Index

Sunday, April 15, 2007

[wvns] New Jersey Poet Laureate Revoked in Appeals Court

Poet Loses Free-Speech Case
MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/632/03-22-2007/1c05000c13a94531.html


(AP) - PHILADELPHIA-An appeals court ruled Wednesday against a former
New Jersey poet laureate who lost his job after suggesting Israel had
advance knowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.


McGreevey Former New Jersey - Gov. James E. McGreevey (pictured left
with his Israeli lover) repealed the post in July 2003 after Amiri
Baraka wrote a poem suggesting that Israel had advance knowledge of
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.


Baraka, a native of Newark, N.J., had claimed his First Amendment
rights were violated when he lost the post and its $10,000
honorarium.Amiri_Baraka.jpg

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling, said the
action was legislative and not political in nature and therefore
qualified for immunity.

The move came after Baraka read the 60-stanza poem "Somebody Blew Up
America" in public. It includes the lines: "Who knew the World Trade
Center was gonna get bombed/Who told 4,000 Israeli workers at the Twin
Towers to stay home that day?/Why did Sharon stay away?"

Baraka refused to resign amid the uproar that followed. The governor
and Legislature were barred from firing the poet laureate, so
McGreevey eliminated the post.

The court also found that the officials did not withhold the money
over Baraka's views because the Legislature had not yet appropriated it.

Baraka did not immediately return a phone message left at his home
Wednesday. Assistant Attorney General Lewis A. Scheindlin did not
immediately return a message left at his office.

===

STATEMENT BY AMIRI BARAKA, NEW JERSEY POET LAUREATE
10/2/2002

I WILL NOT "APOLOGIZE", I WILL NOT "RESIGN!"

Baraka_speechsm.jpgThe recent dishonest, consciously distorted and
insulting non-interpretation of my poem, ";Somebody Blew Up America"
by the "Anti-Defamation" League, is fundamentally an attempt to defame
me. And with that, an attempt to repress and stigmatize independent
thinkers everywhere.

This trashy propaganda is characteristic of right-wing zealots
who are interested only in slander and character assassination of
those whose views or philosophies differ from or are in contradiction
to theirs.

First, the poem underlying theme focuses on how Black Americans
have suffered from domestic terrorism since being kidnapped into US
chattel slavery, e.g., by Slave Owners, US & State Laws, Klan, Skin
Heads, Domestic Nazis, Lynching, denial of rights, national
oppression, racism, character assassination, historically, and at this
very minute throughout the US. The relevance of this to Bush call for
a "War on Terrorism", is that Black people feel we have always been
victims of terror, governmental and general, so we cannot get as
frenzied and hysterical as the people who while asking us to dismiss
our history and contemporary reality to join them, in the name of a
shallow "patriotism" in attacking the majority of people in the world,
especially people of color and in the third world.

This is said to us, even as this counterfeit president has
legalized the Confederate Flag in Mississippi. Could the victims of
European Fascism be as frantically loyal to a regime that would fly a
Nazi Swastika over their homes? So we cannot, in good conscience,
celebrate what seems to us an international crusade to set up a
military dictatorship over the world, legitimatized at base, by white
supremacy, carried out, no matter the crude lies, as the most
terrifying form of Imperialism and its attendant national oppression.

All of it designed to drain super profits bluntly from the colored
peoples of the world, but as well, from the majority of the peoples in
the world. For all the frantic condemnations of Terror by Bush &c, as
the single International Super Power, they are the most dangerous
terrorists in the world!

Actually, in my focus on various forces of terror Afro Americans
and other oppressed people of the world have suffered, slavery,
colonialism, Imperialism, Neo neo-colonialism, National Oppression,
the ADL disingenuously makes no mention of my probing into the
creators of the holocaust, e.g., "who put the Jews in ovens, / and who
helped them do it, / Who said "America First"/ and Ok'd the yellow
stars", which of course is a reference to America's domestic fascists
just before World War @ and the Nazi Holocaust.

