THE THIRTEENTH SACRIFICE BY DEBBIE VIGUIE WITCH HUNT #1
"Samantha Ryan is plagued by nightmarish memories of magic and fear...of strange chants and blood spilled. Because Samantha Ryan grew up in a coven that was seduced by power and greed. "
"With a cross around her neck and detective's shield in her pocket, Samantha has tried to put her horrific childhood behind her. But as the last in a long line of ruthless witches, she should know that such talismans are no match for the power of a coven that's gone bad. And when young women start dying, only Samantha knows what the archaic symbol carved into their flesh means: The witches have returned to Salem. Now Samantha is going undercover-- into a town obsessed with black magic, into her past, and into the dark, newly awakened heart of evil."
As a child, Samantha grew up in a coven of witches consumed by the black side of power, A coven who regularly spilled blood. Now, years later, she is the only survivor, and she struggles day to day to keep the horror in her past. Now a devout christian and a detective firmly on the side of good, she devotes her time to helping others. However, her latest case hits a little too close to home as woman are dying with ritual symbols carved into them, meaning the witches have returned. She'll have to go undercover and infiltrate the coven as she is the only one who stands a chance at stopping them. But that mean she'll have to use her power again despite her vow, and that may just break her.
Whenever I think of witches, I always picture a mixture of both good and evil, just as there are both types of normal people. I just figure that it doesn't take a supernatural power to be evil, so why wouldn't there be some good ones as well? The author does seem to brush on this as she separates the witches out from the more benevolent wiccans who believe in not harming others. The witches in The Thirteenth Sacrifice are nothing short of pure evil, with Samantha being the only possible exception, and even she struggles to stay on the side of good. The greed for power is so all consuming to them that they commit unspeakable acts, and definitely ratcheted up the creepy factor in this book.
Samantha is such a tortured soul and really quite broken. Her horrific past haunts her, threatening to consume her, but no matter how much she fights it, she cannot ever really escape it. My heart really went out to her when she was forced back into the world of power and witchcraft as it nearly crushed her, especially since it goes against everything that she believes since she converted to Christianity over a decade ago. She knew that once she opened that door, it could never be shut again. To be honest, I'm surprised she made it as long as she did without boiling over on her own. Even so, Samantha is a character you can really get behind due to her determination to not let the seductiveness of magic consume her. In fact, as she learns to control her powers as well as an acceptance of herself, she will truly become a force to be reckoned with.
While I was utterly repulsed and quite terrified of some of the things that happened in The Thirteenth Sacrifice, that did not keep me from being completely engrossed in the story. I was covered with chills as I watched things unfurl and the threat of Samantha's discovery just about killed my nerves, but that only made me enjoy it all the more. I'd recommend The Thirteenth Sacrifice to anyone one who enjoys an on the edge of your seat thriller with a major creepy factor that will utterly haunt you. The next installment as well as other Debbie Viguie novels will be definitely be going on my watch list.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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Asterion
Cea de a patra categorie de fiinte ce salasluiesc ^in lumile elementale, de care ne vom ocupa acum, este cea a salamandrelor, sau spiritele focului.
Mult mai subtil dec^at Apa si Pam^antul, dar mai activ si mai dinamic dec^at aerul, elementul Foc este ^intruparea principiului activ pur ^in lumea celor patru elemente. Fiintele care corespund acestui regat, sau zona vibrationala, sunt extrem de active si ^isi fac simtita prezenta relativ usor atunci c^and doresc. Fiecare fenomen legat de electricitate, fie ea naturala sau artificiala, de foc sau de caldura, este supravegheat de fiinte ale focului si ghidat spre echilibru, ^in folosul tuturor locuitorilor Terrei, fie ei fizici sau subtili.
