Wiccan veterans want parity
They say Pentagon denies equal treatment
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
By M.L. LYKE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Hindus and Sufis and Buddhists got the OK. So did Mormons, Muslims and Christians. Even atheist veterans have their symbol engraved free on military headstones.
Why, wonders Scott Stearns, can't he?
"I would hope when I pass away that both my status as a vet and my religious belief would be on my marker," said Stearns, who medically retired from the Navy after a diagnosis of leukemia in 1996.
The quiet father of two, who lives in Kent and works at the Seattle office of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is Wiccan, a pagan form of worship that celebrates nature and the elements.
It was officially recognized by the Defense Department as a religion in 1996, and has growing groups of followers in all military branches.
But the National Cemetery Administration of the Veterans Affairs Department has yet to approve use of its symbol -- the stars-and-circle pentacle -- despite years of requests from Wiccan veterans.
Some complain that they have been stonewalled with letters that go unanswered, or endless responses that policies are "under revision."
"It seems like there's a bias. 'Discrimination' might be too strong a word, but it definitely seems like there might be a bias," said Stearns, 37, who met with state representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union over the weekend to discuss possible legal actions.
Doug Honig, an ACLU spokesman, said Monday that the organization has agreed to help in Stearns' fight, focusing on the issue of religious freedom.
"The government over the years has accepted many small religious groups that are not considered mainstream," Honig said. "We haven't heard any reason why the Wiccans shouldn't be allowed to have their emblems on their headstones, too."
-snip-
Wiccans and other pagans need to start sendnig our Congressional reps letters and making phone calls. This kind of discrimination should not be happening to our vets, the ones who've put their lives on the line to keep us free. Congress.org can help you find out who your federal reps are and give you the contact info. Snail mail is better then email, less likely to get deleted and ignored. Lets start flooding our reps with mail telling them this discrimination needs to stop.
They say Pentagon denies equal treatment
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
By M.L. LYKE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Hindus and Sufis and Buddhists got the OK. So did Mormons, Muslims and Christians. Even atheist veterans have their symbol engraved free on military headstones.
Why, wonders Scott Stearns, can't he?
"I would hope when I pass away that both my status as a vet and my religious belief would be on my marker," said Stearns, who medically retired from the Navy after a diagnosis of leukemia in 1996.
The quiet father of two, who lives in Kent and works at the Seattle office of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is Wiccan, a pagan form of worship that celebrates nature and the elements.
It was officially recognized by the Defense Department as a religion in 1996, and has growing groups of followers in all military branches.
But the National Cemetery Administration of the Veterans Affairs Department has yet to approve use of its symbol -- the stars-and-circle pentacle -- despite years of requests from Wiccan veterans.
Some complain that they have been stonewalled with letters that go unanswered, or endless responses that policies are "under revision."
"It seems like there's a bias. 'Discrimination' might be too strong a word, but it definitely seems like there might be a bias," said Stearns, 37, who met with state representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union over the weekend to discuss possible legal actions.
Doug Honig, an ACLU spokesman, said Monday that the organization has agreed to help in Stearns' fight, focusing on the issue of religious freedom.
"The government over the years has accepted many small religious groups that are not considered mainstream," Honig said. "We haven't heard any reason why the Wiccans shouldn't be allowed to have their emblems on their headstones, too."
-snip-
Wiccans and other pagans need to start sendnig our Congressional reps letters and making phone calls. This kind of discrimination should not be happening to our vets, the ones who've put their lives on the line to keep us free. Congress.org can help you find out who your federal reps are and give you the contact info. Snail mail is better then email, less likely to get deleted and ignored. Lets start flooding our reps with mail telling them this discrimination needs to stop.
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