[circletimes] President Bush Apologizes to Roberta Stewart
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Veteran Pentacle Quest
It took nearly a decade and the combined efforts of many, including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, but at last the Pentacle, symbol of the Wiccan religion, has been added to the US Department of Veterans Affairs list of emblems of belief that can be included on government-issued markers, headstones, and plaques honoring deceased veterans.
Images of VA-provided markers with pentacles inscribed
To read more about his Life, Dreams, Service, & Sacrafice... About Sgt. Patrick Stewart and His Plaque Meet Sgt. Patrick Stewart and his widow, Roberta
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| Sgt. Patrick Stewart Circle Cemetery |
Circle Times <circletimes@circlesanctuary.org> wrote:
At midday today, President George W. Bush met by phone with Roberta Stewart, a Wiccan from Nevada and member of Circle Sanctuary. The president apologized to Roberta for her not being invited to the meeting he held in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday with families of Nevada soldiers killed in action.
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20070830/News/108300034
In the press articles, both Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, called for the president to apologize to Roberta Stewart, and to give equal respect to soldiers and their families regardless of their religious orientation.
During the phone call, the president said that he admired Roberta for her spirit and thanked her for accepting his apology. He also offered his condolences for the loss of her husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who was killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on September 25, 2005.
Following her phone meeting with the president, Roberta told Selena: "I am thankful that President Bush offered his condolences and his apology. This has helped bring some much needed closure for me regarding this recent issue as well as the struggles I have endured in the Veteran Pentacle Quest seeking to have my husband properly honored."
Both Rev. Fox and Rev. Lynn have expressed their appreciation for the president's phone meeting with Roberta:
Rev. Fox: "I am glad that President Bush provided this support to Roberta -- it has helped remedy this recent problem as well as helped heal the stress that Roberta has endured since her husband was killed in action.
It also is a positive development for Wiccans and other Pagans who are serving and who have served in the US military and their families in the quest for equal respect and equal rights in society."
Rev. Lynn: "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."
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued a press release commending President Bush for apologizing to Roberta: http://www.au.org
Rev. Lynn interviewed Roberta for his Culture Shocks show shortly after the President apologized to her. The show will broadcast today on radio and on the internet at 5:50 pm Eastern, and will be archived on-line tomorrow -- tune in: http://www.cultureshocks.com
Thanks to everyone who responded to yesterday's Circle Times and sent healing blessings to Roberta and networked on this issue!
Circle Times: Thursday, August 30, 2007
About Sgt. Stewart is found at Circle Sanctary Veteran Pentacle Success (above) http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle/
Click the upper left link for: Sgt. Patrick Stewart Circle Cemetery
And read his touching story of honor and patiotism.
Life, Dreams, Service, & Sacrafice Of Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle/AboutSgtStewart.htm
First Press Release [circletimes] Wiccan War Hero's Widow Snubbed by President Bush
Circle Times: Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Please send healing support to Roberta Stewart.
Please pass this press release below on to others. Thanks!
Wiccan War Hero's Widow Excluded From President Bush's Meeting With Veterans' Families
Rev. Barry Lynn Demands Presidential Apology
On Tuesday, August 28, following an address to the American Legion's national convention in Reno, Nevada, President George W. Bush met with northern Nevada family members of soldiers who have perished in combat.
Roberta Stewart, a Wiccan whose husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, was killed in combat in the war in Afghanistan, was not invited.
"I'm upset that I wasn't invited," Roberta said of the meeting. "I think it is because of my faith. I feel like I've been discriminated against again."
In 2006, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) sued the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in federal court representing Roberta Stewart; her church, Circle Sanctuary; and others. AU argued that the VA's refusal to recognize the pentacle as a symbol of faith violated the religious liberty rights of Wiccan service members and their families and subverted the separation of church and state.
Earlier this year, the VA settled the lawsuit and finally added the pentacle to its list of religious symbols that are permitted on the gravestones it issues to honor deceased veterans.
"I had hoped that with this settlement, that finally the Executive branch of the federal government was giving equal treatment to Wiccan veterans and their families. However, it seems that the White House is still not doing this, and I find the exclusion of Roberta Stewart from this meeting appalling," said Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary.
Sgt. Stewart's VA-issued gravestone with pentacle was dedicated on Memorial Day at the church's national cemetery near Barneveld, Wisconsin.
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, also condemned Bush's snub of Stewart. "The president should issue an apology to Roberta Stewart," Lynn said. "She stood courageously for religious freedom for all soldiers, and the president was wrong to treat her so shabbily."
During the litigation, AU attorneys unearthed evidence that the VA's refusal to recognize the pentacle may have been motivated by bias toward the Wiccan faith.
It appeared that the VA did not want to recognize the faith, which President Bush has publicly derided in the past.
Lynn said the president's snub of Roberta Stewart smacked of retaliation for her public and successful stand against the administration policy.
"President Bush seems to be continuing a pattern of hostility toward the Wiccan faith," he said. "That's an outrage. America is a nation of great religious diversity, and all public officials, especially the president, have an obligation to serve all of the people. Our Constitution mandates equal treatment of all faiths."
See also these other reports released August 29, 2007:
Las Vegas Review Journal: Wiccan Practitioner's Widow not invited to Bush meeting http://www.lvrj.com/news/9441071.html
KTVN Television: Wiccan Widow Says Wasn't Invited to Meet Pres. Bush http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=7000560
Americans United Protests Presidential Snub of Wiccan War Widow: http://www.au.org/
For further information and interviews contact: (Removed phone #'s)
Roberta Stewart, Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary
Paula Johnson, Media Relations Coordinator, Lady Liberty League
More information about the Veteran Pentacle Quest victory:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle
posted by LadyIrene @ 8/30/2007 08:35:00 PM
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