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Bono
frees Aung San Suu Kyi
He put a world of pressure on some
bad-ass military thugs
Myanmar's
military government freed its archrival, democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi, on Saturday
after her latest term of detention expired. Several thousand jubilant
supporters streamed to her residence.
A smiling Suu Kyi, wearing a traditional jacket and a flower in her
hair, appeared at the gate of her
compound as the crowd chanted, cheered and sang the national anthem.
"If we work in unity, we will achieve our goal. We have a lot of things
to do," she told the well-wishers,
who quickly swelled to as many as 5,000. Speaking briefly in Burmese,
she said they would see each other
again Sunday at the headquarters of her political party.
The 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, whose latest period of
detention spanned 7 1/2 years, has come
to symbolize the struggle for democracy in the Southeast Asian nation
ruled by the military since 1962.
The release from house arrest of one of the world's most prominent
political prisoners came a week
after an election that was swept by the military's proxy political
party and decried by Western nations
as a sham designed to perpetuate authoritarian control.
Supporters had been waiting most of the day near her residence and the
headquarters of her party.
Suu Kyi has been jailed or under house arrest for more than 15 of the
last 21 years.
Aung San Suu Kyi - free at last.
As her release was under way, riot police stationed in the area left the scene and a barbed-wire
barricade near her residence was removed, allowing the waiting supporters to surge forward.
Her release was immediately welcomed by world leaders and human rights organizations.
President Barack Obama called Suu Kyi "a hero of mine" said the United States
"welcomes her long overdue release."
No mention of Bono and U2?
Bono's been in the biggest band in the world for for 24 years.
And they play in more places than just Giants Stadium in New Jersey - they play in every big city
in the f-ing world and the costs involved make Bono and U2 some of the biggest gamblers in the world.
This monster and the crew cost $750,000 PER DAY to upkeep.
Think what that's like - a sore throat could cost them $2,250,000 or more.
For the last few years, they've dragged this bad boy to hundreds of shows in every corner
of the world and at EVERY SHOW, he called attention to the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi.
I'd never heard of Aung San Suu Kyi until we saw U2 last year - and I'm in "the business."
I assume nobody knew about her but Bono stopped every show to not only talk about her,
he had a hundred or more shackled Amnesty International volunteers come onstage wearing their
Aung San Suu Kyi masks so there was no way you could see U2 and not know who this lady was.
U2 wrote "Walk On" for her and that won Record of the Year at last year's Grammys.
They call her "another Nelson Mandela," which is a phrase you don't hear very often because
what kind of fool says no to freedom to help their country move towards democracy?
So if they won't thank Bono, I will.
Thank you, Bono, for using your time and money and influence
to help make the world a better place for everyone.
In America, we have super-wealthy entertainers, but many of them refuse to help.
They just get on their radio shows and scream, "Nigger in the White House"
to make even MORE money off the scared racists who can't stand to face the future.
Bono speaking about Aung San Suu Kyi
U 2’s Bono
speaking about Aung San Suu Kyi for Time Magazine’s 100 Heroes &
Icons
Aung San Suu Kyi is the moral leader of Myanmar, the country more
correctly known as Burma. She has been, in effect, under house arrest since 1989.
Why? First, because of the military junta who came to power in a bloody
coup in 1962, and have been running the country with a truncheon ever since.
Second, because of us. There has been no real roar against these human rights
abusers, just the odd bark. Yet even single-party democracies check their mail.
They’re not just muscle; they’re vain. Even juntas measure just how many boos
and hisses they can get away with. Suu Kyi’s peaceful bloody-mindedness is
driven by courage, but her captors’ bloody bloody-mindedness is driven by
fear—fear of losing the business they are running for themselves.
Suu Kyi is a real hero in an age of phony phone-in celebrity, which hands out
that title freely to the most spoiled and under qualified. Her quiet voice of reason
makes the world look noisy, mad; it is a low mantra of grace in an age of terror,
a reminder of everything we take for granted and just what it can take to get it.
Thinking of her, you can’t help but use anachronistic language of duty and personal sacrifice.
U2 wrote the song “Walk On” to honor this amazing woman who put family
second to country, who for her convictions made an unbearable choice—not to
see her sons grow and not to be with her husband as he lost his life to a long and
painful cancer. Suu Kyi, with an idea too big for any jail and a spirit too strong
for any army, changes our view—as only real heroes can–of what we believe to
be possible. The jury is still out on whether we deserve the faith she has put in us.
“Walk On” won record of the year at the Grammys, a very proud moment.
But in front of an audience of millions, I did what I’ve begged others not to do.
I forgot to say thank you to the woman in front of the song. Thank you.
–by Bono, Earth's biggest rock star and human rights activist.
Boy, you did good.
A shot of Chinaco to a great performer and an even greater man.
Send e-mail to Bart