There is a story in the news today that will be completely new for most people. It is not totally new to me … I have tracked it for about two years.

If you go to http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmemb.asp you will see a list of the religious emblems that the Department of Veterans Affairs has approved for headstones.

Many different emblems are permitted. These include a generic Christian cross, most of the individual Christian denominations, Hebrew, Buddhist, Native American, Bahai, Muslim, Hindu, Konko-Kyo Faith, Sufism, Tenrikyo, Seicho-No-Ie, Eckankar, and even Humanism and Athiesm.

Today, at number 37, after a request that was made about 10 years ago, and a lawsuit that has dragged on for almost 2 years, the symbol of the Wicca religion was finally added.

In the meantime, adding 6 other symbols took a few weeks each.

The New York Times reports

There are 1,800 Wiccans in the armed forces, according to a Pentagon survey cited in the suit, and Wiccans have their faith mentioned in official handbooks for military chaplains and noted on their dog tags.

So, why did it take so long?

I’m not sure. But the appearance is that someone who had strong influence over the VA worked to prevent it.

I’m not sure who that was, but the New York Times also reports

In reviewing 30,000 pages of documents from Veterans Affairs, Americans United said, it found e-mail and memorandums referring to negative comments President Bush made about Wicca in an interview with “Good Morning America” in 1999, when he was governor of Texas. The interview had to do with a controversy at the time about Wiccan soldiers’ being allowed to worship at Fort Hood, Tex.

“I don’t think witchcraft is a religion,” Mr. Bush said at the time, according to a transcript.

Humanists? Yes. Athiests? Yes. Wiccans? No.

That “no” is finally a “yes”.