Do we over-react to, and in effect empower, very notion of Farrakhan?

A part of me becomes amused every time I learn of an incident where someone becomes offended by the very concept of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

We won't see encore come January of 2017 women's march in Chicago

Then again, another part of my essence is bothered by people who want to demonize Farrakhan as the ultimate example of antisemitism in this country.

BECAUSE MY OWN thought is to think of the group with their mosque down around 73^rd Street and Stoney Island Avenue as a fringe element – one that almost borders on irrelevance in the daily lives of the bulk of our society.

Do we manage to elevate their significance every time we try to portray Farrakhan as some sort of demon presence? Are we managing to over bloat the egos of those people inclined to think of Elijah Muhammad as a grand historic figure (and Malcolm X as some sort of renegade)?

And are we feeding into the victim mentality of modern-day Nation of Islam members into thinking they are the ultimate victims – being picked upon by the masses of our society.

Particularly by all those white people amongst us, including the many who do have their racial hang-ups.

FARRAKHAN: Seems to enjoy offending masses

THOUGHTS OF THE Nation of Islam popped into my head on the Day After Christmas when I read news accounts of how there won’t be a Women’s March next month in Chicago.

The event that in recent years has cropped up in placed across the nation to give women a chance to express themselves and show they’re not going to be intimidated into submission in our society was to be held locally on Jan. 19.

The past two years have seen the women march in great numbers (several thousands of people) through the streets of downtown to Grant Park – with the crowds being so great that some marchers hadn’t even begun their walk yet while others were already gathered at the park on the lakefront.

But not in 2019.

IT SEEMS THE Chicago activists who would have coordinated the local version of the Women’s March are upset that the national leadership have expressed support for Farrakhan.

Or maybe it’s that they haven’t thoroughly repudiated Farrakhan enough to satisfy certain elements of society – particularly people who are bothered by the fact that Farrakhan himself gave a speech earlier this year where he both praised Women’s March Inc. leaders, while also blaming “the powerful Jews are my enemy.”

Or, quite possibly, it’s that a whole lot of disparate groups are upset thinking that somebody else is trying to usurp the position they think they ought to have as the ultimate victim?

I’m wondering if the Chicago activists (who say they’ll hold their own event to be held separate of the Women’s Marches that will take place in Washington, D.C., and other cities across the nation) are really doing nothing more than empowering the Farrakhan followers.

GIVING THEM MORE reasons to think he’s a great man worthy of dignity and their respect – instead of just another crackpot saying whatever he thinks will gain him some public attention regardless of how ridiculous he sounds or how offensive he comes off as being.

Farrakhan followers congregate on Stoney Island, and nowhere else

And yes, I’m very aware that some people will read that last sentence and think I’m attacking Farrakhan himself.

Even though a part of me thinks we all tend to focus way too much attention on the man himself.

I’m sure the only real winners in all of this verbal brouhaha turns out to be that segment of our society that takes great pleasure from this Age of Trump we’re now in – as I’m sure they view the constant haggling amongst the majority of us as evidence of their own narrow-mindedness having a touch of legitimacy.

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Trump motives: fighting antisemitism? Or won’t be shown up by Joe Biden!

President Donald Trump wound up proceeding with his scheduled campaign stop Saturday on behalf of Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., even though it had been contemplated to cancel the event at the Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro out of respect for the incident that morning where people were killed while attending Shabbat services at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

TRUMP: Answering back before attacked?

Trump, the tough-talker who’s particularly vehement when communicating via Twitter, said he ventured to the land of Little Egypt (how the locals think of themselves) because, “we can’t let evil change our life and change our schedule.”

NOW THERE MAY be an element of truth that Trump wouldn’t want to cancel out on his appearance meant to bolster the re-election bid of Bost just because some bigot decided to bust into a synagogue armed with a rifle and pistols and start shooting the place up.

Some 11 were killed, others were wounded, and it is being called one of the bloodiest attacks on Jewish people in this country. Even Trump is calling it an “antisemitic attack at its worst.”

But I can’t help but think of more crass motivations in play for why Trump felt a flight on Air Force One to a remote part of Illinois was so important to make.

It will be just a few days before none-other-than Joe Biden, the former Vice President under the chief executive whose memory Trump would love to erase from the history books, will take place.

BOST: Beneficiary of Trump goodwill?

FOR BOST IS the guy being challenged by St. Clair County Brendan Kelly, who is the Democrat seeking to knock Bost from the House of Representatives, and one of some two-dozen Republican members of Congress whom Democrats think might be vulnerable on Election Day.

Personally, I’m inclined to think that Southern Illinois has changed significantly since the days when it was a working-class region (with many union member coal miners living there). Bost (whose moment of national prominence came back six years ago when he shouted, screamed and threw documents around during a session of the Illinois House of Representatives) may well be safe politically – particularly since that region is the lone part of Illinois where Trump is taken seriously.

HULTGREN: Will he get Trump help?

I have no doubt that Trump on Saturday was in a place where he felt much political love. Reinforcing his belief that he really does represent what this country is about.

Exactly the kind of sentiment that could be threatened if the perception got out there that Trump somehow got scared off, intimidated of sorts, into not showing up in Illinois.

JUST THINK OF how much trash talk Biden could spew come Wednesday when he appears on behalf of Kelly at a union hall in East St. Louis.

Which will come a few hours after Biden appears in suburban St. Charles to campaign for Lauren Underwood, who’s the nurse with political aspirations challenging Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., for his congressional seat.

He’s probably more vulnerable than is Bost, but you can be sure Biden will go out of his way on Halloween to bash both congress members by tying them as closely as possible in every possible way to Trump.

BIDEN: Dumping on Trump come Wednesday?

I don’t doubt Trump would not like the notion of Biden appearing in Illinois twice while Donald himself would not at all. It would probably seem to him like he’s surrendering to the former Vice President. And I suspect an unanswered taunt is the biggest evidence of political cowardice that exists in Trump’s mentality.

SO I SEE a touch of self-righteousness in Trump, feeling the need to answer back Saturday in anticipation of the Illinois-oriented insults he’s likely to get on Tuesday.

He may actually feel a touch of sympathy for Jewish people, although I suspect that’s largely because daughter Ivanka likely would read him the riot act in private if he didn’t (she did convert her religious faith when she married Jared Kushner).

If anything, I wonder if he’ll try to squeeze in a last-minute campaign stop this week in Kane County to benefit Hultgren. Anything is possible, I suppose.

One can talk about high-minded ideals as much as they want. But when it comes to political people, there’s usually a selfish motive behind anything they say or do – particularly when it comes to “the Donald.”

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