR>Subject: <I>RE: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt</I><BR>Date: <I>Tue, 4 Jul 2006 11:09:24 -0700</I><BR><BR>
<META content="Microsoft SafeHTML" name=Generator>
<STYLE>
.shape
{;}
</STYLE>
<STYLE>
</STYLE>
<STYLE>
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';}
p
{margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';}
span.EmailStyle19
{font-family:Arial;color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
</STYLE>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Concerning Wicca –</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://www.wicca.org/">http://www.wicca.org/</A></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Tom Hansen</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Moscow</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, Idaho</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy">************************************************<BR><BR>"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."<BR><BR>- Benjamin Franklin<BR><BR>************************************************</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Ellen Roskovich<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Tuesday, July 04, 2006 9:43 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> privatejf32@hotmail.com; vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> RE: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P><STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 <A href="http://www.religioustolerance.org/">www.religioustolerance.org</A> .</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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? </SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Just think of it as a little spiritual homework. . . can't hurt ya!</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Ellen A. Roskovich</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG></P></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; MARGIN: 5pt 0in 5pt 3.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #a0c6e5 1.5pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none">
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Tahoma size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
<HR align=center width="100%" color=#a0c6e5 noShade SIZE=1>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Tahoma size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From: <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">"J Ford" <privatejf32@hotmail.com></SPAN></I><BR>To: <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">vision2020@moscow.com</SPAN></I><BR>Subject: <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">RE: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt</SPAN></I><BR>Date: <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:03:10 -0700</SPAN></I><BR>>For any Wiccans out there, could you please point me to a good web <BR>>site(s) that would give a history and overview, if you will, of your <BR>>faith? I am studing the Middle Ages and am interested in Wiccans as <BR>>well as Driuids. Really interesting stuff. I am finding that the <BR>>things we were told as children is not quite what really was in both
<BR>>of those faiths.<BR>><BR>>I am also finding that "witches", as defined in those times, was not <BR>>necessarily the correct term for what people were doing. For <BR>>instance, a "healer" could be labled a witch when all they really <BR>>did was act as conduit for God's healing or as a doctor, as we call <BR>>them today. It seems to me that the Diciples could easily have held <BR>>that same label had they lived in those times.<BR>><BR>>Today, I learned from a friend who e-mailed me and who is an author <BR>>(don't worry, Miss Joan - you're still my favorite one) and has <BR>>researched the Middle Ages to great length, that "bull throat" or <BR>>Morbus Suffocos was what we would call diptheria, today. Back then, <BR>>it was fatal and considered a punishment for "evil acts", but today <BR>>it is recognized as
an illness they can cure and prevent.<BR>><BR>>Anyway, any information and personal insight would be appreciated.<BR>><BR>>Thanks.<BR>><BR>>J :]<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen@moscow.com><BR>>>To: "Joan Opyr" <joanopyr@moscow.com>, "'Moscow Vision <BR>>>2020'" <vision2020@moscow.com><BR>>>Subject: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt<BR>>>Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 16:37:17 -0700<BR>>><BR>>>An editorial from the July 10, 2006 edition of the Army Times -<BR>>><BR>>>For you Wiccans out there. You know who you are.<BR>>><BR>>>----------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>><BR>>>A New Witch Hunt<BR>>>Search for recognition falls victim to misconceptions about
Wicca<BR>>><BR>>>By Charles C. Haynes<BR>>><BR>>>The current flap involving Wiccans in the military is a conflict <BR>>>that should<BR>>>never have happened. But years of foot-dragging by the Department <BR>>>of<BR>>>Veterans Affairs have turned an easy case into a major controversy <BR>>>complete<BR>>>with charges of discrimination and threats of lawsuits.<BR>>><BR>>>All VA needs to do is announce that the pentacle - a five-pointed <BR>>>star that<BR>>>symbolizes the Wiccan faith - has been added to the list of 38 <BR>>>"emblems of<BR>>>belief" approved for placement on government headstones and <BR>>>memorials. No<BR>>>big deal, end of story.<BR>>><BR>>>Instead, VA keeps saying that it is "reviewing the process" - and <BR>>>will make<BR>>>a decision at