Salamandrele poarta acest nume colectiv ^in mod conventional, nefiind numai de gen feminin, maidegraba masculini preponderent. Elementalii din stagiile joase ale ierarhiei au o viata relativ scurta, exist^and chiar si pentru c^ateva momente. Natura lor este dinamica si efemera, ^insa energia lor vitala se reabsoarbe rapid ^in materia regatului elemental si alte fiinte iau nastere. Fiecare foc are salamandra lui, fiecare lum^anare arsa are deasemenea spiritul sau care ia constiinta, are grija de materializarea focului iar apoi moare odata cu acesta. Fiecare foc, cuptor, sau incendiu, au la fel, fiintele lor.
Dincolo de aceste fiinte relativ limitate ca inteligenta si viata exista salamandre cu durate mai mari de viata, care poseda constiinte individuale, dar totusi sunt una cu restul salamndrelor datorita elementului fundamental care le leaga constiintele. Peste aceste fiinte se situeaza regii elementelor sau maestii salamandre, acestia av^and puteri deosebite, functii precise ^in desfasurarea treburilor ^in domeniul focului si vieti extrem de lungi, c^ateodata de sute de mii de ani, nefiind ^insa nemuritori, la fel ca restul fiintelor elementale. Cu acestia trateaza de obicei magicienii sau vrajitorii. De cele mai multe ori magicienii cer acestor regi sa le acorde drept servitori elementali pentru a realiza diferite treburi pentru ei, ^insa acest lucru nu este ceva negativ, servirea magicianului fiind pentru fiinta focului o datorie de onoare fata de regele sau si fata de Dumnezeu, care ^ii va permite sa se dezvolte pe linie spirituala.
Multi dintre regii elementali au fost ei ^insisi servitori si si-au c^astigat dreptul de a ajunge guvernatori, legea karmei benefice action^and la fel si ^in Regatul Focului. Regii focului sunt fiinte extrem de evoluate, supuse vointei Divine. Ei supravegheaza activitatea vulcanilor si focurilor subterane, electricitatea atmosferica si descarcarile electrice si tot ce tine de foc. Contactul magicianului bine pregatit cu aceste fiinte ^ii poate aduce cunostinte amanuntite despre folosirea elementului subtil Foc, at^at ^in interiorul corpului, c^at si ^in exterior. Este de ^inteles ca si fara stirea noastra, elementalii focului actioneaza ^in jurul nostru, acolo unde sunt chemati ^in mod intuitiv, chiar si fara stirea noastra.
Grija principala a acestor fiinte este modul ^in care omul a gresit fata de natura si de Mama Pam^ant folosind ^in mod nesabuit elementul Focului: folosirea combustibililor fosili, at^at ^in industrie c^at si ^in autovehicule, a adus prin ardere un dezechilibru imens ^in straturile atmosferice at^at de necesare omului si celorlalte fiinte constiente. Lumina si caldura care au fost ^inmagazinate timp de milioane de ani ^in carbuni, petrol si alte resurse similare au fost eliberate ^in mai putin de o suta de ani, ceea ce la nivel planetar poate fi considerat o catastrofa. Acest lucru a adus un puternic dezechilibru ^intre elementele Apa si Aer, fiind treptat afectate toate sferele vietii, ^in natura totul fiind codependent. ^Intelepciunea acestor fiinte trebuie apreciata atunci c^and ne sfatuiesc sa folosim cu mare cumpatare elementul Foc, efectele secundare fiind nu numai neplacute, dar put^and sa influenteze starea atmosferei si a ecosistemului dincolo de posibilitatile noastre de a mai repara ceva. ^In schimb, tot elementul Foc poate ajuta tehnologia umana, ^insa resursele fosile nu sunt raspunsul. Tehnologiile de propulsie bazate pe energie solara si hidrogen tin deasemenea de Regatul Focului, iar ^inteleptii focului si savantii regatului salamandrelor lucreaza ^in subtil pentru a ajuta pe cei care fac demersuri stiintifice ^in aceasta privinta.
