Come on up for the rising

You know what, it is really none of my business.  Not that that has ever stopped me before, but in this case I thought it was the better part of valor to just leave the whole thing alone.  We are speaking, of course, about the Ground Zero Mosque (which is neither at Ground Zero nor is it really a mosque.)  When something gets to be the focus of so much emotion, I am not sure there is a way to have a rational discussion about what is going on.  So I keep my mouth shut.

Until they have to go and drag Bruce into it.  According to reports on NPR this morning, protesters rallying at the site yesterday were playing Toby Keith and Bruce Springsteen to show their patriotism.  In the background, “Born In the USA” was blaring through some speakers.  I find this not only a travesty of gigantic proportions in terms of the social justice record of Bruce Springsteen, I find it a dramatic misinterpretation of the song itself.

Basically, the theme of “Born in the USA” is that the country is ruining the life of a man who can’t understand why this is happening.  Despite it’s delivery in the recording made in 1982 and released in 1984, the chorus is less of a defiant cry than a wounded howl.  Besides which, Springsteen’s songs about 9/11, as heard on his album “The Rising” directly reference Islam and “The Prophet” as sources of redeeming strength.  So quit playing Bruce Springsteen songs at reactionary rallies.

And quit picking on the Muslims.  What they are trying to build is community.  The building is a community center with a pool and a basketball court.  It’s a YMMA.  Or maybe we are just calling these things Ys now.  I don’t know.  The point is that they want to provide a place for people in Lower Manhattan to come together to build up themselves and others physically and spiritually.  Their spiritual beliefs are based in Islam, the same religion of the 9/11 hijackers.  The YMCA has the same goals except with Christianity as it’s base.  Christianity was also the religion of Timothy McVeigh.  But he may have been agnostic.  Or a chemist.  Well, he was definitely an amateur chemist, but in terms of religion he was sometimes big on science.  But that’s a different discussion.  What I’m saying is that you can attach any religion to some pretty horrible people.  You can also trace most of them to some unbelievable transformations in communities.  The Muslims of Southern Manhattan are trying to do just that.  Protesters, please take your Toby Keith and go home.  Leave the Springsteen.