Dispatches:  Official Newsletter of Officers of Avalon | Acceptance | Acceptance, pg 2 | Acceptance, pg 3 | Acceptance, pg 4 | Acceptance, pg 5 | Acceptance, conc.  O of A News | Past Issues of Dispatches

chael Coren.”  An ad for his latest book, “Mere Christian” was attached.  No apology, just an advertisement.  As my fellow Officers of Avalon member Nessa so aptly put it:  “Is any one else here reminded of Gilderoy Lockhart from the Harry Potter novels?!”

Coren’s article proved that some radical elements within the evangelical Christian community had noticed the existence of Officers of Avalon. They weren't happy about it. Some of them had been trying for years to defend their position by claiming that the followers of religions other than Christianity were all dysfunctional flakes. Officers of Avalon is living proof that they are wrong. Our members are professional emergency services personnel and an example of the possibilities open to the Pagan community. As a result we became a target for such fundamentalists. Radical Christian web lurkers began to pop up, post and run on the original Officers of Avalon e-group. A fundamentalist Christian used my name in an e-address for a hate literature site called the "Encyclopedia of Satanic Wicca".  This was brought to our attention by a Christian expert on the occult, Tony Kail.   As I mentioned earlier, the flood of protests to the server carrying the site from the Pagan community caused them to shut it down.

On 11 September, 2003 Officers of Avalon was incorporated in the state of Nevada.  Officers of Avalon wasn’t just an e-group anymore.  It had become a benevolent association for Pagan professionals in the emergency services.  As Coren and the Toronto Sun discovered, we are spokespersons for the Pagan community. We are proof that many of the guardians of our society are Pagans.  We are a shining symbol to the Pagan community of infinite possibilities.

 

Kerr Cuhulain

Acceptance, conc.  O of A News

Email: webmaster@officersofavalon.com

To contact us:

Volume 2 no. 4  Litha, Midsummer 2007

O of A Member Starting a New Computer Forensics Business

Long time O of A member Neil Marsh, who just recently retired from the Chehalis (WA) PD, is setting up a new business:  Marsh Comupter Forensics.  I know that he’s busy working through the accreditation process as I write this.  “Guys who have been through both say that this is every bit as intense as getting a masters degree,” Marsh told me, “The academy was a piece of cake by comparison.”  We wish him luck with this new enterprise.  Neil can be contacted at: 

neil@marshforensic.com

Marsh Computer Forensics, LLC * PO Box 246 * Chehalis WA  98532-0246

Voice 360/557-4800     Fax 360/557-6258     Cell 360/219-3859

Arizona Pagan Writes to Local TV Station

Rowan Wakefield of the Desert Muse Cover ( http://www.desertmusecoven.com/) gave me permission to reprint her letter to Arizona channels 5 & 3 with regards to their recent story:  “Police:  Other Victims Sought in Officer Sex Abuse Case.  Police:  May Have Used Wiccan Religion To Lure Victims.”   It reads as follows:

 

“I believe there will be a lot of back lash due to the manner in which this story broke. There is already much unfounded prejudice against Neo-Pagans and I fear that this will only fuel the fire by sending rightfully concerned parents on a Witch Hunt.

”The police seem to be using the only link that they think they may have to find other victims, which is commendable IF in fact what they say is true and they have some real evidence that there are other children who have been harmed. And they "seriously" think that this man may have dabbled and used aspects of Wiccan practice in order to "attract kids" for the purpose of abuse. There ARE low-life people who actually do that. And we have some of those people here in Arizona. Phoenix has a large concentration of documented sex offenders who might use any means at their disposal to continue to commit these crimes not to mention any that just haven't been caught yet. We as responsible Pagans can't kid ourselves. Denial doesn't help to keep our children safe, weeding out predators does.

”And we must remember that just because police may have found a book or 2 on the subject in his home, doesn't really make him a practicing Wiccan any more than owning a Bible makes anyone a good christian. And child molestation rules him out as a genuine Wiccan all together! This really gives our community a black eye in the public view and we will likely hear about it in months to come.

”While I am grateful for the tiny bit of  general information given in your article, sadly I feel that the news media may exploit the Wiccan connection as a ploy to further their own ratings while informing "and inflaming" the public. I hope that they will be much more responsible and fair in their portrayal of Wicca as this case moves on.

”We should all follow this case very closely.

”I feel that this is even further reason to look to the things that strengthen us and foster pride in ourselves individually and our identity as a larger Pagan community.”