Time to check in once again with everyone’s favorite openly Pagan elected official, New York City Councilman Dan Halloran. This time Halloran is getting attention for an altercation with a traffic cop. According to Halloran, he saw Traffic Enforcement Agent Daniel Chu run stop-signs and park illegally at a donut shop and decided to confront him about it.

“A city councilman who spotted a traffic cop blow through stop signs while yakking on the phone confronted the officer – and got slapped with a $165 ticket, the irate lawmaker said. Dan Halloran (R-Queens) wants his summons dismissed and is demanding a review of every ticket the Queens traffic agent has ever written. “The traffic agents spend a lot of time ticketing in my community and yet they feel they’re above the law,” Halloran griped … Halloran said he told the surly officer that he was a city councilman. “He said, ‘Oh yeah? You want to take pictures of me? I’m going to give you a ticket,’” Halloran recalled. Chu then wrote Halloran a $165 ticket for blocking a crosswalk. The councilman denied he was blocking it, adding that his engine was running and the car door was open.”

So is Halloran the local populist hero fighting against unjust/power-mad parking enforcement, or is he overcompensating for something? A NYPD spokesperson said “Halloran received a traffic summons in January for illegally parking in a school zone”, and just last week he was accused of abusing his office by parking illegally and using his city parking permit to avoid tickets.

“In the neighborhood known to be impossible to find a legal parking space on the street, Halloran’s white Jaguar with a city parking permit on the dashboard and “NYC COUNCIL 19? on his license plate is parked right next to a sign that clearly reads “NO STANDING HOTEL LOADING ZONE” in front of the entrance to the Sheraton New York Towers.  The placard and plate do not make it legal for Halloran to park there, but most police officers and traffic agents will leave such a car alone.  As of publication Halloran’s car had not been ticketed and towed … Halloran could not immediately be located for comment, but examiner.com will keep trying and update with whatever answer he gives us as to why while everyone is else is spending an arm and a leg on the hotel parking lot, he saw fit to violate the very laws he helps write.”

It’s parking-gate! NYPD vs Halloran! While this political tempest plays out in the local press, someone is trying to make Halloran’s Paganism an issue again. An seeming fan of the Queens Tribune, the paper who “outed” Halloran as a Pagan in a sensationalist smear-piece, and were later revealed to have some serious conflicts of interest in the matter, is trolling comment sections here, and here, accusing Halloran of being a racist animal-killer who practices a “stupid pagan religion”. Some things, it seems, never change. There’s always going to be some people who think being a Pagan means you are automatically unfit for political office. Still, kudos to Gothamist and NY Daily News for not taking the “pagan” bait while reporting on this incident. As for “parking-gate”, we’ll keep you posted.

As the Gulf oil crisis continues, people are turning to religion and religious leaders for answers, guidance, and comfort. I’ve been keeping track of Pagan reactions to this catastrophe, and there are two new instances worth noting. First, Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary is interviewed along with several other religious leaders by the Religious News Service. In the article, reporter Nicole Neroulias notes that nature-based religions are welcoming the growing recognition that our planet is sacred and that we cannot blindly continue down the path we’ve been traveling.

“Nature-based religions welcome this growing recognition that caring for the environment is a spiritual calling, and that the oil spill is “a wound in the earth,” said Selena Fox, a high priestess at Circle Sanctuary, a Wisconsin-based pagan resource center. Fox said she has been meditating and conducting outdoor prayers several times a day, lighting a pentacle of ritual candles to channel her energy toward five areas: stopping the leak, helping the cleanup, healing the impact, learning from the disaster, and hoping that people become more respectful of the circle of life.”

Meanwhile, at the On Faith site, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) co-founder Aseem Shukla weighs in on the welfare and value of animals affected by BP’s negligence and our country’s lack of regulation.

“For panentheistic Hindus, who with many Dharma faiths and Pagan traditions worship Earth as a manifestation of the Mother Goddess, divinity is found within every part of nature just as it transcends an earthly realm. The suffering animals endure in our blind pursuit of black gold to support a craven addiction will bear the brunt of the consequences of karma. It is empirical that every action has an equal and opposite reaction; while today the shrimpers and oyster harvesters are enduring for our collective sins, we must know that all of us will be affected as the dominoes of suffering fall.”

