NRO: Statement From NEA Chairman a ‘Schoolboy’ Defense
by Big HollywoodLynne Munson, former Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, writes at the Corner:
NEA chairman Rocco Landesman, who was confirmed by the Senate on August 7 and began serving the day after his agency organized its now-infamous conference call, may be an excellent Broadway producer. But he’s still struggling to find his voice as a public servant.
Rocco Landesman
As evidence, let me cite his statement on the conference-call matter, issued yesterday. For readers who might be jumping into this discussion for the first time: This call, organized and participated in by the NEA using agency (in other words “taxpayer”) resources, asked some 75 artists to use their talents to promote a huge portion of President Obama’s domestic agenda. Two days later, 21 arts organizations endorsed Obama’s health-care plan. According to the Washington Times, those groups received $2 million in NEA grants during the four months leading up to the call.
Instead of issuing an apology for his agency’s role in this controversy, Landesman uses his statement to “clarify the issues” regarding the call. “Here are the facts,” he writes, and then presents an actual list (“Fact 1,” “Fact 2,” … “Fact 6”). This is amazing. It reads like a schoolboy defending some indefensible behavior. Rest assured, no form of apology appears anywhere.
I won’t pain you with each “fact,” just one that is particularly appalling. It reads, in part:
Fact 3: This call was not a means to promote any legislative agenda and any suggestions to that end are simply false.
Just a glace at the transcript of the call reveals Landesman to be flat-out wrong.
You can read the piece in full here.
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28 Comments
But, but, but, he's hardly even had a chance to serve the Master, ummm, President. His complicity is apparent by the fact that Yoshi still has a job, even if he doesn't have a title.
“I apologize, to the American public and particularly to the nation’s artists, for anything the National Endowment for the Arts may have done to suggest that our grant dollars are tied in any way to support for White House initiatives."
This sounds like one of those non apology apologies.
Does anyone Obama knows ever tell the truth about anything?
That is a very legitimate question at this point. These people are appear to be incompetent children with gigantic egos.
When has the NEA been anything but a gigantic insult to most Americans? Now they are becoming part of Pravda? Gee, it's not stealing when we do it!
Late night reading off topic.
September 23, 2009
Andersen Book Blows Ayers' Cover on 'Dreams'
Jack Cashill
In his new book, "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage," Best-selling celebrity journalist, Christopher Andersen, has blown a huge hole in the Obama genius myth without intending to do so.
Relying on inside sources, quite possibly Michelle Obama herself, Andersen describes how Dreams came to be published — just as I had envisioned it in my articles on the authorship of Dreams. With the deadline pressing, Michelle recommended that Barack seek advice from "his friend and Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers."
To flesh out his family history, Obama had taped interviews with various family members. Andersen writes, "These oral histories, along with a partial manuscript and a truckload of notes, were given to Ayers." Andersen quotes a Hyde Park neighbor, "Everyone knew they were friends and that they worked on various projects together. It was no secret. Why would it be? People liked them both."
Andersen continues, "In the end, Ayers's contribution to Barack's Dreams From My Father would be significant–so much so that the book's language, oddly specific references, literary devices, and themes would bear a jarring similarity to Ayers's own writing."
More to come!
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/09/ander...
FULL COURT PRESS FOLKS!!!!!!!!
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As someone who has been the subject of harassment due to my last name (in all my school years, NOT ONE teacher could pronounce it correctly for the first week of school and the same "wits" used to make the SAME JOKE every year and laugh like they'd just thought of it…but I digress), why would anyone continue to use the name "Buffy", especially after the TV show?
But Barry hardly knew this Ayers guy. He said so himself! Maybe Michelle was mistaken, confused, or too busy being proud or trying on new shoes and handbags, looking for new church, or something else…
For being such a great Broadway producer, he should have noticed how badly that third act would stick out and ordered a rewrite.
As always when the liberals are running DC, it is a season of revivals, revisions, and re-adaptations. Anything original is so far "off" it is not even in the same town, maybe the same country. After reading the statement I have to wonder, was the author trying to "channel" Beckett? While it seems to share a similar style and the same underlying philosophy, Waiting for Godot is far more "real" than Covering for the "O".
"jarring similarity" = plagiarism maybe
It's not that big a leap to believe that. After all, he depends on his teleprompter like he depended on Ayers for his book.
Just food for thought.
Maybe she sees herself in a similar role. Buffy, the logical conservative slayer. She has all the holy symbols plastered all over her laptop. That must be her weapon of choice.
Using (or bribing) art to extol political ideology goes beyond propaganda to fascism. These art "endowments" that play this unethical game are drunk with power and subsidies and are in effect anti-art. Art should never be subsidized with tax dollars.
No one should be surprised. This is the same crap we've been hearing from Kool-Aid and the Gang since day one. They are caught red handed and instead of taking responsibility and just apologizing, they tell us (with a straight face) that we didn't see what we saw, we didn't hear what we heard and we didn't read what we read. Then they start screaming Bush! Rush! Hannity! It's disgusting.
Yes, when he told Joe the Plumber that he wanted to redistribute wealth. First and only honest moment I can think of.
No more "artists" boldly proclaiming they "speak truth to power". I don't want to hear it. They are whores.
"I'm sorry you caught on to what we are up to…"
Dear NEA:
Please review the enclosed grant application to produce a multimedia work entitled "Piss Obama". I confidently await your approval.
In the immortal words of Buffy Wicks……………..“It’s the world we live in now – we’re actually running the government.” ……….very frightening indeed.
Fact 3: This call was not a means to promote any legislative agenda and any suggestions to that end are simply false.
Rocco, please stop insulting us with your rhetoric. We have the Audio and the Transcript……………
What do you expect……Rocco is one of Husseins Clowns just Like Buffy the Integrity Slayer!
ROFL……….coffee everywhere
Is it just me or does Rocco look like the proprietor of a sleazy strip club?
And just like then, when caught in the truth, the response is not to apologize or try to wiggle your way out of your statement but instead to attack the person asking the questions.
Yes, yes he does. Because he effectively is.
OTOH
I would rather have a categorical list of denials or conformations rather than get lost in bullshit prose in long paragraphs. Less space to hide in.
I don't know, Mr. Genatalia.
Nice try, Mr. Weiner.
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