A federal judge has ruled that South Carolina's proposed "I Believe" license plate violates the First Amendment ban on establishment of religion by the government. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie also mentioned South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, who had pushed to get the plate approved by the state legislature. Currie referred to Bauer's efforts to "gain legislative approval of a specialty plate promoting the majority religion: Christianity," and added that Bauer's work had pushed the state into the expense of unnecessary and costly lawsuits.

Back in December 2008, Currie ordered an injunction on the production of the license plates, which feature a stained glass window and a cross. Currie said at that time that the SC Bureau of Motor Vehicles was prohibited from selling the plates until the matter could be evaluated in court. Of note, Currie is the same judge who found in favor of Darla Kaye Wynne, a South Carolina Wiccan who fought against her town's exclusively Christian invocations at city council meetings.

Rev. Barry W. Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said he was thrilled with Currie's decision that the "I Believe" plate is unconstitutional.

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It's that time of year again! The folks at the Liberty Counsel are once again launching their Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign, just in time for the holidays. You remember these guys, right? They're the ones who put out the annual "Naughty or Nice" list, in which they encourage people to boycott retailers that aren't quite Christmasy enough.

This year's Nice list consists of stores that use the word "Christmas" in their fliers and advertising, as opposed to the more generic word "holidays." Retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Hallmark, Honey Baked Ham and Wal-Mart are considered Nice, although I should point out that Honey-Baked Ham was on the Naughty list last year, so evidently they've been upgraded.

Some of the Naughty folks this year? Sprint and Old Navy join repeat offenders Bloomingdales, Dick's Sporting Goods and the CVS Pharmacy chain, all because they don't have stuff in their store or advertising that says "Christmas" -- they just say "holidays."

For fans of the Liberty Counsel that are really worried about the de-Christifying of the winter holidays, you can even order a "I Helped Save Christmas" Action Pack for $25, which includes fun stuff like buttons that say I <3 CHRISTmas. Now, it seems to me that these folks always put a lot of resources and effort into fighting this so-called war on Christmas. You'd think that if they really want to spread a message of goodwill and peace, they'd use these resources to help stock a food bank or send blankets to homeless shelters. But maybe it's more fun to just whine about people taking away your holiday.

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Thanks to Vandreyer for sending this one my way -- apparently an Atlanta bus driver has been suspended from his job for making passengers pray before he let them exit the bus. MARTA bus driver Leroy Matthews, who has been with the agency for six years, stopped the bus and asked passengers to join hands and pray with him. He's been suspended for five days, and MARTA officials told him not to proselytize to passengers anymore.

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A reader writes in with a good question. He asks, "Can you tell me if it is necessary to draw a circle everytime one uses a wand to cast a spell? I'm a little confused."

Much like many other questions in modern Paganism, this is one where the answer really depends on who you ask. For me personally, I always cast a circle prior to formal rituals, but often do spellwork on the fly without the use of a circle -- and this is partly because I keep my entire home designated as sacred space, so I don't feel the need to cast a brand new circle each time I do a spell. Obviously, your mileage may vary on this. Certainly, in some traditions, the circle is required each and every time. Others don't bother with it at all.

It's important to remember that traditionally, the use of a circle is to delineate sacred space. If that's not something you require before spellwork, then it's not necessary to cast a circle. If, on the other hand, you think you might need to keep some icky stuff away from you during your working, then a circle is definitely a good idea. If you're not sure how to cast a circle, here's one method: Casting a Circle. Although this ritual is written for a group, it can easily be adapted for solitaries.

Readers, I'm curious -- does everyone cast a circle every time? Do you ever do magical workings where a circle isn't required at all?

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Although the winter holidays won't arrive for a few more weeks, I think it's a good time to post a quick cautionary reminder. Many of us in the Pagan and Wiccan communities try to do good things for other people, but sadly, there can be folks out there who will take advantage of that goodwill. If you're approached by someone who claims to be from a charitable organization, please be sure to do your homework before handing over any money. Remember that groups which are incorporated as a 5013C have to follow certain rules and regulations, so if something seems a bit "off" to you about a particular group or individual, ask questions.

While someone may bill their group as a Pagan "assistance organization" or whatever, that doesn't automatically make them on the up-and-up. Do some research prior to making any committments, and you can save yourself a lot of heartache -- and financial setbacks -- in the long run.

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I've been asked to share this message from the good folks at Circle Sanctuary, so I'm going to repost it in its entirety. Although I'll be addressing the Fort Hood tragedy in another blog post, I feel that this information is worth its own entry:

Circle Sanctuary Provides Counseling help for Pagans Stressed by the Fort Hood Tragedy

A team of Pagan spiritual counselors has been formed by Circle Sanctuary to provide free telephone counseling support this month for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, Pantheists, and other Nature religion practitioners distressed by the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas this past Thursday.

