It's been almost 6 weeks since mom passed and thanks to the love and support of many great friends and family, the pain of loss is pretty much gone and thanks to her many lessons in life, we are clearly focused on what lies ahead.
Several new adventures are brewing and I look forward to seeing them develop. No journey is without its pitfalls however. Without getting into a lot of boring detail, I am grateful to be working with a fleet lead who is not only a charismatic leader, but an honorable person as well. It truly sucks when someone who is supposed to be in a position of senior leadership in an organization doesn't know the first thing about it and interjects themselves into your affairs when they have no cause to, and in doing so causes financial turmoil simply in the interest of trying to be popular to a whiney < ahem >.
You know, growing up you are taught about history, the founding principals of this country, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and The Constitution of The United States of America. We learn about why there are checks and balances to the various branches of government, and most importantly that it is a government of the people and by the people. We don't have a perfect system here, but it's the best in the world in my opinion.
At one time, serving your country was a high calling, a honorable duty whereupon you swear an oath to "support and defend the Constitution". Leaving aside politics and the multitude of rants that could cover multiple political parties, it seems that some of those in Federal Service need to be reminded of whom they represent and what serving is about. They should perform their duties swiftly, efficiently, honestly, and without bias to anyone or any group. I know all too well the darker side of Federal Service as I have served in it, seen the apathy and abuse of power and position, and promptly got myself out of it to do something I dearly love.
Sadly, for years our government, founded on the principals of religious and personal freedoms, has been discriminating against a religion which pre-dates many modern day ... mainstream... religions and in which they owe much of their structure and ceremonies to. The umbrella term for it is paganism, which can be anything not mainstream Christian, Jewish, or Muslim based. Specifically I am addressing the religion of Wicca.
Wicca is just one of the many nature based religions that has its roots in pre-Christianity and has endured (read survived) time and rabid unfounded bias. It is enjoying a "re-birth" of sorts as more people get educated about the actual nature of the pagan religions and find out that all the "scary stuff" they have been told all along just isn't true. To put it simply, it is living life in balance and harmony with nature and your fellow humans.
To the issue at point. Several years ago, the families of US Military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I can continue to enjoy the hard won freedoms, made a simple request to the Veterans Administration. They noticed that the symbol of their faith, the Wiccan Pentacle, was not on the list of religious symbols available for government issued grave markers, but many other "minor" religions were. They simply asked to be included so that their loved ones could be appropriately honored.
Obviously it didn't go well or I wouldn't be writing this. Instead of the great tradition of service and honor, various members of the government allowed their personal prejudices to influence their jobs and in doing so, violated the Constitutional rights of many citizens.
Enter the great equalizer. When the tradition of Honor and Service gets forgotten by those that shouldn't, we have another great, yet dubious, tradition here in the US...get a lawyer. While normally I would rant about our overly litigious society, this is one case where the Judicial Branch and its officers (the lawyers) held the Government to its responsibility and forced an end to corrupt discrimination and bias perpetrated primarily by the VA.
Its been a little over six months since I last went on about this, but the wheels of justice have turned and last night while driving I heard the Blessed News on the radio. Americans United had taken up this case a while back on behalf of the families who could not get the VA to do what was right.
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947; the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. (www.au.org)
They sued in Federal Court and the Government Settled. Here is the press release on the case from AU:
Bush Administration Agrees To Approve Wiccan Pentacle For Veteran Memorials
Monday, April 23, 2007
Settlement In Americans United Lawsuit Comes After Discovery Of A Pattern Of Bias Against Minority Faith
The Bush administration has conceded that Wiccans are entitled to have the pentacle, the symbol of their faith, inscribed on government-issued memorial markers for deceased veterans, Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced today.
The settlement agreement, filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, brings to a successful conclusion a lawsuit Americans United brought against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in November.
The litigation charged that denying a pentacle to deceased Wiccan service personnel, while granting religious symbols to those of other traditions, violated the U.S. Constitution.
"This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. "It is a proud day for religious freedom in the United States."
Continued Lynn, "Sadly, the refusal of the federal government to recognize the Wiccan pentacle seems to have been built on inexcusable bias, a foundation that has crumbled under the press of this litigation."
In the lawsuit, Americans United represented Roberta Stewart, whose husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2005; Karen DePolito, whose husband, Jerome Birnbaum, is a veteran of the Korean War who died last year; Circle Sanctuary, a prominent Wiccan congregation; Jill Medicine Heart Combs, whose husband is severely ill; and the Isis Invicta Military Mission, a Wiccan and Pagan congregation serving military personnel.
The litigation was coordinated by Richard B. Katskee, AU assistant legal director with oversight by Ayesha N. Khan, AU legal director. They were assisted by other attorneys in the office, including Aram Schvey, AU litigation counsel.
Americans United's attorneys uncovered evidence that the VA's refusal to recognize the Pentacle was motivated by bias toward the Wiccan faith. President George W. Bush, when he was governor of Texas, had opposed the right of Wiccans to meet at a military base in that state. Bush's opinion of Wiccans was taken into consideration when making decisions on whether to approve the Pentacle.
"Many people have asked me why the federal government was so stubborn about recognizing the Wiccan symbol," said AU's Lynn. "I did not want to believe that bias toward Wiccans was the reason, but that appears to have been the case. That's discouraging, but I'm pleased we were able to put a stop to it."
AU's Khan welcomed the settlement.
"It is rank hypocrisy for this administration to claim publicly that it cares about religious freedom and equality but then to quietly and deliberately discriminate against a minority faith like Wicca," she said. "Until now, this administration's view has been that Wiccans are good enough to fight for their country, but not good enough to be acknowledged with a proper headstone."
Under the terms of the Circle Sanctuary v. Nicholson settlement, the federal government will recognize the right of Wiccans to have the pentacle made available as an emblem of belief for inscription on headstones, grave markers and memorial plaques. The VA will add the symbol to its list of available emblems of belief.
In addition, the VA will make markers bearing the pentacle "an encircled, intertwined five-pointed star" available to the families of Stewart, Birnbaum and others who request them.
AU noted that the VA's list of 38 approved symbols for government gravestones, markers and plaques includes emblems for Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Hindus, Humanists and members of the Eckankar, Serbian Orthodox and United Moravian faiths.
A Wiccan group first petitioned the VA for approval of the pentacle years ago. Officials at the agency dragged their feet on the request but in the interim approved the symbols of six other religions and belief systems. Among them was a Sikh emblem, which the VA approved in just a few weeks.
Wicca is a nature-based religion grounded in pre-Christian beliefs. Circle Sanctuary says the Wiccan religion honors the Divine as both Mother and Father, encompasses love and respect of Nature, celebrates the cycles of Sun and Moon, and encourages adherents to live in harmony with other humans and the greater Circle of Life.
(End quoted article)
It's about bloody time. Perhaps those who perpetuated this abhorrent discrimination will go back and reflect upon the core ideals of what it means to serve the public, your country, and just what the ideals of the pagan faiths are. I hope they also take a long hard look at themselves in relation to the core ideals of their own faith. I somehow doubt they will though as they probably wouldn't like to admit the hypocrisy they see within themselves but one can hope.
In the end, I wish no ill upon those who did wrong, for the problem has been fixed and wishing ill is not my way. My concern is the opening of eyes and minds too long closed by false ideas and prejudice that they may see that paganism, and specifically Wicca, is not something to be feared and abhorred, but honored and respected just as they wish their own faith to be honored and respected.
Blessed Be.
WooHoo! Great writing on this bit of information.