Nor do these ADL purveyors of falsehood mention the poem's
listing of some of the Jews across the world, oppressed, imprisoned,
murdered by actual Anti- Semitic forces, open or disguised. The poem
asks "Who killed Rosa Luxembourg, Liebnecht/Who murdered the
Rosenbergs/ And all the good people iced, tortured, assassinate,
vanished".

The ADL apparently is not outraged by McCarthy era
frame-up and execution of the Rosenbergs, nor the assassination of
German Jewish Communist leaders like Liebnecht, Luxembourg. The ADL
leaves these things out to try to make their lies more believable, and
also because these victims of imperialism were on the Left
Happily the Star Ledger published the entire poem, though
including in a box, supposedly identifying the offending phrases, my
question, "Who Blew Up The Reichstag?" as if the ADL had also claimed
that the poem was inferring that Jews did it. When it was Hitler's
destruction of the Reichstag, that provided the pretext for the
general imprisonment of Jews, after incarcerating Communists, Social
Democrats and Trade Unionists. Why this was done one can only
speculate, but this is the kind of sloppy or intentionally slanderous
journalism one can often find in the media. It also reflects the kind
of unprincipled attack that characterizes ADL press release.

The Reichstag fire, parallels the 911 Attack, in that after that
"mysterious act of terrorism", which Hitler blamed on Jews and
Communists, the Nazis passed a law The Reichstag Enablement Act, that
gave the Nazis much the same carte blanche as the Bush administration
used the 911 tragedy to pass the wholly undemocratic Patriot Bill and
begin rounding up suspects, even without identifying them. Of course
the actual arsonists of the Reichstag terror were never found, though
most scholars are certain it was the Nazis themselves.

Of the other lines of the poem, which the ADL termed an example of
the Hitlerian "Big Lie", and the poet's "spewing Anti-Semitic venom".
The lines, "Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get/bombed?"
Well now, certainly, even the Democratic Party has affirmed that the
Bush Administration knew. I agree with this, and it is everywhere on
the Internet that not only was the US warned repeatedly by Germany,
France, Russia, England but also Israel. Michael Ruppert of the Green
Party has issued a video stating clearly, "Israeli security issued
urgent warnings to the CIA of large-scale terror attacks. …And that
the Israeli Mossad knew that the attacks were going to take place…they
knew that the World Trade Center were the targets. This is from
British newspaper the "Telegraph". (Copies of these documents
available with this statement.)

In addition there are articles in all forms of media and of course
the Internet confirming or suggesting that the entire Imperialist
world knew and had warned the US CIA in advance, but no action was
taken. WHY. They say they "couldn't connect the dots". The FBI agents
in Minnesota and Arizona who sd that FBI received a report in 1998
that a terrorist organization …planned to bring people to the US to
enroll in flight schools. Zacharias Moussoui, now charged with
conspiring in the Sept 11 attacks, was arrested by the Minnesota
agents of the FBI in August 2001 but FBI HQ denied agents request to
seek a warrant even to search his computer. And in a prepared
statement by a Minnesota FBI agent, he blamed legal restrictions but
principally FBI headquarters for impeding a more aggressive
investigation of this man. As for the other agent's attempt to warn
the FBI HQ of these attacks, he was rebuffed when he made the report,
but now FBI HQ says it has not record of such warning. (See
Truthout.org/docs)

There are other incredible dots on the media, for instance the
stockholders of American Airlines and United, which were the carriers
highjacked to commit the terror began withdrawing stock from these
companies in August before the attacks.

The most offensive phrase in the poem to my various attackers is,
"Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers / to stay home that
day/ Why did Sharon stay away?" To infer that I am accusing Israel of
committing the atrocity is disingenuous slander and character
assassination. But I do believe, as I stated about England, Germany,
France, Russia, that the Israeli government, certainly it's security
force, SHABAK knew about the attack in advance.

My sources were, "Ha'aretz" and "Yadiot Ahranot" (two Israeli
newspapers) "Al Watan" (a Jordanian newspaper), "Manar" -TV and the
website of the Israeli security force SHABAK. There are myriad
references to this in Reuters, Der Spiegel.

