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Lady Liberty League Reports
News on anti-Wiccan campaign led by Rep. Bob Barr
Join with Wiccans, Pagans,
Religious Freedom activists, and others concerned about First Amendment rights
to counter the anti-Wiccan campaign led by Rep. Bob Barr (7th District Georgia). Although Barr's first attempt at federal anti-Wiccan
legislation failed, he publicly proclaims in subsequent media interviews that he will try again. He seeks to outlaw
the practice of the Wiccan religion by Wiccans in the US military.
On June 8, a group of anti-diversity "Christian" political
groups launched a nationwide anti-Wiccan boycott. They are urging Christians to not enlist and rejoin the US Army
until Wiccans in the military are no longer permitted to practice the Wiccan religion at military installations.
Others have joined this anti-Wiccan campaign, including South Caroline Senator Strom Thurmond. In late June, presidential
candidate Texas Governor George W. Bush, Jr. added his voice by saying that Wicca is not a religion.
In connection with the 4th of July, major Pagan organizations and leaders
have issued statements and press releases championing First Amendment rights:
Joint Statement and Press Release by 31 major Pagan organizations
Pagan Leaders Champion Religious Freedom in Military
http://www.bloomington.in.us/~pen/barrpagan.html
Lady Liberty League Freedom Statement
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/report/fall1999.htm
Other organizations concerned about preserving constitutional rights
have also issued statements including Americans United for Separation for Church & State in a press release,
June 28, 1999, "Army should Reject call for ban on Wiccans, says Americans United".
The national public debate on this issue is intensifying. Let your viewpoints
be heard!
Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators on Capitol Hill
in Washington, DC, and urge them to uphold First Amendment Rights for Wiccans in the US Military.
Read the recent letter sent out by Circle to Pagan voters and Supporters of Religious Freedom in Bob
Barr's Georgia District.
Here is a model letter to Wisconsin Representrative Tammy Baldwin, you can use to formulate your own
response - send it to your representative!
Don't know who your representative is?
Contacting
the Congress is a very up-to-date database of congressional
contact information.
Voice your opinions about Wiccan religious freedom:
http://home.digitalcity.com/houston/national_hotissue/main.adp?page=wicca
Please send copies of any letters you write to LLL circle@mhtc.net, PO Box 219,
Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 USA.
For more information about the anti-Wiccan boycott and the anti-Wiccan
legislation, see LLL News Alert #4 and News
Alert #3.
CIRCLE SANCTUARY & US MILITARY
Learn more about Circle Sanctuary support for Wiccans in the US Military over the past 20 years and
read the "Wiccan Philosophy
Overview" prepared for US Military chaplains at the Pentagon
by Selena Fox. In addition, information submitted to the Pentagon by Circle Sanctuary over the years has paved
the way for several articles, including the "Wiccan Religious Background Paper of the Armed Forces Chaplains
Board" and the Wiccan religion section of the US
Army Chaplains Handbook. Some of the recent writings by Selena
Fox submitted to the Armed Forces Chaplains Board at the Pentagon are included in the handbook, "Overview
of Wicca for the Military Member", published in Spring of 1999 by the Sacred Well Congregation.
ADVOCATES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONFRONT BARR FACE-TO-FACE AND ON-LINE On July 7, 1999, several persons asked
Rep. Barr questions regarding the Wicca controversy, in his on-line Virtual Town Hall Meeting held in the AccessAtlanta
chat room.
Wiccan constituents of Barr's districts,
including a veteran and a Wiccan presently serving in the US military, attended his public town meeting on May
29, 1999, in Marietta, Georgia. They urged him to uphold first amendment rights for Wiccans in the US military.CIRCLE
reporter, Lady Liberty League representative, and Circle Sanctuary Community member Angie Buchanan went to Marietta
as press and covered the meeting. She asked Barr several questions during and after the meeting. See Angie's Complete
Town Meeting Report with photos.
Hawk of the Magickal Cauldron
reports on Georgia constituents and an honored Naval Corpsman confronting
Bob Barr at the first of a series of Town Hall Meetings Saturday, May
29: http://www.magickalcauldron.com/bobsmeeting.html
EXTRA, EXTRA READ (AND HEAR) ALL ABOUT IT... MULTI-MEDIA COVERAGE
TIME Magazine: July 5, 1999
I Saluted a Witch
This article is in Time's archives and can be purchased
by clicking here.
Free!: June 27, 1999
Freedom Forum on-line, Religion section, editorial by Charles C.
Hayne
Witches Test Our Religious Tolerance
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=9013
ABC TV News on-line: June 23, 1999
Witches in Combat Bootstranscript and Real Video of news broadcast
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/CloserLook/wnt990623_wehmeyer_story.html
The Washington Post: June 22, 1999
Wiccan Soldierson-line discussion with Dr. David Oringderff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/zforum/99/wicca062299.htm
Art Bell Radio Show: June 14, 1999
Paganism & Wiccans in the Military (via Real Audio player)
http://ww2.broadcast.com/artbell/abell/9906/ab0614.ram
US News & World Report magazine,
June 14, 1999
A Genuine Witch Hunt
http://www.usnews.com:80/usnews/issue/990614/witches.htm
Fort Worth, Texas. Star-Telegram editorial, June 13, 1999
Wicca in Military
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:EDIT14/1:EDIT14061399.html
Pittsburg Post Gazette: June 11, 1999
Editorial: Witches' brouhaha
The Army's Wiccans are not a broomstick brigade
http://www.post-gazette.com:80/forum/19990611edwitch3.asp
National Public Radio: June
9, 1999
All Things Considered
news segment: Military-Wicca
http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1051295
and if you have the RealAudio
player, http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19990609.atc.09.ram
OTHER RELATED LINKS
Check this ever-mounting collection of hot links to Bob Barr Controversy
related websites:
MORE ON-LINE COVERAGE:
Wren's Nest of The Witches Voice
http://www.witchvox.com/xwrensnest.html
Pagan Educational Network
http://www.bloomington.in.us/~pen/barr.html
The Magickal Cauldron
http://www.magickalcauldron.com/bobbarr.html
General Links to Other Religious Freedom Related Sites:
 American Civil Liberties Union
national organization engaged in legal work and information dissemination.
The Burning Times... a history
and memorial
Center For Democracy And Technology
working for free expression and privacy rights in the digital age
Earth Religions Assistance Network
contacts and help for Wiccan/Pagan religious freedom cases
Free! The Freedom Forum On-line
news, info on first amendment issues
A Good Lawyer by Stephen W. Comiskey on-line guidebook
for attorneys and clients
Hatewatch.org monitors the
activities of groups seeking to foster online bigotry
The International Coalition for Religious Freedom networking with religious freedom groups from many religions and political orientations,
including Christian conservatives
Internet Free Expression Alliance
freedom of speech networking and news
Military Pagan Network religious
freedom support for Pagans in the US Military
Ontario Centre for Religious
Tolerance interfaith networking
and news on religious tolerance endeavors
People for the American
Way's religious liberty endeavors
Sacred Earth Alliance, includes
an on-line directory of public Pagan religious freedom activists & organizations
Web, by Women, for Women deals with tabooed subject matter and the effect that censorship has on women
The Witches' League for Public Awareness
working to correct misinformation and end prejudice against Witches
Wren's Nest - news reports
of interest to Wiccans and other Pagans
PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 USA
608.924.2216
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