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On Fri, 8 May 2009 15:26:18 -0700 (PDT), stonehengeio <...@googlemail.com
I nicked this to post here, it is not a cross post.
I won’t lie, this thread prompted me to rejoin this forum. I received
a few texts from people who were quite insulted at some of the
comments presented in this thread. I’m a notoriously long poster, so
my apologies for the essay.
Being an old hat of some pagan forums, none of it particularly
surprised me. People just can’t help themselves when they get behind a
keyboard, they say anything they please and that is why we shut down
the Warband forum, too many trolls etc. The internet is a huge
resource at our fingertips and like our brain, we only use 4% of
what’s available. I would have thought that some people would have
researched something thoroughly before forming an opinion and voicing
it – let alone creating a petition. And no matter how you edit it –
it’s insulting and here are the reasons why I feel insulted:
It is every single person’s (in this country) human right to be able
to protest. People like Brian Haw have been camped outside Parliament
for years fighting OUR right to protest. Creating a petition denying
someone the right to protest for what THEY believe is crass,
uneducated and blinkered to say the least. Before it was called the
Pagan Pride Parade, it was a March. I, like many others walked proudly
along Holborn High Street protesting peacefully, colourfully and
loudly that we deserved the same rights and recognition as other
pagans. Did we represent all pagans – no. What a stupid assumption to
make! We represented ourselves. What of the Suffragettes, Martin
Luther King, Tibetans etc? They were not supported by all of their
community at the time but we sure as hell enjoy the freedoms their
protests bring to our lives today. The petition makes a mockery of
their sacrifices.
Now, I understand why people think Arthur is a joke but he is no King
Kev. I do not believe for one moment he stood up at any conference and
said he was ‘Arthur’ for publicity – that’s rubbish. There are times
in the past when people thought it was hilarious to ply Arthur with
drink and then slag him off to the nines when he got drunk. How they
love to build up their idols and then cut them down! Most of it stems
from an ex who really should know better at her age and after 8 years,
should really get over it!
Anyone who has been around Arthur for the last couple of years will
tell you the noticeable difference in the man - not the King or the
Pendraon - the Man. In the last year, who can say they’ve seen Arthur
drunk or drinking at any ceremonies? He still enjoys a pint but he is
100% focused on his Quest not to mention that all the sycophants who
tried to bring him down, were caste out. We all do stupid things. Some
of us have done worse things than get drunk. None of us would expect
to be judged and doomed forever because of our past. It’s what we do
now that counts. He has never looked so well, so fit and been so
determined than he is right now.
When the ‘fences down’ protest was first discussed on the Warband
forum, I, like a few questioned it. I wasn’t sure whether it was the
right thing to do or not. I then looked into it further and arrived at
my own decision that it was something I agreed with and supported.
There are plenty of Warbanders who disagree and that is their choice.
We respect each others choices, decisions and opinions – no one is
forced to do what Arthur says. If you get 12 pagans in a room, there
will be 13 different opinions.
The Warband website contains a lot of information. I know, because I
compiled it and created the site. I have put a lot of hours in
maintaining it with up to date information. I find it offensive that
people can form an opinion without actually reading what is there, but
rather reading what they think is there. The Warband are not just
pagan, there are people from all over the world, of all faiths, creed,
colour, race and beliefs. All believe in Arthur, for their own
personal reasons.
If you want to know about Arthur and the Warband, go to the official
website and read the articles. Over the years, there have been a few
web pages created for Arthur and most of these are long forgotten,
such as this one http://arthurpendragon.ukonline.co.uk/arthur.html
some go back to the late 1980’s, as I found out when I was researching
the net for photographs etc.
I also run Arthur’s Facebook account and there are over 700 ‘friends’
from all over the world who have added him. Many leave comments of
support and those who have seen your petition found it offensive and
frankly, pathetic.
Pagan or otherwise, no one has the right to prevent anyone from
protesting. It’s conducted legally, peacefully and in spite of some
views, fully supported by the thousands of worldwide tourists who have
signed the petition I created in July. A Christian Minister from
America that met Arthur on the picket wrote him a lovely letter of
support – there is many other letters like this.
At the end of the day, English Heritage promised 20 years ago to
return Stonehenge to its natural environment. The visitor centre was
only temporary – how may decades ago? EH and NT earn approx £10,000 a
day from tourists from entry fees to the stones, not to mention the
extortionate bus fare. IN ALL WEATHERS. Many tourists I spoke to on
the picket (yes, I did my stint) said it was cheaper to get a taxi
from Salisbury than the bus. This is what Arthur and his supporters
are protesting for.
Arthur has lived in that caravan in all weathers for ten months. He
has stood on picket in all weathers. He has done it for everyone, not
just pagans. If you don’t agree with what he is protesting over, then
that is your right to do so but don’t you dare create disharmony when
you obviously are without all the facts and encourage others to voice
their half-formed opinions on the back of your ignorance. The media
report what they like, that’s why people buy newspapers. You should
know better than to believe what you read in the papers!
Thank you for your time reading this, I’m sorry if I’ve caused any
offence, it wasn’t my intention. I didn’t come here to troll but to
have a right of reply.
This Arthur’s response:
QUOTE
THE VOICE OF DISSCENT. My picketing & protest at Stone Henge has
spanned some 20 years. In all that time I've not once claimed to speak
for ALL the pagans. I'm proud NOT to speak for the elitists who would
keep it for themselves. Proud NOT to speak for those who see nothing
wrong in the way it's presented to the world. Proud NOT to speak for
those who care more about their standing with the authorities then the
standing stones
themselves.
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