Union Square Nutters

What kind of loony does it take to to stand in the Middle of Union Square protesting against Israel's "occupation" of Palestine? Well, that's what I set out to figure out. As it turns out, quite loony indeed.

I have always been intrigued by these folks with their controversial views who just seem to be begging for people to scream at them. I have also always feared getting in the middle of the mix, as these views and the people arguing are combustible.In the interest of blogging, I waded into the fray.

First observation, these people are plain crazy. Ok, you probably knew that. Second, these people are not only advocating for Palestine, they are primarily just begging to get yelled at. In fact, they clearly thrive on it. I guess something can be said for the adrenaline rush that comes with it. Just standing in the middle of these arguments, you could feel the energy. I guess my biggest disappointment was that these folks were clearly uninformed. Whatever your side of the conflict, in the interest in debate, a case could be made for either side with some basis in reality. Instead I heard conspiracy theories fly recklessly, particularly in regard to 9/11, for which I heard at least 3 different theories in the matter of 5 mins.. Most of them had virtually no real historical backround or education on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. They did have plenty of vim and vigor. If anything we should be confident that our right to free speech is fully intact, even if it borders inciting a riot. From here on out, I'll stick to my old policy, avoiding the nutters!