Note: All opinions are those of Pat Schwind only, & not those of anyone else at Impact Mortgage Network.
Before Ahmad’s amazing presentation, we discussed “Where’s Obama’s birth certificate?” Actually, it was more like “How Freakin’ Nutty are these Stupid Crackers who continue to Deny Reality?” Folks, I believe a lot of conspiracy theories, many revolve around taking America to Wars like the Spanish-American, WWI, Vietnam, Afghanistan – Iraq, etc. I believe JFK ‘s assassination & ‘9-11’ were both ‘Inside Jobs’. The greatest conspiracy today has nothing to do with Obama’s birth; it’s the “vast right wing”, with it’s talons & tentacles into every important aspect of life, especially re: the Un-American War on Drugs, derailing Health Care Reform, & stealing elections. Where was the “T-bag Crowd” when W stole the Y2K & ‘04 elections?
In “A Black Marine’s Battle for Civil Rights in the Vietnam War”, Ahmad described declining to pursue a career as a Marine Corps pilot in 1966, to stand up for freedom & liberty, & then spending 2.5 years in prison for his campaign for civil rights, & simple answers to uncomfortable questions. It was an amazing story.
It started one Sunday, when Ahmad, who normally went to church "on base", in Millington, Tennessee, while in Marine Corps aviation school near Memphis, was dressed impeccably in his uniform, walked into a White Church, & was promptly told to "Get your NIGGER ass out of our White church"! He did, but was shocked, because he was from New York, & had no idea Black folks were treated this way routinely in much of America at that time. His family had sheltered him from the reality of "Jim Crow" laws & evil attitudes, when they traveled back to the South to visit relatives. Those vacations were well planned with picnic meals, & "friendly places" to stop for bathroom breaks & overnight stays, so that the kids would never experience the "you're not welcome" atmosphere that permeates the former Confederacy, even to this day.
Ahmad went back to base, & began studying history. He quickly read 3 books that changed his outlook on life:
1) "Crisis in Black & White", by Charles Silberman;
2) "Who Speaks for the Negro", by Robert Penn Warren; and
3) "White Man Listen", by Richard Wright.
He started to ask uncomfortable questions that revolved around the theme of: "Why do we train to go to Asia to fight Brown folks, & have to come back to the states & fight for our own civil rights as Brown folks here?" Because of his pursuit of historical facts & current answers to burning questions, he lost his motivation to help the US war effort, soon flunked out of flight school, & was transfered to Camp Pendelton. Once there, he tried to use the standard "chain of command" for answers, but was immediately told that if he did, he'd go to prison. So he went directly to the camp commander, a Lt. General, was labeled a "trouble maker" & was sentenced to 10 years in prison at Portsmouth, N.H. Ten years, when other Marines were coming home from Vietnam, convicted of rape & murder of innocent civilians, & given 3 & 5 year terms in the brig!
He used his time in prison to study & better himself spiritually & intellectually, reading many books, including "The Autobiography, of Malcom X", & converting from Baptist to Islam. Virtually every request for help, to the standard Black & Anti-War organizations, fell on deaf ears. Except one. He was depressed & emotionally "beaten down", when someone suggested he contact the ACLU. This great organization, the bane of the "Birchers" & object of ridicule by every right wing "control group", came to his rescue. After 2.5 years in prison, he finally "won", was released with an "Honorable Discharge", & back pay!
So the next time some stupid "angry white man" mouths off about the evils of the ACLU, please tell them they're an idiot. And if you don't have the guts to do so, please tel them that Pat Schwind loves the ACLU, & loves to fight stupid crackers with their heads up their butts, & he needs sparring partners.
Since leaving the Marine Corps, Ahmad has amassed an impressive resume of educational & professional goals. He's had a wonderful & fulfilling career as a community activist, & traveled the world as an international delegate for numerous peace & human rights organizations. He's now the executive director of the Arizona chapter of "CAIR", the "Council on American Islamic Relations".
Always the optimist, Ahmad often quotes famous great leaders, such as Gandhi: "Jail is a place of dignity, if you're there for the right reasons". And Malcom: "If you can change your philosophy, then you can change your thought patterns; if you can change your thought patterns, then you can change your attitude; once you change your attitude, you can change your behavior patterns."
This was one of the best presentations we ever had at the S/E. And the attendance was pitiful. Some folks said, "Oh Pat, it's the summer in Phoenix; nobody wants to do anything". Oh yeah? Exactly one year earlier, on 7-31-08, we had a record crowd at the S/E, 33 people, when I defended the statements of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I know the economy's bad, but bad enough for only 10 folks to show up to hear a great story, told personally by a great Black man, when 33 people showed up exactly one year earlier, to hear some white guy (me) defend another great Black Man?
(Jeremiah Wright is a "great man", & when some angry white man says different, please have the guts to say so; if not, tell the stupid cracker that I love Jeremiah Wright, & love to fight stupid crackers).
Folks, it doesn't cost anything to "just show up" to the Strategic Edge! If you do, please buy at least a cup of coffee, & tip generously. But there's no "Dues", unless you want to be the "exclusive" person for your industry. I'm the only guy that has that designation in the whole group! It's basically just a free speech forum. The point is: it doesn't cost much to "show up". If you've never been out to our meetings, you're really missing some real fun. Please give it a shot.