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| Witchvox Chapter: Wren's Nest News | Chapter Page Views: 56,555,295 |
 Partner Feels Fallout From 'Impaler' Campaign Author: WCCO Source: WCCO (MN) Title: PARTNER FEELS FALLOUT FROM 'IMPALER' CAMPAIGN The partner of a gubernatorial candidate who claims to be a vampire said she was relieved of her duties as a school bus driver because she might be bad role model for students. Julie Carpenter, partner of Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey, said Princeton, Minn. public school officials sent a letter to her bus company asking that she not be near students. Superintendent Mark Sleeper asked the bus company to make the change "in light of recent media reports of her husband/friend to be a vampire ... and Ms. Carpenter informing other bus garage employees that she is a witch." Carpenter told WCCO-TV she is not a witch and compared the claims to a form of witch-burning. Sharkey, who wears a ritual vampire cloak and admits to drinking Carpenter's blood, explained earlier that she's a pagan, not a vampire. | |
| Community Thoughts: There are 51 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| For The Record | Jan 17th. at 8:34:19 pm EST |
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Denali (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - Email Me For the record, I live in Minnesota and have for most of my life. We are indeed a pretty tolerant and pretty liberal state, or so I thought until I read about the injustice granted Ms. Carpenter. The adage goes, “Love thy neighbor,” last time I checked, not firing them based on their religious beliefs, and (and this has been reported on the news though I cannot find a report online on the topic) circulating a petition to have the family evicted. As it stands it sounds as though the couple did absolutely nothing wrong. While I don’t agree with Mr. Sharkey’s views at all, I respect his pagan beliefs, and those of Ms. Carpenter. However, Mr. Sharkey’s beliefs as a pagan are not my own, and are not that of the entire pagan community. Pagan is a wide umbrella term covering a great span of traditions and beliefs, and whether or not a person agrees with those beliefs and is even offended by them, they still have the right to practice what religion they well. It may seem an argument of semantics, but in this case, where beliefs are mingled with rights, beliefs, and politics, those semantics matter a lot; particularly when someone seeks political office. The position of governor (let alone any elected official) is a terribly powerful and public one. In the sense of that publicity, he is representing one branch of paganism. What needs to be made clear in such a public issue is that Mr. Sharkey does not publicly represent ALL pagan beliefs. That said, Ms. Carpenters treatment is completely unfair, not to mention illegal. It’s quite sad to see segments of society that still practice descrimination. However, (and by all means I don’t mean this statement as an excuse) Princeton according to my parental sources who have lived in this state at least 20+ years, and from the behavior of a cousin who lives in or around the city, is very conservative on a political and religious level. From what I’ve heard it isn’t the type of place you’d want to come out in… and as happened to Ms. Carpenter I’m even surer of that. What’s truly bothersome to me personally is that this happened in my own state, and my jaw literally dropped when I heard about the evicting petition on the evening news… then I applauded when I heard she was pursuing a case with the ACLU. Kudos to you Ms. Carpenter if you’re reading this! I should add though a good bit of advice my dad gave me, “never discuss religion at work.” From all that’s happened I think dad was right. Keep fighting and stay strong all, BB |
| Vampires, Werewolves, And Other Delusional LARPers | Jan 17th. at 9:04:50 am EST |
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Kindred Spirit (Elkhart, Indiana) - Email Me Since when is being (but not really) a vampire a religion? Maybe Jonathon's Party should actually be : "Vampyres, Werewolves, and other delusional LARPers" Yeah, Liberty should be for everyone. And Julie and Jonathon can suck each other's blood until they are both in need of transfusions. They aren't being arrested are they? But if you do something that is dangerous to your own health (like self-cutting, masochism, drug abuse, or having your blood drained) you will be labeled "unstable" and employers don't like unstable. The difference is that 'Mary, the dominatrix' isn't featured in an article by her husband that says "Mary lets me beat her with a baseball bat until she passes out." Mary might be Pagan, Buddhist, Christian, she would be fired because someone who thinks that kind of behavior is ok, isn't a good rolemodel for children...and she needs some serious help. Julie says she wore her Triple Goddess necklace for five years, so obviously she wasn't fired for being Pagan, was she? She was fired for being crazy. (I am curious to know how having your blood sucked is a reflection of the Lady in your own heart. What book is that in? ) I am a NORMAL Pagan. I am OFFENDED to be lumped in with Vampirism, which is a teenaged role-playing fantasy, not a religion. This directly affects ME. Because this bonehead didn't think this through I have to play damage control in my community because the fact is, this story is already out there. So call me judgemental. I also abhor ritual child abuse and animal sacrifice. Not MY Paganism. My Paganism celebrates the cycle of life, death, the Lord and the Lady, and nature. It does not include blanket endorsement of every idiot with a pentacle. It may be a high standard, but a high standard is better than no standard. |
| Trouble | Jan 17th. at 1:19:23 am EST |
