It's that time again! Every June, Pagans and Pagan friendly persons across the country, in the US territories and in countries across the world send in postcards to elected officials in Washington. Why? To remind them that we support religious tolerance and diversity and expect them to do so as well.
It's a bit of simple non-confrontational activism that has had a great response from both senders and receivers in years past. We plan to repeat that success again this year and hope you will consider sending along a postcard or two as well!
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From: Pagan Unity Campaign
Subject: You're Invited!
Date: May 16, 2007
Contact: Fallon Glenn (fallon_glenn@yahoo.com), Ginger Strivelli (empressginger@charter.net)
Do you support religious tolerance and diversity?
Do you have a few minutes to spare for some non-confrontational activism?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, the Pagan Unity Campaign needs YOU!
On June 21, 2007, the Pagan Unity Campaign will launch the 7th annual "I Am" campaign; and we would like to formally invite you to stand up and be counted alongside Pagans and Pagan friendly persons everywhere!
Your task is simple!
If you're a Pagan American, we ask that you send post cards sent to your elected officials stating "I am a Pagan ______." (i.e. "I am a Pagan mother," "I am a Pagan Nurse," "I am a Pagan Soldier," or "I am a Pagan teacher," etc.)
We urge Pagan friendly citizens to send in postcards that state "I am the ______ of a Pagan _______." (i.e..: "I am the Christian mother of a Pagan lawyer.")
Even non-US citizens can be counted in this simple bit of worldwide activism by sending postcards to the “leader of the free-world” that state "I am a Pagan ________ from ___________" (i.e. "I am a Pagan banker from England.")
Be creative! Postcards can be anything from a religious symbol to a local scene to a homemade postcard to a drawing from the kids. The sky is the limit! All we ask is that you include the "Pagan Unity Campaign" tagline after your signature and your zipcode at the least!
Together we can make a difference. It is up to you to decide if you’re willing too help. Let's let our elected officials know that we are out here, we are watching and we do stand together in support of religious diversity and tolerance for ALL!
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You can find contact information for your Senators at:
http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm
You can find contact information for your Representatives at:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html
You can write to President Bush at:
George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
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Cool! I'm not a Pagan though, wish I could take part, I wonder if the president will actually see any of those letters? I doubt it but hey you never know :)
Also whos the baby in your profile pic? You?
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See my blog and I'll love you forever! Or at least temporarily: http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/npsm18
We never get reports on whether the President actually see's any of the cards, but a few of the kids that have sent postcards to him have gotten letters back from "him" (aka his staff).
And, you don't have to be Pagan. I encourage people from all faiths (or none) to send along postcards... it's a great reminder that they represent people of all faiths.
The baby in the picture is my nephew Alo, who has all the medical problems. It's from his birthday party yesterday; he just turned 2 on Friday. He's playing with the Backyardigans guitar I gave him. I fell in love with the picture :)
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle
"No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong." Francois De La Rochefoucauld
And, you don't have to be Pagan. I encourage people from all faiths (or none) to send along postcards... it's a great reminder that they represent people of all faiths."
Cool! Ill be sure to participate then :)
"The baby in the picture is my nephew Alo, who has all the medical problems. It's from his birthday party yesterday; he just turned 2 on Friday."
Sorry about his medical problems :( But he is such a cute baby! Awww...lol
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See my blog and I'll love you forever! Or at least temporarily: http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/npsm18
He is adorable:) And thanks, he's getting there slowly, just has a long way still to go! He's finally growing though, so that's a huge step (he was only 12 pounds on his 1st birthday). :) He's an awesome little kid!
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle
"No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong." Francois De La Rochefoucauld
It never hurts to try. The worst thing anyone can do is just stand aside and do nothing when they see any kind of persecution, religious or otherwise. Change is never made by standing on the sidelines.
This sounds like an interesting idea, I was curious however to know how you define pagan? What exactly would you like to see accomplished or unified through this project. I know quite a few people who aren't necessarily religious but I'm not sure they would jump at the chance to buy a "pagan pride" bumpersticker you know? Is there some root ideal denoted in the word "pagan" or is it just your descriptive word of choice with the idea to find unity among non-religious folks?
Pagan doesn't mean "non religious;" rather a follower of one of the religious faiths in a family of non traditional faiths.
I personally like the definition of a Pagan as a follower of one of a family of polytheistic, positive, life affirming and often Earth centered religious faiths. Granted, not every one is going to agree with that definition because there are so many varied Pagan faiths that have their own systems of belief and practice... Wicca, Asatru, Celtic Polytheism, etc.
The point of the campaign is, as mentioned, simply a non-confrontational reminder that elected officials represent those from all walks of life: Pagans, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle
"No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong." Francois De La Rochefoucauld
While I don't disagree with your definition of "pagan," I have one that is a bit broader. Paganism can be a religion, but it can also be a spirituality and a lifestyle. Religions follow specific practices of worship. A spiritual pagan is just aware of "the mystery," and lives life with that awareness. For others, we can look at the root of the word "pagan," which means, more of less, "of the Earth," (used by urban Romans to mock country dwellers, many of whom were followers of Jesus.) For "lifestyle" pagans, they may not believe in a "higher power," but they love the Earth and live in a way that honors that.
Is it necessary to say pagan. Religous tolerance is about more than just pagans. You could propably get more people if you eliminate the word pagan. (not me, I probably wouldn't get around to wasting my time in such a way anyways, but good luck. I too support religious tolerance.)
Pagan because the campaign was originally geared for the Pagan community by a Pagan organization before those outside of the Pagan community started asking how they could get involved and the organization decided to encourage everyone to get involved. We could probably involve more if we eliminated the word Pagan, however, those who need the word Pagan eliminated in order to get involved don't seem much like the type who support religious diversity and tolerance in the first place.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle
"No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong." Francois De La Rochefoucauld
This is awesome Fallon! Thanks for letting the community know about it. I plan on participating. I actually know one of the senators from my area.
~ KJ
"For it is not for honor, or glory, or riches that we fight, but for freedom only, which no good man surrenders but with his life." - Robert the Bruce
You're most welcome. This has always been one of my favorite campaigns. Simple and fun.
Kids always have a lot of fun with this one as well. We just get Kaia some index cards and crayons and he draws pictures for them. It's sweet:)
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle
"No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong." Francois De La Rochefoucauld