The Wiccans' Grave Difficulty
Jacob Sullum | April 27, 2007, 7:39pm
After dragging its feet for a decade, the Department of Veterans Affairs this week agreed to honor requests for pentacles on military headstones. Over the years, the department has officially approved 38 religious symbols, but Wiccans were denied this courtesy until they filed a lawsuit. The discrimination was so egregious that it made allies of two groups that are often at odds over Establishment Clause issues:
"The Wiccan families we represented were in no way asking for special treatment," the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United [for the Separation of Church and State], said at a news conference Monday. "They wanted precisely the same treatment that dozens of other religions already had received from the department, an acknowledgment that their spiritual beliefs were on par with those of everyone else."...
"I was just aghast that someone who would fight for their country and die for their country would not get the symbol he wanted on his gravestone," said John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, which litigates many First Amendment cases. "It's just overt religious discrimination."
BakedPenguin | April 29, 2007, 6:08pm | #
If anyone is still reading this thread -
Actually, the
Church of Satan is a recognized religion by the US Navy, and one would assume, by the rest of the armed services. For those of you who would prefer not to go to the site:
"In December of the same year, (1967) Anton [La Vey, High Priest of the CoS] was approached by Mrs. Edward Olsen who wanted the High Priest to perform a funeral for her recently deceased husband, a Navy man killed in a traffic accident near San Francisco’s Treasure Island station. Both she and Edward Olsen had become members of the Church of Satan, despite his Baptist-oriented upbringing and his earlier membership in Youth for Christ. When he’d entered the Navy, seen more of the world and married a sexy brunette, he realized Satanism was a more realistic way of life. “He believed in this church,” said Mrs, Olsen, “and it is in this church that he would have wanted his funeral.”
Though the Navy officials were a bit nonplussed, they agreed to Pat Olsen’s instructions without much discussion, considering it their duty to comply with Mr. Olsen’s last request with dignity. There was a chrome-helmeted honor guard in attendance at the ceremony, standing rigidly at attention alongside the black-robed witches and warlocks wearing their Baphomet medallions. The sailors held an American flag over the coffin while LaVey recited a eulogy emphasizing Edward’s commitment to life in choosing to walk the Devil’s path. To end the funeral, the Navy guard fired three volleys with their rifles, and a Navy musician played taps after the mourners shouted, “Hail Satan!” and “Hail Edward!”
Even though the Archbishop of San Francisco was upset by the whole affair, immediately sending an outraged letter to President Johnson, most San Franciscans, including Naval officials, felt Olsen should receive the same consideration as any other Navy man. The response from the White House was actually quite fortuitous for the widow and her young son. Olsen, a machinist-repairman third-class was erroneously referred to by White House aides as “chief petty officer.” Mrs. Olsen was able to use those letters to file a claim for a posthumous promotion for her husband and receive higher survivors’ benefits. LaVey credits “demonic intervention” for Mrs. Olsen’s good fortune. Because of the sharp increase of declared Satanists in the military, Satanism was soon outlined as a recognized religion in the Chaplain’s Handbook for the Armed Services where it remains today, the description updated every few years by the Church of Satan."
So the brouhaha about the Wiccans is really pointless.
The Wine Commonsewer | April 29, 2007, 10:32pm | #
Like I said, pretty much anyone who walks past an Army recruiting office in a strip mall can get buried at Arlington. Latest rules follow:
* Members of the Armed Forces who die on active duty;
* Retired members of the Armed Forces, including reservists who served on active duty;
* Members or former members of a reserve component who, but for age, would have been eligible for retired pay;
* Members of a reserve component who die in the performance of duty while on active duty training or inactive duty training;
* Former members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force Cross or Navy Cross), Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, or Purple Heart;
* Former prisoners of war who died on or after November 30, 1993;
* The President or any former President;
* Members of the Guard or Reserves who served on active duty, who are eligible for retirement, but who have not yet retired; and/or
* The spouse, surviving spouse, minor child, and at the discretion of the Superintendent of Arlington, unmarried adult children of above eligibles.