The Israeli newspaper Yadiot Ahranot lst revealed that SHABAK had
canceled Sharon's appearance in New York City that day, Sept 11, where
he was supposed to speak at an "Israel Day" celebration. This was also
mentioned in the Star Ledger, to the effect that Sharon was supposed
to visit the US, but no dates were mentioned.

It is the Green Party's Ruppert who makes the most effective case
for the 4000 Israeli workers (Not Jewish Workers!) but Israeli
nationals. He says in his video, "if what I am showing you is know
overtly although the media, how much more does our thirty billion
dollar intelligence community know"/

He goes on, and this seems true to me, It is "Nonsense" to say the
Israelis did it They were warning the U.S. hand over fist…" Ruppert
speculates further 1. The US did not listen 2. They needed the
attacks" which I leave to time, as Malcolm X sd, Time will tell.

But the most stunning revelation is this, again Ruppert, "We
reviewed the list of former tenants of the World Trade Center at the
on-line Wall St Journal site. And there's the website. It is an
alphabetical list of tenants. Scroll to the very bottom and notice the
moving date for the office of Zim American-Israeli Shipping to Norfolk
Virginia. They were in the World Trade Center. They must have had
Mossad" (or Shabak- AB) input because they vacated one week before
September and they broke their lease. The Israelis didn't pull the
attack, but they were smart enough to get their people out of the way.
How come our government didn't do the same thing for us." (Statement
& Quote by George DeCarlo, Coordinator of Union County Greens, Co
Founder of the NJ Lavender Greens- included in media pkg.)

The poem was never saying anything else, i.e., why didn't the
other slaughtered Americans know? I WAS NOT SAYING ISRAEL WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTACK, BUT THAT THEY KNEW AND OUR OWN COUNTERFEIT
PRESIDENT DID TOO!

There is other disturbing facts surround the hideous 911 attacks,
which my family and I could see from the third floor bathroom window
of our homes! And certainly one day all this will be thoroughly
investigated. The poem says "Who know why Five Israelis was filming
the explosion/ And cracking they sides at the notion." I got this
story from The Star Ledger, where it appeared twice, and The New York
Times.

The reference to "cracking they sides" or laughing uproariously
while filming the 911 attack, apparently on the top of a truck from
the Jersey side is a direct paraphrase of the Ledger articles. In
fact, the State Police, who arrested them, stated that that is one of
the reasons they did arrest them, because they were laughing.

Again, these were Israeli Nationals, persons holding Israeli
passports. The Times article even reported on what their lives were
like in Jail. And implied they would be deported. So this reference
is not more of the ADL's "Anti-Semitic venom" but arrived at merely
from studying the US media.

Why those five Israelis were there filming and laughing I do not
claim know. That's why the poem here and throughout continuously
chants the question WHO WHO WHO? That is, who is responsible for
this horrible crime and WHY? It is a poem that aims to probe and
disturb, but there is not the slightest evidence of Anti-Semitism, as
anyone who reads it without some insidious bias would have to agree.
Why the ADL would do this, I can only speculate.

I wish they and other concerned pundits would speculate on how an
Airplane flying in America, where the pilot has to file a flight plan
before taking off, how can such a plane or two or three of them file
such a route in which they would travel, and in the case of the planes
leaving Boston make 45 degree turns south and fly 54 minutes to the
World Trade Center and 90 minutes to the Pentagon and not be
challenged by US Air Defense Fighters, or brought down by ground to
air missiles?

Having been in the Air Force I know those ADC fighters would normally
confront such "rogue" aircraft within a few minutes! Why was this not
done? Let the ADL and the media investigating me, investigate that!

We should know that Bush and his Right Wing crew want War against
all the forces of their so called "Axis of Evil" What a not so wild
coincidence that the path of this Axis parallels the route of the
proposed US oil corporations- pipe line from Saudi to the far east,
apparently to oppose the spiraling economic growth and influence of
China. They scream "Bin Laden" and "Taliban" and destroy Afghanistan,
install a puppet president and a shadow occupation force.