Daca doriti sa va ^imbunatatiti relatia cu acest element, aprindeti o lum^anare si spuneti o rugaciune pentru cineva care are nevoie. Salamandrele vor fi mai mult dec^at bucuroase sa ajute acolo unde este cazul. C^and faceti un foc, fie ^in padure, fie acasa, sfintiti-l si adresati o rugaciune Tatalui Ceresc, c^and aprindeti lumina sau va bucurati de caldura Soarelui, multumiti Tatalui pentru lucrarea pe care o face prin intermediul focului. Si nu ^in ultimul r^and, tineti ^in voi focul adevarului si iubirii, care nu este altul dec^at Lumina!
Credit: new-generation-witch.blogspot.com
bestastro25 Money spells unit of measurement sometimes used to get several money and wealth. If one has ample amount of money, then it'll certain as shooting facilitate him or her to attract prosperity in life. money constantly remained a life changing issue.Molana Wasim Khan Mob : +91-916-627-7961 Email : islamicwitchcraft@gmail.comhttp://www.islamicwitchcraft.com/get-a-prosperous-life-with-witchcraft-spells-for-money/ Money spells unit of measurement sometimes used to get several money and wealth. If one has ample amount of money, then it'll certain as shooting facilitate him or her to attract prosperity in life. money constantly remained a life changing issue.Molana Wasim Khan Mob : +91-916-627-7961 Email : islamicwitchcraft@gmail.comhttp://www.islamicwitchcraft.com/get-a-prosperous-life-with-witchcraft-spells-for-money/
I am working grim on putting the crucial touches on my be with two books. THE WITCH and ELDRITCH WITCHERY.
They are not moderately contest for full on press-gang releases or product announcements yet, but I am very, very nauseated about them.
THE WITCH
"The Witch" is expected to be recycled with "Harsh Era" games. Star as that were at no cost in the following 70s and original 80s and whose inheritance is party continued with games honey Mesh Peer of the realm and Harsh Notion RPG.
The Witch behest see in your mind's eye a new consider class, the witch, and witchcraft Background so you can go any type of witch from consider, pulp or faerie story. In introduce introduce are going to be new monsters allied with the witch as well as tons of new spells and magic items. Many of which I inhibit playtested supercilious the endure 12 time and some even dating back to my primary guide I had on paper on the witch back in 1985.
Else included are appendices for extending the "Magic-User" class voguish a correspond Wizard and Demi-human witches, whatever thing I had never willful piece of legislation in '85.
ELDRITCH WITCHERY
Eldritch Witchery is a bit different. First it is for the "Spellcraft & Swordplay" game patently. On the other hand it hardship be identical with nearly any "old school" game or binary.
Many of the credo that were recycled in "The Witch" found a home stylish as well, little in a different way that makes this a very different nominate of class. Sincerely it makes it two different nominate of classes commencing Eldritch Witchery includes a witch and a warlock class. As to be held introduce are magic items and spells for apiece classes included. This book likewise extends the magic of wizards, clerics and necromancers found in the S&S origin convention and Fantastic Misunderstanding.
This book behest likewise launch demons to the S&S game and a new demonic ranking. Produce unflinching you know your stuff in advance you go voguish wage war against the demons, a Baalseraph behest inhibit different abilities than the Calabim who are different until now from the Lilim.
WHICH Hire Basic YOU GET?
I am on tenterhooks both! Here is some accident (I can easily say "an athame is a ritual blade..." so many ways) but I am spoils immeasurable hard work to make unflinching each book has their own intelligence and personage jam. You possibly will in fact get apiece and inhibit THREE different takes on the witch, each one piece of legislation their magic a bit differently. The traditions and lodges are not usual concerning the books (allot for one at comprise, but it makes touch to do so). Eldritch Witchery has demons, but the Witch goes voguish elder reality with everything. I would say that either can be played with any reproduction of the World's Ceiling Notion RPG circa 1975 to 1985 and any binary based on it.
Strut tuned, I'll be position some typeset shaped with apiece books and we can see how they fodder.
The slow apparent appointment is entitlement involvement Halloween.
