Pagan Podcasting

As some of you may know, the laws across the United States can be rather bizarre at times. For example, if someone walks up to you, and you interview them on camera but forget to say that you are recording them, you may be committing a crime depending on your jurisdiction. For example, this precise scenario would land you in legal trouble in the state of Illinois, where Pagan Spirit Gathering is taking place this year.

Well, the US Court of Appeals may soon put an end (or stamp of approval) on this silliness. When a recording device is in plain and obvious view, people should realize they’re being recorded, right? What about if it’s a cell phone camera vs. something that looks like only a video camera? Or does this silliness only need to happen in limited circumstances? That’s the foundation of a trial currently in progress. Though this case focuses on recording law enforcement, it could potentially apply to what we do as podcasters, vidcasters and YouTubers.

Link to Ars Technica story summarizing what’s going on: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/if-you-pull-out-your.ars

The PPP was recently contacted by Peter Dybing of Covenant of the Goddess to spread word through the Pagan Community about Pagan relief efforts for Japan:

With many years of disaster experience my heart is sick as I witness the destruction in Japan. Deep inside there is a yearning to do something, respond, send assistance or organize an effort. Yet I know that rash action can sometimes be counterproductive and only make a bad situation worse. This insight is one that those who are outside the disaster community find hard to understand.

As we evaluate what is happening in Japan it is important to understand that this country has some of the best plans in the world in place for dealing with disaster. Japan is a country with financial resources beyond most of the rest of the world. Primarily, the current challenges are logistical ones. How to transport food when roads are blocked? How to deliver searcher and medical responders to areas that are inaccessible buy road? Governments with airlift capabilities best meet these challenges. As Americans we can be proud that our government has sent resources that focus on this very problem.

Over the past few days I have been researching, looking for small NGO’s that have a preexisting presence in Japan. They are few and far between in a country with so much wealth and strong social programs led by the government. One such organization is Peace Winds Japan, which is already erecting temporary housing and providing services on the ground. This organization has partnered with Mercy Corps international to do fundraising for their operations in Japan. Donations can be made at https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/japan. Note: to insure that your donation goes to the right place you must write “funds to be used for Peace Winds Japan only” in the comment line on the donation form.

My primary suggestion for donations is ‘Doctors Without Boarders. This organization now has two teams on the ground in Japan setting up medical treatment centers. While this is a well-known NGO, I am recommending them due to their level of accomplishment in Haiti saving lives. Additionally, when this organization raised enough funds for its Haiti response it stopped accepting donations. It is important to recognize that organizations have a logistical limit as to how much they can accomplish. By suspending fundraising this organization demonstrated a commitment to spend funds wisely and not just take the opportunity to raise unlimited cash as other large NGO’s did. With this in mind, a Pagan Community Page has been set up to enable donations to this organization at:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Pagan-Community/doctors-without-borders?utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share&utm_source=at-facebook&utm_content=eua&sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d7cc0835e7f8ca5%2C0

As a side note, we will be able to track the giving power of our community with this donation process. Could this be the beginning of a coordinated disaster relief effort by the Pagan Community? If we are a million strong, can we come up with significant dollars when needed? This page may begin to provide answers to these questions.

In Service to the Goddess and all the people of the Earth,

Peter Dybing

Here’s a letter we received from International Pagan Coming Out Day.  If you want a summary, skip to the last paragraph.

I’m sending you this email to let you know about a project I’m involved with and to ask for your assistance.

The project is Pagan Coming Out Day and our goal is to achieve acceptance and equity for Pagans at home, at work, and in every community. We’ll do this by being more visible and standing together, by encouraging more Pagans, if they are ready, to stop actively hiding their religion due to fear of discovery. Let me clarify what I mean when I talk about coming out. It means you are open about your religion to your family, even if it’s uncomfortable, and it means being willing to request and expect equal treatment in the workplace. However – it is not an either/or proposition as some Pagans are out to some people in their lives, but not others. The phrase ‘coming out’ can have two meanings – an entrance into a new world of hope and communal solidarity or an exit from the oppression of the closet. The actual day, May 2nd, is when individuals, deciding on their own terms, take a step that helps foster a society that truly does tolerate all religions. It’s also a day when our religious community comes together to support those coming out to a person or group and celebrates the more public emergence of their Pagan identity.
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