Time for Library Management 2.0?

GregS* says:

freedom?
Irony abounds:

Robert Pinsky, who was poet laureate from 1997 to 2000, said he welcomed Mr. Hall’s appointment, especially in light of his previous outspokenness about politics and the arts. “There is something nicely symbolic, and maybe surprising,” Mr. Pinsky said, “that they have selected someone who has taken a stand for freedom.”

Hall did this by making a silly statement:

Mr. Hall, a poet in the distinctive American tradition of Robert Frost, has also been a harsh critic of the religious right’s influence on government arts policy. And as a member of the advisory council of the National Endowment for the Arts during the administration of George H. W. Bush, he referred to those he thought were interfering with arts grants as “bullies and art bashers.”

They seem to believe that people speaking out about how tax dollars are spent are bullies. In fact they seem to believe that there is freedom in people being forced to fund whatever they write:

… Mr. Hall said that he would like to follow in the tradition of Mr. Kooser and other laureates who have tried to expand poetry’s reach. “I’d like to encourage NPR to pay more attention to poetry,” he said, referring to public radio, “and the cable networks, with the possibility of HBO doing something.”

As poet laureate, Mr. Kooser has had a syndicated weekly newspaper column sponsored jointly by the Poetry Foundation and the Library of Congress that is offered free to newspapers around the country. The column includes a poem chosen by him, along with a commentary.

“If Ted Kooser doesn’t continue with his column, I might pick it up,” Mr. Hall said. But, “I would like to include more poetry of the 17th century.”

A poet’s free speech is only free if we pay for it. Simply amazing.

GregS* says:

Re:Yes, freedom.
“Are there not poets who post online or publish books?”

I know that, you know that, but does the new Poet Laureate know that?

Apparently you don’t know that the military is one of the primary functions of government and that those faith-based initiatives are simply faith-based versions of initiatives that already exited (which are not primary functions of the government). If you want to get rid of all such initiatives then okay.