There are some freedom of speech issues that really need to be fought out. This isn’t one of them: Two widows of fallen soldiers are suing to get Wiccan pentacles on their husbands’ graves. One wonders why the government response wasn’t, “You’re right. Hold on, and we’ll design a new stone.”
According to the article:
“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs allows military families to choose any of 38 authorized headstone images. The list includes commonly recognized symbols for Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, as well as those for smaller religions such as Sufism Reoriented, Eckiankar and the Japanese faith Seicho-No-Ie.”
I could understand it if it was an issue of uniformity — if members of the military had a standard gravestone they all got. But with 38 to choose from, some representing incredibly minor religions few in America have even heard from, why not add another? Wicca itself is fairly recent, coming to popularity in the 1950s, but it’s based on centuries-old traditions of pre-Christian Europe.
Indeed, according to the article, “The Army allows Wiccan soldiers to list their faith on dog tags, Wiccan organizations are allowed to hold services on military installations and the Army Chaplains Handbook includes an explanation of the religion, attorneys said.”
The one thing that gives me pause is this:
“In memos and letters cited by the lawsuit, Lindee L. Lenox, director of memorial programs for the veterans agency, said the government was reviewing the process for evaluating and approving new emblems and would not accept new applications until the review was complete.”
It’s possible they’re suing out of impatience, though refusing to accept applications is just asking for trouble.
Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.
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