Friends, I WAS there at Madison Square Garden and the first thing I will say is that transcriptions, TV stations, newspapers, etc... are selective in what they report and DON'T YOU FORGET IT! =) The second thing is that by the time Richard Gere took the stage, many folks were very drunk. I don't know about you but I've been in a bar with lots of drunk firemen/policemen downtown and WHOA!! Boo one minute, hugging each other the next. I just thought that it I should say that because alcohol does factor into the equation here. Not to mention the high energy that was almost tangible in that room. Richard Gere, while I admit I can't phrase word-for-word, said that at this time of violence we can channel our energies towards love and compassion [the crowd began to yell "BOO" and curse him] to which he replied "that's a common reaction right now, that's okay" in a very comforting, calm manner. He never mentioned anything about embracing our enemies. Although this is of course my own feeling on the matter, I thought what he did was a very courageous thing because in the long run I truly believe that humanity will begin to understand that violence breeds violence no matter whose side your on. Acts of kindness are pure and breed good things even though we may not live to see that day. The severity of terrorist actions are so shocking to the free world because we abhor the fact that they operate with such evil intent. During military action, our troops are acting on what they (and many of us) believe is noble and honest intent, in defense of our own freedom; our very lives, which we try to protect vehemently. Of course I won't go into a whole philosophical debate here but I wonder every day if people consider the fine line between "revenge" and "defense"? To defend is to protect from danger. Revenge is to inflict injury (in this case death) in return for (death) or to avenge. I think there was a mixture of both feelings which prompted our military action and also prompts the reactions like that of the booing crowd Saturday night. Also, all of the other celebrities made their feelings known so why is it that when people disagree with something they become selective in their own criticism. Personally I was a bit upset to hear fireman Mike Moran tell the crowd that "in the true spirit of the Irish, Osama can kiss my royal Irish ass" and "If you [Osama] want me, I live in Rockaway Beach, Queens - BITCH!" I saw the anger, the pain in that man and it made me uneasy and sad but also wanting to reach out to him so that he could turn that anger into something more positive if only to fuel the seeds of love in him not the seeds of the evil that makes him angry. I saw the weariness in the eyes of the families of the uniformed men and woman there. Perhaps Richard Gere did reach a few of the weary there. Maybe they can find love in their heart to take the place of the anger. Love will make them less weary. I would bet on it and if he reached one person that is good. I did not lose my brother but I lost my cousin, a firefighter, at the WTC and also a few friends. I don't like that people make their own judgments about how much suffering each person feels based on their relationship to a lost loved one. I live and work here in NYC every day but I still believe in the goodness of God's grace to lead us to act with compassion and love, not retaliation and defense. Now again, this is based on MY OWN PERSONAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS but I think deep in our hearts most of us know that no matter what your personal beliefs, good people are not always rewarded and bad people are not always punished. I think Richard Gere understands this perfectly which is one of the reasons why I applauded loudly as my arena neighbors shouted obscenities. When I read what one of you wrote about Richard Gere making a fool of himself I thought about Jesus, and yes I am comparing this aspect of Richard Gere to Jesus. Supporting others and helping others heal, which WAS the point of the benefit concert, was Gere's intent. Jesus' intent was to save our souls and even though Jesus did perform miracles to heal people's bodies, the contrasting lessons that Jesus taught were to open our hearts and our minds so that we may see God's glory in ALL THE WORLD. Even in the darkness their must be light, even at the hour our death, especially at the hour of our death, God is there. Even Jesus was made to look like a fool as people crowned him with thorns, spit on him and crucified him, which in those days was considered to be the ultimate condemnation, but because of his example and the example of people like Richard Gere, the Dali Lama or even our own President Bush, our faith can only be strengthened by truly listening for God's message in their words and by their deeds. I do appreciate the sacrifice made by anyone who has the intention of helping others so even though I pray for peaceful solutions, I am still tortured by my gratefulness for my freedom and how it may be achieved. I ask myself every day, "Is it because the US Military is fighting evil that I am safe and is it God's intention for me to feel safe? What does God want me to do? How should I love even my enemies when the enemies' intentions are evil?" I suppose this is my rambling but I honestly haven't rambled on too much since the tragedy and there are moments when my prayers need to be supported by some good ole' therapy. Writing is like therapy so if you'll all forgive me for including you in my session, I would be grateful. May you all be blessed with love in your hearts, Janene
Janene Otten [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.RockDaily.com www.RockNews.com "I stood unwound beneath the skies And clouds unbound by laws. The cryin' rain like a trumpet sang And asked for no applause" - B. Dylan
