VAN JONES ON MY MIND, DAMMIT

I triple dog dare 45 to attend a funeral for nine (yes nine) victims of a race-driven mass murder inside a Charleston, South Carolina church. I want him to stand at the pulpit of Mother Emmanuel and speak from his heart to a child or wife or sister wrapped in misery. I dare 45 to speak from his heart about a Mosque being fire-bombed or two innocent Indian people being terrorized for being from another country or a Jewish cemetery being vandalized .... 

Then, after speaking from his heart, I wanna feel 45 so moved to solo on an acapella opening of Amazing Grace. I want a deacon, also moved by the spirit, to get his back and exhort, "take yo' time" ... as the entire congregation stands and sings in unison. Then, and ONLY then, can we can talk about the first two vocabulary letters in the word, "Presidential."

Rather than analyze the content of 45's TelePrompTer lip sync, Van Jones got caught up in theatrics and (of) low expectations. Wrong on so many levels. Reading is NOT an accomplishment and every line is not an applause line. How could one person not shout, "YOU LIE!"? - Mark Lassiter

A BENEDICTINE HOUSE CLEANING

For a while, it seemed as though my mind had turned off. I am not use to living my life in an emotional flux. Most people not connected to me personally would most likely think I am insensitive to the world around me but in truth I am very much affected by the events around me.

My brain is constantly stimulated. Often times it is so hyper stimulated that I find myself getting a bit scattered trying to keep pace with my thoughts. It is worst then my body is tired and my brain is running a marathon. That is where reading and sometimes Junk Food Television come into play. Last night was one of those times.

Getting over my emotional setback, I began writing again. It was after midnight with my mind in overdrive as I struggled to focus on a topic to write on, I flipped the channel to the late News. It’s a habit to have the television on for me. I tried to do it in compete silence but it never took. A sociologist told me once that this television thing is a product of my early childhood when television became a member of the American family and as such, it became a part of my though process. Television then as it is now in the background is much like having a person in the room with you; someone having a conversation. Although you may not be paying attention to any one particular show, the voices in the background produces a subconscious “comfort” that helps me focus my over active mind.

WHATEVER. I like TV as oppose to quite and music so that's what I was doing just before I heard in the background about the latest Celeb to hit the streets on New York.

So while thinking about doing something on my conversation with this kid I met who is in the S&M (for which I know you are all looking forward to reading), I got caught up in New York’s preparation for the Pope’s visit next week. Funny how I go from S&M to the Pope in once sentence Right?

Well I am listening to how the Pope’s visit is to make people here loose their minds. I mean you have the Catholic Churches cleaning house. You know how at work when you know the District Manager or the CEO is coming through for a visit and all of a sudden “everyone” has to UP his or her professionalism like cleaning off the desk, no more casual dress, rehearsing possible answers to questions you might be asked, you know all the phony prep work. You have the news promoting youth choirs made up of little Black and Brown children singing Gregorian chants songs in Latin, information on how traffic will change, the Who’s Who list of dignitaries that will have VIP seats to see the Pope, his United Nation’s agenda, then there are the Commercial items like tee-shits, mugs, hats, bobble-heads, sandwiches and then you have all the Catholic representative speculating how much grace and gratitude the Pope will bestow upon the people of the New York City.

Huuuummmmm?


There goes my brain working overtime. I begin to think back about the time Pope John Paul II made his World tour to the New York area back in the day and how he stirred up similar excitement BUT the only difference was, I was working for a Catholic school and TRUST ME, when a Pope visits, it isn’t for the purpose of spreading the Gospel, he’s here CLEANING HOUSE.

