Tannishblog

CNN reports:

The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on government-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday.

A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.

[…]

The VA sought the settlement in the interest of the families involved and to save taxpayers the expense of further litigation, VA spokesman Matt Burns said. The agency also agreed to pay $225,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs.

The pentacle has been added to 38 symbols the VA already permits on gravestones. They include commonly recognized symbols for Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, as well as those for smaller religions such as Sufism Reoriented, Eckankar and the Japanese faith Seicho-No-Ie.

"This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation’s veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the Wiccans in the lawsuit.

That is not entirely accurate. The Bush administration did nothing in this matter - the VA did. Bushies don’t care enough. So kudos the the VA for saving taxpayers money, their own time on a non-issue that I’m sure some would make a stink about. It if appeases a grieving family - so be it. What harm can it do?

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan plans to abdicate the throne next year. He is, after all, 100 years old. His vision is to modernize his tiny nation, and for the past decade he has brought in modern imports such as cable television and the Internet. Too, he has ordered his nation to begin mock elections in preparation for installing a Democracy.

 Four political parties presents directional choices for the new Democracy, each named for the national symbol a Druk, or thunder Dragon: Druk Green, Druk Blue,  Druk Red and Druk Yellow. The citizens are to vote for the party that best represents their priorities for the fledgling  government.

The elections test the democratic process on a people that love their king, so much so that they will vote because he tells them to. It is because of this affection, and the precepts of Buddhism that keep this small society orderly. And, perhaps, their monarch’s interest in a non-western ideal of Gross National Happiness. As the NY Times reports:

“The objectives are to ensure national security, national sovereignty, well-being and prosperity, which will lead to gross national happiness also,” the prime minister said. “His Majesty believes this is the best form of government, and the people of Bhutan are ready to launch this.”

How the strange lures of modernity will affect the gross national happiness, the unusual yardstick the king invented to measure his nation’s progress, is a matter of uncertainty and wonder in this country. Gross national happiness includes criteria like equity, good government and harmony with nature.

How refreshing. A possible Democracy devoted to the pursuit of happiness. That sounds vaguely familiar…

Using such a yardstick to progress is revolutionary. No other Democracy has one. That’s the Buddhism philosophy shining through; the recognition that everyone seeks happiness and avoids suffering. Imagine a government actively seeking to improve the happiness of its citizens instead of it’s wealth? Fascinating!

But little Bhutan must be strong to not let the capitalism /consumerism message seep into and pollute their high ideals. Just the inclusion of foreign television may be enough to turn a grand experiment sour. Brainwashing people to mindlessly consume, a mainstay of broadcast programming here, has done little toward America’s Gross National Happiness. And I wonder how these tame Buddhists-types will react to Internet porn?

You know what they say…Stay Tuned.