Fort Hood is the largest US military installation in the nation. On Thursday afternoon, November 5, an Army psychiatrist stationed at Fort Hood went on a shooting rampage, killing 13 and wounding 30 at the base. This tragedy has shaken and stressed those at Fort Hood and in neighboring areas as well as across the country and at US military installations around the world.

More than 150 Pagans of many paths live in and around Fort Hood. Many are part of the Fort Hood Open Circle, which is sponsored by the Sacred Well Congregation. Some are connected with other groups, and some are solitary practitioners.

Circle Sanctuary formed this Pagan counseling support team as part of its services to Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, and other Pagans in the US Military. This special response team consists of sixteen Pagan leaders from across the nation who are among those doing various forms of Pagan ministry through Circle Sanctuary. The team is collaborating with other Pagan leaders in the Fort Hood area in providing help. Circle Sanctuary is offering free Pagan oriented counseling by telephone to supplement grief counseling resources at Fort Hood.

Circle Sanctuary's Fort Hood Tragedy response counseling services are for Pagans in and around Fort Hood as well as for Pagans at other US military installations and elsewhere who have been adversely impacted by the Fort Hood shootings. The counseling work being offered is specific to distress resulting from the Fort Hood shootings and will be offered throughout the month on November.

NEED HELP? CONTACT: counselingsupport@circlesanctuary.org

Please include your name, email address, phone number(s) and best days & times to call, and a brief description of how the Fort Hood shootings have stressed you. Information you share will be kept confidential by those assisting you.

TELL OTHERS: please post this notice to blogs, websites, e-lists, elsewhere to help get the word out to those in need of this support.

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A while back, a reader wrote in looking for goddess cookie cutters, and although we searched The Interwebz to no avail, we were unable to locate one. Now, thanks to blog reader Peri, it looks like there's a really nice one out there! Kitchen Collectibles has a 5" copper goddess cookie cutter on their website. I'm not familiar with the company or their products, but it's worth checking out. I'm planning to order one for myself, so I'll be sure to let you all know what it's like when it arrives! Goddess Cookie Cutter

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Archeologists say they have unearthed a half dozen slab-lined graves and several cremation pits have on the Sleat peninsula in Skye, and they say it's one of the most significant finds in the area. Although there are bones in the graves, they appear to have been damaged by the tide. Flint urns and tools were located at the site, according to researcher Mary Peteranna.

Two short, slab-lined graves were uncovered during the initial dig, and "further excavations revealed a monument with an arc of three standing stones enclosing another cist, which was covered by a two-tonne capstone." Peteranna said that the first two graves were from the Bronze Age, and the center one is probably from the Neolithic era.

The site appears to have been used exclusively as a burial site, and the center grave most likely held the remains of a person of importance.

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Important Note: As of 8 pm on 11/04/09, many of the About.com Discussion Forums are down. This is a sitewide issue that our Forum provider, Mzinga, is working on resolving. To the folks who have emailed me asking if you've been blocked - you haven't. It's a technical glitch, and hopefully it will be fixed soon! Thanks!

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A former employee of Google is suing the search-engine giant saying he was treated in a discriminatory way by a supervisor, based in part upon his Wiccan beliefs. James Bara says in his claim that Pam Sohn, a manager in Google's Atlanta office, made numerous jokes about the sexual orientation of a transgendered employee. Bara says he spoke to Sohn about the matter, telling her that the remarks were inappropriate. Soon afterwards, he says, she began making inappropriate statements about Bara's religion.

The complaint goes on to describe "a series of escalating human resources complaints and alleged workplace retaliation... [Bara] charges that he began being treated differently in the office and was required to be in the office when female workers were not. He claims he and other male workers were not allowed to work from home whereas female workers were granted that privilege." Although Bara attempted numerous times to resolve the issue both by meeting with Bara and by speaking with the folks in Human Resources, he claims that his workplace environment became downright hostile.

Bara says that despite an outstanding work record in his three years at Google -- much of which was endorsed by Pam Sohn -- he was terminated in "an obvious, transparent, and classic case of retaliation." A Google spokesperson says, "After a thorough investigation, we have no reason to believe James Bara was discriminated against or treated unfairly, and we'll defend ourselves vigorously against these charges. Google values a diverse and respectful workforce and does not tolerate discrimination."

In the past, Google has been one of the companies at the forefront of respecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. You can read the entire complaint here: Bara v. Google

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