textfiles/occult/cwr2.txt

  FROM THE EDITOR
    by Gerald L. Bliss

"Why are you a Witch?" This is the question most frequently asked of me, by
the police,  by our families,  by the media.  It isn't an  easy question to
answer without running comparisons between  Christianity and the Craft; the
world is far too complex for old answers to deal with.

  One major factor  drawing people to the Craft  is that we feel a  lack of
opportunity  for personal  growth and/or  psychic development.  Many people
simply  cannot sit  back and   accept someone  else's authority  over their
lives, and  that means you have  to do a lot  of self-discovery; Witchcraft
affords  a  system  of  instruction  that  demands questioning and includes
hundreds of hours of ethical, as  well as magical, training, and you simply
have to find out what works best for you.

  Another  reason for  becoming a  Witch is  to get  religious training  in
combination with using  our own intrinsic power (magick,  if you will). The
alternatives to the  Craft usually develop from a  desire for power, rather
than a desire to be of service.

  As a result of the  ethical, magickal, and religious considerations being
addressed by the Witch, we have  been known to gravitate to various causes:
vegetarianism, the ecology, personal freedom,  gun control, with each Witch
making the decisions  that seem "right" to them  (and believing nobody else
qualified to make that decision for  them). Few Witches will share the same
ideas of what  is "right", but we each try  to understand that everyone has
the right to make these decisions.

  Another question  has arisen: "Why do  you think the police  equate Wicca
with  Satanism?" I  admit I  was shocked  to receive  this question  from a
police  officer in  Florida. When  the movies,  the newspapers, and certain
fundamentalist ministers  are not busy  trying to shove  this equation down
our throats, the police are next on  the list. At CWR, we choose to believe
that this is due  to a lack of information (something that  is NOT true for
Hollywood and is  usually not true for newspaper  reporters); otherwise, we
would not be publishing this newsletter. We hope that, by presenting topics
on cults (whether called witchcraft, satanism, or whatever), we can provide
you with  the information you  need to determine  the difference between  a
cult and a religion.

FEEDBACK

  Our first issue generated quite a bit of response from a number of police
officers and departments, including a request for information on a specific
group.

  Let me state  that, first and foremost, CultWatch  Response, Inc., exists
for the purpose  of educating law enforcement officers and  the media as to
the reality of  Witchcraft in America. We are not,  and never intend to be,
some kind  of clandestine Wiccan Police  Force, and we will  not, now or in
the future, release any information that we do not have firsthand knowledge
of  AND which  is not  acknowledged to  be public  information by the group
involved.

  It is,  indeed, a terrible temptation  to set ourselves up  as the people
the  police turn  to when  they can't  get the  information to  "bust" some
"obviously unethical" group; we simply  cannot obtain enough information to
be certain of  the charges, and it cannot become  our job to interfere with
police work  on these and related  issues. We can, however,  help teach and
inform the  various law enforcement agencies  (and the media) what  to look
for  in determining  "occult crime",  and would   be happy  to do  so on  a
first-hand basis; however, we also  feel that there is adequate information
available in print in dealing with  these issues, although it is frequently
overlooked by various people who  are involved in presenting "occult crime"
issues. We  hope to fill  in that  gap,  with this newsletter  and with any
other materials we can disseminate.

  If  you responded  to our  questionnaire in  the last  issue and have not
heard  back from  us, please  let us   know; we  have, to  the best  of our
knowledge,  given a  written reply  (at least)  to every  questionnaire and
letter we have received, and have copies on file.

  Being aware that this  issue is late, I will end my  ramblings and get to
work.

===========================================================================

IN THIS ISSUE OF CultWatch Response:

Rowan Moonstone  presents the first  part of her  article on "Ritual  Child
  Abuse";

Kerr Cuhulain re-presents the first part of his excellent series,
  "The Plight of the Pagan Cop";

Hal Mansfield  submits an excellent  article entitled, "Pseudo-Satanism  in
School Systems Today";

...and more on  CultWatch Response, Inc. Who are we?  What are we trying to
accomplish? How  do we expect  to go about  it? And a  re-definition of our
editorial policies, and more...

