IP: A dove in the land of the eagle

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:28:17 -0500
> To: "David J. Farber" <farber () cis upenn edu>
> From: John Schwartz <jswatz () mailgate nytimes com>
>
>
> Hi, Dave--I thought that this essay might be of interest to members of the 
> list. Cheers,
>
> John Schwartz
>
>
>
> A dove in the land of the eagle
>
> Pop musician JIAN GHOMESHI went on a U.S. tour determined to speak out 
> against the Afghanistan war. He discovered a very different nation from 
> the one portrayed on CNN
>
>
> By JIAN GHOMESHI
>
>
> Tuesday, November 27, 2001 - Page R1
>
> 'I work at the Pentagon and I'd like to have a word with you."
>
> His opening words are only slightly less intimidating than his size. He is 
> a very large, well-dressed man with a buzz cut and a mustache. He is 
> staring down at me. I am an antiwar Canadian musician of Iranian 
> background with a big mouth, bracing myself to match his stature with my 
> convictions.
>
> I have just finished a Monday-night gig at the hip Iota Club in the 
> Washington area. I am standing outside my dressing room catching my breath 
> when I'm confronted by the Pentagonian. This is a moment I have been 
> expecting on this recent whirlwind tour of 10 U.S. cities in 13 nights 
> with my backing band. I've been taking the stage each night and 
> interrupting my setlist of songs with words about my opposition to the 
> U.S.-led strikes against Afghanistan. Now I'm in the U.S. capital, where 
> the ashes of the 9/11 crimes against humanity are still smouldering. The 
> Pentagon is less than a mile away. I wait to be reprimanded for having the 
> audacity to speak against the actions of the U.S. military in front of one 
> of its representatives attending my show.
>
> It doesn't happen. The man gently explains that he believes action needs 
> to be taken against the Taliban, but that he respects my alternative 
> perspective. He says that he hopes the United States also will begin to 
> deal with terrorists at home such as the Ku Klux Klan. We exchange e-mail 
> addresses. He tells me he'll be at my next show in the area. It's hardly 
> the jingoistic rant I expect -- and at that, one of the only voices I hear 
> from that night who disagrees with me at all.
>
> If there's one thing I will learn on this latest U.S. tour, it's that I 
> should never make the mistake of assuming Americans to be a homogenous 
> group with one opinion....
>
> <snip>
>
>
> http://globeandmail.ca/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/search/tgam/SearchFullStory.html&cf=tgam/search/tgam/SearchFullStory.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&encoded_keywords=a+dove+in+the+land+of+the+eagle&option=&start_row=1&current_row=1&start_row_offset1=&num_rows=1&search_results_start=1
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>                 John Schwartz * The New York Times * 229 W. 43rd Street * 
> New York, NY 10036


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