Nupe4life, you bring up some very valid points. I had this same discussion with a friend last week. As you all may already know, the governor of New Jersey is asking for the resignation of Poet Laureate Amiri Baraka. Baraka is being criticized for his poem "Somebody Blew Up America" and accused of being anti-Semitic. However, he stands by his work and refuses to resign. During a speech last Wednesday, Baraka insisted that Israel, as well as President Bush, the FBI and a host of U.S. allies knew of the impending terrorist attacks. So, my question to all of you is this: Do you think that Baraka should resign as Poet Laureate and apologize for his poem or do you agree with the stance he's taking? The poem can be found below (sorry for the length) and the most controversial parts are in blue. I, for one, love the poem and am proud of Baraka for standing by his beliefs, no matter how unpopular they may be.
*I am editing this because I didn't realize it was already being discussed in the Alpha's forum. Blackwatch provided the following link to the poem:
http://diversity.uoregon.edu/SomebodyBlewUpAmerica.htm