CWR NEXT ISSUE (Candlemas 1989):

  Rowan  Moonstone  continues  her  treatise  on  "Ritual Child Abuse"; the
second installment of  "The Plight of the Pagan  Cop" (a continuing series,
not necessarily in consecutive issues); and a few surprises.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
  CultWatch Response, Inc.:
  WHO WE ARE

    Gerald L. Bliss  (Exec. Secty. & Editor) is a  Second Degree Witch from
Colorado Springs, CO, trained in  a Neo-Gardnerian tradition in addition to
having Discordian  roots prior to his  Wiccan training. He studied  for two
years at a Presbyterian college in  Kansas and a State college in Colorado,
and has a background in music, history, geography, math, and the Bible as a
result of those studies.

    Vicki M. Copeland  (Co-Founder) is a Second Degree  Witch from Oklahoma
City trained  in the Georgian  tradition. She has  been engaged in  private
research on occult  crime for the past three  years,and maintains extensive
newspaper and  magazine clippings on  occult crime, as  well as Witchcraft,
dating back to the early 1970's. She currently is the Oklahoma chapter head
for the Witches League for Public Awareness; her work with WLPA has put her
in close  contact with many  law enforcement officers  and others who  have
dealt  with  the  question   of  "occult-related"  crime.  (Editor's  Note:
CultWatch Response, Inc. is neither connected  to nor endorsed by the WLPA,
regardless of Vicki's close  association.) Recent efforts include assisting
Thomas  Zane  in  Florida  with  a  revision  of his college-level training
material for  law enforcement officers  concerning Witchcraft, and  working
with Dr.  Lowell Streiker on  his forthcoming book  "New Age Comes  to Main
Street" for a chapter concerning  Witchcraft. The majority of her published
works are under the pseudonym, "Rowan Moonstone".

    We are also developing a network of Witches and other Pagans across the
country to be able to deal with the issues presented to CultWatch Response,
Inc.,  by  the  various  local  and  state  police  departments and service
organizations.  As these  people wish   to come  forward and  outline their
credentials, they will be published herein.

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                   RITUALISTIC ABUSE- FACT OR URBAN LEGEND?
                                    Part I

                              by Rowan Moonstone

  Consider  carefully the  following scene.  An  old  man is  on trial.  He
confesses to  heinous crimes including denying  God, desecrating the cross,
and finally, sacrificing  his own baby daughter to  the devil. Some current
day survivor  of a ritualistic child  abuse Satanic cult you  ask? No. this
case history belongs to one Pierre Vallin  who was tried in France in 1438.
The judges of  his day condemned him as a  heretic, idolater, apostate, and
invoker  of  demons.(1)  Today,  many  similar  stories  are  being told by
supposed survivors  of ritualistic child abuse  cults and devil worshipping
groups, and yet the actual evidence in  no more real than that presented at
Vallin's trial.

  The current  round of accusations  had their beginning  in 1981 with  the
publication of "Michelle Remembers" by  Dr. Lawrence Pazder. During therapy
sessions with Michelle Smith, Dr. Pazder began to uncover horrible memories
of a  ritualistic nature in  his patient. She  told stories of  ritualistic
rape, animal  mutilation and human sacrifice,  culminating in something she
called the "Feast of the Beast". It is a horrifying account of torture that
would  do   credit  to  Stephen   King,  however,  it   has  absolutely  no
corroborating evidence. Dr. J. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study
of  American  Religion  says,  "It   was  Michelle's  fantasy,  and  Pazder
encouraged it."(2)

