On the heels of the sorry Ian Spears incident, the law around Seattle has a new menace to manage: middle-aged peace-loving Irish Americans. Sherrif's deputies questioned Ari Cowan after they saw him videotaping on a ferry. While not viewing his tape, the deputies then passed info on the the FBI, saying that Cowan (an accomplished photographer and former film reviewer for PBS and the Bellevue, Washington Daily Journal-American) had videotaped sensitive material such as cars going on and off the ferry. The FBI has been following up, unknown to Cowan, for the past five months. Apparently the investigating continues.
Perhaps the FBI felt compelled to run down some facts on Mr. Cowan given his background, especially that bit about being cited alongside President Jimmy Carter for his help in publishing the first edition of The International Bill of Human Rights back in 1982. To say nothing of his book 50 Ways to Stop the Violence Now: In the World, in Our Country, in Your Workplace, in Our Schools, in Your Home, in Yourself. Or perhaps it was his 2002 keynote address at the San Diego Partners in Peace Conference: "In the Shadow of 9/11 — Rethinking the Road to Peace." Dangerous stuff, that.
Posted September 21, 2004 08:33 AM