Credit: wiccalessons.blogspot.com
Many spells, especially those that request healing or protection for animals, or those to locate lost animals, suggest consecrating the animal to a spirit. Although there are also many others, the following have earned a reputation as renowned animal protectors. Incorporate them into your spells as needed:
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT CATS: "Artemis, Bastet, Freya, Hecate, Lilith"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT BIG CATS (TIGERS, LIONS, LEOPARDS, ETC): "Dionysus, Durga, Hathor, Kybele, Sekhmet"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT DOGS: "Artemis, Hecate, Ogun, Saint Roch"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT HORSES: "Anat, Demeter, Epona Poseidon, Rhiannon, Rla-mgrin (Hayagriva)"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT TOADS: "Agwe, Heket"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT SNAKES: "Athena, Ezili, Freda, Dahomey, Lilith, Mami Waters, Simbi, Lady Asherah"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT COWS: "Brigid, Hathor, Hermes, Isis, Lakshmi, Maeve, Shiva"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT FISH: "Atargatis, La Baleine, La Sirene, Yemaya"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT PIGS: "Demeter, Seth"
* SPIRITS THAT PROTECT ANIMALS IN GENERAL: "Aphrodite, Artemis, Baba Yaga, Faunus, Hathor, Lilith, Saint Anthony"
Note: "SAINT ANTHONY" is the SPIRITUAL DETECTIVE - request his assistance when anything or anyone is missing.
FOUND IN: ELEMENT ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 5000 SPELLS
You also may enjoy these free books:Aleister Crowley - The Soul Of Osiris
Aleister Crowley - Liber 206 Ru Vel Spiritus
Andrew Lang - The Witch And Other Stories
Origin: wicca-teachings.blogspot.com
I was thinking of rolling a new toon just for the purpose of going out and gather. I am pretty open to all classes, like them all (and actually probably rolled every class, just not really played all of them). Right now my main ones are a hunter, warlock and mage. Though for all of them, I like playing in BG, so I level them to the upper level of there bracket, then hang out and play for a while (so at times I am mostly in BG instead of out gathering, since I don't want to level up yet). Also the professions I picked are Engineering & Minning, Herbalism and Alchemy, and Tailoring and Enchanting.
Ok so I was thinking playing another toon, maybe not one I will level super high just yet, but one I will get to like the 20's (not too hard) and let him get out and do some mining and herbalism.
So I was thinking what class would be best. A palidian maybe cause they have good with dealing with alot of mobs at once (but I think they only get good at that at level 40, that might take a while). A shadow priest, so I can fear anything, get my stuff, and run away (though since they wear cloth, would they be a little weak for this). A warrior, cause there pretty tough (but not too experienced with them, not sure how life is when soloing). A rouge, just to sneak in and sneak out. Then I think the class probably has to be good in terms of dealing with more than one mob.
So what would be a good class?
Thanks. If you want to gather, i suggest druid or shaman. catform with talents or ghost wolf at level 20 will get you places faster up until level 40. once you get to level 40 all mounts are the same speed. however, druids get flight form at level 68 i believe. so you'll be flying in outlands to gather two levels ahead of everyone else.
as for the other professions you've mentioned, there is no real difference which class you choose for what. but having a mage/lock/priest be a tailor would make more sense. alchemy and engineering can go with any class. Quote:
however, druids get flight form at level 68 i believe. so you'll be flying in outlands to gather two levels ahead of everyone else.
More importantly, flight form allows you to gather some things while still in form, and even if you have to drop form, getting back into flight form is an instant. I herb circles around my friends when I'm on my druid. I would suggest a pet class. Hunter as first choice, lock second.
Sure rogues can sneak in, but they have to unstealth to mine or pick.
With a pet, you can send the pet to occupy the mob (even more than one if you send the pet past the mobs to a distant one, he will train them all) while you grab the node and dash off. With a hunter you even get the advantage of AotB. (And if you put enough distance between you and pet, it despawns and you can re-summon him right to your side as needed.) Hunter no doubt. I also wanted to suggest a Hunter, for the very same reasons as Kodonn already pointed out.