It was very resent that there were reports that Christendom in the West is on a major decline. Not just Catholicism, but all Christian faiths in Europe. For the most part, religion in general is and has taken a back seat to Europe’s embrace of real World philosophies and socio-economic practices. I like how the Christian Conservatives in America define the movement as the GODLESSNESS OF EUROPE. From the many ethnic groups that have either migrated to Europe or have lived for generations throughout the Western World, the shared consciousness of those opposed to Christianity and its affects on countries outside of Europe is coined as, “ …. Jesus Christ symbolizes no spiritual power, or moral uprightness. He is no more than an artifice for legitimizing wanton imperialist aggression.” It is in this belief that has turned those non-European countries and cultures away from the Gospel that is the “Word” of Christians and into the interest of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. With Catholics being 22% of America’s religious population (Latinos making up the Majority) 64% state that the Catholics Church is out of touch. That is a problem when you have an organization that forbids criticism. What is especially interesting is that Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the World and has the most actively participating faith on the land. Historically, these two Religions not only encompassed the known Western World but transformed it in their intense religious war killing 100's of thousands possibly millions undocumented. Some would argue that since there is a decline in Christian followers in Europe, this has become fertile ground for new and more Eastern philosophies to enter into the void. Others argue that in the decline of secular and Christian churches in the West, the ability to expand into other countries and cultures to make up the difference are aggressively declined where as in the West, the boarders are traditionally open to non-Christian faiths, constituting an unfair advantage. Regardless of the reasons, the numbers are down and for the Vatican, so are the dollars.

Working within the Catholic organization in the 1990's, and I may sound bias when I say this, BUT the bottom line was Parishioners and Dollars. There was never a moment, behind closed doors, that the books weren't open and people were dropping sweat balls in between the pages of the rolls. When Pope John Paul II was in New York, heads rolled, Mother Superiors and Monsignors were running with ledgers in hand, simple meetings went on for hours and sometimes days. No one without a potion of responsibility was absent and or not held under deep scrutiny and when it was all done, the organization was streamlined, lay-people (those are Non-Catholic employees) were let go, schools and churches closed and a HIGH LEVEL CAMPAIGN for recruiting younger members became the focus. Just sitting back and watching the television, I see this heavy rotation concentrated on YOUTH participation, organizations and education. This same focus was exactly what was pushed more than 10 years ago. Then again, so was the Gulf War. I suspect Pope Benedict XVI will be doing the same even if the US News and the Catholic Media machine are down playing it. The Catholic Church is in trouble and when you get the HEAD to leave the thrown, you know that the kingdom is going to be shaken up.

This statement just might sound a bit stiff and again a little bias but the Pope’s visit is nothing new to New York. I can give you a listing of Important and Famous people where the entire city rolls out the red carpet. It is business as usually to shut down streets, redirect traffic, creating tee-shirts with someone’s face on it or have the entire city’s News agencies forget that there are other events going on at the same time. The Pope’s visit is just one more tourist attraction. Already the losers of the Theater Strike of 2007 are looking forward for making up their loss with the Pope’s visit. Amazingly enough, I don’t hear much about what Message of God that Pope Benedict XVI plans to bring. How is that for keeping the faith alive?

AND I ENDORSE THIS AD .... I THINK?

There is a saying that there are three things you never talk about; Race, Religion and Politics (although I’d argue a fourth topic which is Income and Salary but that’s just me). To put what you know or the lack of knowledge to an adult and or legitimate conversation can do more than make a person like an idiot, a racist or extremist, it can make you dead. For instants we have in the GOOD OLD UNITED STATES actions that we normally see in the Japanese Cambers of Government when they disagree. this just happened the other day:

FEBRUARY 25--Meet Jose Antonio Ortiz. The Pennsylvania man allegedly stabbed his brother-in-law in the stomach after the pair quarreled about their respective support of Democratic presidential candidates Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton. According to cops, Ortiz, 28, stabbed Sean Shurelds last Thursday night in the kitchen of an Upper Providence Township home. According to a criminal complaint, a copy of which you'll find here, the 41-year-old Shurelds, an Obama supporter, told Ortiz that the Illinois senator was "trashing" Clinton (apparently in regard to recent primary and caucus results). Ortiz, a Clinton supporter, replied that "Obama was not a realist." While not exactly fighting words, the verbal political tiff led to some mutual choking and punching. And, allegedly, a stabbing in the abdomen. Ortiz, pictured in the mug shot below, was charged with a felony aggravated assault count and two misdemeanors and jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail. Shurelds was flown to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition.

