Crescent Shadows
On-Line Newsletter of the Hudson Valley Pagan Network, Inc.

Beating Around the Bush

One of the most important ways we can get active this fall is to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Let's face it, there are really only two men who have any chance of winning, and unfortunately neither one is a great candidate. And one of these men has made it clear that he's no friend to Wiccans or Pagans.

"I don't think witchcraft is a religion. I hope the military would take a second look at the decision they made."

George W. Bush made this statement in an interview on ABC's Good Morning America June 24, 1999, in response to the fact that there is a Wiccan group allowed to do rituals in Fort Hood, Texas, the nation's largest military base. The military does recognize Wicca as a religion, and even has a very well written section on Wicca in their field guide for chaplains. I'm actually amazed that the military is more progressive on this issue than a mainstream candidate for president.

It's a shame that GWB doesn’t think Wicca is a religion, considering how anxious he is to merge church and state. Two civil rights groups have sued Texas, because a job training program used state money to buy bibles, hold religious studies and promote Christianity. The training program's mission statement states that participants "will find employment through a relationship with Jesus Christ". According to the Austin American-Statesman, the local Austin newspaper:

"Bush, a strong supporter of church-state partnerships, has signed bills easing regulations on religious organizations. In his presidential campaign, Bush also has proposed allowing religious and community groups to compete for public money to provide social services now delivered by government." (7/25/00)

In April, the US House of Representatives passed a bill called "charitable choice" that would allow religious institutions to compete for federal funds. Representative Chet Edwards (D-Texas) questioned the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), asking whether Wiccans could be eligible for charitable choice funds. Souder replied, arrogantly assuming Bush will win in November, that "it is unlikely under President Bush that Witches would get funding." Edwards was quoted as saying "He is saying under the Bush administration, they would pick out which religious organizations (would qualify) for federal tax dollars and which would not".

According to GWB's own website, if elected to the presidency, he wants to:

Expand 'Charitable Choice' to all federal social service programs, allowing religious organizations to be eligible for funding on the same basis as any other provider, without impairing their religious character.
Establish an 'Office of Faith-Based Action' in the Executive Office of the President.
Provide federal matching funds for the establishment of state offices of faith-based action.
Promote alternative licensing regimes that recognize religious training as an alternative form of qualification for delivery of non-medical social services.
Launch a new program, offering competitive grants to faith-based and community groups, to address the needs of children of prisoners.
Open certain federal after-school programs to faith-based and community groups.
Make performance-based drug-treatment grants available to the states and ensure that non-medical, faith-based providers are eligible for funds on the same basis as other groups.
Provide funding for pilot, faith-based prison pre-release programs (note: such a program already exists in Texas, and of course it has a very fundamentalist Christian flavor).

Gee, look at all the benefits we could reap under a GWB administration if Wicca was a real religion. We have no official word on what other world religions also don't count, but I'd love to see that list.

As governor of Texas, George W. Bush proclaimed that June 10, 2000 was "Jesus Day." I can feel the eyes rolling from here. Also in June of this year, the Supreme Court upheld a decision separating church and state in public schools, when they ruled that it was unconstitutional to allow a Galvaston high school to broadcast prayers over the PA system before football games. The court ruled that broadcasting Christian prayers would discriminate against members of minority religions and could make members of minority religions feel uncomfortable and pressured to conform. Guess who filed a brief with the Supreme Court, asking them to overturn the lower court's decision -- George W. Bush. Does he understand what the constitution says and what the job of the Supreme Court justices is? It doesn't sound like he does. Is this the man you want deciding who will be sitting on the Supreme Court for the next four years? Goddess, I hope not! —T.English

Sources:
www.witchvox.com -- search under the Wren's nest
www.star-telegram.com/new/doc/1047/1:metro73/1:metro73080799.html
http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/tuesday/news_4.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_usbk.htm (US Army Chaplain Guide)
www.txpal.org (Texas Pagan Awareness League)
http://www.georgewbush.com/issues.asp?FormMode=FullText&ID=33

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