For Halloween: Salem Witch Presses For Civil Rights

Today is Halloween. For Wiccans, that means the celebration of the New Year of Samhain. And in Salem, Massachusetts, 73-year old Laurie Cabot is in the midst of a campaign to get city leaders across Massachusetts to respect the civil rights of witches. She has a 4-page legal memo on the topic. Reuters yesterday reported that Salem, the location of historic 17th century witch trials, has now become a center for the pagan community. Some 500 to 1,000 practicing witches live there, and the city abounds with shops that sell Tarot cards and magic supplies-- all attracting tourists at this time of year. Laurie Cabot, the city's first modern openly practicing witch runs one of those shops. She was proclaimed the city's "official" witch in 1975 by Massachusetts' then-governor Michael Dukakis.