[MR] (no subject)

[barry goen]

 I don't think the concerns voiced here are being said out of intollerance but out of concern. Most of us in the SCA want only what is best for the society. I come from west-central Nebraska. We attempted to start an incipient shire in the town I was attending college in. Because of the perceived view that we were somehow associated with the ocult. This occured even though we made a point to tell everyone we could that the SCA is an educational organization and we welcomed people of all faiths. Our incipient shire folded after the core group graduated from college as we were unable to obtain new members and sites would not rent to us. We had one demo that was more like an actual event. It was a day long demo and we had over 100 people in attendance. We had several complaints from locals who did not understand what we were doing. After that date, we were unable to obtain any sites for future demos due to the misunderstanding that the public had. We even
 had newspaper stories in the campus newspaper about the "Pagans" in this group. 

I can see both sides of the coin. 

I understand that people are going to think what they want to think. It does not matter what symbols people carry with them, the ignorant will remain ignorant as long as they are unwilling to listen and change. 

The other side says why give the ignorant public fuel to add to their fire. 

I am as tollerant as they come. My earlier statements are voiced out of concern and appreciation of our society. I think that this is a case in which we will have to see if it causes an uproar before any action is taken. We must trust our BoD members to make decisions that are right and proper for the society.