[Declined to Participate]

Hare Krishna, Seattle, Washington, 28 April 1998

I had seen a young Hare Krishna out of the corner of my eye while I was talking to Mr. Schmitt ("Truth"). I looked for him because I thought he would be a nice compliment to the picture of Mr. Schmitt.

He was initially very friendly and was happy to pose, until I asked him to sign a model release. "Well, that's kind of impersonal, isn't it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I understand," I said. "How does a model release make this impersonal?" "Well, when you asked me let you take my picture, it was very friendly. But when you bring out this piece of paper, you bring the law into it. Suddenly it's not just the two of us interacting; you're bringing the whole legal system into it. See, in the past, many people have tried to attack ISKCON [International Society For Krishna Consciousness], out of fear or jealousy, and I wouldn't want to accidentally contribute to that. It's just impersonal and I don't want to be a part of anything that would give people an opportunity to attack us."

"I'm sorry, I still don't understand. How would you signing a model release make it any easier for me to attack ISKCON with this picture than if you didn't sign a model release?"

He stared at me for a moment, and took a wary step back. "I'm just going to keep selling books. If you'd like to buy a book, you're welcome to."

"Thanks anyway."

"Hare Krishna." He walked off.