Having a pet/minion to provide you with a 'decoy' can prove to be quite valuable - every time I do the dailies to gather mana cells in BEM, I use my void to distract the mana wyrm so that I can get the box, instead of having to fight the wyrm myself while an ally ninjas the box before I'm done. I reckon the same will count for a herb node - imagine fighting a mob that's roaming close by, and while you fight him some prick on an epic flyer drops from the sky, nicks the herb, and takes off.
Elsegundo mentioned a Druid's catform or Shaman's ghost wolf for their speed, well a Hunter's Aspect of the Cheetah makes up a little for their advantage. I'll also vote for Hunter/Lock for all the reasons mentioned above. The hunter, I didn't see anyone mention that they are not very gear dependent. I've got hunter and druid, and the druid is easier once flight form comes into play. Though yes, a pet is quite handy for that kind of thing.
As for the mana cells, every lvl 70 I've done that quest with except mage has some way of grabbing the cell while the wyrm is otherwise occupied. That quest seems to bring the worst out in people of either faction. I think the worst was the Tauren that was running in to grab the cell every time he saw me fighting. Kid you not, he'd run up next to me and spin in place looking for the cell. After the third time or so he either realized that I was grabbing the cell before fighting the wyrm, or he saw me do it, so he stopped bothering. prot pally works surprisingly well. Levels fast and you'll get into instance groups (great places for gathering up skinning mats at the lower end), and you don't have to pay for your first mount.
Source: i-love-witchcraft.blogspot.com
The final DLC pack for Dishonored, The Brigmore Witches, will conclude the story of Daud, the one behind the assassination of Dunwall's Empress.
"After discovering the identity and intentions of Delilah, the leader of the Brigmore Witch coven, you set out to disrupt her from completing a powerful ritual that will spell your doom," reads the official announcement made on the Bethesda Blog.
The betrayal of Billie Lurk means that you'll now have to depend on two rival factions: The Dead Eels and the Hatters. Only they can help smuggle you into Delilah's hideout but will they?
The Brigmore Witches DLC will release for all platforms on August 13 and cost lb7.99 / EUR9.99 / 9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points.
Those who have completed the previous 'Knife of Dunwall' DLC will have all of their progress carried over through the save files. That means your chaos level, powers, weapons and items upgrades will be available to you in the latest DLC. Additionally your decisions will also carry over.
Steam's current summer sale is offering Dishonored and its DLC at a great discount. Those who have yet to experience Arkane's masterpiece shouldn't miss this opportunity.
The post Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches DLC to Conclude Daud's Chapter appeared first on SegmentNext.
Origin: pagan-magic.blogspot.com
To many Pathfinder is the heir-apparent to the legacy of D">Pathfinder also has it's own witch class from the ADVANCED PLAYER'S GUIDE. It is nice and has a cool vibe about it, there are somethings I don't care about it. I talked about it detail here, and offered up a couple of Prestige Classes here and here.
Other companies though have filled the gaps with their own Pathfinder-compatible witches.
A NECROMANCER'S GRIMOIRE: SECRETS OF THE WITCH
This book offers up the Green Hag as a playable race for the Witch class. Sort of. It is more of a race-as-class, but close enough to the witch to work. Anyone that played D">Certainly one of the more interesting books for the new Pathfinder witch class. You will need the Advanced Player's Guide to get the most of of this book obviously.
We start off with a brief overview/analysis of the witch class. Not bad really, but nothing we can get from the APG.
On to the meat of the book, the 30 new feats. They are a mixed bag, but for the most part they add a lot flavor to the witch. There are some familiar affecting feats which is nice, and commentary/sidebars on a few.
There are also 3 sample witch builds that you can use to make your own.
WITCH SPELL CARDS FOR THE PATHFINDER ROLE PLAYING GAME
Exactly what is says on the tin. Spell cards you can print out and use with your Pathfinder APG Witch.
If you like cards then these are great. If you prefer sheets then they can still be used.
