Wiccan and Pagan Courage

Goddess Bless

Over at "My Navy Wife Chronicles", we have a good example of why the Pentacle Quest is so important:

...For those of you who are not aware…I am Wiccan (or I practice Wicca). I do not wish to offend any of my readers…and please, please, please do not email me, leave comments or tags with messages about how I may or may not be a devil worshiper or what not or how God is Great and I will never get into Heaven because I’ve not accepted God as my personal savior...I was happy to see on one of my blogging bud’s sites that she had an News Article from CNN about the debate of the religious emblem on tombstones of soldiers (or any military for that matter) being berried in the cemeteries allowing the Pentacle (The Wicca Star) to be placed on those soldiers (or any military member) who’s military record recorded them as being Wiccan. I’m sooo excited. This was done recently. Previously the Army was prominently responsible for the Wiccan or Pagan religion being recognized in the Military...

When people like this feel they can come out of the broom closet, we have definitive proof of the significance of this campaign.

NYTimes Theocracy piece

It seems NYTimes columnist Paul Krugman was inspired by the BAT, with a piece entitled "For God's Sake: Invasion of the theocrats". (Hmmm, that title sounds familiar.) Unfortunately, his editors decided to hide it behind "TimesSelect". Sheesh! What a perfect example of why the print press is tanking. Notwithstanding Brian 'I'm competing with a guy in a bathrobe' Williams asinine comments, the majority of the BAT pieces stand up to, or greatly surpass, Krugman's editorial. OTOH, Krugman is a damn good writer. Many of us have warmed our hands by the fire in his belly. Here's some highlights of Krugman's piece:

...The infiltration of the federal government by large number of people seeking to impose a religious agenda--which is very different from simply being people of faith--is one of the most important stories of the last six years...

Well said, Mr. Krugman. Too bad your bosses decided to bury your piece behind a firewall.

...It's also a story that tends to go underreported, perhaps because journalists are afraid of sounding like conspiracy theorists...

Maybe "TimesSelect" subscribers would think it's just wacky theorizing, but not the rest of us. As Paul points out, Pat Robertson's Xtain revisionist Regent University has 150 graduates working inside the Bush admin. If that's not a bona fide conspiracy, I don't know what is. He goes on:

...But this conspiracy is no theory. The official platform of the Texas Republican Party pledges to "dispel the myth of the separation of church and state." And the Texas Republicans now running the country are doing their best to fulfill that pledge...

Good on you, Paul!

...One measure of just how many Bushies were appointed to promote a religious agenda is how often a Christian right connection surfaces when we learn about a Bush administration scandal...

Heh! It's good to be cautious, so I won't quibble over cause & effect. Besides the infamous Monica Goodling (sounds like a character dreamt up by Vonnegut), Paul gives us a handy gallery of Dominionist creeps:

...Kay Cole James...dean of Regent's government school, was the Federal governments chief personnel officer from 2001 to 2005...she then took a job with Mitchell Wade,...who bribed Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham...

...George Deutsch, the presidential appointee at NASA who told a Web site designer to add the word "theory" after every mention of the Big Bang, to leave open the possibility of "intelligent design by creator. He turned out not to have, as he claimed, a degree from Texas A&M...

...Rachel Paulose, the US attorney in Minesota--three of whose deputies...stepped down,...in protest over her management style, is, according to local news report, in the habit of quoting Bible verses in the office...

...Claude Allen... presidential aid and former deputy secretary of health and human services, who stepped down after being investigated for petty theft. Most press reports, though they mentioned Mr. Allen's faith, failed to convey the fact that he built his career as a man of the hard-line Christian right...

Krugman notes that the Bush admin's hemorrhaging represents a setback for the Christian right's strategy of infiltration:

...But it would be wildly premature to declare the danger over. This is a movement that has shown great resilience over the years. It will surely find new champions. Next week Rudy Giuliani will be speaking at Regent's Executive Leadership Series...

How frightening. Echoing Krugman's words, AU has an excellent article asking "Is the Religious Right Dead?".

(image from Kudzu Files)

Friend of theTheocracy: Giuliani

Questions on Schiavo Bedevil Giuliani
Part of my Blog Against Theocracy post concerned Terri Schiavo. The comments issued by Republican Presidential hopeful Rudolf Giuliani must warm the hearts of Dominionists everywhere. A reporter asked:

"...Can I ask you about Terri Schiavo...Did you support the congressional intervention to—"

At this point Mr. Giuliani cut in, according to a transcript provided by his campaign: "I believe I did. I don't, I, it's a while ago and I think I said that I thought every effort should be made to keep her alive. I don't know that I supported the, the whole thing to the very end, but I am not sure now..."

