Wiccan Soldier Denied Memorial

Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I believe this soldier gave his life in part to protect and defend religious freedoms:

At the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the small town of Fernley, Nev., there is a wall of brass plaques for local heroes. But one space is blank. There is no memorial for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart.

That's because Stewart was a Wiccan, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has refused to allow a symbol of the Wicca religion -- a five-pointed star within a circle, called a pentacle -- to be inscribed on U.S. military memorials or grave markers.

The minister who served as the chaplain of Sgt. Stewart’s unit, Rtd. Army Chaplain William Chrystal, strongly supports Sgt. Stewart’s widow’s request to have the pentacle put on his memorial. He suspects that the reasons it’s being denied are strictly political, considering “It’s such a clear first Amendment issue… I think the powers that be are afraid they’ll alienate conservative Christians if they approve a symbol that connotes witches and warlocks casting spells and brewing potions.” I believe he’s right, which leaves me with only one question.

Just how much of our country are we going to sacrifice to protect the delicate sensibilities of the willfully ignorant?

Reproductive rights, LGBT equality, the Voting Rights Act, science education, stem cell research, right to die, religious freedom (for some), the separation of church and state, multiculturalism, energy independence, environmental protections—all of these are fights we shouldn’t be having, but must perpetually engage because of the deliberate and obstinate ignorance of one portion of the population who can’t be bothered to learn about or empathize with anything outside of their carefully constructed bubbles, and an opportunistic ruling political party that cynically exploits their ignorance to retain their stranglehold on power brokerage.

I’m so bloody sick of this bullshit I could puke.