I recently Blogged about the changing psychology of Black and Brown folk over this election and it would appear, the pockets of America are being turned out all over the country. I am not as much up in arms over this event because I have witnessed this type of behavior already. What I now have thrown in my face FRONT PAGE bombardment with is the shear ignorance of a CULTURAL PHOTO. The dreaded Barak Hussein Obama in Kenya, Africa photo. A non-issue of a photo and yet it is something of a conspiracy to OVER THROW AMERICA from within. I mean HOW DARE OBAMA BE IN AFRICA? HOW DARE HE PUT ON THOSE SAVAGE CLOTHES and HOW DARE HE NOT TELL US CIVILIZED AND INCLUSIVE AMERICANS HE WORE CLOTHES THAT WEREN’T PURCHASED FROM BROOKS BROTHERS OR THE GAP?

I am holding off about giving my DEEP opinions on the subject, BECAUSE like all things served to people by the Technology Mafia it is a bunch of BS wrapped in stale toilet paper, but the PHOTO that has America up in arms an allegedly to be LEAKED by “THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN” has been floating around the Internet for quite awhile. To be honest I have not only seen the PHOTO before online but I have a few extra that would be considered even more Controversial (if you have a SMALL MIND) on my HARD DRIVE that I have collected from SPAM E-MAILS questioning Obama's loyalty to both his Christian faith and his Country.

On the train today I listened to two women (Obamaholics) ranting about how Hillary Clinton is so EVIL she should burn in Hell. So in my Passive Aggressive way I asked if they were Christians to which they responded, “Yes”. I then responded, I never knew it was your place to cast people in HELL but my real question to you is, "Should it matter if Obama is Christian or not to run for President? I mean is being Christian pre-requisite to hold the position of president?"

The women looked at me as if I have kicked them in the coochie when I asked that and in their (and I love this in our people) I DON’T GIVE A FUQ MIND YOUR BUSINESS, GHETTO GIRL UPTOWN HARLEM ATTITUDE one of them responded, “NO BUT IT HELPS”.

As usual I fell back into my reading on WALL STREET'S take on the election knowing that the majority of people have a disconnect with what we know and what we should know about manipulation by the MEDIA. From the very beginning it has been a constant churning of distortion on both candidate’s credibility. Since both Clinton and Obama had agreed to a fair and clean election, they are finding out all too well that in doing that, neither one can get a clear advantage and really break away from the other. Since both are now locked in this St. Augustinian type of behavior of sanitary Politics, a mild, but peripherally watching hands-off treatment to their Staff is opening up the Nasty Politics that we all stated we didn’t want to see BUT like patrons of the Coliseum, we DO WANT TO SEE IT WITH BLOOD. This election has given America a COLD TURKEY approach to understanding what can potentially be the best opportunity for research, comparing and contrasting, open dialogue and knowing the players behind the scenes. The Nation’s withdrawal symptoms for sensationalism as oppose to intellectualism has opened a void that media groups can drop gossip, innuendos, false leads and predictions based upon FUZZY MATH with the people being sated with sugary delight.

I tell you people, we are living in the LAST DAYS of Common Sense if we don’t get a grip. I mean I took the time (yes it meant that I turned off the television and ignored that GOD AWFULLY ACTED, A RAISIN IN THE SUN MOVIE) and surfed on FactCheck.org to compare what each candidate faults the other for doing in distorting the other’s Platform. What I found was that each side is doing the distorting (OBAMA ‘s team doing it more than Clinton's) as it pertain to the Economy, Foreign Policy and Race. There are also details pertaining to points on each candidate's web sites and speeches which the Media seem to forget all about, points about the DEEPER concerns that neither candidate or side are discussing. I WONDER WHY? When asked in public, both Obama and Clinton play the wounded party but we know it isn't true. Both candidates are taking short stabs in places unseen so as to look as if their damage made was insignificant. It just depends on who's side you are on to notice the other side as having the larger horns and the longer tails. Then I remembered the Golden Rule established several elections ago, UNLESS the flayers or Ads and or other outreach media have “SAID candidate's endorsement published on it with He/She APPROVES THIS MESSAGE", it isn’t legit and a lie. So spit out that BLUE PILL and take the RED ONE. Don’t forget it.

