More Important Than Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! There is more signifigance to this day, November 22, than just Thanksgiving, however. This is the anniversary of of the day that the first pentacle was granted to a soldier in a VA cemetery in the United States, in 2006. Patrick Dana Stewart, of Nevada, died on September 25, 2005, in combat in Afghanistan. The religion he practiced was Wicca, a Pagan religion. Although Pagan religions have been recognized in the United States since 1964, the VA refused to put a pentacle on Stewart's grave marker. One could have Christian, Jewish, or Muslim symbols, but not Wiccan or Pagan. Sargeant Stewart's wife, Roberta Stewart, was stonewalled until 2006 over this. She never should have had to fight while grieving the loss of her husband in the first place. She and her husband should have been treated with respect.

Later on, in August of 2007, President Bush visited Northern Nevada and took the time to meet the widows and families of veterans from the area, with the exception of one. Roberta Stewart. Bush deliberately did not invite her because he felt that it was somehow his place to decide which religions are religions, and which religions are not, and was angry with Mrs. Stewart for challenging the status quo and forcing the military to treat her husband with respect. Here's what the republican creep had to say: "I don't think Witchcraft is a religion, and I wish the military would take another look at this and decide against it.".......Fox News

Later on, Bush took the sage advice he was given and called Mrs. Stewart and apologized to her. While she accepted Bush's apology, this still sends the message that America cares about the loss of a Christian widow, but the loss of a widow who is not Christian does not matter to the republican party. Nice.

As this Thanksgiving is the anniversary of the very first approval of a Pagan symbol on the grave marker of a veteran, it is much more important than merely eating storebought turkey. This is a day that a soldier and his family paved the way for Americans to grant and experience equality and respect to other Pagan soldiers. Two hundred and thirty years overdue. On April 23, 2007, Americans United for Separation of Church and State settled the whole question of religious symbols on military graves and forced the United States to stop showing favortism to any religion. So Mote It Be!