So something useful (from my point of view) may come of that mess. Poet
Laureateships in the US confirm the imperial nature of the Imperial
Presidency anhd by extension the imperial state(s) rather more than I'm
comfortable with.
If a poet Laureate why not a Jester? I'd nominate Robin Williams.
Mark
At 01:46 PM 6/23/2003 -0400, Deborah Russell wrote:
>Metro Briefing: New Jersey
>
>RENTON: BILL SEEKS END OF POET POST Nearly a year since outrage over a Sept.
>11 poem prompted calls to remove the state's poet laureate, Amiri Baraka,
>the Assembly will consider a bill this week to abolish the position. Under
>state law, Mr. Baraka, left, cannot be dismissed. Because he has refused to
>step down, lawmakers want to eliminate the post. The Senate has already
>approved a bill to dissolve the position, but both houses must agree on the
>legislation. A spokesman for Gov. James E. McGreevey said the governor
>supported the concept but wanted to see the final version of the bill before
>agreeing to sign it. In his poem "Somebody Blew Up America," Mr. Baraka
>implied that some Israelis had advance knowledge of the 2001 terrorist
>attack on the World Trade Center. (AP)
>
>NYTimes...
>
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