  Perhaps the most widely publicized  account of supposed ritualistic child
abuse  today is  the McMartin  Daycare Center  case in  California. In Aug.
1983, Judy Johnson, of Manhattan Beach, CA, brought a case of alleged child
sexual  abuse  to  the  authorities.  By  Feb.  1984,  allegations of human
sacrifice were also  surfacing. By 1985, police had dug  up a great deal of
ground  which  supposedly  held   remains  of  ritualistically  slaughtered
animals. They  found 2 tortoise  shells. As the  case progressed into  more
bizarre areas, even some of the prosecutors began to doubt the evidence and
the methods of  gathering it, until finally Glenn Stevens,  a member of the
prosecution  team  resigned,  stating  "Kee  MacFarlane  (the  psychologist
interviewing the  children involved) could make  a 6-month-old baby confess
to  being  molested."(3)  Despite  numerous  allegations  of Satanic and/or
ritualistic activity from the children  involved, no hard physical evidence
has ever  been produced, and  even the stories  the children tell  conflict
from child to child. No two children tell the same story.

  The same facts hold true for any number of the supposed child abuse cases
which  have been  brought to  trial. As  one newspaper  story stated,  "The
principal obstacle  confronting them, say  those investigating the  various
cases, is  the almost total lack  of physical evidence including  bodies to
confirm the  children's allegations."(4) According to  Arthur Lyons, in his
book "Satan Wants  You", of the thirteen cases which  have come to trial in
nine  different states,  none has  produced any  physical evidence,  and no
convictions have been obtained,(5) and in  the May 1985 story entitled "The
Devil  Worshippers"  (which  ran  on  the  "20/20"  television series), San
Francisco police officer Sandi Gallant admits that no bodies have ever been
found, despite numerous allegations of their existence.

  Some  of the  allegations of  ritualistic abuse  have been  proven to  be
physically  impossible. Take  for example  the case  cited in "Satanism: Is
Your Family Safe?" by Ted Schwartz. "In one police case, there was definite
proof of child molestation but the  allegation went much further - children
being forced to drink blood that had  been taken from their bodies. One boy
said that the blood was taken from the  back of his leg, and that story was
repeated by others, yet the  pediatricians examining the children said that
there were  no veins that  could be used  in this manner  in the areas  the
children  described." (6)  Schwartz's  book  also illustrates  an excellent
example of how  children can confuse issues. He relates  a story of a child
who told  of witnessing a murder  from the window of  her mother's bedroom.
The scene she  described fit the facts quite well  until police took her in
the bedroom and asked her to point  out which window she observed the crime
from.  She  pointed  to  the  television  set,  and  it  was only then that
authorities realised she was describing a scene from a movie which happened
to fit many of the facts of the actual crime which was committed.(7)

  Certainly crimes  of violence and  abuse against children  do happen, and
happen all too frequently. BUT another-all present danger in the phenomenon
of  "ritualistic child  abuse" is  the "Salem  syndrome", so  named for the
infamous  witch trials  in the  Massachusetts colony,  in which 19 innocent
people  were accused  of witchcraft,  condemned, and  executed, all  on the
evidence  of  hysterical  children  who  later  admitted to fabricating the
entire  story.  It  behooves  everyone  involved,  parents,law  enforcement
personnel, medical  personnel, and educational  authorities, to view  these
stories with a  critical eye for FACTS which can  be proven, not hysterical
reactions based on unfounded rumors and allegations.

  (Next Issue: Part II, "Breeders and Baby Killers" )

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes

  (1) Russell,  Jeffrey B., "A  History of Witchcraft,  Sorcerers, Heretics
  and Pagans", Thames & Hudson, 1980, p.78.

  (2) A.S. Ross," A Presumption of guilt. Child Abuse Cults: How Real?" San
  Francisco Examiner, 9-29-86, p. A7.

  (3)  Gorney,  Cynthia,  "The  Terrible  Puzzle  of  McMartin Preschool in
  California, the Long-Running Trial of a Baffling Child Molestation Case",
  The Washington Post, 5-17-88.