I think it’s encouraging that Shukla is expressing solidarity with modern Pagans in his column, and it hints at a possible fruitful alliance between Hindu and modern Pagan organizations in matters of mutual interest. Perhaps this terrible tragedy has caused some rethinking, even our president said recently he grew up with the notion that the ocean is sacred and that he “understands the emotional connection” people have to it. That kind of language, even in passing, hearkens to a time when America’s nature religion was more fully expressed in our leadership. We can only hope the (righteous) anger and concern evolves into a new ethic of care for our planet (and there is some evidence that this may be happening), instead of collapsing into cynicism and despair.

If you want to do something to aid the Gulf in this crisis, here’s a list of suggestions, and here’s one more. For those wanting to do spiritual work, Lorna Tedder has some suggestions.

I have a few quick story updates to share with you today.

Polyamory Court Case in Canada: As I mentioned last week, a major case involving the rights of polyamorous families in Canada is headed for the B.C. Supreme Court. In the comments of my entry, John Bashinski of the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association offered some clarification as to what exactly is being fought for in this instance.

“You’re right that this will raise polyamory’s profile in general, and that it may bring out the Pagan connection. However, this case isn’t going to result in a “semblance of legal recognition” for poly families… unless not being thrown in jail counts as recognition. What’s being challenged is an 1890 stature providing for five years in prison for being in “any kind of conjugal union” with more than one person (and, significantly for Pagans, for even attending a ceremony celebrating such a union). If we win, the result of this case will be more like what GLB(*) people got in 1969 than like what they got in 2005.”

So to be clear, this is about decriminalization, not legalization, I apologize for misconstruing the nature of case in my original post. However, many of my initial points about a potential culture-war blow-up and modern Paganism’s role within modern polyamory remain pertinent.  This is, and will be, a Pagan issue. Among the affidavits filed in this case was one by Surrey-based Wiccan priest Sam Wagar, who argued for the religious right to practice legal polygamy. In addition, The Congregationalist Wiccan Association of British Columbia (CWABC) has issued a statement in support of performing multiple-marriage ceremonies, while trying to stay within the bounds of Canadian law.

“…any form of love or sexuality that is non-abusive, and non-coercive, between consenting adults, is acceptable and even desirable. This includes, but is not limited to, relationships that are heterosexual or homosexual, relationships that are monogamous or polyamorous, and relationships that are alternative or conventional … the law currently forbids legally recognized clergy from presiding over any ceremony that bears any sort of resemblance to a wedding between more than two partners. For this reason, and only this reason, our religious representatives, as recognized by the Province of British Columbia, cannot perform polyamorous handfastings, or even handfastings between two people when one of the parties involved is still legally married to someone else. If we are approached to perform such a ceremony, we will refer the interested parties to clergy within our Church, or to qualified individuals within the Pagan community, who do not have legal marrying credentials from the Province of British Columbia.”

I’ll be watching this case as it develops. Whether the debate, or the issue, will spill over into US politics remains to be seen. Some are wondering if the next big push by activists after winning gay marriage won’t be polygamy, but prostitution. In any event, this issue is leaving the fringes, and we’ll need to be ready to address it.

The Eric Christensen Murder Trial and Conviction: Ten days ago Everett, Washington resident Eric Christensen was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his former girlfriend Sherry Harlan. Both Christensen and Harlan were involved in the local Pagan community, and the prosecution made a religious “blood oath” between the two a central element of their argument for premeditation. Christensen’s sentencing will be this Friday, and since his conviction, there’s been quite a bit of commentary on the Internet. Notably, someone claiming to be a juror in the trial made a comment on this blog concerning the argument for premeditation.

“I was a juror on the Christensen case and I can tell you that there was not a shred of evidence or testimony supporting the argument of premeditation. None. Only Mr. Matheson’s and Mr. Bridges’ conjecture.”

The defense was arguing for second-degree murder, saying there was no proof Christensen planned to kill Harlan before the act. It seems likely that some sort of appeal will be filed, though there is no doubt that Christensen is indeed guilty of murder and should be punished for it. Understandably, Harlan’s mother is calling for the death penalty, though that’s not on the table because it wasn’t tried as an aggravated murder. Since the conviction, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson emphasized that this murder was not a“Wiccan killing”. What the long-term reverberations of this case will be for Pagans in Washington remains to be seen.

