Subj : Fort Hood Witches
To   : MOEBIUS
From : TODD HENSON
Date : Thu Mar 15 2001 06:55 pm

> 
>  TH> Perhaps you can find the original article on that. I don't remember
>  TH> hearing about any pagans
>  TH> being prevented from even practicing their rituals.
> 
> Hang on, I've got it here somewhere...


Cool. Thanks. Comments within:


> Here it is:
> 
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> 
> Sent:   15 Jun 1999
> Sender: Robin
> 
>  This is some information regarding the Wiccan practice and the military. The
> data was received from a private list, so I am only copying the facts that 
are
> public domain that it contained.
> 
> BB/Robin Goodfellow
> 
> 
> << Boycott of Army urged over tolerance of Wicca By PATTY REINERT Copyright
> 1999 Houston Chronicle
> 
>  After discovering that Wiccans at Fort Hood have been practicing their faith
> on base for the past three years, conservative Christian organizations this
> week called for a nationwide boycott of the Army, demanding it reverse its
> policy of accommodating soldiers with alternative religious beliefs.
> 
>  "Until the Army withdraws all official support and approval from witchcraft,
> no Christian should enlist or re-enlist in the Army, and Christian parents
> should not allow their children to join the Army," said Paul Weyrich,
> president of the Free Congress Foundation, one of a dozen groups calling for
> the boycott.
> 
>  "An Army that sponsors satanic rituals is unworthy of representing the 
United
> States of America," he said.
> 
>  The groups are also demanding that the Army change its chaplain handbook,
> which lists the nature-worshipping religion and other alternative religious
> groups, including the Church of Satan, among those that could apply to 
conduct
> services on military bases.


OK. But the topic was whether pagans had the right to worship, and so far,
the article merely 
mentions the outspoken opinions of people who do not like witchcraft (which
is another topic). 
But I shall read on...


>  A Pentagon spokeswoman said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Defense is
> preparing a response to the boycott, which it intends to release today.
> Meanwhile, officials at Fort Hood in Killeen said they are standing by the
> Wiccans and their First Amendment right to worship as they choose.
> 
>  "The Wiccans have been approved to practice here, and they will continue to
> do that," said Fort Hood spokesman Jim Wittmeyer. "We feel very strongly that
> all of our soldiers' needs should be met -- their religious needs, their
> financial needs, the needs of their families and of their children in school.
> That applies whether they are Protestant, Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Jewish 
or
> Wiccan."


Since the topic was whether they had the right to practice their religion,
then it seems that they 
indeed do. I deleted the rest for brevity. I'm not seeing anything in this
article that shows 
Wiccans being prevented from practicing their beliefs. 

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