  (4)  Crewdson, John,  "Satanism Haunts   Tales of  Child Sex  Abuse", The
  Chicago Tribune, 7-29-85, p. 10.

  (5) Lyons, Arthur, "Satan Wants You",  The Mysterious Press, N. Y., 1988,
  p.2.

  (6)  Schwartz,  Ted  &  Duane  Empey,  "Satanism:  Is  Your Family Safe?"
  Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1988, p 181.

  (7) ibid., p. 184.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    Pseudo-Satanism in School Systems Today

                      compiled by Hal Mansfield, Director
                      Religious Movement Resource Center

(NOTE: This  article is on the  hazards of "pseudo-satanism", written  by a
person who has  done a lot of work  in negating the effects of  the "common
cult".  As you  will read,  the author  does not  believe that  Witchcraft,
Satanism, and/or "pseudo-satanism" are connected.  Feel free to direct your
comments to either Hal or CWR. Ed.)

        This paper  is designed to  provide observations and  opinions from
our  center on  the issue  of Pseudo-Satanism  and the  links to our school
systems. Our intention is to provide topics for discussion, and this is not
intended to be the last word on  this topic. We also have covered things in
a general manner to keep it as simple as possible on a complex problem. The
topics presented  are in no particular  order, and we would  appreciate any
feedback as to what information the reader may have.

1. GROWTH OF PSEUDO-SATANISM

        There seems  to be a growth  of this "religious" system  within our
public schools. Our office has had a  great increase of calls in this area.
Other  centers across  the U.S.   and Canada  have also  received increased
calls.  Police departments,  school systems,  and mental  health facilities
have  increased  their  attention  on  Satanism.  The  media  has certainly
increased coverage, though many reports seem to be sensationalized.

2. WHY THE INCREASE

        There have been many theories on why we are seeing such an increase
in satanism  or pseudo-satanism. We have  selected a few that  we feel best
fits.  One  is  the  effect  of  changing  value systems and socio-economic
shifts. Any time you have radical changes in society, you have increases in
cult activity.  This has been proven  down through the ages  to include the
Industrial Revolution,  Renaissance, etc. One  reason that causes  us great
concern  is  certain  family  patterns:  too  many  families  are  shifting
responsibility  of   teaching  basic  moral  values   to  schools  and  law
enforcement officials.  Basic right-from-wrong differentiation  needs to be
taught at  home; not to do  so invites disaster. Another  pattern too often
seen is  that whenever we  find an  adolescent  we also find  a family that
avoids talking about  AIDS, drugs, cults, sex; they  simply don't talk. The
parents had no clue their child was involved, despite obvious signs.

3. WHO GETS INVOLVED

        There  seem to  be two   distinct backgrounds.  One -  the curious,
intellectual, bright kids. The tend to  dabble in the occult and experiment
with magick.  The lure, in  this case,  seems  to be the  magick. The other
background, which  is more dangerous, is  that of the substance  abuser. In
this  profile,  self-confidence  and  esteem  are  very  low.  Some turn to
pseudo-satanism to  boost the self image,  as if to say,  "I'm special; I'm
magickal; don't mess  with me." Control by the leader  of such a group over
someone with this  background can be very powerful; that  power can be used
by the  leader to get  his group to  sell drugs for  him, with the  fear of
saying  anything  about  it  because  "the  Devil  will  get me". Whichever
background is in  play, it is important to  remember that "belonging" needs
are very  important to an adolescent,  which is why you  frequently see the
gang mentality surface in many of these groups.

