1 May 2008 - 9:26Ghosts in your Fort? Yeah, we do that!

The interment of Japanese and Italian Americans during WWII is a tragic blight on this nation’s history, and a gross violation of human rights in a nation that aspires to treat all individuals with dignity.

However, to honor the memory and sacrifice of those interned does not require magic and hocus-pocus. On Tuesday, during a dedication of a plaque at a Fort Missoula building that once held Japanese-Americans during WWII, a Zen master was employed to cleanse the bad air of the past.

Some highlights from the article:

Takabayashi explains it [the building] as having a “very funny mood” and “dark air.”

On Tuesday, at a sign dedication ceremony recognizing the building’s historic significance, Takabayashi blessed and cleansed the building of its painful past and worked to “clear the room of negative influences.” Only days earlier, walking the long lonely stretches of hallway, Takabayashi sensed as many as 27 unsettled spirits there.

“This is where their fates were decided,” said Diane Sands, development director for the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, standing in what was once the courtroom where hundreds of Japanese-American detainees had to prove they weren’t spies. “Of course there are some remnants of that energy here.”

It’s difficult for Takabayashi to elaborate on the spiritual beings, but he’s confident now that the air is “very different.”

Different from the air outside? in this musty old building? I for one am shocked. This was front page news! A magic ritual to clear “dark air” of “27 unsettled spirits” (no more, no less).

Why not an informative lecture on the building’s past and a bit on the personal history of those interned, letters and words from family members affected? This was a dark time in our past, how about use this as an opportunity to spread some knowledge and context so that we not repeat such egregious neglect of the rights of Americans. Nah, a ritual will suffice, sprinkle some rice, ring a bell, and call it a day. To be fair, the historical plaque is an nice addition to the Fort Missoula Museum!