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Scared of Halloween The Objectivist Center & Atlas Society ^ | October 31, 2005 | Edward Hudgins Posted on 10/31/2005 10:00:31 AM PST by Ed Hudgins Scared of Halloween By Edward Hudgins Exective Director The Objectivist Center & Atlas Society ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org October 31, 2005 Halloween has its origins in superstition and sadly, it invokes old and new superstitions still. Halloween, from "All Hallows Eve," was the evening before the Catholic All Saints Day and was supposed to be haunted by demons jealous of the holy day to follow. It also had roots in prehistoric Celtic mythology. But in modern times...

As if their support of child pornography and same sex marriage weren’t enough to prove that the Dutch were out there, this one should cement it. Apparently they are not offering tax breaks for the study of Witchcraft. Read More... Craig DeLuz Visit The Home of Uncommon Sense... www.craigdeluz.com

Scared of Halloween By Edward Hudgins Exective Director The Objectivist Center & Atlas Society ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org October 31, 2005 Halloween has its origins in superstition and sadly, it invokes old and new superstitions still. Halloween, from "All Hallows Eve," was the evening before the Catholic All Saints Day and was supposed to be haunted by demons jealous of the holy day to follow. It also had roots in prehistoric Celtic mythology. But in modern times it's developed into a fun day where children dress in ghoulish or cute costumes and canvass the neighborhood for candy while adults at masquerade parties imbibe...

A place to avoid, as advertised on DU: benburch (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-28-05 10:55 PM Original message August 27, Mendocino County, Witches’ Ball: A Sexy Witch Celebration Witches' Ball: A Sexy Witch Celebration A freaky, friendly, sex positive, size positive, queer positive, play positive, kitschy, kinky, Magickal Extravaganza! August 27, Mendocino County, address and other details available with ticket purchase. Come witness the unveiling of Sexy Witch by LaSara FireFox, help to kick off LaSara's 20-city (!!!) book tour with a silly, sexy, fun, celebration...and benefit two radical Mendocino County based women's groups in the process! Festivities will include: *...

Channel 10 Executive Producer Avi Barzilai on Wednesday repulsed the idea of broadcasting a tape of the Pulsa Denura ceremony against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, calling the rite "a despicable ceremony by despicable people bought and broadcast by individuals who pretend to be journalists and would do anything in order to raise their ratings." "As a senior journalist," he told Army Radio, "I don't regard them as members of the profession," Barzilai continued. Israel Segal - chief editor of Channel 2's current affairs program Mishal Ham that acquired the tape for $5,000 - claimed that the moment the tape became...

SALEM, MA — The unveiling of the "Bewitched" statue yesterday was pure magic and even purer spectacle. The very moment TV Land President Larry Jones pulled the blue cover off the 9-foot bronze statue of actress Elizabeth Montgomery, the late actress who played Samantha Stephens in the 1960s TV sitcom, there was a puff of white smoke. Then, as if on cue, rain fell from the dark skies. A crowd estimated at 1,000 had braved unseasonably cold weather for just this moment, and many of them — including a large contingent of black-clad witches — cheered happily. But minutes earlier,...

LONDON (Reuters) - A schoolgirl told a British court Thursday she was put into a laundry bag and was going to be thrown from a third-floor apartment window into a river by her mother and aunt who thought she was a witch. Prosecutors say the girl, brought to London from Angola by a woman claiming to be her mother, had been regularly abused by members of her family after they had become convinced she was putting curses on members of her family. The court has heard the abuse culminated in a plan by her 38-year-old "mother" and another woman, Sita...

SALEM -- When the cast and crew of ''Bewitched" flew into Salem in 1970 to film episodes of the television sitcom, Witch City rolled out its red carpet. Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played twitchy-nosed Samantha Stephens, was honored at official dinners. Fans thronged The House of the Seven Gables and other historic sites used in the filming. And Oct. 7, 1970, was declared ''Bewitched Day" in Salem. But now some in Salem are upset over plans by the TV Land cable network to honor the late Montgomery with a 9-foot bronze statue in a city infamous for its 17th...

An article on witchcraft by a Central Middle School student has a local group concerned. "Most people believe witches don't exist, and I am here to prove them wrong," wrote the eighth-grader, adding that her aunt is a Wiccan witch. The short article was printed in the winter issue of the Cavalier Chronicle. "We think it's inappropriate for a middle school student newspaper to encourage 11-year-olds to experiment with witchcraft," said Gary Glenn of the Midland-based American Family Association of Michigan. The student wrote she has "decided to experiment with this religion and see if this is the way for...