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Kindred Spirit (Elkhart, Indiana) - Email Me First of all, this woman was NOT fired by the school corp. She was not an employee of the school corp. She was an employee of the bussing company, so there IS NO SUIT against the school. The school can ask for a change in bus drivers as they see fit, and personally, I would not want someone who sucks blood (or allows their blood to be sucked) driving my kids around. Her behavior denoted a lack of good judgement, and being the caretaker for children requries common sense. I'm sure the bussing company is an at-will company, so there is no law suit there either. But really, who here would support a law suit when the "witch" involved associates with Vampyrism? Have some backbone people! The Paganism I am a part of, has NOTHING to do with Vampyrism. Maybe it IS time to define our faith. This woman should choose her associations more wisely in the future. If you associate with nut-ball crazies, you are guilty by association. I cannot defend her actions. She chose her life, and chose to associate with a loony. The Pagan community needs to be in an uproar that this moron is claiming to be one of US. For those of you who say he is only representing the Pagans signed up for his party, you are fooling yourselves. I urge everyone to write to the media and set them straight, that we do NOT support this man, and that he does NOT represent the good upstanding Pagan community. He is a thorn in our sides. (maybe now is the time for the good ole stake through the heart--afterall, if you want to be a vampire, prepare to be treated like one. In what f**ed up world is being a vampire a GOOD THING????) The Pagan community needs to stand up against the ruin this person is bring to our reputation. Do we fear being called "judgemental" so much that we support every idiot in a cape? I don't think so. ~C |
| Stop The Inclusion! | Jan 16th. at 11:07:36 pm EST |
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Sharon (North Tonawanda, New York) - Email Me Why should anyone feel the need to defend this person who claims to be head of the Vampyres, Witches and Pagans Party? He says he's a Vamprye and he drinks blood. He has absolutely nothing to do with Paganism Sometimes being judgmental is called for. Sharon. |
| What Does Her "spouse" Have To Do With Her Job? | Jan 16th. at 8:20:05 pm EST |
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Ursyl (Murrysville, Pennsylvania) - Email Me Our kids ride the local school busses, and quite frankly we don't even know if their drivers have spouses, let alone what they or the spouses believe. It is utterly irrelevent to the job. HE is utterly inrrelevent to her job. Her religion in utterly irrelevent to her job. As far as I can tell from this article, she was wrongfully fired. The First Amendment is still in force, and she was the one on the job, not her whack-job of a spouse. When did firing someone for what their spouse does become legal? |
| Clarity Earned Over Time & Through Many Issues | Jan 16th. at 11:30:43 am EST |
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karrie9 (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - Email Me No community should accept the burden that *all* must be perfect and without fault, else the whole is sullied -- that invites abuse. It feeds an atmosphere involving never being able to live up to what will “save” and “redeem” us in the public eye. I do, however, agree with warnings against what I call “the trap of the anti.” What’s the trap of the anti? It’s a matter of degree, clarity of community voices, and balance of focus. Too much overall focus on the anti-______ mentality fans the fire it tries to fight while derailing and thieving focus, energies, and resources from much needed societal education, clarity, and excellence. (Hence, my previous comment here.) Same applies to criticism of people who criticize. The best antidotes to stupidity, poor public image, and community dischord? Choose constructive dischord and critical analysis! Name, examine, challenge, and ultimately better the logic and emotional nature of the issues involved. As a community, we already keep strong honest additional consistent foci and numerous dialogues open on personal and community excellence, values, well-being, and more. Was she fired for being a Pagan or because of whom she married? It’s not an either / or dilemma! She was fired for being a Pagan and is married to The Impaler. About her getting fired? The first assumption is that Pagans are potentially dangerous. That assumption has been with us a long time, due to centuries of religious propaganda. They voiced it. The second assumption is that, since she is merely an extension of her husband, she must be equally whacked. The “extension of her husband” part does admittedly get very deep. How voiced and/or inferred is that? It’s not as simple as choice of association, though that does also matter. Her personal choice of mate is not something the community can control. Trying to do so can easily escalate into a downward spin of ineffective power and control games that build walls and hammer in yet another wedge. Besides, the issues of why people stay with whacked/dangerous/whatever mates are full of complexities that are best not further dragged in an already burgeoning tangled mass of issues that this brings up. |
| No Woman Should Be Held Responsible | Jan 15th. at 10:55:34 am EST |
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Christopher Blackwell (Deming, New Mexico) - Email Me No woman should be held responsible for what their husband or partner does. So her husband partner is a media hound and acts weird. She should only be judged for job performance her actions on the job and not her partner's. Only if her job performance or personal behavior is a problem should she be taken off her school bus driving job. It is a reminder how our public behavior can hurt the innocent in our community. |
| Repose | Jan 15th. at 12:47:56 am EST |