THE DREAM

Dreaming of seven cows of plenty,
Consumed by seven cows of famine,
Complexed and perplexed
The Knower of All,
The Keeper of Knowledge,
Pharaoh happened upon a chanced fantasia.
A euphoria,
Dancing like mists of silhouette tapestry,
Woven by the Gods
Of air, earth, fire and water.
Pharaoh, on a cold and arid night,
Was mystified by feelings of inadequacy.
This emphirial enigma,
The Dream.
Pharaoh peered, pondered, and prodded
Magical mages and scared sanctums
Of this moment of meticulous movement.
For he had to know
The answers to this dream most undream like.

A man of the wakened world
Stepped forth from the land of God.
Ethiopia.
True Hebrew.
True Joseph.
He taught the lessons of the dream.
He said, " The meat of plenty shall feed the people of the few."
Thus it was told.
Thus it was learned.
"They will suckle from the breasts' of their mothers and taste the milk
of Isis, daughter of creation" Joseph sang.
"A goddess to nourish what the soul will crave."
Pharaoh sighted the seven cows of famine.
Joseph then shared, " Seven seven your land will rule,
Seven years fat,
Seven years thin."

And with a signet ring
Joseph was created equal to the land of Egypt.
A union most sacred was formed.
For the Gods did leave for seven by way of the Nile.
All people dreamt dreams of fat cows
For seven of seven.
And famine, seven more of seven.
But Egypt did not weep.
She smiled upon the land,
And embraced her freedom from the Gods.
I know this to be true,

For I write with scroll and pen.

The Dream by Shazza Nakim
Copyright © by Peace of Mind Publishings and with permission by Shazza Nakim

INFORMATION FOR NON-MUSLIMS TO KNOW

Questions & Answers on Islam and Arab-Americans


Q: What is Islam?

A: Muslims believe in one God and in the Day of Judgment and Individual accountability for actions. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets beginning with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob Joseph, Job, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus.

God’s message was reaffirmed and finalized by the Prophet Muhammad. Islam is a religion of peace, mercy and forgiveness. Muslims pray in a mosque in the same way that Christians pray in a church.

Q: What is the Koran?

A: The Koran, or Quran, is the Muslim holy book, like the Bible is to Christianity. It is the record of the exact words revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his companions.

Q: What does "Islam" mean?

A: The Arabic word "Islam" means "submission," and it derives from a word meaning "peace." In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. "Allah" is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.

Q: What are the "Five Pillars" of Islam?

This is the framework for Muslim life:

1. The declaration of faith: "There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God."
   
2. Prayer: Muslims perform five obligatory prayers each day. Islamic prayers are a direct link between the worshiper and God. Islam has no hierarchical authority or priesthood.
   
3. Zakat: One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God and that wealth is held in trust by human beings. Zakat, or charitable giving, "purifies" wealth by setting aside a portion for those in need.
   
4. Fasting: Every year in the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The fast is another method of self-purification.
   
5. Pilgrimage: A pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, or Hajj as it is called in Arabic, is an obligation for those who are physically and financially able to make the journey.
   

Q: Who are the Muslims?

A: People who follow the Islamic faith come from all over the world. No more than 20% of Muslims live in the Arabic-speaking world. The country with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia.

Q: What about the American Muslim community?

A: An estimated 7 million Muslims live in the USA. They are made up of people from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and national origins. Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions in the United States and around the world.

Q: What is the role of women in Islam?

A: Under Islamic law, women have always had the right to own property, receive an education and otherwise take part in community life. Men and women are to be respected equally. The Islamic rules for modest dress apply to women and men equally.

Q: Why do Muslim women cover their hair?

A: Islam teaches modesty for women and men. Women are required to cover their bodies so that their figure is not revealed and only their faces and hands are shown. The head scarf is called a hijab or chador. The long, robelike garment is called an abayah, jilbab or chador. This requirement is designed to protect women and give them respect. The dress of Muslim women is similar to that of Christian nuns, who also cover their bodies and hair. Muslim women are not required to cover their faces as is done in some Middle-Eastern countries.

