Well, James, I think the recent worries about this in the international
poetry world have been because we can easier criticise our own governments
than somebody else's.
If we criticise our own governments, we have the right to do this and we
know the risks if any in doing this. poets are probably more coherent and
better at expressing themselves than the average citizen, and therefore have
a lot of responsibility.
If there are two sides to a question (and I don't know that there are,
really, in this case) we perhaps owe it to the other side not to shout too
loudly. If we strongly believe something we will go for it no matter if it
brings us into conflict with our government, as many poets and artists have
been in conflict over the ages.
Whether we attack (with our words) another country's government is a
different question, and can be seen as a matter of courtesy. I once wrote to
the American president's wife over something I felt strongly about, but that
involved a British subject in America. Another time I emailed a US state
governor and that was over the treatment of an American writer whom I
considered to be in my "parish" (though I doubt the US agreed).
You can be quite sure your own government will know if you criticise another
government, but if you feel strongly enough you will not care.
In any case, as Gary implies (below) you can hardly separate the British and
American official views in this case. In Britain, probably for the first
time in my memory the public as a whole is against a war the government is
planning.
bwSallyE
on 27/1/03 4:48 pm, Gary Blankenship at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Gary,
> The call seems to be for American poets. I'm don't qualify though I'm very
> much against the gathering war. Does this mean I can submit?
>
> bw
> James
>
> I don't believe Sam would mind offshore works. And isn't your guy our
> "partner" in this?
>
> Gary
>
> Jan Jenifer Lawrence at: http://gardawg.homestead.com/gardawg.html ---
> Writer's Hood at http://www.writershood.com/... Poets for Peace.... ˇPoemas
> sí, balas no!
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