Jackass sey de worl' no level. Jackass sey dem sey duppy know who fe frighten, but who waan frighten duppy know who fe frighten too.

So The STAR, trusty tracker of all things supernatural and fleshy, reported yesterday that a pastor and some people (must be the loyal flock) chopped down a cotton tree in Marley Hill, Manchester, because it was purportedly housing a duppy or two and obeah was being worked there.

That was brave of them, wasn't it, to tackle a big ol' duppy tree without the backative of the army, the police force, five bishops, three archdeacons, a Pope or two and some Nyabinghi drummers just in case. Oh, there is just one thing. The blooming tree could not fight back!

Jackass has always noticed that when people are going to tackle duppies, they pick on the most harmless and at the safest time of day. Because Jackass really, really doubts that they tackled the poor old cotton tree in Marley Hill at midnight, when the full moon was up and the wind was howling.

No sah! Jackass is willing to bet the cotton tree-cutting crew took their daring step in the midday sun hot, shouting to each other for courage as they hacked away at the bark.

the duppy church

So Jackass suggests that all those who want to cast out demons should take on some projects that The STAR has already outlined. Yeah, man, remember the haunted house series that this newspaper did some time ago, when a crew went to various notorious duppy spots across the island and slept there?

Since they are in Manchester, why don't they go down to Mile Gully and pull down the duppy church there? Just march over there and start dismantling it (which shouldn't be hard, since it has started falling down already). And they should do it on a Friday the 13th, starting at 9 p.m., using only bottle torches, if they really, really, really want to impress Jackass.

Then they could head over to Rose Hall Great House in MoBay, lay-wait Annie Palmer's ghost and deal with her rash. Deal with the case wicked! Just wait till the ghost appears and say, "come ya white gal, yu tink a so dis ting go? Touris no fe a come a Jamaica a look pon no deadas white ooman when live black gal deh ya nuff nuff. Hold dis!" And then they would kufen it with a crucifix and box it with a little blue Gideon.

attacking spirits

Seriously, though, Jackass could not believe that people are still attacking spirits that they cannot see, when there is so much evil to take on that they can see and touch and hear. He wonders if they had heard about a case of child molestation in Marley Hill, would they have been so militant?

Jackass wonders if they display the same willingness to act when there are destitute, older people in their community.

Jackass ponders if they would organise themselves in that way to help some people in a storm this hurricane season.

Jackass really, really wonders.

Jackass sey de worl' no level. Jackass sey de Forestry Department or de environment people dem shoulda hable fe ol de pastor and de flock inna de cotton tree case responsible fe de madness weh appen.

'Jackass has always noticed that when people are going to tackle duppies, they pick on the most harmless and at the safest time of day. Because Jackass really, really doubts that they tackled the poor old cotton tree in Marley Hill at midnight, when the full moon was up and the wind was howling.'