some indeterminate time in the future.<BR>>><BR>>>Roberta Stewart has been hearing this bureaucratic mumbo jumbo for <BR>>>the past<BR>>>eight months. She just wants to honor her husband, Patrick, a <BR>>>soldier in the<BR>>>Nevada National Guard killed in combat last September in <BR>>>Afghanistan. Sgt.<BR>>>Stewart, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple <BR>>>Heart,<BR>>>among other honors, was a Wiccan.<BR>>><BR>>>But Stewart's request to have a pentacle engraved on her husband's <BR>>>memorial<BR>>>plaque has been repeatedly denied pending review of the VA policy. <BR>>>His space<BR>>>on the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial wall remains blank.<BR>>><BR>>>Eventually, VA will have no choice but to allow the pentacle. <BR>>>Nevada<BR>>>politicians
from both parties, as well as advocacy groups from the <BR>>>left and<BR>>>right, are demanding the change.<BR>>><BR>>>Then there is the small matter of the First Amendment: It's clearly<BR>>>unconstitutional for the government to deny the Wiccan symbol while<BR>>>permitting symbols of many other religions.<BR>>><BR>>>If approval of the pentacle is inevitable, why is VA taking so long <BR>>>to make<BR>>>a decision?<BR>>><BR>>>For Roberta Stewart, it has been a long and frustrating eight <BR>>>months. But<BR>>>other Wiccans have been pushing for VA recognition of the pentacle <BR>>>for more<BR>>>than nine years. (According to the Defense Department, some 1,900<BR>>>active-duty service members identify themselves as Wiccans.)<BR>>><BR>>>At first blush, the years of VA
stonewalling doesn't make sense. A <BR>>>glance at<BR>>>the 38 approved emblems suggests that any religion can make the <BR>>>list. In<BR>>>addition to all of the world's major faiths, a number of obscure <BR>>>sects are<BR>>>represented, such as Eckankar, a New Age group that espouses <BR>>>out-of-body<BR>>>travel. Atheists have a symbol, too. If VA is applying some kind of<BR>>>religious test to keep out the Wiccans, it's hard to fathom what it <BR>>>might<BR>>>be.<BR>>><BR>>>Before last fall, VA blamed the rules. Applicants had to provide<BR>>>documentation from a central authority certifying a symbol as <BR>>>representative<BR>>>of that religion. Because Wiccans have no recognized head or <BR>>>hierarchy,<BR>>>their applications were rejected. Rules are
rules.<BR>>><BR>>>Bipartisan outrage over Sgt. Stewart's case inspired a new set of <BR>>>rules.<BR>>>Now, applicants are required to provide historic background and<BR>>>documentation of use to get a symbol approved. Roberta Stewart has <BR>>>filled<BR>>>out all of the forms. But she's still waiting.<BR>>><BR>>>So what's the problem? VA isn't talking. But the delay may have to <BR>>>do with<BR>>>the fact that Roberta Stewart went public. Putting atheists on the <BR>>>list when<BR>>>no one is paying attention is one thing, but announcing recognition <BR>>>of the<BR>>>Wiccan pentacle in the glare of the media spotlight is another.<BR>>><BR>>>Few people have even heard of Eckankar, but almost everyone has an <BR>>>opinion<BR>>>about Wiccans. Unfortunately, most of what people
think they know <BR>>>about<BR>>>Wicca is false. Wicca is a nature-based religion centered on a <BR>>>belief that<BR>>>the divine permeates all life. Wiccans have nothing to do with <BR>>>black magic<BR>>>or satanic worship, but try explaining that to a misinformed <BR>>>public.<BR>>><BR>>>VA is probably remembering the last time Wiccans in the military <BR>>>made<BR>>>headlines. About six years ago, news reports of Wiccan ceremonies <BR>>>at Fort<BR>>>Hood, Texas, and other bases provoked some conservative Christian <BR>>>groups to<BR>>>call on Christians not to enlist or re-enlist in the Army.<BR>>><BR>>>Under the First Amendment, the Army had no choice then, just as VA <BR>>>has no<BR>>>choice now, but to accommodate Wiccans in the same way it <BR>>>accommodates
other<BR>>>religious groups. But any "acceptance" of witches - who have long <BR>>>been<BR>>>demonized in Christian history - is certain to stir up trouble for <BR>>>the<BR>>>military.<BR>>><BR>>>It's also possible that VA lawyers are beginning to realize that <BR>>>any<BR>>>guidelines for government-sanctioned "emblems of belief," however <BR>>>carefully<BR>>>crafted, are unworkable. In a nation where people are free to <BR>>>choose in<BR>>>matters of faith, the government should stop trying to figure out <BR>>>which<BR>>>symbols are "acceptable" and instead allow each family to choose <BR>>>whatever<BR>>>symbol best represents their convictions.<BR>>><BR>>>In other words, cut through all of the bureaucratic red tape and <BR>>>jettison<BR>>>the "emblems of
belief" list entirely.<BR>>><BR>>>Meanwhile, however, VA should act immediately to honor Roberta <BR>>>Stewart's<BR>>>request and fill in the blank space reserved for Sgt. Stewart. <BR>>>After all, if<BR>>>we can't live up to religious freedom at home, we have no business <BR>>>asking<BR>>>soldiers to die for religious freedom abroad.<BR>>><BR>>>----------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>><BR>>>Seeya round town, Moscow.<BR>>><BR>>>Tom Hansen<BR>>>Moscow, Idaho<BR>>><BR>>>"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the <BR>>>tranquil<BR>>>and steady dedication of a lifetime."<BR>>><BR>>>--Adlai E. Stevenson,
Jr.<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>=====================================================<BR>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<BR>>> http://www.fsr.net<BR>>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>>>====================================================<BR>><BR>>_________________________________________________________________<BR>>FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now! <BR>>http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/<BR>><BR>>=====================================================<BR>>List services made available by First Step Internet, serving the
<BR>>communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>>http://www.fsr.net <BR>>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>>====================================================</SPAN></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></div></html>