PATHS OF POWER
Described as a source book for Base and Prestige Classes. This book features a new Witch class. This witch has "Circle" magic and gets spells based on Wisdom as do the witches in the 3.0 book I did years ago. This witch is a nice alternative to the Pathfinder Witch. If you were to use both I would call this one a "Witch" and the APG one a "Warlock". In addition to the witch we get the Anti-Paladin, elemental wizards, gladiators, samurai and the Voyager. NPC classes include the Courtesan, Captain and Sycophant. Truthfully I only found the Courtesan useful. Prestige classes include the Child of Bast, Crypt Stalker and the Envenomed. Personally I would have liked the PrCs to be a little more related to the base classes.
There is though plenty of magic items and spells. There are also plenty of new witch-related feats.
Since I bought it for the witch alone, I am actually pretty satisfied with what I got.
BOOK OF ARCANE MAGIC
Another great book from 4-Winds Fantasy Gaming. This one focuses on the Arcane Spellcaster in Pathfinder. While the book predates the APG Witch, a lot of these new spells and ideas can be used with the witch. Of course they are all also fine to use as they are. In particular I liked all the new Sorcerer bloodlines and colleges of Wizardry. I like the idea of my wizard doing post-graduate work in magic.
There are new familiars, spells and magic items. So it is worth it just for these.
THE BOOK OF DIVINE MAGIC
Likewise, the Book of Divine Magic adds more material to your cleric, druid and paladin classes (and Rangers). There is a list of gods and their domains. Plenty of new spells. Rules for temples and divine animal companions (like familiars) and new magic items and relics. Avery densely packed 94 pages.
Up next are a the "With a Bullet Point" series on witches from Super Genius Games. Designed to be quick guides that can be used with a minimal of prep time and minimal cost. I like the idea.
#1 WITH A BULLET POINT: 5 MAGIC WITCH'S DAGGERS
Here we have 5 magical Athame ("ath-a-may") or daggers that can be used by witches. These weapons work in conjunction with the witch's hexing ability, though they can be used as magical weapons as well.
Short, sweet and to the point. There is nothing to complain about here.
#1 WITH A BULLET POINT: 13 WITCH HEXES
Again one page, one buck. This time we get 13 hexes that can be used by the witch. Some blur the line between what could be a hex and what could be a feat, but all in all they work fine.
#1 WITH A BULLET POINT: 9 WITCH HUNTER FEATS
Hard to mess with a good thing. A page for the cover, a page for the OGL and then a page of nine feats for Witch hunters to either protect them from witches or to help them when battling the forces of darkness. If you enjoyed the Genius Guide to the Witch Hunter (below), then this is a great addition. If you don't have that you can still use this product.
Super Genius Games also produces the "Genius Guides" which are larger and go more in-depth.
ADVANCED OPTIONS: WITCHES' HEXES
This book surprisingly has no overlap with SGG's With A Bullet Point: 13 Witch Hexes. The hexes listed here are all new and there also Major and Grand hexes detailed. There are even some hex-related feats.
THE GENIUS GUIDE TO THE WITCH HUNTER
Where there are witches there will be witch hunters. This is a full 20-level class devoted to witch-hunting. Plenty of powers, abilities and feats are detailed. I think this would have worked as a prestige class, but this is pretty good.
LEGENDARY LEVELS II
This book, like the first LL, deals with Pathfinder "Legendary" Levels, of levels 21 to 30. What 3.0/3.5 called Epic Levels. I think they picked "Legendary" as not to confuse it with D&D4. There is a Legendary Witch in this book, which is why I got it, but the rest is pretty good as well. In particular I liked the Legendary Samurai and the Dragon Lord prestige class. I Would have enjoyed seeing more prestige classes myself, but the book's focus was "Legendary classes" and note really prestige ones. Plenty of new feats and I REALLY liked the art in this book. So at the end of the day it was worth it to me.
O ancient ones of paradise, earth and sea,
We chant the coven spell, hence shall it be!
To music of the night-wind blowing free,
We chant the coven spell, hence shall it be!
The owl hoots within the impress tree,
The black cat runs by night silently,
The toad below the stone dwells on the sly,
We chant the coven spell, hence shall it be!
