http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/08/folkish-odinists-mistaken-for-nazis-kic...
A group of Pagans were kicked out of public park in Bakersfield, California, after complaints were made to local park officials. While at first it seemed like it was going to be a simple misunderstanding that would be cleared up, it soon escalated to them being ejected by park rangers and told they could never come back.
“Collin Bentley, an Odinist, said, “Our arms are raised (in the air). So it’s easy to see how a bunch of white guys, in a park, with tattoos, could be mistaken.” With all of the complaints from the nearby community, a park ranger and two Kern County sheriff’s deputies were called out to investigate these rituals.Don Parkins, an Odinist said, “We paused, answered their questions, pointed out our artifacts, the altar, the flag, what we were doing, laid it out for them in basic. And they said, ‘OK, you’re not breaking any laws, you’re not being disruptive, so you folks have a good day now.’” But the group said the ranger came back with five more deputies, and wanted them to leave.Parkins said, “(The ranger) said, “I won’t have that (expletive) in my park ever again.’ And I said, ‘Well let’s go back to north of the river’, and he said, ‘You won’t have it in any of my parks.’”" He stepped over the line at that point. He’s gone beyond what his call of duty is,” Parkins said.”
... What the report doesn’t tell you is that this group is a conservative “folkish” Odinist group. Considering the fact that many Odinists re-appropriate symbols tainted by the Nazis, (like the Black Sun, which the group posts on its web page) perhaps the first ranger was mis-informed by the other rangers after his initial encounter that this was actually a Nazi group. Certainly it couldn’t have helped when a neighbor told rangers that “(they were) saluting Hitler with their war bird flag.” That still doesn’t justify their expulsion, but it may explain the strange change of heart that led to their eviction.
In any case, according to Raven’s Folk Kindred, a complaint is now pending, and we’ll see if this leads to litigation.
http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/08/folkish-odinists-mistaken-for-nazis-kic...
Disturbing!
Wed, 09/09/2009 - 12:46 — CharlesFollowing the link to the original article, I found this particular statement
"For the answer, we need to do some digging into the group holding the ritual as to why things got so heated."
and it was VERY disturbing for me.
Let me make one point abundantly clear: If some Muggle comes interfering while I'm busy with a ritual, they'd better be prepared to duck my Athame or worse - I don't go interfering in their little fear-mongering cash-collection services on Sundays at the local banking-mall - sorry, church - and I expect the same 'aloofness' from them.
Why 'dig' into the group holding the ritual for why things got heated?
However, when you read a little more about what the original article (without the author having the courage of his convictions to ACTUALLY say what he meant) is trying to get at, the author seems to believe that the group has at least some element of 'White Supremacy' in it - which always begs the question, why is it ok to have groups proclaiming their 'blackness' and their apparently divine right because of that 'blackness' to any and every OTHER right imaginable, but not to have a group with 'white' somewhere in the title? Heaven help you if the organisation even TRIES to exclude blacks from the membership...
Is this not JUST as much a discriminatory practice as any other? But I digress...
Be that as it may, public land is just that - and unless a basic, fundamental human right (more on that elsewhere - rights are a VERY 'touchy' subject) is being abrogated, or somebody's life endangered at that very moment by that very group, I don't see how anybody can justify chasing off any religious group holding/performing a ritual, on the basis of a personally-held opinion with regards to the group and/or what their beliefs are.
It's VERY convenient to say "Oh, but Nazi beliefs are against the law" and actually believe what you're saying, in a smug and self-satisfied way.
But just look at what you're really saying.
Do you KNOW what the supposed beliefs are?
Do you KNOW the intention (and intention is the fundament of faith, especially in a Pagan belief-system) of the people involved?
What stops the progressive elimination of any and every (other) belief system on those very same grounds, when the administration and enforcement of, for instance, access to public land and even to fair representation in the press is the domain of a particular belief (in this case, Judeo-Christian)?
Have we learned NOTHING from history and the Burning Times?
Have we not taken to heart the court case that SAPRA even now is preparing to fight on our behalf, to attempt to force the press and other media to grant us fair and equitable representation, and to desist from slandering our good name through selective and biased reporting?
Our own government pursues a policy of 'incremental restriction' to ban practices and habits it has decided are not desirable - they've tried it with the gun laws, they're busy with the smoking laws, and there are numerous other examples - as the old adage maintains, when there's a snake in the farmyard, it's EVERYBODY's problem.
No, no matter WHAT the religion in question (and I don't presume to judge and find this particular group guilty of anything except perhaps careless choice of location), if we expect our OWN rights to be protected, we must needs help protect the rights of others.
Ignore this principle at your own peril.
Diabolical Charles!
Wed, 09/09/2009 - 13:00 — Morgause*lol* Brilliant piece, Charles. Can't wait to read the comments to this post.
BB
Morgause
SAPC Registrar
Probably not much of a response....
Fri, 09/18/2009 - 14:14 — Rayne SeleneBut I see nothing to challenge in Charles' words.
So I'll say this:
DITO
;)