Lastly – I worry about all politicians, but anyone who supports a bigoted position at any time (obviously without doing any research on the subject) is potentially a problem in office.

Yes.

Legitimate Satanism has always baffled me. It does, as you say, seem to presuppose the Christian narrative. So these folks are knowingly siding with the loser. Why would anyone in their right mind do such a thing?

That may be the one part of the Christian narrative they don’t agree with (the predicted outcome of the events in Revelations).

That is why I don’t think a lot of them actually believe it.

I’ve known Satanists who definitely believe it.

Legitimate Satanism has always baffled me. It does, as you say, seem to presuppose the Christian narrative. So these folks are knowingly siding with the loser. Why would anyone in their right mind do such a thing? That is why I don’t think a lot of them actually believe it. Satanism is just a great big thumb in the eye of convention. I think most of them are just acting out.

Throw in the numerous half “changes”, and the realization is that Barr is really just trying to save face with libertarians, while at the same time telling conservatives, “pssst, I’m really not changing my mind, I’m just pacifying them libertines”.

Yeah, I got that. I was being facetious, and I’m pretty sure Trent was too.

Do Satanists desecrate it or something? Hence the notion that Satanism is a branch of Christianity, which is laughable.

Yes, they desecrate it, and in general their religion, ceremonies, etc., are just mirror images of and reactions to Christianity, rather than being their own thing like Wicca. Thus Satanism has far more in common with Christianity than with Wicca.

BTW, cracker originally referred to the inhabitants of South Georgia and Northern Florida. I wasn’t necessarily a term of derision. Personally, I wouldn’t mind being called a cracker. It would certainly be more accurate than calling me a hillbilly which technically only applies to residents of Appalachia. The book Cracker Culture influenced the Neo-Confederate movement.

I was in the military when the Wicca stuff was going on. I heard some about it. As I recall, there was some question of whether Wicca is compatible with military service. Some Wiccans are pacifists. Hopefully this won’t offend; I’m just passing on what I can recall. I am sure there are sincere Wiccans, but the feeling among some was that it was a surrogate for a certain element – disaffected, Goth, etc. And that people were affiliating with it not so much because they believed but because it was what a certain element did. But the main issue was people not wanting them to meet in the Chapel. Some Chaplains were protesting this as well.

I don’t know what the purpose of whatever Barr was endorsing was, but those were some of the concerns as I recall.

Did you just use an ethnic slur after insulting Barr repeatedly for racism and unequality.

http://www.reformthelp.org/party/name/name.php

I wouldn’t caer who they nominated or what else they did if they would stop pretending it has anything to do with libertarianism.

I suspect most of the ‘reformers’ only adopted the label because they coveted the LP’s ballot status. They’ve got it now. It’s time to finish the job and jettison the name.

A very weak, limp-wristed recanting. It was all about mysterious commanders making classified comments about how it is bad for military order, which is why Barr said during his jihad:

A print of the painting, “The Prayer At Valley Forge,” depicting George Washington on bended knee, praying in the hard snow at Valley Forge, hangs over the desk in my office. If the practice of witchcraft, such as is allowed now at Fort Hood, is permitted to stand, one wonders what paintings will grace the walls of future generations,”

And he also said:

“And we wonder why we have kids that are drifting around aimlessly when the United States Army allows not faith in God, but witches to worship on military bases by active duty military personnel; and the best that we can tell our young people and our service people is that we have to struggle through this.”

Bob – Barr explicitly attacked the Wiccans, so I’d expect an explicit apology naming them… Generic boilerplate defending religious freedom doesn’t get it, especially from someone who said he didn’t think Wicca was a “real” religion (leaving the question open about whether his boiler plate would even apply…)

Note that he also has a blurb claiming to be against discrimination over sexual preference, while backing the “states rights” version of homophobia – about like claiming not to be racist, while taking a “states rights” stance on Loving vs. Virgina…

As to the question of including Hinduism and other eastern religions in the definition of Paganism, (Wicca is a subset of Pagan) that is a subject of debate in Pagan circles (almost like the definition of libertarian!) – Some people do include it, but most Hindus don’t feel that it does, and it definitely hits the “gray area”. More commonly Pagans tend to define it as pre-Christian, indigenous faiths, not related to Jehovah – often the ones that the Christians tried to do in as part of their “Prince of Peace” practices…

I don’t know what the military’s rules are on providing facilities for Satanists and other such groups, but I do know that SEVERAL prominent leaders in the “dark side” groups are in the military, often as fairly senior officers… (BTW, Satanists are considered Christian variants by most Pagans – after all if you don’t believe it represents the flesh and blood of Jesus, it seems like an awful lot of trouble just to insult a cracker…)

In general, I think that the issue should be all or none – either all faiths are allowed to practice on an equal footing, or all should be barred…

ART

You can’t spell disinterested without….

See the discussion of this at LFV comments:

http://lastfreevoice.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/bob-barr-recants-position-on-wiccans-in-the-military/

You paint with too broad a brush. I’m on the fence, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.