President apologizes for snubbing wiccan widow of dead war veteren

AMERICANS UNITED COMMENDS PRESIDENT BUSH

FOR APOLOGIZING TO WICCAN WAR WIDOW



President Says Deceased Veteran's Wife Should Have Been Included

In Meeting With Families Of Fallen Service Personnel



Americans United for Separation of Church and State today commended
President George W. Bush for his apology to a Wiccan war widow who was
excluded from a private meeting with veterans and their deceased family
members in Nevada earlier this week.



Roberta Stewart, whose husband Sgt. Patrick Stewart was killed in
combat
in Afghanistan, was not invited to meet with Bush and other family
members of soldiers who have died in combat. Other members of Sgt.
Stewart's family were invited to the meeting.



Stewart told local media that she was concerned that her exclusion was
an intentional snub for her leadership in an Americans United-sponsored
lawsuit that forced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow
the
Wiccan symbol of faith on government-issued grave markers.



Today, Bush called Stewart and apologized for failing to invite her to
the meeting with veterans' families. He also said he does not believe
the Wiccan faith should be discriminated against.



Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, "The
president has done the right thing, and his apology to Stewart should
be
commended. All veterans of war, regardless of their faith, should be
honored and treated with the utmost respect, especially from their
commander-in-chief. We are pleased the president recognized his slight
of Stewart was wrong."



Yesterday, Lynn called on the President to apologize to Stewart for
leaving her out of the Nevada meeting.



Stewart's husband died when his Chinook helicopter was shot down in
Afghanistan in 2005. The Stewarts practice Wicca, and she requested
that
the VA issue her husband's memorial marker engraved with a symbol of
their faith, the pentacle. The VA denied her request, and in 2006,
Americans United sued the federal agency on behalf of Stewart, two
other
widows, Circle Sanctuary and Isis Military Mission.



Today, during an interview on Lynn's nationally syndicated radio
program
"Culture Shocks," Stewart also commended Bush for apologizing.



"I just now got off the phone and personally spoke with President
Bush,"
Stewart told Lynn. "I am happy to say that he did give me his deepest
condolences. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and I do have to
give him kudos that he at least took the time to call, give his
condolences, and apologize for the VA problem.



"He apologized for the exclusion and the error that was made and said
that he admired me for my spirit and thanked me for accepting his
apology and said that he hoped he would have the opportunity to someday
meet me," Stewart continued. "I was very pleased with the way the
conversation went, very pleased that he did call and put this right."



Lynn asked Stewart if the president touched upon her Wiccan faith. She
replied that the president told her that "he would not discriminate
against someone because of their religion."