Q: Some Arab men wear a checked garment on their heads. What is that?

A: It is called a kafiyyeh, and it is traditional, not religious. Wearing the kafiyyeh is similar to an African-American wearing traditional African attire or an Indian wearing a sari. The kafiyyeh shows identity and pride in one’s culture.

Q: What is Jihad?

A: Jihad does not mean "holy war." Literally, jihad in Arabic means to strive, struggle and exert effort. It is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil inclinations within one’s self, struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self-defense or fighting against tyranny or oppression.

Q: What does Islam say about Christianity?

A: Islam teaches that Christians and Muslims are both "people of the book." By that it means that the two religions share the same basic beliefs articulated through the Bible and the Koran. The main difference between Christians and Muslims is that Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet who was granted special powers by God to show people the power of God.

DUALITY OF CHOICE

“I only know Evil after the fact.”


These words, a powerful statement from any one person who speaks it freely and without restrain. Depending on the situation or circumstances, this statement can fall from the lips of you or I. Many civilizations from ancient to modern have varying beliefs for the concept of Evil, the importance of knowing and understanding it, knowing and understanding it as equal to the belief of God and the meaning of life. We know that all the perceptions of Man have meaning and or purpose but Evil is at the core of mankind’s existence, the left side of the human base and with Good hosting the right side keeping balance. We may call it the duality of the human spirit, the concept of choice, the conscious mind, the Ying and Yang, regardless of the noting, every human being on the planet knows Evil but not its purpose. At what point do we know when people are pursuing Evil, what are the beginning steps towards Evil? Is Evil a state of mind or a state of being? Is Evil genetic, a concept of a primal, splinted spirit of Man before words could describe emotions and desire? Evil as generic as detonating a cheaper and less potent manifestation of something more powerful than a heavenly Being, the falling not only from grace but away from the unknown to the known or vice versa? These questions all have perplexed Man from devout to methodical since the concept of intellectual thought was practiced. One thing is for sure, Evil does exist and as such, Man is responsible and compelled to understanding this specific part of his nature.

So why is it that Man only knows Evil after the fact?
 

The answer is simple. Evil is an extension of who he or/she is; Evil is a fraction of the being that which created it. For the religious, this could mean a holy deity and for the non-religious it is a product of man’s influence on the World from the inner-self upon the external World. Regardless, Evil is an extension of Man and places it as an action tied to emotions and or reactions from external circumstances outside his control. Some would even argue that Evil stems form Man’s lack of control of his external environment.

For the religious, Evil is an old fashion concept based upon what is known (i.e. The Devil). In the traditional or modern World, Evil is what one accepts, those influences that are both direct and indirect in degrees such as Man’s practice of slavery, politics or capitalism. Then there is evil (small “e”) that is created by Man and often is besieged in bias such as cults, prostitution and pornography, commercial rap to heavy metal music, television and film.

Regardless of how one defines Evil, like all things, you have to understand its origins, the point of its source which leads back to the day Man was created either by a convergence of random celestial events or by GOD. The moment Man was given the gift of choice and or evolved out of his DNA and began to practice it for survival. The how’s and why’s are as diverse as Man’s rebellion to his creator, an ancient virus or infection, the curse or act of selfishness or Man’s curiosity for wanting to know more than he should know. In the end, the concept of Evil, as perplexed as human nature, is his desire to get answers on a “need to know” bases and that in itself seemed to be Man’s first sin; his pursuit of “knowledge”.

Does man really want to know what Evil is?

This is the 1 trillion dollar question to which there is no straight answer. Man is afraid of knowing what Evil is yet it’s a mystery that compels him to know. Again, this is the duality of Man’s nature. It’s the mystery that gives Mankind its purpose for deep down, Man recognizes that to know Evil is the one final answer removed from knowing what GOD is. And this is the base premise of most religions; especially for Christians, Hebrews and Muslims, “Evil” the first real sin of Man. There are variation to the statement which can be found in Hebrew and Islamic text that, "Those whom study Evil are studied by Evil” rings deep as a path of personal destruction. Broadening the argument, if one pursues the path of understanding Evil, one eventually become Evil is a warning that grips Man in fear and yet he still wants to know. Again, this is the far extreme of knowing the rapture of his existence, the duality of his nature.

