Last week I had hundreds of copies of my song "Hey American" made into single CDs and I made 50 DVDs of the music video to give out for free to the people who, I thought, might want to stand up for the principles upon which this nation was founded while supporting the renovation of Cordoba House on Park Place.

My aim was to give this song out downtown, without comment or confrontation, to people no matter how they felt or where they stood. But I didn't have to go alone. I was joined by a small army of beautiful, thinking, Good people... Laura, Dean, Andrea, Dave, Brendan, Mary, Mimi, Robert, Teresa and Nathan.

What we encountered during the day was both beautiful and ugly. But I am obliged to say with all honesty... the people and the spirit down there were mostly very, very ugly -- the absolute worst and darkest side of human nature. It was twisted-religion and perverted-patriotism dressed in red, white and blue on parade.

Gonna bring you a little sample of the "bullshit" my friends and I encountered downtown last Saturday near the former site of the World Trade Center. This is the cancer that is seeping into American politics. This is the cancer called religious extremism against which our founding fathers were consistently on guard.

On Saturday September 11, a small fellowship in music, 11 of us headed down there with the intention trying to spread a little Reason and Tolerance through music to a crowd of very frightened and angry people.

But instead of finding sane people who were simply hurt and saddened on this date, we were confronted mostly with a whole bunch of right-wing religious wingnuts and really angry people who had no interest in... um... no interest in anything other than inspiring more hatred and division.

There were a lot of people wearing American flags as shirts, hats...probably underwear.

But I'd just like to give you sample of the insanity that Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the people at FOX are fomenting.

Note: If you're offended by The Religion Song, stop reading right here. But, it's been considered taboo to speak out about the harmful aspects of religion for way too long. My intention is not to offend anyone. I just hafta get this out and it must be said!!!!!!!!

.

.

These t-shirts were everywhere. I'm sorry, but I've just GOTTA let it rip. I've had enough of this shit! This is why I finally wrote The Religion Song.

.

Click on each photo
This one was amazing. Wow! Holy Shit!!! Being gay is a sin. Feeling that women are equals in society is... rebellion?

The shirt declares that "Islam is a lie"... well, I have no public opinion about that statement one way or the other. But I have to wonder about that question even being raised by a person who subscribes to a religion that avows a supernatural god placed sperm inside a young Jewish girl 2000 years ago, or that a god scratched some commandments on a rock with his finger and gave them to some guy who spoke to a burning shrubbery, or that a vengeful god instructed his "prophet" to order the slaughter of every woman and child and man who already lived in his "promised land", or that a god got pissed off at his first try with his creation so he decided to flood 'em all out and start over.... drowning every living man, woman and child... little children, kittens, puppies... killing 'em all so that he could start over.

All fucking nuts!

Evolution... is... ha! I'm lovin' that one! "Evolution is delusional" as opposed to the thought that a god removed a rib from the very first man... to get him laid. (And there I was wasting $49.95 on Match.com when I shoulda seen an orthopedic surgeon!)

Great stuff!

AND this one was just fun. By the same obvious logic, I guess... well... okay, okay. You're just gonna hafta make your own connection between "hate" and "chesseburgers".

.

And it wasn't just these Christian nutjobs. There were enough Jewish people down there claiming that the members of Cordoba House were bent on the elimination of Israel. (I guess they figure these terrorists were planning to destroy Israel from the swimming pool or from the basketball court in the proposed Cultural Center.)

.

At least these 2 clowns had the decency to come actually dressed as clowns. No confusion there. They are a couple of clowns and they dressed the part. (The best part you can't see in this photo. They mounted a tiny, shopping-cart wheel on the base of the cross, so it was basically... y'know... easier to bear.)

.

.

But these two assholes took the cake. I call them "Right-wing Slick & Cave Man Dude".

Click for larger image

This is a photo of the moment Cave Man was removing the CD from the envelope.

Y'see, as I walked by these two, the guy in the "too-cool-for-the-room" shades, Slick, was shouting and pointing a finger at a petite woman who was wearing a shirt with a peace symbol on it. Cave man Dude was just standing next to him flexing. I handed them a copy of the CD to calm him down and said, "Here man, this is for you. You might dig it, you might not, but it's a free song and if you can email me about it if you want." Then I turned to walk away. At first he looked confused but then said loudly.

"Fuck! Yeah, you're another one!" I wanted to keep walking but I found myself standing still, then turning around to confront this man.

Now, as best I can recall, this is gonna be pretty damned close to our exchange.

.

David: Another one, what?

Slick: Another one!

David: (Directly) Another one... what?

Slick: What's this song about?

David: Listen to it and you decide.

Slick: Yeah, it's bullshit.

David: You haven't even listened to it. You have no idea what it even says.

Slick: Yeah? It's more bullshit. (pause) What's it about?

David: It's just a song about basic American principle.

Slick: Yeah, I don't even know what that fucking means!!!

David: (smiling) Well, that's kinda obvious.

Slick: (Sarcastically) Really, open-minded!!!

David: Ha! Then be open-minded. Just listen to the song.

Cave Man Dude butts in by removing the CD from the envelope.

CaveMan: Here's what I think of your bullshit song.

He flings the CD onto the pavement in the middle of the avenue.

Cave Man: That's what I think of your fuckin' song. Sounds like more Liberalism to me!

David: That doesn't even make sense. It doesn't sound like anything to you. You didn't even listen to it and you're throwin' it in the street.

Cave Man: I don't have to listen to it.

David: No. No, that's true. You don't hafta listen to it.

Cave Man: I'll piss on it. I'll urinate on it in the middle of the street.

David: I ain't stickin' around to see that! (Then to Slick) You might wanna talk to your friend about "open-minded".

Slick: Fuck you.

David: (Walking away, shaking his head) Peace

.

.

That about captures the experience of the day.

.

***************************

Once again I have to quote Charles Dickens:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of Wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of Belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of darkness, it was the Spring of Hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us... "

.

What d'you think?

.

YOUR COMMENTS

.

.

UY!

.