4. DRUG LINKS

        There   are   definite   ties   with   substance   abuse   and  the
Pseudo-Satanism  movements.  As  one  researcher  found  out  through  many
interviews,  not everyone  who is  a  drug  user is  a satanist,  but every
pseudo-satanist is a  drug user. This seems to  be true in over 90%  of the
cases our  center has been  involved in and  has been further  confirmed by
many drug  rehabilitation facilities. This  is where the  most danger comes
from, and if there  is violence in these groups, it is  most likely to be a
link to a member who is a drug user. Drugs are used in rituals and rites of
passage; many  times, and obsession  with death and  dying occurs in  these
groups. That, plus the use  of hallucinogenics, leads to paranoid behavior.
Many  suicides  result   from  this  double-whammy  of  drug   use  plus  a
self-destructive belief system. Secondary crime  relating to support of the
habit results  from this, and a  person's own dementia many  times involves
serious criminal behavior. This dementia leads to the more bizarre behavior
to include digging up graves and perversions of all sorts of magnitude.

5. THE COVEN

        What we have  found in the majority of  cases is a "do-it-yourself"
coven. Usually  it is one  leader who  is  basing the group's  beliefs on a
certain  group of  books, movies,  or combination  of magick,  beliefs, and
practices from many  religions. In fact, most have such  a blending from so
many different areas  that they are not a  legitimate ANYTHING, even though
they call themselves Satanists. The more common books found in these groups
include:  The Necronomicon,  The Egyptian   Book of  the Dead,  The Satanic
Bible, and any book dealing with Magick. These books can easily be found in
many  bookstores. Aleister  Crowley is   a very  popular author  with these
groups, as  is Anton LeVay  (found of the  Church of Satan).  The number of
members  in these  covens (or,  more accurately,  groups) can  be any size,
though most tend  to be fewer than ten  members. The leader can be  male or
female, although most  tend to be male. The income  level of families whose
children are  involved tends to  be middle-to- upper  class, with very  few
from  lower  class  families.  We  see  a  racially  mixed  makeup,  with a
prevalence  of Caucasians.  These groups  are very  dynamic for  one simple
reason -- kids tend  to graduate, move, or grow up. This  is why so many of
these groups are hard to pin down;  most of these groups come and go. There
are a few (very few) that have  adult influences in the coven. These can be
very dangerous, and tend to be more oriented toward drug distribution. Fear
and  guilt, along  with paranoia,  run strong  in this  kind of  group, and
control over members is extremely strong.

9. FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

        There has been  a lot of speculation that games  such as Dungeons &
Dragons  (D&D) lead  some people  to these  groups. We  tend to doubt that.
There is no  good objective evidence or study available  that points to D&D
as  part of  a cause-and-effect  relationship.  What  can be  said is  that
someone who is obsessed with the game  (or any game or activity) is showing
a symptom of  a problem. When  we say obsessed,  we don't mean  someone who
plays  D&D on  the weekends  with their  buddies; we  mean someone who does
nothing else  with their free  time, substituting fantasy  for reality. The
problem may be pseudo-satanic activity, or it may be a drug problem, family
problem, social  problem, or simply  acute depression. The  important thing
here is not  to remove a symptom but to  address the problem itself. Taking
away the game  rarely improves anything, much like putting  a Band-Aid on a
gushing wound.

7. SYMPTOMS OF PSEUDO-SATANISM

        A lot of  the symptoms in this area are  identical to those of drug
use: radical mood shifts, a drop in grades, introversion, and loss of sleep
are all  part of the picture.  Other things to watch  for include obsession
with death  and dying, wearing of  jewelry with an inverted  pentagram (the
single point pointing downward), and  an obsession with negative magick. It
might  be wise  to visit  the room   with your  child to  see if  there are
remnants of these items and/or drug paraphernalia.

8. RITUAL SITES

        These vary  greatly, since each  group will have  its own operating
rules. Most  common show signs  of mixed blood  and urine, which  is passed
around during  a power ritual. Small  animal remains can be  found. Symbols
drawn on  walls or trees  are common,  although  there is usually  a mix of
these symbols.  Sometimes herbs, oils,  and candle drippings  can be found,
and there is usually a fire pit.

