Paranoia

Actors in a British film about Guantanamo were held and questioned by British police at Luton airport on their way back from the Berlin Film Festival. One of them was asked if he intended to make any more "political" films.

A few months ago, I was asked to perform at EKTA's fundraiser for survivors of the India-Pakistan earthquake. It was at UC Berkeley's Wheeler Auditorium. 3 days before the event, the organizers called me and said the UC administration needed all the performers to have event liability coverage. This is pretty unheard of - the venue has its own liability insurance that should cover all the events that take place in it. When I said I didn't, the venue demanded that I, and all the other performers, sign an Oath of Allegiance.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.

A blatant case of racial profiling. Auditorium full of brown people equals terrorist threat. Somehow, I doubt the same demand would have been made of a fundraiser for a disaster in Israel or Europe. I signed the oath because I didn't want to let the organizers down at the last minute. And because it was so ludicrous, it called for stand-up comedy rather than the energy of serious protest.

Yeah, I was planning to blow up Wheeler Auditorium, but now I've signed an Oath of Allegiance, I'm kinda conflicted about it.....

We raised over $52,000 for earthquake relief.