One more PS... After signing off, I recalled the last time I faced an American police officers gun. It is a rather funny story. Have you heard of William Kunstler? He was the lawyer for Dr. M L King, one of the negotiators for the Attica Prison Uprising, lawyer for and friend of Dylan Thomas, and the Chicago 7. The head of the Russian communist part had him admitted to the Moscow bar to defend him against charges brought by Boris Yeltzin. He was an old and dear friend of mine, and one day I found myself driving to a native reservation with him that was surrounded by State Troopers, due to a dispute over cigarette taxes (the thanks we give for being given tobacco I suppose.) There was a ring of state troopers with M 16s around the reservation, which as a tributary of the Iroquois confederacy, was being defended by Mohawk warriors armed with AK's. I was strongly reminded of the feeling in Belfast.
A trooper stopped us as we drove up to the entrance to the reserve. I had a canoe on top of my van, having no where else to keep it, and long braided hair. Bill, was sitting beside me, with his long white locks. To remind the troopers where they were, I greeting him in Western Nantic, the language of this particular nation.
"Askoway Kawasin" I said.
"What are you guys, Indians?" the trooper replied.
"No, we're lawyers, " came Bills sonorous voice from the inside of the van.
"Where do you practice?"
"I am William Kunstler" came the reply.
"Ugh huh, I'll ask again, where do you practice?"
Bill looked thunder struck and whipped his head around in a staged double take.
"I said, I'm William MOSES KUNSTLER! I practice in all 50 States and quite a few foreign nations!"
"Got any guns" the officer asked, unimpressed.
"I don't have any guns, " I said. However, I knew that although a famous radical, Bill was also an ex- Marine captain, and a bit of a gun nut, and sometimes went about the town with a gat.
"Hey Bill, you packing heat?" I asked.
"I don't have a gun, " Bill huffed.
"Nothing sharper in here than our wits," I told the officer.
Bill suddenly roared out the window, "Young man, we have something far more dangerous than guns!"
The officer took a step back and unsnapped the cover of his side arm. Across no man's land there came the sound of numerous AK's being locked and loaded, and instantly a like response from the troopers.
Bill shouted, as if nothing was amiss, "WE HAVE THE SWORD OF JUSTICE!!!"
There was a palpable relaxing sigh, all around. Bill then motioned the officer over with his index finger...
"Tell me sonny, You really never heard of William M. Kunstler?" he asked like an old grandfather.
Taken in the officer smiled sheepishly and said, "No, Sir, I never have." "ROOKIE!!!" Bill yelled! Then turned to me and said, "Drive on Larry, my boy! " thereby dismissing the police and we drove onto the res.
Sorry for the thread drift, however, Bill was the soul of American People's law, and his presence here would certainly cause him to smile
. All the best
Larry