The War on Some Herbs: Way back in April I reported on Louisiana House Bill 173, which would ban the sale, use, and possession of herbal “synthetic marijuana” blends that are legally sold in head-shops in several states. I noted that the bill would go much further than simply banning chemically treated “spice” herb blends, as it prohibits a whole host of herbs from being blended and smoked.

“HB173 would prohibit a number of plants from being blended and smoked or inhaled. The plants in question include mugwort, honeyweed, sacred lotus and dwarf skullcap.  Many of these plants are listed as ingredients in herbal incense products.”

Now word has come that the bill has passed both the Louisiana House and Senate and is headed to governor Bobby Jindal’s desk where it will no doubt be signed (alternate link).

“House Bill 173 was approve unanimously. State senators voted 32-0 to approve the bill, which bans the production, use, manufacture or possession of the synthetic substance, and provides penalties similar to those for marijuana. Louisiana is one of just a number of states that have passed bans as of late. Earlier this year, Georgia, Texas and Missouri have passed bans. While a number of states will likely consider legalizing marijuana, support for K2, thus far, has been little to none. Most states have passed bans with little or no opposition as it has proved to be a relatively safe political bet in an election year.”

This is bad news, and could have legal effects on those who grow and sell various herbs. One wonders where the natural health community is on this issue, or if they are laying low because it’s targeting head shops instead of Whole Foods. If we allow local governments to slowly ban more and more herb and herb-blends because it might get some kids high, we may find our gardens outlawed and our tinctures confiscated.

That’s all I have for now, have a great day.

So there’s this nifty new application for smart-phones called Square. It allows you to process credit card payments using your phone (currently available for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Nexus One, and Droid), and was designed to benefit individuals and small businesses that wouldn’t normally be able to process such a payment method. Sounds pretty awesome right? I’m sure there are plenty of small vendors in the Pagan community who might want to take advantage of such a service, but there’s just one problem.

“…you are not engaged in and will not accept payment for any of the following: (1) any illegal activity, (2) adult entertainment oriented products or services (all media types; internet, telephone, printed material, etc), (3) internet/mail order/telephone order pharmacies (where fulfillment of medication is performed with an internet or telephone consultation, absent a physical visit with a physician including re-importation of pharmaceuticals from foreign countries.), (4) internet/mail order/telephone order firearm or weapon sales, (5) internet/mail order/telephone order cigarette or tobacco sales, (6) drug paraphernalia, (7) occult materials, (8) hate products, (9) online gambling (10) lotteries, raffles, or gambling, (11) escort services…”

No occult materials? Writer and defender of all things subcultural Warren Ellis has some questions regarding these restrictions, like, just what is and isn’t “occult”, exactly?

Hold on. Can someone explain this to me? What defines an occult material? I had a quick Google.According to Fox News, a pink ouija board made by Hasbro is an “occult material.” Informed Christians tells me that Harry Potter and Pokemon are occult materials. Are Tarot cards occult materials? Divining rods? Alan Moore books and CDs?

I’m presuming this is just some kind of weird boilerplate text they’ve picked up from somewhere, and that in America credit card processors don’t like you rubbing the spooky stuff. And someone will educate me on that in the comments. But “occult materials” would seem to me to be so ill-defined as to cover an awful lot of things. So, if you fancy the sound of Square, but perhaps sell things like books or garments or goat heads consecrated in Satan’s piss, you might want to drop them a line first to get their definition of “occult materials.”

The generous interpretation of the “no occult” rule I’ve read is that this is boilerplate text supplied by the credit card companies, and was most likely penned to protect them from liability in cases of fortune-telling scams (Google Checkout once had similar restrictions). Of course, terms like “hate products” and “adult entertainment oriented products” are equally loaded. You think it means porn and Nazis, but who’s making the definitions? Are offensive t-shirts hate speech? Is a book on Kink Magic an “adult entertainment oriented product”? Taken together, do they make it impossible for a Pagan festival vendor to use this service? Finally, Square was created because an artist couldn’t sell his work on the spot, but would many of the hypothetical artists that might want to use this service fall afoul of the occult, hate, or adult restrictions? Could you sell “Piss Christ” with Square?

So far no statement has come from Square on this matter, despite the topic rolling around the Internet for a few days now. Their Twitter feed is silent. I suppose we’ll wait and see if there’s a clarification or revision coming, or if they’ll continue to use the restrictive (and possibly illegal if challenged in a court of law under religious freedom grounds) boilerplate.

