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11 October 2007
From: Joel Landy
Keep Space for Peace Week in New York City, October 11, 2007
Keep Space for Peace Week came to New York City on Thursday night, October 11th, when The Yippie Museum Café (9 Bleecker Street) in Manhattan hosted an evening of entertainment and activism. The event was hosted by Joel Landy and Songs of Freedom, a television program seen every week in New York and worldwide on the internet.
The evening began with Joel reading a communiqué from Bruce Gagnon, Secretary/Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, about the existence of StratCom and its overarching role in directing global and personal surveillance. Joel then welcomed the energetic audience of activists and others and introduced the evening with a song about his visit to this nation’s “Rocket City,” Huntsville, Alabama. The sing-along borrowed the tune from “Oh Susanna” and declared, “Yonder StarWars, weapons in the sky. When they tell you it’s about defense, you know that it’s a lie!” And the evening was on.Chris Lang followed with “Ocean”, a powerful poem remembered from the days of the Vietnam War written by Paul Goodman. “. . . Inside, I must be dying to lust so hungrily for life above clouds, above eagles. Indeed, these days my contempt for my countrymen is icy and my indignation raucous. Once their faces were beautiful to me and I was their loyal lover, but now their expressions devastate my soul . . .” Chris then added is own powerful and edgy songs capturing the moment and adding to the evening.
Then it was time for spoken word. Words of caution. Word of sanity. Words from Ken Gale, host of Pacifica Radio’s Eco-Logic, heard on WBAI in New York City. Ken reminded everyone about the dangers of playing with plutonium in space and how anything that goes UP always comes DOWN – plutonium included.
More announcements followed, concerning websites and other ways to get involved in saving the planet from lockdown, domination, contamination, our corrupted nation and other nations. Then it was time for the MacDougal Street Rent Party (Joel Landy, Anne Price, Steve Suffet) to take the stage and take evening home. Songs included Woody Guthrie’s “Peace Call” and Bob Clayton’s “Turn the Boat Around”, the latter to the tune “Yellow Rose of Texas”.
“It’s time to turn the boat around, that’s what the people say.
The compass reads disaster! You’ve run us hard aground.
So, it’s time to fire the skipper and to turn the boat around.”
Indeed.
Money collected for the evening’s work was forwarded to The Global Network. A video recording of the evening was edited into a 29 minute television program which continues to be cablecast and shown via the internet. If you seek a copy for promotional use, contact Joel Landy via email at joellandy@yahoo.com.
For information about Songs of Freedom, including times where it can be seen where you live and upcoming episodes, visit the program’s website, www.singfreedom.org.
For information about The Yippie Museum and The Yippie Museum Café, visit www.yippiemuseum.org, or call 212-677-5918.
Pictures: Joel Landy
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