Title Censored Due to Lack of Inspiration: The Last Temptation of Christ.
The Witches: Movie Review and Commentary.
The Blair Witch Project, in three parts, by Jenny Gibbons. (To give you an idea as to how often I go out to movies, the last two I've gone out to see have been Titanic and Trainspotting... So, Jenny has done the honors this time.)

Down in Copperas Cove, Texas last weekend, (Labor Day, 1999) a splinter group of Christians decided to stage a protest and picket at a New Age / Pagan bookstore, in hopes of shutting it down. About fifty of them showed up, a high percentage children dragged willy-nilly along for the occasion. (I wonder about this... if you thought Witches were bound to try evil spells, would you really really want to bring your very own precious children along???) Greeting them were a coalition of Pagans and Christians 130 - 200 strong (depending on whose numbers you use), all in favor of the shop.

You can read more about the incident at Rev. Harvey Vs. the Witches, which is filled with information from people who were actually there.

At any rate, by all accounts the Pagan/Christian coalition conducted themselves by all the principles I espouse -- they did not threaten or behave in any hostile towards the invaders -- they even offered water (it's hot in Texas at this time of the year), which was refused out of mistrust. They cleaned up both after themselves and Rev. Harvey's group, after all was done. They offered sentiments and offerings of peace. (Again, refused, but the offer was made.) All was handled by the coalition in terms of respect and honor, while the other side broadcast messages of intolerance and hatred. What they were hoping for at the moment I don't know.

I'm pleased with Our Side. This is exactly how we need to behave in the face of confrontation.

Sure, we didn't get much press... I understand a couple major news broadcasting units were there, waiting for blood, guts, and who knows what else. Nowadays, I understand that protesters of various stripes in Great Britain have taken to pie-throwing -- it garners publicity. But sooner or later, what does this yield??? Ennui, again. At that point, are those protesters going to have to resort to grenades to be noticed? Do we want to escalate this kind of thing, just to be noticed? I rather strongly hope not.

The dialog of respect and honor is often absent in the history of protest and counter-protest. This is a damnable shame. But if we cannot conduct ourselves with respect and honor, no matter what it appears that the rest of the world at large does, we will ultimately NOT help ourselves, but will build into that apparently-unending cycling, sucking, whirlwind of hate and violence, and ultimately become indistinguishable from that which we proclaim that we decry.

I send and extend oversized kudos of praise to the people of the Pagan/Christian/etc. coalition who stood firm -- respectful, honorable, but firm -- at the shop in Copperas Cove, Texas.

THANK YOU.