Update: The company’s FAQ specifically mentions that fortune-telling is prohibited because it carries a high risk of charge-back (ie the customer disputing the charge after the fact). No word on other “occult” items or services.

Danny Leigh at the Guardian Film Blog examines the latest permutation of the Wicker Man phenomenon. We’ve had the film, the extended cut of the film, the rock opera, the horrid remake, the upcoming sequel/re-imagining, and the musical, now we have Sing-Along-A-Wickerman.

All together now! Sumer Is A-Cumen In…

“Hosted by David Bramwell and singer Eliza Skelton, Sing-Along-A-Wickerman is a unique night of entertainment for Wickerman enthusiasts and novices alike, featuring live music, audience sing-alongs, a rare screening of the super-8 comedy-classic THE WICKERMAN and other treats. Once sufficiently warmed up, the audience are provided with goody bags full of dark secrets (for use during the film) and a Pagan Hymn Book with lyrics to all the songs. We then roll into the film in all its camp, twisted glory, with David and Eliza at the helm guiding the crowd along with the words, actions, dialogue and buttock-slapping! So dust down your best Scottish accent, dress up as your favourite character (for prizes!), and may god have mercy on your soul!”

Leigh expresses some skepticism about turning the 1970s cult-classic into the next Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“Lovely. Except, like a one-man Waldorf and Statler, I find myself hovering around the edges of killjoydom. Because, while all in favour of the movie as communal experience, I can’t help feeling that the singalong stuff is best reserved for those films where the pleasure of audience participation is clearly greater than simply watching them. It only works with one of those rare films that takes a knowing delight in its own absurdity (see the grand-tranny of them all, The Rocky Horror Picture Show), or one that is better suited as a kind of abstract panto.

None of which is true of The Wicker Man (the original, at least – I’d fully endorse audience participation for Neil LaBute’s remake, principally flinging bags of excrement at the screen). Yes, of course, the music was and is oddly delightful, and yes, there was always a slightly camp element at work in the project; … But, there’s also a genuine note of eerie menace at the heart of Hardy’s movie, one undimmed by familiarity.”

I share some of the writer’s concerns, but it also sounds like it could be a lot of fun, and the sort of event that could find an enthusiastic audience here in America. If some enterprising soul tries to do it, just be sure to use the extended “long” version so we can have “Gently Johnny” as part of the experience.

I’ve mentioned more than a few times that the occult, witchcraft, and paganism have been reoccurring themes within the world of high fashion. Now designer Elise Overland is getting into the act, releasing a new short film, directed by Poppy de Villeneuve, that centers on “Wiccan and natural magic”.

Pamela Love, Poppy de Villeneuve, Elise Øverland, and Aimee Mullins.

Jewelry designer Pamela Love, wearing a long Elise Overland frock, designed pieces especially for the film. “I based it on geometric shapes, specifically the circle and the diamond, and a lot of imagery related to the phases of the moon,” she said, emphasizing the femininity of the lunar cycle. “It was an amazing experience to be out in the desert with three women I really admire.” De Villeneuve added, “I like the kind of dark side of Elise’s designs.” She recalls beginning the film with “the idea of Wiccan and natural magic.” Dark subject matter, but a lot of fun, as she explains: “I think with some of the fashion films, it’s a good ambition to not to try to be too serious.”

The star of Say Good Morning to the Night is Aimee Mullins, an athlete/actress who had both her legs amputated as a child, and subsequently  gained worldwide recognition for her accomplishments using a series of cutting-edge artificial legs. Mullins has a history of working in art-films, most notably with Matthew Barney, so she seems the perfect channel for a work that “fused fashion, film, and art.”

In a world where it’s hard to create anything without a marketing plan behind it first, Elise Øverland is bucking the trend. Last week the Norwegian fashion designer, known for her edgy rock ’n’ roll aesthetic, decided to produce a short film about Wicca—for no real reason other than just because. “We thought we’d shoot the film and then see what happened,” … Øverland’s friend Val Kilmer let the gaggle of girls shoot at his ranch in New Mexico. “It feels very spiritual,” Øverland said of spending time in the desert.

