The Yeti\’s Cyber Smithy

“I despise Fundie Pagans who think that their First Amendment rights should infringe on how an organization should run—”

However, of Gavin and Yvonne Frost, the woman states:

“I don’t necessarily support them, but they, as AJ says in his own defense, are allowed their First Amendment rights to write whatever they wish. “

First, I do not believe I have said that. If I have, I neglected to mention that the First Amendment does not protect Unprotected Speech. It is perfectly Constitutional for a state or Federal Government to pass a law restricting Unprotected Speech. Most have laws which can punish a person for yelling Fire in a movie theater. Most have laws which can punish a person for encouraging criminal conduct. I believe the Frost’s Witch’s Bible does just that. I believe that even with the disclaimer added in the year 2000, the Good Witch’s Bible continues to do just that.

http://ajdrew.blogs.pagannation.com/defrost-please-read/

However, she also seems to think that he Frosts have the First Amendment right to publish and sell what hey will. Even when so many folk believe the book to be a pedophilic instructional. Despite the fact that the First Amendment does have its limits, despite the fact that according to Constitutional law the encouragement to commit crimes is unprotected speech, I could understand her stated opinion if she took the stance that ALL speech is protected. I can understand such a stance because I once felt that way. Then I had children. My opinion changed.

What I think is disguesting is that she seems to think that the First Amendment only applies to the Frosts and that book in this instance. How could someone arrive at such an opinion if not supporting the Frosts? How could someone indicate that a book should be protected speech, but review and commentary on that book should not be?

But that is not the point of this post. If you haven’t been following things, you can look through the Pagan Pride and CUUPs Categories of this blog. I do not hate the woman, I am simply commentating on the state of the Pagan Community. In many of the emails where she discussed my murder in effigy, she did so from the email address of the Vice President of CUUPs, one of our communities most respected (perhaps until recently) organizations. An organization which I have had a great deal of respect for (again, perhaps until recently). She continues to be an officer of CUUPs.

In many of those emails, she used the email equivalent of a letter head; pointing out hat she was the Vice President of CUUPs and an officer / coordinator of Pagan Pride Project. She continues her position there. So the person we are speaking about is involved with some of the largest and most influential organizations the Pagan Community has. I conclude she is a good representative of those organizations and thus of the Pagan Community itself.

I would like to take a moment and demonstrate how the representatives of the Pagan Community represent themselves, the organizations they are involved with, and the pagan community itself.

In the Myspace account which reflects almost stalker like attention on myself she states that it was a paper target. Previously, she described it as an effigy and on another occasion a poppet. It does not seem like a very ethical thing to continually lie and change ones story. She goes on to say things such as.

“I am also a concealed carry license holder. ” – Why on earth would this woman think it necessary to anounce such a thing while talking about this subject?

“As the Moron from Columbus seems to think and this is posted in my blog.”

“AJ Drew still thinks it was an assault rifle. What a dumbass! “

Moron and dumbass doesn’t bother me much, but as a representative of CUUPS and Pagan Pride Project, I do not think it is the best term to use. In fact, I believe her conduct is completely contrary to he rules of conduct Pagan Pride has established for its officers.

“Yep, that’s my name, don’t fucking wear it out honey!”

“As someone else stated in another blog, they suggested that AJ should turn muslim and issue fatwah’s instead of what he is doing with the Frosts.” – This sounds kin to saying all Germans are Nazis. I do not think someone who represents the pagan community should stereotype all Muslims (there is a capital there) as folk who issue violent threats. Her Muslim attack is repeated enough to seem like a theme.

“… it seems that the membership is getting pissed off with him and his antics due to his brain damage” – Quoting entire posts from Pagan Nation, she discuses my disability. I am not sure why she feels it necessary to point out that I am disabled and I think it is rather uncouth to do so.

Of my disability / injury she also states:

“Brain Damage is SUCH a terrible thing to waste!”

“A fireman friend of mine said that if his brain damage might have been caused by the electrocution — then the voltage wasn’t high enough.”

“And if AJ truly suffered a stroke afterwards, the clot wasn’t big enough.”

Now I realize the woman has issues with me and obviously I am going to see this more from my own side of things, but should the folk who represent the Pagan Community conduct themselves this way? To attack a man by making fun of his disability when that disability has absolutely nothing to do with the matter.

It is kind of like having an political debate with a man in a wheel chair, getting all flustered at how the debate is going and announcing; Well ye, but you are a cripple riding around in a gimp mobile. I honestly do not feel such conduct is becoming of our representatives.

The above quotes from:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=10005216

Perhapse she is a good representative of these organizations. Perhaps the stereotypical comment about Muslims, implying they are all terrorists, is a good representative of the thoughts of CUUPs and PPP. Perhaps the Pagan Pride Project is proud that one of their Regional Coordinator conducts herself this way publicly, commenting on packing a gun, firing 80 rounds at an effigy, poppet, and then paper target representing another human being for the awful crime of using his First Amendment rights. Perhaps, well you get the picture.

Perhaps the opinions of Jill Medicine Heart Combs really are those of CUUPs and the Pagan Pride Project. I have heard similar comments from other folk. They might even be in the majority, but I think that as the modern pagan and heathen community grows it is growing up. Our idealistic values are becoming more realistic. We are having children and we are hoping for a better future for those children.

Perhaps people like Jill Medicine Heart Combs, CUUPs leadership, the board of PPP, Convocation, and other organizations which currently seem so very opposed to a person presenting a descanting opinion about other folk who call themselves Pagan or Wiccan are fading into the wood works. With the growing momentum of good natured people opposing such conduct, I think that is the case.

Time will tell if this sort of conduct continues to be tolerated by our organizations. After all, we are the ones who support those organizations. Not the leaders, but the membership. The pagan and heathen community itself.

Will we tolerate being represented this way? Time will tell.