NEWS ALERT: Oppose the Anti-Wiccan Boycott & Anti-Wiccan Legislation!

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) and others.  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.

The national public debate on this issue is intensifying.  Let your viewpoints be heard!

Barr has not only put forth anti-Wiccan rhetoric in press releases and media interviews in recent weeks, he also has introduced anti-Wiccan legislation on Capitol Hill.  Barr seeks to outlaw the practice of the Wiccan religion on US military installations by Wiccan military personnel. Although Barr's first attempt at legislation failed, since that time he has proclaimed in national and regional media interviews that he intends to try again.  Barr continues to speak out and organize against the Wiccan religion as a whole as well as against Wiccans in the military in particular.

Others have now joined Barr's anti-Wiccan campaign. Thirteen
anti-diversity "Christian" political groups have launched an anti-Wiccan
boycott. These groups include the Christian Coalition, Traditional Values
Coalition, Christian Action Network, the American Family Association, Free Congress Association, and others. They are urging Christians to boycott joining and re-enlisting in the US Army until it bans Wiccan rituals on military installations.

Last month, Barr's first attempt to get anti-Wiccan legislation passed took the form of an amendment to a defense appropriations bill. The House Rules Committee rejected Barr's amendment as not being germane, and the amendment is not now part of the bill.

WILL BARR TRY AGAIN? HE SAYS YES!

Could such unconstitutional legislation get passed?  Not if opposition against this becomes visible on Capitol Hill. This worked before.

The last time federal anti-Wiccan legislation was introduced in Congress was in 1985.  Rep. Robert Walker (Pennsylvania) introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives and Sen. Jesse Helms (North Carolina) introduced similar legislation in the US Senate.  These anti-Wiccan legislation attempts sought to take away tax exempt status from Wiccan
churches.   Although the Walker bill remained dormant, the Helms amendment actually was passed without opposition by the US Senate and was on its way to becoming law.  The American Civil Liberties Union, other constitutional freedom organizations, and thousands of Wiccans, Pagans, members of other religions, plus other concerned citizens expressed their opposition to this legislation to elected officials.  Thousands of letters, telegrams, and phone calls poured into Capitol Hill.  Elected officials got the message that the Wiccan religion was indeed a real religion entitled to the same treatment as other religions, and fortunately, members of the Congressional joint conference committee which was preparing the final version of the bill voted to remove the amendment before the bill became law.

If you have not already written your Congressional Representative and Senators and urged them to uphold First Amendment rights for Wiccans in
the US Military, NOW is the time to do so.

National media coverage has already brought this matter to the attention of elected officials and their staff on Capitol Hill.  Know that in addition to letters supporting Wiccan freedom of worship in the US military, many anti-Wiccan letters are also now being written and sent to Capitol Hill as this political debate intensifies.  Elected officials pay attention to the numbers of individually written letters on each side of an issue as part of deciding their own position.

As mentioned in our previous LLL News (#3), any letters you write should be concise, polite, intelligent, issue focused, and one page or less in length.  Be sure to include your legal name and your postal address when
you write or email, since this information will identify you as a constituent.  It is not necessary to mention your own spiritual orientation in your letter.  Speak out as a citizen concerned about upholding First Amendment rights.  Please send copies of letters you write to Lady Liberty League for our archives (LLL, PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 USA; email: circle@mhtc.net, with LLL in subject line).

CONTACT CAPITOL HILL

LLL News tips & Congressional links
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/report/index.htm

Tips on contacting elected officials on Capitol Hill
http://legislators.com/wpost/contact.html

Get Info about your US Representative and Senators
http://congress.nw.dc.us/wpost/search.html

Email Your US Representative and Senators
http://congress.nw.dc.us/wpost/elecmail.html
 

PUBLIC DEBATE INTENSIFIES

The public debate about Wiccans in the US Military is continuing to
make news, with coverage by national, international, and regional press,
radio, and television.  Two prominent press sources, US News and World
Report magazine and the Washington Post newspaper, already have published articles. On June 9, a news story was broadcast on All Things Considered on National Public Radio, and also on June 9,there was a debate on CNBC's political news talk show, Hardball, on national television.  Editorials supportive of upholding First Amendment rights for Wiccans have begun appearing in various newspapers around the USA.  Additional news coverage is likely to emerge throughout June, since several national television programs and international press from several countries are now working on stories.