Whether any of them have any serious inklings towards Wicca seems somewhat doubtful, but it’s interesting how Wicca, the occult, “lunar cycles”, and “natural magic” have so deeply penetrated this playground of the rich and famous. That Wicca and witchcraft would become a well that numerous designers and artists would visit in order to find inspiration. I think it’s a sign that modern Paganism, in some form or another, has become deeply enmeshed in America’s cultural DNA and isn’t leaving any time soon. As for Say Good Morning to the Night, I’d love to see it, but who knows if us plebs, who are rarely invited to parties with Salman Rushdie, will ever get the chance.

Let’s start off your weekend with a few quick notes.

Another Fortunetelling Law Overturned: The Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled that fortunetelling and other psychic services are protected speech and cannot be outlawed by local ordinances. The ruling stems from a long legal battle by Montgomery County resident Nick Nefedro, who has been mentioned at this blog before, and his win may be the most devastating blow yet to laws targeting fortunetelling.

“Fortunetelling may be pure entertainment, it may give individuals some insight into the future or it may be hokum,” the Maryland Court of Appeals wrote in a 24-page opinion. “People who purchase fortunetelling services may or may not believe in its value. Fortunetellers may sometimes deceive their customers. We need not, however, pass judgment on the validity or the value of the speech that fortunetelling entails.”

Previous cases that overturned anti-fortunetelling ordinances often did so on religious grounds, but this case didn’t pursue a religious angle, and I thought it would suffer because of it; however, the appeal to freedom of speech seems to have been convincing. As a result, a much broader precedent has been reached, one that may be replicated in similar court battles. It remains to be seen if Montgomery County will now try to appeal to a Federal court. Nefedro was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland in this case, here’s an excerpt from their press release concerned the decision.

“This case has never been just about fortunetellers, but about the fundamental right to free speech,” said Ajmel Quereshi, an attorney with the ACLU of Maryland. “While individual fortunetellers can be punished if they fraudulently exploit their customers, banning all fortunetelling is overbroad and unconstitutional. It is not the role of government to decide that broad categories of speech can be banned merely because it finds them distasteful or disagreeable.”

Here’s hoping lawmakers across the country are paying attention to this decision.

When Will Ali Sibat Be Released? Lebanese citizen Ali Sibat, who was nearly executed for the crime of sorcery in Saudi Arabia but given a last-minute reprieve due to protests and political maneuvering, is still rotting in a cell, and his wife wants to know when he’ll be released.

“The wife of a Lebanese TV psychic convicted in Saudi Arabia on charges of witchcraft appealed for her husband’s release on Friday, just months after he escaped beheading in the kingdom. Samira Rahmoon, 46, said Lebanese officials promised her in April that her husband would soon come home, two years after Saudi religious police arrested him during a pilgrimage there … ”We are lost,” said Rahmoon, clutching a cracked frame holding a photograph of her husband, 49-year-old Ali Sibat, during a small protest outside the prime minister’s office in Beirut.”

So far there is no word on when, or if, Sibat will be released from custody. Recently there have been signs that Saudi citizens are getting fed up with power plays by the local religious police, who have been locked in a political struggle with the country’s (relatively) more moderate monarchy. This battle has often seen members of other faiths, even if they are citizens of other countries, drawn into their machinations.

Curses on Trafficking: Benin (not to be confused with the modern day country of the Republic of Benin, formerly known as Dahomey), monarch Omo N’Oba Erediauwa has called on Vodun and other indigenous religious practitioners in Nigeria to place curses on those who would participate in human trafficking and kidnapping.

“The fight against kidnapping and related crimes took a fresh turn in Benin City, the Edo state capital on Thursday, as voodoo priests, herbalists and traditional worshippers came out in large numbers to invoke the wrath of the gods and place curses on persons behind the acts. The Benin monarch Omo N’Oba Erediauwa at a meeting with the traditional stakeholders last week, directed them to set aside this Thursday (yesterday) for the men in the kingdom to place curses on kidnappers, while the women would take their turn to perform the similar exercise tomorrow, Saturday.”

Human trafficking in Nigeria is a rampant problem, with even important officials taking part in the practice. This move by Omo N’Oba Erediauwa is canny since many accounts of have surfaced of Nigerian women and children being threatened into silence and slavery by Vodun curses and vows. If news of this public show of opposition by indigenous religious leaders spreads, it may counter-act some of the power these modern-day slavers hold over their victims.

That’s all I have for now, have a great weekend!