To moon that draws the tides of air and sea,
We chant the coven spell, hence shall it be!
To god that bides below the greenwood tree,
We chant the coven spell, hence shall it be!
By witches' garter skip about the go up to,
By staff and cauldron and all powers that be,
We option the thing in our minds we see,
We chant the coven spell, hence shall it be!
(Stand for...)
The Charm is charming when the sea,
The spell is greater than ever when the tree,
Swanky singe that burns and blazes free.
We chant the spell, hence shall it be!
We chant the spell, hence shall it be!
We chant the spell, hence shall it be!
IT IS!
From: Witchcraft for Tomorrow
Origin: magic-and-spells.blogspot.com
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APRIL 10, 2013
FREE SPEECH AND A VET'S TATTOO: WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT THREATS TO FREE SPEECH FROM THE INCIDENT AT THE SKYDIVING CENTER
by Guy Rodgers,
Executive Director
Wow! So many of you called and emailed the skydiving center at Lake Wales Monday and Tuesday that their voice mail box completely filled up and their phone was constantly busy.
But some of you did get through, and you emailed us regarding what you were told by the center.
Yesterday morning, I decided to call the center myself, because some of what you were told differed with the blog account we posted yesterday. This email is a little longer than normal but I'm persuaded you'll want to know what I learned.
I talked to two people for more than an hour, one of whom was the manager who handled the incident in question. I asked a lot of questions in order to better understand their perspective on what happened.
Here's what I was able to confirm.
1) A Qatari military officer complained to someone on the skydiving center staff about the vet who had the tattoo that said "infidel."
2) The person who received the complaint brought the vet back into the office of the manager, where the three of them met privately.
3) The vet was asked to cover up his tattoo, with duct tape if necessary.
4) The vet refused.
At this point the stories differ. The vet claimed on his blog he was told to leave. The manager claims she never told the vet to leave, that he voluntarily decided to leave and said he would take his business elsewhere.
With no other witnesses it's impossible to know which version is correct. Perhaps the manager implied to the vet that it would be better if he left. Perhaps the vet misunderstood what the manager was saying.
Someone posted on our Facebook page that he has asked repeatedly if the vet was allowed to "manifest a load," but has not gotten an answer from the business. His point was that the vet may not have been asked to leave but if he wasn't allowed to do a jump that amounts to the same thing.
But actually, whether the vet was told to leave or left voluntarily isn't the issue.
The issue is this: The vet was asked to silence his freedom of speech because a Muslim soldier from another country was "offended."
I asked the manager if she ever considered going to the Qatari officer and calmly saying something like, "I'm sorry you're offended, but here in America people say and do things all the time that offend others. And that's protected speech under our first amendment."
She said she never talked to the Qatari officer, that "it never got that far." The reason it didn't is because the manager's first-and only-response was to deal with the vet, not talk to the Muslim.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS A TYPICAL WESTERN RESPONSE TO THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS. IT'S A COMMON WAY TO TRY TO KEEP PEACE, AND THIS IS A SINGLE, SMALL EXAMPLE OF A VERY BIG PROBLEM. RATHER THAN EXPLAINING TO MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS HOW FREE SPEECH WORKS, EUROPEANS HAVE PRACTICED THIS KIND OF CAPITULATION FOR DECADES-AND TODAY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE HATE-SPEECH LAWS THAT CRIMINALIZE WORDS THAT MUSLIMS DEEM "OFFENSIVE."
I'm assuming the manager meant well, that she was just trying to keep the peace between two customers. I've owned businesses so I get that. But the first problem is her solution for keeping the peace was to silence the vet rather than educate the Muslim.
Another thing she said to me, coupled with something the man I talked to said, reveals a second problem that demonstrates why we must aggressively fight to protect our free speech rights.
The manager compared the vet's tattoo to a member of the KKK taunting a group of African-Americans. She asked, "If that happened here at my business, shouldn't I step in and stop the KKK person?"