Next in the Axis is Iraq, we should have known that. With no real
proof at all again the people of the US outraged and frightened by the
Reichstag of 911 are hyped with chants of "Regime Change" and "Saddam
Hussein". No longer is the madness of crowds being aroused by the
"Anti –Terrorist" campaign and Bin Laden as the Devil figure used to
rouse the people to a patriotic frenzy, now it is Saddam Hussein. So
forget last month's war and get ready for this month's.

Bush says he wants "regime change" in Palestine, he wants to oust
Arafat, now in Iraq, and he wants to oust Saddam. The Axis projects
Iran next and then North Korea. What is this an updated version of
1984 or an American version of Hitler's and Bush 1's) New World Order?

Regime Change, why? Because these regimes are anti democratic or
terrorists or in the case of Saddam, they have "weapons of mass
destruction".

Well if being anti democratic were a good rationalization for foreign
invasions of countries then the United States better watch out because
the Florida coup, which tricked the American people into accepting
Bush as President is anything but democratic. Should we let foreign
countries invade us to get rid of Bush? What would be the American
People's reaction to such Third Reich replay?

And as for Saddam having "weapons of mass destruction" (or mass
diversion as some critics say) The US has these weapons. So do Israel,
South Africa, Germany, France, Italy, England, Russia, and now China,
India, Pakistan. How is it the US and its allies (except the Chinese)
can have such weapons, but no one else can. The answer to that, of
course, is White Supremacy and Imperialism. And what should be the
growing understanding by the American people and the democratic people
of the world, is what the far right Bush coven wants is a military
dictatorship of the world.

The ADL, by attacking me by distorting what my poem is saying, is
doing its usual ugly, as a well known running dog of imperialism,
particularly by attacking anyone who takes an independent position or
is critical of Israeli Imperialism and its attendant ideology
political Zionism. As they are attempting with me the ADL slanders
anyone who is not happy with Israel's ethnic cleansing of the
Palestinians as Anti Semitic, when lst of all Israel and its guiding
philosophy have nothing to do, as categories, with Jews. (See "Zionism
in the Age of the Dictators", Brenner)

But this is the trick such demagogues as the ADL use to hide the
crimes of Imperialist Israel. When we criticize US imperialism does
that make us enemies of Christianity, maybe only to Jerry Falwell and
such Right wing Christian Zealots, perhaps Asscraft But neither Israel
nor Zionism is the same as Judaism. (Op cit Brenner; also "The
Dilemma of the Modern Jew, Prinz".) But this is the trick the
Israeli's and their sympathizers use to hide behind Judaism. Israel
(and it's political Zionism) has as much to do with Judaism, as the US
has to do with Christianity.

In the US our constitution makes clear that this is a secular
nation and by law theoretically enforces separation of church and
state, tho Mr. Bush and Mr. Asscraft have demonstrated they disagree,
and Israel outright says it is a "Jewish State" but if that is so then
that explains why it can discriminate against its Arab people living
inside Israel and make them 2nd class citizens, in much the same way
that South Africa, a close friend did under Apartheid. (See "The
Crisis of Black Jewish Relations", Brenner & Bloom; "Israel and South
Africa", Stevens & Ellmessi; The "Arabs in Israel" by Sabri Jiryis,
foreword by Noam Chomsky)

The ADL attacks so it can confuse people and show me as just
another Anti- Semitic attacker of their absolutely false depictions of
Israel as a victim of Palestinian Terrorism. This is absolutely in
tune with the Bush administrations frenzied "destroy Iraq regime
change "Jones" (a street word for narcotics addiction) that the
administration is chanting around us like cheer leaders at a football
game! So that US imperialism can transform the whole of the Middle
East, the Arab world into a gas station (See "Bushwacked: A
Counterfeit President for a Fake Democracy", Baraka)

So that we are supposed to believe that if a little girl blows
herself up in a Israeli Pizza Parlor, she is a terrorist, but when
Israeli Jets, made in the USA, destroy whole sections of Palestinian
cities, bulldoze neighborhoods, all but destroy the Palestinian Center
of Governance, with its President, Yasser Arafat, inside sitting in
the dark, it is the Israelis who are victims and the little
Palestinian girl or boy or young man or young woman or even elder,
they are the terrorists. We are supposed to be intimidated by
demagogues like the Anti Defamation League (who shd be called the Anti
Anti Defamation League) so that Israel as a jr. partner of the Bush
led US goosestep to world military domination can commit ethnic
cleansing of the Palestinians in the name of fighting terrorism.

