Religions > Atheism > Commends President Bush For Apologizing To Wiccan War Widow
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
01 Sep 2007 04:53:35 PM |
| Object: |
Commends President Bush For Apologizing To Wiccan War Widow |
You can view an HTML version of this email at the following address:
http://www.au.org/site/R?i=eHSEPUug2f1PJYazD-QYZA..
August 30, 2007
Americans United Commends President Bush For Apologizing To Wiccan War
Widow
President Says Deceased Veteran's Wife Should Have Been Included
In Meeting With Families Of Fallen Service Personnel
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today commended
President George W. Bush for his apology to a Wiccan war widow who was
excluded from a private meeting with veterans and their deceased family
members in Nevada earlier this week.
Roberta Stewart, whose husband Sgt. Patrick Stewart was killed in combat in
Afghanistan, was not invited to meet with Bush and other family members of
soldiers who have died in combat. Other members of Sgt. Stewart's family
were invited to the meeting.
Stewart told local media that she was concerned that her exclusion was an
intentional snub for her leadership in an Americans United-sponsored
lawsuit that forced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow the
Wiccan symbol of faith on government-issued grave markers.
Today, Bush called Stewart and apologized for failing to invite her to the
meeting with veterans' families. He also said he does not believe the
Wiccan faith should be discriminated against.
Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, "The
president has done the right thing, and his apology to Stewart should be
commended. All veterans of war, regardless of their faith, should be
honored and treated with the utmost respect, especially from their
commander-in-chief. We are pleased the president recognized his slight of
Stewart was wrong."
Yesterday, Lynn called on the President to apologize to Stewart for leaving
her out of the Nevada meeting.
Stewart's husband died when his Chinook helicopter was shot down in
Afghanistan in 2005. The Stewarts practice Wicca, and she requested that
the VA issue her husband's memorial marker engraved with a symbol of their
faith, the pentacle. The VA denied her request, and in 2006, Americans
United sued the federal agency on behalf of Stewart, two other widows,
Circle Sanctuary and Isis Military Mission.
Today, during an interview on Lynn's nationally syndicated radio program
"Culture Shocks," Stewart also commended Bush for apologizing.
"I just now got off the phone and personally spoke with President Bush,"
Stewart told Lynn. "I am happy to say that he did give me his deepest
condolences. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and I do have to give
him kudos that he at least took the time to call, give his condolences, and
apologize for the VA problem.
"He apologized for the exclusion and the error that was made and said that
he admired me for my spirit and thanked me for accepting his apology and
said that he hoped he would have the opportunity to someday meet me,"
Stewart continued. "I was very pleased with the way the conversation went,
very pleased that he did call and put this right."
Lynn asked Stewart if the president touched upon her Wiccan faith. She
replied that the president told her that "he would not discriminate against
someone because of their religion."
Earlier this year, the VA settled Americans United's lawsuit and announced
that it would recognize the pentacle as a symbol of faith for use on
soldiers' gravestones, markers and memorials.
Read the full press release:
http://www.au.org/site/R?i=zhuYfj43eMz2SUi9ug0CtA..
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
.
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Commends President Bush For Apologizing To Wiccan War Widow |
02 Sep 2007 04:18:28 AM |
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On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:53:35 -0400, wrote:
Lynn asked Stewart if the president touched upon her Wiccan faith. She
replied that the president told her that "he would not discriminate against
someone because of their religion."
As long as they have one. If they don't he probably feels free to
discriminate.
.
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