9. COMMON MISTAKES

        One of the most common mistakes made when dealing with this subject
is  confusing  Satanism  and  pseudo-satanism  with  Witchcraft  and  other
systems; these  are all separate,  and most Witchcraft-based  groups (i.e.,
Wicca) are not producing the violence. Any legitimate practitioner would be
the first to  tell you that. We need  to take each case on  its own merits.
Most kids  that are dabbling with  devil worship are trying  to shock their
parents with spray- painted symbols; a  legitimate Satanist is not going to
be  spray-painting anything,  since it  would call  attention to them. Each
case must be  handled as being unique, as there  are many different reasons
that  someone gets  involved in  these groups  and each  group has  its own
rituals,  beliefs,  etc.  It  is  far  too  simplistic  to  lump everything
together.

10. EFFECTIVE DEFENSE

        The most  effective defense we  have is education  and information-
sharing. No single center or organization has all the answers; we must work
together on this  problem. Cooperation must also exist  among agencies that
deal with adolescents. Getting adults to be  aware of what is out there and
teaching basic moral  values at home would put a  big dent in this problem.
There is far  too much sensationalism on both sides  of this house; we need
good data to  provide patterns and information on how  to counter them in a
positive manner.  There is a  workable solution to  this problem if  we all
work together.

11. LAST THOUGHTS

        As mentioned at  the beginning of this article,  we would like your
input on this  situation and any thoughts you might  have. If we managed to
get you to think about this problem, whether you agree with our conclusions
or  not, we  have accomplished  what we  set out  to do.  Please send  your
comments  to: Hal  Mansfield, Religious  Movement Resource  Center, 629  S.
Howes, Ft. Collins, CO 80521. You  are welcome to reprint this paper, share
it, or throw it away if you like!

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                         PLIGHT OF THE PAGAN POLICEMAN
                                     PT. 1

                            by "Constable Cuhulain"
                            Vancouver, B.C. Canada

  Lately there has been a fair amount of attention paid by the media to the
subject  of  Satanic  worship  and  its  connection to criminal activities,
particularly  involving  young  people.  "Devil  worship",  "Satanism", and
"Witchcraft" are some  of the terms used to describe  it. We are treated to
the  usual descriptions  of "covens"  practicing "Black  Mass" and equating
Witchcraft with "Black magic".

  It's not  hard to see  where these  kids  got their ideas  from. For many
years we  have been bombarded  with Hollywood's version  of what Witchcraft
is. More recently this has expanded into  the realm of heavy metal rock and
its accompanying videos. Originally, of  course, Hollywood got its ideas on
this  subject  from  the  inventors  of  Satan,  the  Christians. Now these
impressionable young  people take all of  this in and, inevitably,  some of
them end up copying it. Hollywood has  convinced many of them that they are
practicing Witchcraft.

  I speak from experience, but anyone who knows my city well has seen them.
On one  end of the  scale we  have  the average young  denizen of Granville
Mall, selling drugs, stolen property,  and sometimes themselves. Dressed in
their jean jackets, emblazoned with rock logos (Motley Crue, Black Sabbath,
and Ozzy Osbourne to  name a few) their interest seems to  be merely one of
appearances, street image. On the other end of the scale is the "punks" who
inhabit  Robson  Square.  Outlandish  multicolored  hair  and black (mostly
leather)  clothing.  These  individuals  take  their  Satanism  (and  their
anarchism)  a bit  more seriously.  They are  invariably equipped  with: a)
skateboards;  b)  liquor;  and,  c)  felt  pens.  Some actually carry Anton
LaVay's Satanic  Bible around with  them. They scrawl  on the walls,  drink
like drains, and commit random acts of assault and/or mischief.