It is the ADL, which is actually guilty of what its leader,
Abraham Foxman calls the Hitlerian "Big Lie", and ironically it is the
ADL, which is "spewing anti-Semitic venom". The same ADL which became
aware of "Black Anti Semitism", which it had earlier said has never
been a threat, until Stokely Carmichael and SNCC began to support the
PLO and the Palestinian Struggle as a Liberation Struggle and condemn
Israeli Imperialism and Zionism. That is when, as Stokeley Carmichael
says in the APRP's "Smash Zionism" the ADL smashed SNCC instead.
As Israel drew closer to South Africa, politically, economically,
militarily in the 60's (Op Cit, above & others) the Black Liberation
Movement and African Nations became more and more guilty, according to
the ADL, of "Black Anti-Semitism".

This is the same ADL who opposed Affirmative Action, even
though many Jews benefited by the Civil Rights Struggle, and the most
notable white comrades in that struggle were young Jews. The same ADL
that filed an Amicus Curiae (friend of the court brief) in the
historic and reactionary Baake Decision which challenged & defeated
the University of California's affirmative action as "racist" and was
explained by the ADL as its opposition to quotas. So that the
university's could now enforce a quota on Black students of none!

This is the same ADL, which in league with the American Israel
Political Action Committee, just a few weeks ago sent millions of
dollars into Atlanta, Georgia to defeat progressive Black Congress
woman Cynthia McKinney, because she called for a more balance American
view of the Palestinian –Israeli Conflict.

These same forces defeated in Alabama, another progressive Black
incumbent Congressman, because he too dared to support the
Palestinians. (See New York Times), Amsterdam News, Star Ledger).

Very much like the way Bush touts "Regime Change," recently even
hinting at an attempted Assassination of Saddam Hussein, if the
American People rise up and force our congress to deny the Bush
juggernaut of terror to attack Iraq. ADL and their " bagman" AIPAC
didn't like these black politicians stance on Israel, so in a minute
and a few million dollars, they are gone!

So now, it's my turn. Using my poem, Somebody Blew Up America"
they are going to spread the Big Lie, distort what poem says. Cover
the fact that this poem actually is an attack on Imperialism, National
Oppression, Monopoly Capitalism, Racism, Anti-Semitism. I challenge
ADL to show anywhere in this poem that is Anti-Semitic in the least.
In their press release they say talk about "Jews being scapegoated
throughout history…' then "conspiracy mongers of the Arab world…have
taken Anti-Israel propaganda to a new level " (Mr. Foxman, what is the
Arab World? Alan Dershowitz in his "Chutzpah" says the basis of
bigotry is "overgeneralization," so where is the "Arab World"? Is
Detroit included? Asscraft thinks so.

Earlier the press release mentions "the Muslim World" does
that include Lyons Ave, Newark? But then from "Anti-Semitism" the
release goes to Israel, not Jews, and Israeli Mossad as those
victimized. So they fight Anti Semitism - Mainly by "defending"
Israel. In fact they defend Israel like Joe McCarthy "defended" the
US against Communism. Included in my package is a communiqué from an
Israeli Peace Organization ": Gush Shalom", "Israeli Peace Block (see
Defamation from the Anti Defamation League Answered"
(info@gush-shalom.org) This was first published 7/11/2000 as a press
release. "In the past 24 hours, an attack is being mounted against
Gush Shalom. Knesset Member Collette Avital (Labor) has actually lodge
a complaint with the police, claiming that cartoons presented on our
website constitute "incitement". And the powerful American Jewish
organization Anti –Defamation League found time, even on election day,
over there, to disseminate a message of defamation against "Gush
Shalom", which already resulted in hate e mails being sent our address"

In a following message signed by Adam Keller Gush, Shalom
Spokesperson. The organization defends itself from an ADL pres release
s "expressing outrage at Gush Shalom's portrayal of Prime Minster
Barak as a killer of Palestinian children in a caricature on its web
site, stating that the image of Barak standing on the bleeding bullet
ridden body of a Palestinian child is abhorrent."

