CONQUEST
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Actually to be fair to Mr. Baraka the poem was originally written in October 2001 (It's not like we didn't know then who did it, either) which even makes it more shocking that he was picked as Poet Laureate of New Jersey last summer by a six-member board appointed by the New Jersey Council. I can only imagine the members of this board read as much poetry as the rest of us.
The controversy arose from the lines, "Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed/Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers/to stay home that day/Why did Sharon stay away?"
I am extremely disturbed when I hear these remarks. Either Mr. Baraka is a racist who totally fabricated these 4,000 workers who stayed home or my fellow Jews didn't give me the signal again. (Why do the Jews leave me out of things! It's not my fault I haven't made it back to temple since my bar mitzvah!)
I would tend to believe the former for the simple reason that I believe it is impossible for 4,000 Jews to keep a secret. Besides what was the signal given for the Jews to stay home? Did someone tell them there was a "Fiddler on the Roof" marathon on TV that day? Was there a sale at Loehman's?
After these lines from the poem received media attention it caused me to read it in its entirety and I even found more astonishing lines such as "Who know why Five Israelis was filming the explosion/And cracking they sides at the notion." Oh sure I bet all of Israel was getting a good laugh from this. After all it's not like they ever experienced any terrorism.
As far as the 5 Israelis filming the explosion, which I doubt is true but even if it is that makes everyone with a video camera a suspect. Lets save time and go arrest everyone at CNN.
Shai Goldstein, the New Jersey regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said Mr. Baraka had "added insult to injury" by perpetuating what Mr. Goldstein called a "big lie" that had circulated through many parts of the world that somehow Jews were responsible for the attack on the trade center. Mr. Goldstein also said, "It is good that Mr. Baraka and people like him make comments like this otherwise the Anti-Defamation League would have nothing to do." Just kidding, he really didn't say that. But if Mr. Baraka can make up false facts why can't I throw in funny lines?
Here is the best part, after calls for Mr. Baraka's resignation as the Poet Laureate, it was found out that his position cannot be taken away. Apparently in New Jersey you can fire teachers, policeman, and superfluous cast members on "The Soprano's"-- but don't touch the poet.
Whatever union poets belong to, I want in.
It's a slippery slope, first we let them get away with poetry that doesn't rhyme and next thing they get lifetime tenure.
Once they determined he could not be fired he was asked to resign. I can only guess he poetically said "Hell no, I won't go." At a library dedication where he was the keynote speaker he stated, "It s a poem that aims to probe and disturb." It did that for me because I found it so disturbing that he would probe so little.
Mr. Baraka then proceeded to spend 45 minutes going over his poem almost line by line. After the 45 minute poem the crowd was probably thankful that Mr. Baraka does not write novels. In his diatribe he said there is no evidence at all of any anti-semitism. No evidence at all other than such a statement reminds people who hear it of Mein Kampf. I can only feel sorry for the people of New Jersey as they had to listen to this poem and Bob Toricelli's concession speech all in the same week. Sometimes being deaf isn't all that bad.
Worst of all for Mr. Baraka is that his poem is unoriginal. Blaming the Jews has been going on for years and is in every argument that people like him make. It's the old adage that in any argument if the facts are on your side you argue the facts, if the law is on your side, you argue the law. If neither the law or facts are on your side, you blame the Jews. It's very easy to do and the best part is you actually get some people to believe you. It can even hide your own incompetence. If you don't believe me just ask Yasser Arafat.
Since it looks like Mr. Baraka will be at his position for a while I think he should make this into a whole series. How about "Somebody attacked Pearl Harbor, Why did three thousand Jews become seasick and leave the boat that day?" I could go on for days making fun of Mr. Baraka and these Jewish myths he believes in but I have a big day at work tomorrow; it's not easy running Hollywood.
NEW YORK, NY, USA - It's not bad enough that the Jews get blamed for wrongs in Hollywood and on Wall Street ... but now September 11? Amiri Baraka, the poet laureate of New Jersey, read his poem "Somebody Blew Up America" this month at the New Jersey Poetry Festival. Somebody? Hey Amiri, I know it's not as smooth as poetry but if you picked up a newspaper you would see we found the culprits. As a matter of fact, we've been fighting a war against them for a year.
As far as "Why did Sharon stay away," does he know something that we don't. It's not as if Sharon was scheduled to be there that day. So if we are going to speculate why more Jews were not in the towers why stop there? Where was Jackie Mason that day? Why was he not doing his shtick on the 100th floor with Yitzhak Pearlman as his opening act. As a matter of fact where was every single living Jew on this earth, why were they not in those buildings? If that doesn't show a Jewish conspiracy I don't know what does.
STUART ALTMAN - Says of himself: "I am an attorney in New York City who enjoys writing humor articles. I came in third in the Funniest Lawyer in New York Competition(Then again I don't know if that's saying much because the guy who won was still telling O.J. jokes)." This is his first article for The World's Magazine.
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