Stop Imagining

Jay Bevenour

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More About

• Francois Bellouin
• John Lennon
• Lee Greenwood
• Neil Young
• World Trade Center

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But if the already-declared war is to be as long as the administration maintains, there are guaranteed to be many more infringements on speech rights in the future and more battles to be fought to overcome them.

Were he able, John Lennon, who was persecuted by the FBI and the U.S. Immigration Department for his peacenik views, would certainly raise his voice at such a time -- and understanding that only made Neil Young's performance of "Imagine" on September 21's America: A Tribute to Heroes (a better-than-anticipated telethon for terrorist victims) all the more satisfying. It hardly matters if Young chose the song for its aptness or as a protest against looming thought control. Far more important was the fact that untold thousands, perhaps millions, heard it, and were comforted by it, over Clear Channel radio stations from coast to coast. Imagine that.