After applying and getting denied twice, the Boston University Nemeton Wicca Student Group was approved by the Religious Life Council as a new religious organization on campus Wednesday afternoon at Marsh Chapel. The RLC denied the group, which applied as a pagan organization the first two times, because paganism is not formally recognized as a religion. But, last semester the organization changed its affiliation to Wicca, which is considered a religion, changing its name to the Wicca Student Group this year. Nemeton President Aubrey Hooser said renaming the group was not an issue. "The majority of the group follows Wicca,...

"A suicidal mom, despondent over her divorce and struggling with her teenage daughter, beat the 14-year-old to death with a hammer and shovel...Friends said Lynn Giovanni had written a book, 'Judicial System Loopholes,' last year that slammed the court's treatment of domestic violence. Giovanni used the nom de plume 'Faith Hope.'"

Recently the liberals in the blogosphere have taken comfort in a 1798 quote by Thomas Jefferson, namely, “A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to it's true principles.” Given Jefferson’s humanist philosophy, the quote seems odd—more appropriate for a Calvinist from Massachusetts than a deist from Virginia. So, a little research later, we find the original, which is, indeed, from the Jefferson pen. It can be found at http://www.wadsworth.com/history_d/special_features/ext/ap/chapter7/7.1.tj2taylor.html And, for verification, it is also found at the University of Virginia’s...

We Must Have Patience ...Barbra Streisand In response to the results of the Presidential election last week, I would like to share with you a quote from Thomas Jefferson. Although written in 1798, I feel his words speak perfectly to the strong sentiments of frustration and disappointment 48% of the country feel. "A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of...

Since I cannot start a thread (which I think is a good rule by the way), I have to hijack one -- at least briefly. I do want this thread to continue on, though, because the topic is so important. (Moderators can feel free to move this, of course.) But I also had something I wanted to say to all of you. You know that I read DU and have for quite some time, long before any of you knew my name. I really appreciate the support you have given me on this latest hurdle and before. It means a...

Abortion Supporters Warn Bush on 'Women's Rights' (CNSNews.com) - "Reproductive health" groups -- abortion supporters -- were among the first to issue press releases on Wednesday warning President Bush not to roll back the clock on women's reproductive rights. In a statement issued Wednesday morning, NARAL Pro-Choice America Interim President Elizabeth Cavendish said, "President Bush had to pull out all the stops to beat back the mobilized opposition he faced in this campaign. He will face an even bigger mobilization if he now tries to pack the Supreme Court with new anti-choice zealots. "Not even George Bush could keep a...

Despite Protest, School Bans Halloween To Appease Witches PUYALLUP, Wash. -- Kids who show up in Halloween costumes at public schools in Puyallup, Wash., may be sent home. School district spokeswoman Karen Hansen said that's especially true if the costumes disrespect any group, including witches. The school board upheld the ban on Halloween activities at a Monday night meeting. School Board President Greg Heath said the board supports the administration because improving student achievement is the district's highest priority. District officials said Halloween parties and costumes waste class time and offend real witches or Wiccans. Many of the 400 people...

PUYALLUP, Wash., Oct. 21, 2004 -- A Washington state school district is canceling its annual Halloween celebration, and the explanation has some parents baffled. "Let them have their 30 minutes of dressing goofy and having candy," Silas Macon, a father of two school-age girls, said Wednesday outside Maplewood Elementary School after learning that the grade-school tradition of a party and parade in costume during the last half-hour of class before Halloween night won't happen this year in the district. A letter sent home to parents Wednesday said there will be no observance of Halloween in any of the district's schools....

Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Gloria Feldt to Speak at the Democratic Convention http://www.ppaction.org/ppvotes/main.html We are excited to announce that Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Gloria Feldt will be speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, July 26 between 6 and 7 p.m. ET. Gloria's speech is part of the opening night program that will be covered live on C-SPAN. For those of you headed to Boston, we look forward to seeing you there. If you're not going to be in Boston, be sure to tune in to C-SPAN on Monday night to watch Gloria's address!

BOSTON -- Sen. John Kerry's sister assured a rally of feminist Democrats here yesterday that her brother will name several pro-choice justices to the Supreme Court if elected president.     "There are three things my brother is going to do when he's elected president," Peggy Kerry told a Boston event held yesterday at the Harvard Club by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Feminist Majority.     Mr. Kerry will restore $34 billion to the United Nation's population fund for family planning, she pledged, and the Democrat will make sure that "CEDAW," an international treaty to eliminate discrimination against women, is...

On the hunt for grave sites By TRACY MOSS © 2004 THE NEWS-GAZETTE Published Online July 12, 2004 CLICK TO SEE PHOTO CATLIN – Stan Pentecost doesn't believe in ghosts, or UFOs, because he's the kind of guy who needs to see something to believe it. So, when he read that dowsing – using two rods to find underground water – could also be used to locate graves as well as determine the size and gender of the deceased, he had to try it. "I still can't explain it, but it works," said Pentecost, a member of the Illiana Genealogical...