A Ray of Hope
Deborah
searles@summerlands.com
Sat Sep 11 02:55:50 1999
If you dont remember what this reply is in response to, go read the original post in this thread.  Searles forwarded this to me and I now forward it to all of you.  Praise all the Gods for Spider Robinson and his creation Michael Callahan and Callahans Cross Time Saloon... and for the good folks at alt.callahans and the wonderful people, Pagan and Christian, who stood against hate and intolerance last Monday.  Read on and take heart. (if you dont get the references and allusions, I highly recommend reading the Callahan series of paperbook books <G>)*p*Deborah*br*****************************br*        Dear Folks,*p*        A friend of mine forwarded me this post to the alt.callahans *br*newsgroup, and the author has granted permission to share it far and *br*wide.  I find the report most encouraging.*p*        Blessings,*br*        Elizabeth*p*------- Forwarded Message Follows -------*p*From: saoba@aol.com (Barbara C Bell)*br*Newsgroups: alt.callahans*br*Subject: A Ray of hope, and a TOAST*br*Date: 10 Sep 1999 15:09:58 GMT*p* BarbaraFox wanders in, looking bemused. She takes a seat at the*br*bar and studies Mike Callahan seriously. The big Irishman smiles *br*gently.*br*  "Gotta question, dear?" he asks finally.*br*  The raven haired temptress glances carefully at Fast Eddie, and*br*Mike grins.*br*   "It ain't prying if I give you the go-ahead," he says.*p*    BarbaraFox puts a dollar on the bar top and waits while Mike *br*pours her her usual shot of Dalwhinnie.*br*    She says quietly, "Mike, do you ever despair of us?"*br*    Michael Callahan blinks, and she gestures around the Place. Her*br*gesture seems to somehow encompass the whole suffering world.*br*    "No," he says, his voice firm and gentle, "And not just because I'm from the future. I see stuff in here every day that helps me keep hope alive." *br*    She nods. After a moment she carries her drink to the chalk line and begins to speak.*p*   "Some of ya'll may remember the recent furor over pagans in the *br*military, and the minister in Texas who was quoted as saying that*br*witches should not be suffered to live. Now, as a certain radio person*br*would say, for the rest of the story..."*p*   "Said minister arranged a protest march against a pagan/new age *br*shop. Word of this got about, and thanks to the 'Net, it got about *br*quickly. Ray of hope the first... the pagan community mobilized and*br*over 150 Wiccans and fellow pagans showed up for a peaceful*br*counter-protest. Harmony reigned, songs were sung, sign-making*br*materials were loaned around."*p*  "The minister and around 70 people finally arrived and were, shall*br*we say, taken aback. The incident ended peacefully. Now for Ray of *br*Hope the second....."*p*   "Standing firmly, smiling broadly, amongst the pagans were a *br*couple from Ft Hood wearing What Would Jesus Do t-shirts. Life-*br*long Christians, they had come out with a sign reading 'Love thy*br*Neighbor' and a cross made of 2x4s. They stood with the pagans *br*because they believed that their savior would not have taken part in*br*the minister's protest."*p*   She shakes her head, a shaky smile on her face, tears in her eyes.*br*   "The raving hate-monger found 70 people to stand with him. The *br*pagan community came together and stood firm. But my toast and *br*thanks go out to that Christian couple who stood with the pagans,*br*putting their bodies on the line, in the name of love."*p*    There is hope after all...."*p*    ***CRASH****p*"...for there is hope in two women, help in three women, strength in*br*four, joy in five, power in six and against seven, no gate may stand."*br*Sheri S. Tepper  "Gibbon's Decline and Fall"  *br*
Anti Witch March in Texas 
Deborah
206
Sat Sep  4 13:09:04 1999