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karrie9 (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - Email Me Sounds as if the lady has grounds for a lawsuit (shudders) . Unfortunately for everyone on Earth, there is no religion or path exempt from the mentally ill, dumb, embarrassing, violent, and criminal. What sounds compelling to me is focus on excellence, associations, joy, art of defining, the arts, values, heart, arts, disciplines, attitudes, wonder, effective problem solving (that doesn’t devolve into counter-productive resource-thieving railing at whom or what we cannot control) , creativity, community building, duties, personal responsibility, wellness, and more that Pagans and others have to offer? That major media often "overlooks" or twists things doesn't rob us, unless we count on them for all of our news. Major media or not, people notice such things and the effects stay with us far longer and permeate communities and even nations. Ah, the Goddess of Small Things -- everyday choices, purpose, actions, hopes, gestures, and words make a difference. Oh, the voting, groups, polls, organizations, and drives we've contributed too ... we just had an article here on WV about the Spiral Scouts [Web LINK] [Web LINK] the other day! We know many Pagan groups helped with Katrina [Web LINK] -- with money and even personal effort where it was needed. We know Darla Wynne and others struggled in courts, at home, and on the page to do the right thing. [Web LINK] There was this saying my mentor told me that stuck with me and that has served me well many times: Do your best Leave the rest Angels can do no better Oh, and read alternative news sources! |
| I Have This Awful Picture In My Head Now... | Jan 14th. at 11:53:23 pm EST |
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Pinky McFatfat, High Shamrock Shake (Dublin) (Northumberland, Pennsylvania) - Email Me ....of a rather worn out looking 40 something woman with either dyed black, or bleached blonde hair, long red acrylic nails, racoon eye make-up, and a collection of well worn heavy metal t-shirts screeching "You kids sit back down there!" Somedays, my imagination is more of a plague then a gift |
| What? | Jan 14th. at 11:20:14 pm EST |
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Theia (Seattle, North Carolina) - Email Me This guy and his wiife sound like nutjobs. But restricting her interactions with kids because she is a witch or vampire is downright wrong. I kinda hope she sues, but then I kinda don't - this is not the example of paganism I want dragged around a courtroom. |
| Complete Loon | Jan 14th. at 10:50:16 pm EST |
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Joseph (Byram, New Jersey) - Email Me This guy is a complete loon. Faked his won death, claimed to have killed his own mother... this guy is a whack-job of the first order. And the fact that he claims to speak for Pagans means that whenever he gets mentioned in an "oddballs in the news" story, means Pagans get lumped in with him. Now, it's a shame that his wife (?) got fired, and I don't support that action for a moment. But this guy is doing the Pagan community a whole boatload of harm through his antics, and we must not allow the fact that the school board acted improperly to cloud that fact for a second. |
| Glad I'm Not There | Jan 14th. at 9:09:29 pm EST |
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Mephisto (Jefferson, Wyoming) - Email Me Being a Minnesota native, I left the state well before the Jesse Ventura flak. So I don't have to take blame or blasphemy about "my" governor or for any of the crazies up there. This guy and his Vampyres, Witches, and Pagans party... Well, first, it's my impression that those who use the "vampyre" spelling instead of the more traditional "vampire," are usually into RPG games and role-playing. Second, I'm aware that this party is most likely his own local group, and not representative of any of the mentioned three. But will the public think that too? He can't be a real Pagan, because real, dependable Pagans don't out others -especially their own wives/girlfriends. They also don't have that kind of flip attitude about carrying out capital punishment. And lastly, yes, he's just using his kinks to get attention. If he really wanted to win votes, he wouldn't be flaunting things like that. |
| More.... | Jan 14th. at 7:31:33 pm EST |
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MichaelMN (St. Paul, Minnesota) - Email Me [Web LINK] This story has more info on it, and it specifically quotes the letter of dismissal stating that Carpenter was fired because she is a witch. This is just not right. Michael |
| Vlad Rides Again? | Jan 14th. at 7:21:12 pm EST |
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me While it is true that maybe he is something of an "oddball", he does make a valid point. He really isn't the only bloodsucker running for public office. At least he calls them as he sees them. I'm only sorry that his "reputation" is causing more than a few of us problems-- and setbacks. His partner being only the first. But then, somehow I felt this would happen sooner or later. It is something that should not surprise us, although it is both frustrating and inconvenient. The only thing we can do is keep plugging along from the square we have been sent back to-- and make the mainstream understand that- despite such as these, the vast majority of us-- even in the vampire set- are not the monsters and evil creatures all too many are willing to believe of us. |
| Are We All So Surprised? | Jan 14th. at 6:33:05 pm EST |
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AnnieBW (Laurel, Maryland) - Email Me Let the howls of "discrimination" begin... BTW, I would like to thank this nutball for setting back the efforts of those of us who are working for acceptance of Paganism by the mainstream. |
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