From: Jimsan777-AT-aol.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 00:04:59 EDT
Subject: Re: PUPT: To Jim Gamble: how do you refuse to pay a bribe?



In a message dated 7/21/04 8:51:33 AM, robertsmythe-AT-mumpuppet.org writes:


> How do you decide not to pay a bribe? I mean, what was going through
> your mind? Many people (I'm thinking of me as the prime example) would
> be to afraid of the obvious and unknown repercussions of refusing to do
> as an authority figure asked.
> 

When we first arrived in Moscow, passed through all the check points and then 
were held up at customs at the end, our sponsor went out into the crowd and 
fetched the host who came into the customs area and argued, and argued (ad 
infinitum) over the situation.   I played oblivious to whatever was going on, went 
over to a bench, sat down and began to read my book.   I may have said 
something like..."matters not to me, I'll take the first flight back to the US."   
After an hour or so, it was all cleared up.   My interpreter told me the 
customs official said, "They are Americans, they can afford it.!"   At one point, I 
asked the rather stout customs woman if she could speak English...nyet...so I 
told her in no uncertain terms, "I will not pay one ruble customs on my own 
equipment."   I think staying calm, showing an aire of firm indifference was the 
key.
   The next evening we had another situation leaving Moscow for the flight to 
Siberia...more of the same...so we left the area, had a snack, returned, sat 
down and opened   another book to read.   When we arrived in Siberia, everyone 
preceeded us through passport control and customs, but we were told it was a 
"closed City" no one could enter without a residency permit.   Again, we sat 
down and waited.  A week later, after multiple performances and much tv 
coverage, we were treated to the VIP lounge and taken directly to the airplane on the 
tarmac...an icy cold Ilusyan 82...holds 340 PAX...but they don't turn on the 
heat until the engines are running.   Even the flight attendants were wearing 
their fur coats...but that's another story.
   FWIW:   I'm off to Italy to work with a puppet company in Como next month, 
then later to Zagreb, and have not been invited to Pakistan and Singapore 
over T-giving and during Xmas...Can't do them all though.   Best regards and 
sorry I've been absent from the BB lately.   Jim Gamble


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