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I too applaud Zimmerman. I get annoyed at people who say "America, love it or leave it!" The point is we have free speech, which you as a military veteran have sacrificed to preserve. I don't necessarily agree with Zimmerman and I heartily agree that a concert is a suboptimal place to express such views. The founding fathers considered free speech a paramount right (that's why it's the first amendment) and they weren't talking just about speech we agree with or is expressed nicely. I also agree that those who walked out on Zimmerman had every right to do so, though they probably missed some very emotional playing thereafter. There are many countries where any disagreement with the government will put one's life at risk. This country isn't one of them, freedom of speech is sacrosanct, you don't have to agree with it, in fact you're welcome to argue about anything. To say Zimmerman's actions were biting the hand that feeds him is an observation of fact, to say he should keep quiet is un-American.

To say that he could have shown more respect to his captive audience in those circumstances is pro-civility.

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and here we are rehashing a year old thread ...


P.S. Jack Gibbons' reentry here is perfectly appropriate, BTW. He has an active interest in reviving the thread. Hopefully, that will be temporary.

....to which I would add that as a general matter, I completely don't understand the occasional objection that is expressed about re-opening old threads.

Or maybe better to put it this way: I've seen some people explain their objections, and I don't agree that any of them hold the proverbial water.

Which is exactly why I also said that expressing his views in a concert setting was "suboptimal" and that he was indeed "biting the hand that feeds him." So we agree! Why did you feel it necessary to rehash this?

I not against civility, but civil disobedience has a long and proud history in this country (and no I'm not saying they're equivalent). Given the current climate of discomfort with any disagreement and the staggering weight of important issues facing us we need to learn how to have civil conversations about the issues facing us. Jingoistic phrases (such as love it or leave it) are not constructive in civil discourse. I believe this country would benefit greatly if we all learned some tolerance for viewpoints we disagree with. It would certainly make political disagreements more civil. Of course until that happens, in public discussion, we all have the right to express our views. Except that PW is a private community and such discussions are typically given a short leash. So let's try to keep it civil.

Here, at any rate, is the ancient post of mine that he included in the one he deleted. For all the threats about "slander" and "contacting the administrators", it remains merely my opinion on a blog entry that I recall as being an attempted hatchet job on Zimerman. And, I have to emphasize, it was in response to liszt95's assessment (and OSK's bringing the blog entry into the already heated discussion), and not directly to the blog itself - that's a subtle point, but one that some of you may appreciate.

That Yamaha keyboard, if you read his most recent response, was all the man had. He stated that he couldn't afford insurance. Perhaps, you've not ever borne the brunt of severe financial difficulty the likes of which it appears Mr. Gibbons has. I hope that you haven't, but when all you have is just that...all you have...it becomes more precious than gold.

Which has nothing to do with the point I think I was trying to make at the time. The point would have been that, regardless of any individual owner's financial situation, electric keyboards are a dime a dozen relative to a hand-picked and customized concert grand, which, as I am sure you know, are each unique and irreplaceable.

Anyway, Zimerman's rant wasn't even about what happened to his pianos, nor was it directly connected. That connection made was completely on the part of reporters, AFAIK.

i think this thread was better forgotten, all these politics draw too many lines in the sand.

Beautifully said.

i missed the deleted post, but i can guess the jist of it. surely we all have a story to tell, no one lives a life so easy. can't we let all this go?

What exactly is your point?

Jack noticed what had been said; he wished to reply, which at least some of us feel was very justified; there have been a few posts since then, digesting and discussing it, over the course of less than a day.

It may well now be time to let it go. But it didn't need any annoyed posts like that.

Which is interesting in itself, since it is a year and some months later. How does that happen?

And then, too, this thread itself was started on the basis of an old review from something like a year and eight months earlier. You must be loving it, what with your affection for zombie threads - it's a zombie thread based on zombie news. Yay, doubly good!!

I think he explained that.

Except that he left out the most important parts: who, and why, and why so belatedly (or, put differently, why now).

Okay, it may not have been exactly the point you were trying to make, but you DID include it in your rant, which DOES make it part of your point, whether you intended it to be or not. I'll counter by saying that regardless of the fact that electric keyboards are a dime a dozen (yes, I know, a concert grand) the owner's financial situation IS NOT a thing of disregard. If he couldn't afford insurance then the price tag of a new electric must have seemed insurmountable at the time.

I'm fully aware of the intent of Zimerman's "outburst", by the way.

Have you ever thought that he might not have seen this thread until just prior to his posting? Quite possible.

Thank you.

(I know I've had you on ignore...and you still are...but I've been toggling you throughout this thread).