Blog Against Theocracy: Night of the Living Dominionists

In the original version of the classic science fiction movie The Blob, a gang of hip teenagers race through town, attempting to warn their neighbors of the approaching monster. Their parents--and other iconic 1950's authority figures--dismiss their actions as just a practical joke by some mixed-up kids. But as the threat grows and grows, and after many people are killed, the menace becomes obvious. Teens, parents, teachers, concerned citizens, fire fighters, and law enforcement eventually join forces to defeat the monster.

Over the last few years, many of us have been suspicious of the growing intolerance expressed by certain elements of the Religious Right. Did they have some ulterior motive? Many feared this cult's goal was the establishment of a fundamentalist Christian theocracy in this country. Pursuant of these goals, they attacked and demonized gays, lesbians, or the transgendered, people practicing alternative sexuality, the hard-earned rights of racial minorities, members of non-mainstream religions, feminism and reproductive rights, certain fields of science such as ecology and evolution, and any form of art or expression that called into question a 1950's perception of normalcy. For lack of a better word, some of us have nicknamed the most strident of these zealots 'Dominionists' (but other apt terms are sometimes applied, such 'Theocons' or 'Authoritarians'). For the most part, warnings of this cult's impending coup were ignored.

After the attacks of 9/11, the American public seemed like complacent pod-people as an illegal war was waged, our Justice Department trashed domestic and international rights, and a free hand was given to industries hell-bent on driving the earth to ecological collapse. The main stream media, seemingly channeling a Big Brother form of journalism, advanced this agenda.

As any fan of genre films can tell you, the path to salvation is based upon getting others to notice. They have to see the threat with their own eyes, even if that involves rubbing their noses in it.

I feel that the Terri Schiavo saga was the bellwether. As the debacle unfolded, Americans got to see the subversion of their entire system of government. A special session of congress was convened, unconstitutional laws were drafted, and even the almost unheard of interruption of the President's vacation time, all to institute a 'right-to-life' agenda. Now comfortable in its lapdog roll, the press fed us "The Race to Save Terri" themed stories. However, poll after poll revealed the public was taking a dim view of these actions. This outrage served to reveal certain ulterior motives of the Dominionists: in moments of your most personal life and death struggles, in your most sacred space--only rightfully populated by loved ones or trusted medical professionals--there exhisted a cult of Bible-thumping monsters poised to violate you on every level. Even the sad post mortem of Mrs. Schiavo, revealing her complete blindness and lack of a functioning brain, pointed up another failing of the Dominionists: a complete lack of apologies.

It's sad and tragic for a family to be so hounded, at such critical times. But never underestimate the viciousness of Dominionsts. Even death is no shield against their harassment. They will even pursue you beyond the grave.

The family of fallen soldier Patrick Stewart was to find that out. Sgt. Stewart was killed in combat in Afghanistan. When his widow, Roberta, attempted to honor him by having a pentacle--the symbol of their Wiccan faith--engraved on his memorial plaque, she was in for a rude surprise. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs refused! It turns out the pentacle is not one of the approved symbols the VA allowed. Although applications for this symbol had been properly filed over the years, no action was ever taken. In the mean time, at least six other symbols (one even for Atheism) were approved. For some, the application to approval time was only a few months!

The ordeal of the Stewart family is well documented by the organization Americans United, who has brought a lawsuit (along with Salena Fox of Circle Sanctuary and a number of Wiccan veterans groups) against the VA, trying to force them to address the issue. In this case, the MSM is demonstrating a rare instance of being-on-point. Numerous editorials have appeared in support of the Stewart family and the story has gotten wide coverage. Even activists and politicians who are on the conservative side of issues, have lent their support, such as John Whitehead of the Rutheford Institute.

Throughout all of this, the VA has hidden behind a curtain of bureaucracy. A host of lame excuses has been offered. However, a close reading of the events seems to force the conclusion that someone is putting their personal religious convictions (which I might add are very mistaken as to the nature of Wicca) ahead of their duty and the Constitution of the United States. I wish the VA was not acting like this. It's a sad day for this country when the families of fallen soldiers must pursue lawsuits to get the VA to do the right thing.

Never underestimate the power and ruthlessness of Dominionists. But like the monsters of Psychotronic movies, they have their weaknesses: remember how the Blob could not stand cold temperatures; keep in mind the Hammer Studio's classics, where Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing, of course) had an arsenal of weapons to defeat the Count (Christopher Lee).

Our weapons are the facts--Dominionists can't stand facts! Facts, knowledge, understanding, and diplomacy are analogous to holy water and garlic. Iconic symbols, such as the crucifix, also are powerful shields. We now have another weapon in our monster-stopping tool kit: the Pentacle.

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