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Sept. 30, 2004 "Morning has broken, like the first morning Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird Praise for the singing, praise for the morning Praise for the springing fresh from the world." Hurricanes, barbaric acts of terrorism, the quagmire in Iraq, jobs being outsourced, skyrocketing price of gasoline, negative political ads -- the news has been unrelentingly dreadful the past few months. And now, horror or horrors, a nightmare from my past is all over the media. Every time I hear about Cat Stevens on the news, that toxic melody plays in my mind, over and over again. The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens is prohibited from flying into the United States because of his alleged association with possible terrorists, U.S. officials said in explaining why a London-to-Washington flight carrying the peace activist was diverted. The claim was strongly denied by the London-born singer, who changed his name to Yusuf Islam more than 25 years ago. Islam, while in Washington last May, met officials of the White House Office of Faith- Based and Community Initiatives "to talk about philanthropic work," according to a White House spokesperson. For an individual on a "no-fly list," Islam really gets around. Will a White House spokesperson now admit that Osama bin Laden was at the Easter Egg Hunt at the White House last year? The folk singer hasn't had this much airplay since the 70s when he had a string of insipid hits like "Wild World," "Morning Has Broken," "Moonshadow" and "Peace Train." I don't know if Mr. Islam belongs on a no-fly list, but he most certainly belongs on a no-play list. Radio stations with an "Oldies" format should refrain from playing his brain-cell destroying songs. Multitudes are probably petitioning the Department of Homeland Security to add Yanni, Wayne Newton, William Hung and other nausea-inducing singers to their "Deportation List." As a young man, I pretended to like Cat Stevens because my girlfriend thought that he was the coolest cat in the world. Whenever we were together and a Cat Stevens ditty came on the radio, I would smile and hum along with her. That experience left lasting psychological scars that turned me into a cynical columnist. I don't believe that Islam is a terrorist intent on sneaking a bomb into a passenger plane, but I pray that he isn't intent on making a comeback. For Cat Stevens to once again invade radio with his deplorable tunes would truly be an act of terrorism. Let's pray that all this publicity isn't giving the namby-pamby folk singer any crazy ideas about launching a comeback. We should make lemonade from a lemon and force the terrorists detained in Guantanamo Bay to listen to Cat Stevens songs so that they will give up and tell us everything they know. "Morning has broken, like the first morning..." Morning is broken?, my will is broken, stop that infernal music, I will tell you everything." ------------ About the author Robert Paul Reyes: I am a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger. Email: rreyes4966@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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