  All this  gives the press and/or  the Christian clergy something  to rant
about   (it   also   seems   to   divert   attention   from   TV   ministry
scandals....hmmm). Kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

  Now I am sure that none of this  is news to you. You may well wonder what
a  police  officer is  doing writing  about it.  I can't  really blame  you
because  you   (and  some  police  officers)   have  probably  developed  a
stereotyped  image of  me thanks  to those  same Hollywood producers. Sure,
this situation  gives me a  great deal of  work to do,  but that's not  the
point. The point is you see, I am a Witch.

  Now I learned  long ago that Hollywood tends to  use the words "Satanist"
and "Witch" interchangably. And it  doesn't take much imagination to figure
out what  would happen in most  police departments if one  of their members
was found to be  a Wiccan. That member would, in short  order, be placed in
the  same category  as the  aforementioned little  crooks, previous  police
record not withstanding. Not a pleasant prospect.

  This hasn't deterred me,  but all you Pagans out there could  do me a big
favour. Write  to the movie producers  and the news media  and tell them to
STOP using the  name of our faith to  describe Satanists, Devil Worshippers
and  crooks. Let's  educate people  to  equate  Wicca with  goodness for  a
change. I don't expect  it to reduce my work load, but  it would do wonders
for the job security department.

  In  the   meantime,  I'll  continue  chasing   these  youthful  Hollywood
stereotypes  and hope  the Christian  society appreciates  what this  Pagan
policeman is doing for them.

(NEXT ISSUE: Part 2 of this continuing series)

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  Each  issue of  CultWatch Response  is published  by CultWatch  Response,
Inc., a non-profit  Corporation established under the laws  of the State of
Colorado,  under a  Public Domain  Copyright. This  entitles any  person or
group  of  persons  to  reproduce,  in  any  form  whatsoever, any material
contained therein, so long as  articles are not condensed, abbreviated, nor
excerpted in any fashion and credit is given the original author.

  In  some instances,  our articles  may be  re-published material  that is
already copyrighted. When  this is the case, such  articles will be clearly
labeled and may not be republished without permission of the author, unless
such  re-publication  includes  the  entirety  of  that  issue of CultWatch
Response.

  We  encourage groups  and individuals   to republish  each issue  for the
purpose  of  distribution  to  police  and  community organizations and the
media, but would ask that you coordinate with us before doing so to prevent
over-saturation of an area.

  We  welcome  articles,  reviews,  etc.  We  reserve  the right to correct
obvious mistakes  in spelling, syntax, and  grammar (and to make  our own),
and to  edit where necessary  to fit available  space; any edited  material
will be returned for the author's  approval prior to publication. We do ask
that you not UNFAIRLY promote any  race, cultural group, either sex, or any
magickal group  or tradition above another.  Articles with careful research
and a  positive emphasis will be  considered ahead of all  others. We would
prefer that  you use your real  name if you feel  comfortable doing so, but
this preference will not be a major  factor in our decision to publish your
article.

  The above policies have been agreed  to by the current staff of CultWatch
Response.  We  gratefully  acknowledge  the  groundwork  set  by  the Rocky
Mountain  Pagan Journal  and its  parent corporation,  High Plains Arts and
Sciences, in the fields of Public Domain Copyright and editorial policies.

      **NEW** SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

  Subscriptions  to  CultWatch  Response  are  $20  per  year  (8  issues).
Discounts and  special arrangements are  available to those  people who are
interested   in  aiding   in  the   distribution  of   CultWatch  Response.
Subscription fees are due no later than January 15th, with the subscription
beginning with Issue #3; certain key people working in the field of "occult
crime"  and the  media will  receive Issue  #2 gratis  but will not receive
Issue  #3 unless  their subscription  is paid.  We are  very sorry that our
original  intent to  keep this  publication free  to anyone  working in the
field  of "occult  crime" has  not been  realized due  to lack  of funding.
CultWatch Response, Inc. is neither funded nor endorsed by any religious or
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please  make  a  contribution;  all  donations  are tax-deductible and very
welcome. Please make  your check or money order  out to CultWatch Response,
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