Re: Witch Stands up for Her Rights 
Infiniti

Wed Oct 21 12:08:55 1998
Beirdd wrote,*br*: Interesting article. It didn't seem that there was any *br*: bigotry or ignorance there until the symbol in question was *br*: protested. You never know...*br*:*br*: As one who could lose his job for wearing a religious *br*: symbol, *any* religious symbol, visibly, I must say that I *br*: expect that one day our ever heightened sensitivity will *br*: require laws against all of these symbols we hold so dear *br*: ever being seen by anyone, including us. A locked medicine *br*: chest will be the new tabernacle, wherein we hide our *br*: sigils, pentacles, crosses, stars, and crescents for fear *br*: that a Peeping Tom may become mortally offended and succeed *br*: in setting a legal precedent at our expense.*br*:*br*: It is a useful and curious thing to remember that the only *br*: book currently listed by name as banned by *law* (not merely *br*: by socio-religious bias or "community morals") *br*: from all U.S. public schools is the Bible.*br*:*br*: We tread on dangerous ground here. What we think may be our *br*: firm foothold in freedom's light may simply be our *br*: springboard into an ecumenical bog for the detritus of a *br*: society paralyzed by the fear of shadows.*br*:*br*: --Beirdd*p*I agree Beirdd.  I noted a few problems to this article, that are screaming at me.  This woman goes out and writes an article that she was specifically ordered NOT TO write, which may have caused the newspaper serious troubles, if not a loss of subscriptions.  Small town newspapers don't have large pocketbooks, and three lost subsciptions can hurt.  This action could have lost them many.  She thinks she was fired for the article and the controversy it caused - I bet she is entirely right.  If I was the editor, I'd've canned her too.  I think everyone tends to conveniently forget that newspapers and TV news are businesses, and have bills to pay.  Mashing the massive majority of a small town does not pay the bills.*p*Personally, I want to know a bit more here.  The entire article is written to have you assume that this lady and her family are completely innocent, until she is fired, then she joins this big fight (btw, if you are fighting a town, who in thier right huging mind things the town would be nice to them!!!!!!).  I know that young teenagers like to stir up troubles, often.  I know that when living in a small town, trying to stomp on everyone else gets you "discommunicated".  This lady lives in a small town near the woods.  I live four miles into those perverbial woods, near an equally small town.  I never once had to fight for my religious freedoms until I joined Summerlands and a few other groups and was told I had to fight for them (not to say that this is SL's fault, it's not, just the timing).  I didn't even have to fight with my own parents about it!  And, by the Gods, most of the fighting I now do is with pagans!  I have a number of Wicca that are online that insist I am Wiccan!  And they wont get it through there little, small minded, narrow eyed mindset that I am not.  Most Christians, even here in my small town, don't give a damn.  I help them, they help me, we don't talk religion, we're all happy.*p*You can push too hard for something, and when you do, it pushes back harder.  Who gives a damn about a fish symbol on a small town seal.  I got a religious icon in my pocket right not, and later I'm going to spend that religious icon and recieve others to replace it.  I happen to like the way the one dollar bill looks, and it is full of religious icons.  I also happen to live near a town that has a religious icon in it's seal.  I like it, it looks good.*p*Btw, I have a Baptist pastor who cuts my hair.  He is a _very_ devoted individual, and not only does he know what religion I am, since he is my parents pastor, but we often have theological debates.  Never once have I been told I am a devil worshipper, by anyone; and I am a person who can pick a fight with Gandhi.*p*If you push too hard, it pushes back.  I wear my religious icons on my finger and around my neck, and I don't have a single problem, and never have.  If you look for a fight, you will find one.  If you push too hard, it will push back.  And, if you make big enough waves, you are likely to tip over your own boat.*p*I would also point out that if Halloween wasn't so close, this wouldn't have even been carried by the AP.  I see this cycle every year, and it is beginning to sicken me.*p*We are not Christians.  Their ways are not our ways.  If you have a _need_ to blast out who and what you are, and for everyone to acknowledge and recognize that, maybe you really need to sit down and figure out why that is.  I don't remember anywhere in any Celtic or Wiccan writing or history that it says "we" must have "them" acknowledge who "we" are, or we are not validated in our belief.  Christians have the directive to spread the good word, and some do go a bit too far, we do not have this directive.*p*On a closing note.  I talk to an individual who is not Wicca, but is a Witch, who also _lived_ in this area.  He is now in collage, facing problems left and right; the same problems he had here.  He was called devil worshipper, and was beaten a few times, and even had a portian of his parent's lawn set on fire.  Yet, the same people that did these things to him, I not only know, but talk to on a regular bases, and I even call a few friend.  I do not use this title easily, it is something that is earned, from me.  I have never once had these problems.  I also, have never once stood before a school and advocated the removal of the Ten Commandments form the wall in the Bible as Literature classroom, or the cross that is a part of the forward stone wall, because I was a student and not Christian.  Yes, these things are violations of the US Constitution, but I don't care, no one is making me look at them.  I can very easily turn my head.  Besides, if anyone has ever worked with stone walls you'd know that when you remove a certain set of stones, no matter what type they are, you do have to replace them with a similar cut and shape stone(s).  You can remove the cross a hundred times, it will always be there, and No small town is going to rebuild a school because one kid wants them to.*p*Michael*br*If we can't all play on the same playground, we need to start putting away the toys.
Re: Witch Stands up for Her Rights 
Beirdd
84
Tue Oct 20 23:01:27 1998