I choose to be Good or Evil on purpose?

Like choice, we argue that within our duality, Man can choose his Evil. His moral and physical evils we see and experience daily in varying degrees. Be it stealing, the actions of one’s sexual practices, the taking of life for self-defense or pleasure, the choice to live without spiritual guidance, running for political office or the actions of greed, it's within Man’s ability to choose that defines how he dances with the Devil or about the role that Evil may play in his life. The same can be said about his Goodness. This is why benign intentions are often the greatest of Evils or when Man’s “good intentions” cause Evil actions. We know throughout history Man’s good intentions have condemned many to servitude, slavery, disease, genocide and it has often pushed the very good into living in perpetual poverty and modern concentration camps. These are the “good intentions” of the healthy, limiting the rights of people whom suffer with disease and illness or just being from another tribe. The choice to support the capitalizing of basic needs and the support of those things deemed dangerous to one’s well being (weapons of mass and limited destruction, drugs and alcohol, prioritizing educational standards, racial arrogance, dictating family structures or expanding choice without moral and ethical attachments). Some would argue that the cousin of Evil is “The Good Intention”.

No longer is the face of Evil painted in a traditional portrait of Hiroshima, Hitler, Weapons of Mass Destruction, American Slavery, White Supremacy, Apartheid, Somalia, Katrina, or a tiny town in Louisiana named Jena, but in the subtle preaching of segregated religion, a smile at the next door neighbor, the needing to know what happens behind closed doors of the person across town, the silence one has during a crime, the lack of ambition to search for the truth or even in questioning authority are the small evils that play vastly among a society.

The roll of Evil is a character in Man's personal play in life.

In the contemporary, Evil is Man made. This is only confined by his individual actions of “good intentions” and unconscious acts of Group-think. Like sheep, Man follows the leader no matter his/her credentials, as long as the leader has Good Intentions and takes steps in a direction to be followed. Evil (Big E) has stopped becoming a theory of religious significance and became more of a seed of doubt in the human condition, often cultivated by those whom "Shepard" it in the form of fear.

Gay Rights, Affirmative Action, Race and Cultural Bias, Crime and the Prison System, Gun Control, Universal Health Care, Islam and Terrorism are now the roots of Evil that has besieged the Western World and America, and to be honest, I can only recall these terrors becoming apparent in the past few years. How did this evil replace the Devil of say, the Exorcists or Damien; the child Anti-Christ; that evil Omen kid? I think as we became more sophisticated in our understanding of the modern world we have accepted collectively that a “Devil” would have far less appeal in destroying our sense of Self but to imagine the loss of an American way of life would be a far greater Evil; God fearing at best. The very thought of having to live like the people we have exploited for an American way of life would require an Exorcists of great repute to get rid of.

I recently heard this statement and gave pause to it, “Freedom Requires Religion and Religion Requires Freedom”. A very influential Religious leader recently spoke it as it related to America’s role in the Middle East and how our political candidate’s religious positions mattered. I’ll have to say that I am still contemplating this quote deeply but for right now I can say that on the surface, as it relates to the notion of Evil, if “freedom” is anything like choice, and “religion” is that which can save Man from Evil, then how we choose our freedom will very much determine our Goodness since we are currently determining which religion can foster and grow that in our nation. Be it the varied Christian faiths, the Judean and Islamic faiths or the Agnostics, they all make bids to exists in a free society to ultimately influence that freedom in order to exist. And within the “good (God) intentions” of all of the above, what direction will they take Mankind.

As I stated earlier, Evil is an extension of who he/she is; evil is a fraction of the being that which created it, and as one with “good intentions” why can’t Man make a conscious choice to ask the real questions, "What is it that I want, and is it wrong to want it?” This is the true nature of Evil, The Need To HAVE. When you can get to the core truth from that and those that worship "Evil"; the genuine “choice” of Man, we can get to the “needs to have God intentions" and become that much closer to the final answer removed from knowing what GOD is thus the statement, "The Road to Hell is often paved by GOOD intentions".

