"Oh, peace train, take this country, come take me home again"
markcrispinmiller.substack.com
Discover more from News from Underground by Mark Crispin Miller
News from Underground is based on my belief that, like journalists, academics have a civic obligation to help keep the people well-informed, so that American democracy might finally work.
Over 37,000 subscribers
Continue reading
"Oh, peace train, take this country, come take me home again"
I love him, thank you Mark.
Cat Stevens/Yusuf is the one who gives me courage on the rare occasion I have to fly.
I always loved flying - but after 2001, have been torn apart every time by the Stasi TSA. Locally, in state, federally and internationally. Don't know why me, but they always pull me aside and tear my clothing and backpack apart. For 21 years. While my family stands and watches. I've learned to LOVE trains, ferries and cars.
After September 2001, I used to say to people next to me in line "This is the step right before the gas chambers."
I was sure my fellow humans would not submit to government bodily invasion and we would all make short shrift of the new TSA.
I was surprised and saddened that I turned out to be an outlier relatively alone in pointing out this was “unconstitutional”.
It was then that I realized most fellow humans, friends and family, did not want to do the work of examining. Anything. And that for some, “safety” was more important than liberty. And that the fear of death trumped all for my species. That closing their eyes tightly to the obvious ridiculousness of the September 2001 narrative was preferable to the work of resistance.
Our longtime Senator Ted Stevens' wife's name was Cat (Catherine) Stevens, and SHE was on a list and torn apart for years until, finally, someone, somehow resolved that she was not THAT Cat Stevens.
“We are privileged to be able to create a glimpse of unity through music,” Yusuf said in a statement. “However, if you want to make the Peace Train real, then you need two tracks: one track has to be Justice, and the other must be Well-being. Everybody should have access to these two things, then the Peace Train can really get going.”