Some press coverage about the public debate is now on-line:

US News & World Report for June 14, 1999
A Genuine Witch Hunt
http://www.usnews.com:80/usnews/issue/990614/witches.htm

Austin American Statesman for June 10, 1999
Until Army Rejects Wicca, 13 Groups Call for Boycott
http://www.statesman.com/news/2state/1999/06/10wiccaboycott.html

West Virginia Gazette on-line (editorial) for June 9, 1999
Witch Hunt: Barr on Rampage
http://www.wvgazette.com/Editorial/barr0609.html

The Washington Post for June 8, 1999
Witches Stir Controversy in the Army
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/june99/wicca08.htm

Philadelphia Daily News (editorial) for June 8, 1999
GIs Bewitched, Barr-thered, and bewildered The Broomstick Brigade
http://www.phillynews.com/daily_news/99/Jun/08/opinion/EDTB08.htm

Atlanta Journal Constitution & Cox Newspapers for June 6, 1999
When a Political Witch Hunt Fails
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/newsatlanta/teepen/0606.html

THE HILL, Vol. 6, No. 20, for June 2, 1999
Barbells, No Witches proposed for Defense
http://www.witchvox.com/wren/wren_archives/wn_we_990605.html

CIRCLE Magazine on-line for May 29, 1999
Wiccans Tell Barr: Uphold First Amendment Rights for Wiccans in the Military! Special first hand report & photos of Wiccans encountering Barr
by Angie Buchanan of LLL and CIRCLE magazine
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/military/marietta.htm

WICCANS & PAGANS UNITE

Already hundreds of Wiccans, Pagans, and others concerned about
First Amendment rights have joined together to uphold free exercise of
religion for Wiccans in the US Military.  More help is needed.

In addition to contacting your elected officials, also send letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines.  Also, express your views on-line.

Please spread the word about this situation via word of mouth,
email, letters, phone calls, faxes, chat rooms, discussion lists, articles
in newsletters, and in other ways.  In addition to telling Wiccans and
Pagans, be sure to tell practitioners of other religions and philosophies
whom you know who are supportive of diversity and concerned about
protecting freedom of worship for all. If you are part of any interfaith
groups, discuss this issue and ask for networking help and spiritual
support.

Thanks to everyone who is working to uphold religious freedom in the USA and protect freedom of worship for Wiccans in the US Military. Thanks to scholars who have volunteered help with media referrals. Thanks to all of you who have been sending info to LLL -- you have helped us network and share info with other activists working on this issue. And, thanks to those of you who have spoken publicly about this in media interviews, including:
 

• Dr. David Oringderff, executive director of the Sacred Well Congregation
• Marcy Palmer, denominational leader of Fort Hood Open Circle & deaconess of the Sacred Well Congregation
• Members of the Fort Hood Open Circle, Fort Hood, Texas
• John Machete, executive director of the Military Pagan Network
• Lady Galadriel, spokesperson for Wiccan Pagan Education Association & high priestess of Grove of the Unicorn
• Lady Amber-Maeve Szymanski, Covenant of the Goddess public information officer & high priestess of the Grove of the Winged Scarab
• Hawk, spokesperson for the Magickal Cauldron
• Lady Twilight, high priestess of Ravenwood Church and Seminary of the Old Religion
• Lady Sintana, founder of Ravenwood Church and Seminary of Wicca
• Selena Fox, executive director of Lady Liberty League & high priestess of Circle Sanctuary
• Jay Jacobson, executive director of the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
• Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• and many, many others.

Wren's Nest of The Witches Voice
http://www.witchvox.com/xwrensnest.html

The Magickal Cauldron
http://www.magickalcauldron.com/bobbarr.html

Texas Pagan Awareness On-Line
http://www.tpao.org/cybersit.html

Witches Anti-Discrimination League
http://members.tripod.com/~Elderpaths/position.html

Military Pagan Network
http://www.milpagan.org/press/june0499.htm

Lady Liberty League
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty

LADY LIBERTY LEAGUE NEWS
Email Newsletter of the Lady Liberty League
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty
Circle Sanctuary, PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 USA
email: circle@mhtc.net
telephone: (608) 924-2216 (phone staffed most weekdays 10am-5pm CDT)
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LLL NEWS STAFF
editor: Selena Fox
writers: Selena Fox & Angie Buchanan
subscriptions:  Theresa Jones
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