Bush Apologizes to Wiccan Widow

UPI ^ | Sept 2, 2007 | UPI

[DogByte6RER]

Bush apologizes to Wiccan widow

Published: Sept 2, 2007 at 10:16 AM

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush apologized to a Nevada Wiccan who was left out of a presidential meeting with relatives of soldiers killed in combat.

Rebecca Stewart, who sued to have the Wiccan symbol placed on her husband’s grave marker in a military cemetery, told The Washington Post the president called her to apologize. She said she explained to Bush the faith she and her husband shared.

Sgt. Patrick Stewart was killed in Afghanistan in 2005.

Stewart said she heard about the private meeting from her mother-in-law, who was invited. The president visited Nevada to speak at the American Legion convention.

Stewart told the Post she believed she had been excluded from the invitation list because of the lawsuit she filed to have the Defense Department place the Wiccan symbol -- a five-pointed star inside a circle -- on her husband's grave. She won the suit and the government added the Wiccan symbol to 38 others that were previously recognized, including a symbol for atheism.

While other Wiccans are known to be serving in the military, Stewart is believed to be the first to die in combat.

[DogByte6RER]

The apology should have been based on the fact that this widow's husband gave his life in service to his country; NOT because of witchcraft, paganism or their Wiccan beliefs.

[I got the rope]

Man our President has sure lost his way. What moronic thing to do.

[Baladas]

This has been a thorn in the side of the Religious Left for some time - figures they just want “symbolism”.

Just wait until Mohammed gets ahold of this.

Now there’s even a symbol for atheism?????? I don’t believe it!!!

[w1andsodidwe]

Man our President has sure lost his way. What moronic thing to do.

What are you referring to? Apologizing for leaving her out of the meeting?

[Tijeras_Slim]

38 symbols

Who's making the markers? Baskin Robbins?

[Drew68]

What moronic thing to do.

The only thing moronic about this story is that it took a lawsuit in order for this woman to get the symbol of her husband's faith placed upon his gravestone.

[TigersEye]

Here's the symbol for ice cream social-ists.

Their sabbath is on Sundae.

[IronJack]

There was a discussion about this some time ago and the consensus seemed to be that if the guy died serving his country, he could have a picture of Al Gore on his tombstone if that’s what his family wanted. I was a little torn, but finally had to agree that any man who gave up his life defending me deserved the liberty of marking his final resting place however he wanted, regardless of how ridiculous it makes him look.

[elpadre]

It is the courts that decided the case - no Congressional bill passed, no Executive order - the courts!!

The President apparently left her off the list of attendees becuause of pending litigation- IMO.

[mountainbunny]

if this man was good enough to serve with honor and valor (he was, without a doubt) and die in a war for our freedoms, then he is good enough to have whatever symbol of his faith on his grave that he would have wanted. IIRC, his dog tags said “Wiccan” so it wasn’t his wife’s doing.
Good enough to die for our freedoms, more than good enough to honor in death.
My faith is strong enough that his faith, though we would not have agreed, does not and can not diminish mine.
Bless his soul & bless our President for doing a gracious and kind thing.

[I see my hands]

"The apology should have been based on the fact that this widow's husband gave his life in service to his country"

I'm just not following. Why would a president apologize for a battlefield death?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Relatives of undisclosed homosexual soldiers killed in combat will whine next.

[MEGoody]

The apology should have been based on the fact that this widow's husband gave his life in service to his country

What makes you think it wasn't? After all, she couldn't have even expected to be invited if he hadn't.

[Grizzled Bear]

I’d like to see somebody demand that naked chick from the vehicle mud flaps be placed on their tomb stone. For no other reason then to piss off the wiccans and feminists.

Hey, everybody worships in their own way.

;-)

[God luvs America]

seriously....it’s sad how we blame the rats for being so closed minded than you get comments as such...

the guy died for his nation- beliefs aside he and his widow deserve the highest of appreciation....

[robertpaulsen]

It seems to me that if she chooses to bury her husband in a private cemetery, she can put whatever symbol she wants on it.

But this was a military cemetery. What's next? Different symbols for male/female? Black/white? Gay/straight? State symbols? Favorite college football team logos?

I sure do hope I'm not giving someone out there an idea. (Mom, if I die in combat, I want this on my grave ...

[gitmo]

Agnostic symbol

[MEGoody]

What moronic thing to do.

Why is it moronic for the President to apologize to a widow that was left off the invitation list to a meeting with families of those lost in the war?

[ErnBatavia]

I’d like to see somebody demand that naked chick from the vehicle mud flaps be placed on their tomb stone.

Just last week I was over at the local cemetery getting familiarized, as we're laying my Dad to rest there day after tomorrow. I noticed that one of his "neighbors" has a Budweiser can emblazoned on his plaque.