<\/p>\n
The spirit of the Burning Times is For <\/p>\n McCollum is a member of the American Correctional Chaplain I A staff member of the California A Protestant Chaplain serving As McCollum told me, dozens of Don’t we have a constitution that Enter the Courts<\/b><\/p>\n This kind of illegal theocratic Now, in both testimony and Instead California is now arguing This bigoted argument has been
\nalive and well in California. <\/span>So I
\ndiscovered this past weekend at Pantheacon.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nyears Patrick McCollum has worked to provide Pagan ministerial services for
\nincarcerated Pagans, as is provided by Christian and other monotheistic
\nreligions. <\/span>For his efforts McCollum has been told <\/span>by a prison supervisor that according
\nto the Bible, which he took out and read from, he was commanded to kill
\nMcCollum because “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” <\/span>Fortunately his fear of the law was
\ngreater than his bigotry and ignorance of accurate translations. <\/span>But it gets worse.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAssociation, and since 1997 has been a statewide Wiccan chaplain for the
\nCalifornia Department of Correction.
\n<\/span>He has also served as a Wiccan chaplain in the Federal Bureau of
\nPrisons, and helped mentor chaplains from many faith traditions across the
\ncountry. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nmyself worked with Pagan prisoners a little bit when I taught at Whitman
\nCollege in Walla Walla,<\/span> Washington, where a major penitentiary is
\nlocated. Many inmates deeply appreciate the attention they receive while being
\nassisted in keeping or strengthening their connection with our Gods. <\/span>Fortunately Washington is a civilized
\nstate on these issues compared to California. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nDept. of Corrections put McCollum in a confined space, attacked the Wiccan
\nfaith while telling McCollum that he, the officer, had been “bathed in the
\nblood of Jesus.” <\/span>Later, in the
\nspirit of Jesus and truth fundamentalist style, he claimed in front of other
\ncorrectional officers to have seen videos of McCollum killing children and
\ndrinking blood. <\/span>These officers
\nthen told inmates of these allegations, leaving McCollum’s life in danger.<\/p>\n
\nmaximum security inmates told them it was their responsibility under God to “do
\nwhatever was necessary to make Wiccan services did not continue and McCollum
\ncould not move forward.”<\/p>\n
\nhigh level Department of Corrections officials, wardens, correctional staff,
\nand many but by no means all correctional chaplains intentionally promoted
\ndiscrimination against Wiccans.
\n<\/span>There are good people in the State Dept of Corrections, but McCollum
\ntold me they have been rendered powerless by Evangelical bigots and are
\nsometimes even penalized for objecting to discrimination.<\/p>\n
\nguarantees freedom of religion?
\n<\/span>Yes we do, but these people twist its meaning and, if pressed, say, as
\none did to McCollum: “The reason Pagans are not getting their rights is because
\nit’s God’s Will.” <\/span>When she was
\nconfronted with her responsibilities under California law and the US
\nConstitution, that as a state administrator she was responsible for following
\nthe law, she replied “I do not answr to the law or the constitution. <\/span>I only answer to the Lord.”<\/p>\n
\nbigotry and worse led to a court case that has been making its way through the
\ncourts for 5 years. <\/span>Until recently
\nthe Dept. of Corrections argued both in court and publicly that they had <\/span>been conscientiously seeking to
\ndetermine the religious needs of their inmates, and accommodate them. <\/span>They argued they have a “Fair and
\nneutral policy” concerning prison chaplains and accommodating minority
\nfaiths. <\/span>This includes determining
\nthe numbers of inmates with specific religious needs. <\/span>Of course had they done this there would be no court case.<\/p>\n
\ndeposition, they have admitted they have not applied any of the criteria that
\nthey claimed for five years to be following. <\/span>As McCollum told me with regard to this claim, “They
\nadmitted that everything they testified to under oath was false.”<\/p>\n
\nthey do not have to take the wishes and needs of Pagan prisoners into account
\nbecause they follow a “5 Faiths System.”
\n<\/span>Five faiths count: Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Judaism, Islam,
\nand Native Americans. <\/span>The rest do
\nnot count as constitutionally protected religions! <\/p>\n
\npromoted by such as “Justice” Anton Scalia<\/a>, who argue that the Founders did not know of other religions and so could not
\nhave meant them when trying to safeguard religious liberty. <\/span>This is an excellent example of
\nconservative bigotry masquerading as learning since Jefferson wrote<\/a> in his Notes on Virginia<\/i><\/span> <\/span>“… it
\ndoes me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It
\nneither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” <\/span><\/p>\n