From: Maung Yit
EMail: bookwormz_99@yahoo.com
Hey Ko Kyee Kann
You r really too provoking indeed on BLL issue. I was waiting 4 somebody to reply ur msg but nobody reply but got im from some members that u r very provoking on this matter very openly.
So i need to reply u back in person but have no personal feeling bet u n me. ok?
Well, Ballad of Hairy Joe was taught by my grandpa when i was in 1988/89 when the school were closed. I tried whole day to find the story to post it on the net from the WWW but all in vein.
Yes indeed, ur reading matter and ref are good. Short to the point.
There's a play called "Ballad of Hairy Joe", a true story of American farmer who was being sent to prison for not shaving his beards against the order of town council n church back in 18th century.
The American had already got their indpendence from England and still thinking to themselves as very liberal to the freedom of thoughts and speech.
But one day, when this Joe Palmer (his real name) came back from his busy and restless days of farm works back to his home, he had no time to shave off his beards as he had to rush to the local stall to buy some nails to ammend his fences.Then he was confronted with the big man of his town council and the preist of the local church.
It started with small argument on his long beards exposed in public place. They said it would be better to shave it off as the Jesius Christ was last time beardless when he came to help the poor to the world. It was seemed disgrace as one of the follower of God was growing beards against the God's will.
And Joe argued back that all the generals signed the independence from Britan in USA were all grown with beards. It was considered freedom of will to grow beards or not. Not the god's will or what so ever.
Then as it was started, the propaganda by the local authourity had silently spreading the policy of shaving the beards among the local people and encouranging them not to deal with Joe Palmer as he had been against the will of the God.
His wife tried her best to persuade him to shave it off and Joe remained strong against it because if he submitted to this God's will, one day, people would rather wear the same uniform, same way of life under the name of what so ever God's will policy which was nonsense atall. He uphold the freedom of being himself and one day he was arrested by the local police and charged with the sin of against the God's will and went to prison for refusing to shave off his beards as it was a freedom of choice.
From the prison cell, he wrote many articles about himself of being mistreated of being growing the beards and circulated to the other town and other states of his country. When the newspaper and other mayor were informed of his issue, they all went out in full gear to support the fight of Hairy Joe.
All the people of his country condemmed the action taken against the will of hairy joe by his local authourity.
But atlast he was freed as the whole town got ashamed by the voice against them over the united states of america standing side by side with the brave bearded small little farmer. When he was freed, he said he would never shave his beards again as it was the symbol of American history on freedom of choice of being itself.
WHen he died, on his tomb stone read, the man who was being prisoned for growing beards on his own free will but against the will of others.
Ok, it was the brief of the play as far as I could make it out from my memory. As you have suggested, I would rather go to raid the nearest hospital to demand for justice but I should have better opinion for you. Why not send your message to some of the Burma E-mail group such as RIT[Burma], Burma.50megs.com, MayHka E-Mail Server and Burma Net News Group? And wait for the better responce than me to your opinion on BLL issue.