THIS IS THE KIND OF FAULTY ANALOGY THAT IS AT THE HEART OF ACCUSATIONS OF "RACISM" LEVELED BY GROUPS LIKE CAIR. TO COMPARE THE ACTIONS OF A KKK MEMBER TO A VET WEARING A TATTOO THAT SAYS "INFIDEL" IS NOT ONLY ABSURD. IT IS REINFORCING THE PROPAGANDA AND NAME-CALLING TACTICS EMPLOYED BY THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND ITS LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS TO SILENCE ANYTHING DEEMED "OFFENSIVE" TO ISLAM.
The man I talked to explained to me that one time a Qatari soldier wore a T-shirt that was offensive and that he was asked to remove it, and did so. The man used this as a justification for why the manager asked the vet to cover his tattoo.
I asked him what the shirt said. While I don't recall the specific wording, it was something to the effect of "What happened to New York shouldn't have stopped there."
The meaning was crystal clear: The shirt was glorifying 9/11 and was an implicit support for more terrorist attacks. This was why the Qatari was asked to remove the shirt.
Again, comparing that shirt to an "infidel" tattoo is absurd.
My purpose in writing this today is not to heap more criticism on this business or its manager, or to ask you to continue contacting them. Believe me, the ACT! for America grassroots responded and the skydiving business got the message that people were upset!
My purpose is to point out, using this example, that freedom of speech is in peril here in America, in many ways, both great and small.
The man I talked to claimed the vet was deliberately trying to provoke the Qatari soldiers. I don't know if that's true or not. But whether he was or not is pretty much irrelevant. I know for a fact that some people sport tattoos to be deliberately provocative, and even offensive.
Most of us ignore them. Even is someone complains, it's rare that a business owner will side with the complaint and ask the person with the tattoo to cover it up. Would a business ask someone to cover a tattoo that said "atheist" if a Christian objected? Even if it did, we know what the ACLU would do if the business tried.
I'm sure there are those who would say the Qatari soldiers are guests in our country and we should accommodate them. When it comes to hospitality, I agree.
But when it comes to our fundamental freedoms, I don't.
I GREW UP UNDERSTANDING THAT BEING A GUEST MEANT I HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO SHAPE MY BEHAVIORS TO FIT THOSE OF MY HOSTS-NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. IN THIS CASE, THE QATARI SOLDIERS HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCOMMODATE OUR RULES AND CUSTOMS-JUST AS THEY WOULD EXPECT US TO ACCOMMODATE THEIRS IF WE WERE GUESTS IN THEIR COUNTRY.
No doubt there will also be those who read this who will argue we're making too big a deal of this incident.
There were those who said the same thing in colonial America, that the taxes imposed by Britain on the American colonies were too small to be concerned about.
And it's true, the initial tax levies were actually pretty small.
But the protestors, men like Sam Adams, said the issue was not the size of the tax but the precedent established by the creation of the tax.
EVERY TIME AN AMERICAN SURRENDERS THE RIGHT OF FREE SPEECH IN ORDER TO AVOID DOING SOMETHING DEEMED "OFFENSIVE" BY A MUSLIM, A PRECEDENT IS ESTABLISHED IN THE MIND OF BOTH THE MUSLIM AND THE NON-MUSLIM. THIS IS TRUE WHEN THE PRESIDENT DOES IT AND IT'S TRUE WHEN A BUSINESS DOES IT.
What we need to do is simply, politely and clearly say "no." No, we will not give up our rights to express our opinions. We don't need to be belligerent, obnoxious or combative about it, and we should do so in a way that educates Muslims who don't understand what free speech means in America.
But silencing ourselves in order to keep peace is to follow the path Europe has already trod. Just ask Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Woolf, our chapter leader in Austria who was convicted of violating "hate speech" laws, how that has worked out.
Yours in defense of freedom,
Guy Rodgers
P.S. Please sign our free speech petition letter and check out our Freedom of Speech Day!
ACT FOR AMERICA
P.O. Box 12765
Pensacola, FL 32591
www.actforamerica.org
ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America's national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.
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