New Zealand Singer Songwriter Nuclear Tests Song in America

Singer/songwriter Luigi Cappel celebrates the anniversary of New Zealand's Nuclear Free policy by performing his song 'Mr Bush Why Can't We Be Friends' in Florida.

(PRWEB) June 9, 2007 -- Luigi Cappel celebrates the anniversary of New Zealand's Nuclear Free policy by performing his song 'Mr Bush Why Can't We Be Friends' in Florida.

Today, 8 June, is the 20th anniversary of the day that New Zealand closed her ports to nuclear powered of nuclear armed ships. This policy announced by the 1984 Labour Government polarised people in New Zealand and other parts of the world, particularly the US who stopped sending their troop to the popular R&R ports in New Zealand. It also resulted in the virtual collapse of the ANZUS Treaty with New Zealand being locked out of training exercises with the US and Australia and many other defense initiatives.

Luigi Cappel has just returned from Florida where he played his songs to an appreciative audience. Cappel said the song was written as a protest about the official relationship that New Zealand has with the United States, where two decades later it still seems as though we are being chastised like naughty little children for having a policy that is counter to their interests.

"I explained the message of the song to the audience at the Handlebar & Grill Bar in Longwood, Florida, several of whom were veterans. I talked about how the US stopped sending ships to NZ for R&R and that we couldn't get a free trade agreement because of their 'neither confirm nor deny policy' and how we were just interested in a clean and green country," said Cappel. "I was interested in how they would respond to the song and was thrilled when a Desert Storm vet came up to the stage, shook my hand and said 'Don't judge the people by the government'. Another veteran came up to me and said that he fondly remembered two rest stops in New Zealand on his ship and how the Kiwis had welcomed him and his fellow crew members."

The chorus to the song is:

'Oh Mr. Bush I'm asking why we can't be friends
It's our environment we were trying to defend
Our men fought along with yours on a dozen foreign shores
Your logic I just fail to comprehend.'

###