What I Learn By Being Silent

THIS IS A RE-POST FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR

NEW YORK, Manhattan On Broadway, after Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's lecture/debate at Columbia University I walked around outside to observe the chaos. Jewish and Christian anti-support on one side, community supporters, Middle-Eastern and students on the other. The line was clearly defined. Mixed in were the curious and the event chasers; those whom wanted to be part of the energy of the moment. They were all there playing out a script written by a Power no one truly understood, considered or even wanted to acknowledge. They were the seeds that will grow the madness that will effect the world around them. An infectious passion that will ripple in waves around the world with voices, radio and microwaves, print and paper, it will be the true Monster unleashed on an empty consciousness.

The amount of police security was typical for an event of this caliber. New York is very good with this type of circus. Not long ago I attended a rally against Police Brutality in Midtown just outside of Madison Square Garden and the riot police stood on the sides as if they represented the "defenders of truth" in war gear and bullet proof jackets. As a protester against Police Brutality, I felt very safe.

Streets were cut off and blocked, Secret Service (not so secret when you can clearly see who they are) were floating through the crowds like linebackers through pre-schoolers. Helicopters beat blades camping sky-side keeping watch as media deities should. Billboards and handwritten signs, fliers and invitations littered the grounds. Words in bold, words in bright, words that proclaimed we all should. "Free Iran", "Christians United for Israel", "Hitler Lives", "Stop War", "Stop Iran From Going Nuclear", "Honk If Bush Is A Terrorist", "Judaism Rejects Zionist" and so many more. My digital camera ate up the captured moments for long term storage and I constantly flipped through the assorted images burning the reality of passion meeting chaos head on and hard in my mind.

I watched the yelling and screaming of Jews vs Non-Jews as the term "Anti-Semite" rang throughout the air. Reporters dancing throughout the crowds hurrying for quotes like bees buzzing through barren fields for pollen near the end of summer. The "Boos" and jeers of people when debates were won and the losers caught with their passions in their throats. Then there were the ones who only wanted knowledge. Eyes like saucers they searched from speaker to speaker for a morsel of truth, a faint piece of "between the line" evidence lost by editors. They hurried from one group to the next, eyes and minds stretching thin to absorb whatever they can to build an opinion in a sea of ignorance, hate and fear.

There were the Jews vs. Jews, or in this case, Jews against Zionist and Christians for Jews, Patriots against Liberals, Yeshiva University against Columbia University and then there were Jews and Muslims side by side against Jew and Christians in mass. People laughed and people cried and some I feared would have heart attacks for hearts were attacked, beaten and broken. By dusk, more helicopter blades cut into air above us as they danced perfect circles in a clear sky. And it was loud.

An American Muslim from Harlem gathered a small group of on watchers as he preached the history of Prussia; politically referred to today as Iran and Iraq. An Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn read from the Torah and people sat on the pavement and listened. I watched several off-side debates between several Columbia Professors and a single pro-Bush Patriot from the Upper Westside; he lost the debate and stomped off into the distance cursing, "Liberals are destroying this Country!"

Fox, CNN, C-Span, BBC, The Associated Press, MTV, MSNBC, NY1, Bloggers and student reporters claimed their spots to tell Americans their perspectives on "The Monster" that came to America and then the police came afterwards to keep us "more" safe, they made sure the onlookers kept it moving. And they did move.

Fathers brought their Sons, Mothers brought their Daughters and I thought what will their experiences bring to their dreams tonight. What images will burn indelibly on the mind. What passions will they inherit and what logic will be lost after all is said and done. I know as a child seeing Black people demonstrating in the streets, police beating back protesters, fires and shattered store windows all painted clear and brightly on my conscious as men in uniform carried off my family who were simple standing on the sidelines for my protection.

I kept my mouth closed and my mind open.

When it was over, I came home, ate dinner, and thanked God that I am a Man of logic and not a man of passion -- at least for that today.