Gasparilla Parade Tampa 2008

I dressed in my Biblical Moses costume and carried a sign that said PIRATES WERE TERRORISTS. Thousands of people many dressed like pirates and all draped with beads walked by me on the bridge. The usual reaction was laughter. I guess the sign was so unexpected creating some kind of cognitive dissonance which elicited laughter.

Many said "No that's wrong."
Many said "You are right, they were terrorists.

Hundreds from what I call "Generation Pix" pulled out their digital cameras, or cell phones and wanted their picture taken with me (more girls than boys)....it's more of a girl thing. I was shocked by some of the poses and words I heard from the girls. One said she wanted to----me like a porn star. One grabbed me from behind ripped off my head dress and shouted several time in my ear that she wanted to do something oral to me.

People called me Moses, but far too many called me Osama ,or mumbled some kind of faux Arabic...so this costume can be mistaken for something I don't want to represent.

I did some street preaching when someone would try to defend pirates. I would answer back loud enough for others to hear that

"There is nothing good about pirates, they burned cites, pillaged, plundered, killed children, raped women, took slaves, kidnapped and did it all in the name of Gold. They held nothing sacred. What else were they if they were not terrorists?"
I asked people to tell me one good thing about Pirates and they would say.
"They are fun."
"They are funny."
"They give beads."
"I love Jack Sparrow."
"I love Long John Silver."
"I love Jolly Roger. He was Jolly."
"They are sexy and adventurous."
"Lighten up."
"Get a life."
"You are wasting space on this planet."
"Arrrrrrghhh."
"F--- you."
"You are a terrorists."
"Christians are terrorists."
"I just came to see the women."
"I just came to show my boobies."
"We're from Chicago, we'll celebrate anything."


When I was able to actually converse with people I would ask "why are we celebrating evil men? We are a monkey-see-monkey-do kind of people and we should be imitating good people like Jesus or the Heavenly father, not pirates.

In one on one conversations, people would usually say "I see your point.


At twilight the parade was over and thousands streamed back across the bridge and many were inebriated. They hooted and drowned out my preaching. They were much more hostile and someone knocked my sign to the ground. It had begun to drizzle and so I left. I didn't want to be mistaken for a Muslim after dark.