Gush Shalom replies, "Still after consulting with my fellow
activists I am in a position to make an offer. Should a complete week
– seven days pass in which not a single unarmed Palestinian is killed
by the Israeli armed forces which are answerable to Mr. Barak, we
would remove the above mentioned cartoon from our website.

The Gush Shalom statement ends "As for the ADL- an organization
which claims to "counter hatred prejudice and bigotry" can you truly
find no other places to search for such, with Israeli society in its
present condition, except at our modest website. Was the ADL attacking
these Israelis for being Anti Semitic or criticizing rather forcefully
the continuous murder of the Palestinians. So in Israel itself, ADL is
still covering for and attacking anyone, even Israeli citizens
themselves who oppose the Bush Zionist Plan to de-Palestinianize
Palestine!

Another communication from Israel (robertoj69@yahoo.com). This
signed by 95 Israeli Academics (copy included in pkg), Sept 23, 2002
that begins "URGENT WARNING: THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT MAY BE
CONTEMPLATING CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY" It goes on, "We members of the
Israeli academe are horrified by US buildup of aggression towards Iraq
and by the Israeli political leadership's enthusiastic support of it.
We are deeply worried by indications that the "fog of war" could be
exploited by the Israeli government to commit further crimes against
the Palestinian people, up to full-fledged ethnic cleansing."

One striking description of the Israeli Military by these
professors is that in an interview found in Ha'aretz Sept 19, 2002,
Israeli Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon describe the Palestinians as a
"cancerous manifestation" and equated the military actions in the
Occupied territories with "chemotherapy"

Certainly the ADL will have to go after these "Anti Semites" using the
"Big Lie" and "Spewing Anti-Semitic Venom"! And the growing list of
progressive democratic people around the world who will have opinions
about Israel and Political Zionism independent of the ADL, the ADL
will have to attack and slander them as well

I challenge the ADL to set up a national television program
so that we might debate this issue. We can project the poem on a wall
and go down line by new and discuss it. If not that then why not a
forum or debate some place like NYC Town Hall or at Symphony Hall in
Newark.

Why not take a survey of those who heard the poem at the Dodge
Festival? Those who registered and the students brought by schools
could be contacted and a survey taken to reflect just the majority of
people hearing the poem thought, not just some shadowy surrogates of
Imperialism who are trying to convince people that I and my poem are
the enemy not US and Israeli Imperialism.

I have already gotten a great many communications praising the
poem. A great many E-mail letters and phone calls not only praising
the poem, and the poet for writing it, but also opposing the attempt
to violate my first amendment rights by this oft repeated ADL skin
game of calling critics of imperialism Anti Semites.

I have already said, in answer to what Governor McGreevey is
quoted as demanding that I apologize and that I resign as NJ Poet
Laureate. And I have said repeatedly that I will do neither. It is
unfortunate that Governor McGreevey has been stampeded by paid liars,
and apologists for ethnic cleansing and white supremacy, bourgeois
nationalists and the dangerously ignorant, to be panicked into joining
in the ADL's slander, belittling my intelligence, and insulting not
only my person, my family, my fellow artists and activists who know
all this is just the feces of a very small cow. But they are also
attacking my work in the arts and my social political views. By
demanding that I apologize to Evil and Submit to some fundamentally
racist and politically motivated call for me to resign as New Jersey's
Poet Laureate, he is insulting the broad group of people who know he
is incorrect and who have read and celebrated and valued my work. And
that is a grave mistake, one I am hoping he will correct.

"Somebody Blew Up America!" was written Oct 1, 2001. A month after
the terror attack. Almost immediately I circulated it around the
world on the Internet.

In addition, I have read this poem in Spain, Portugal, Africa,
Switzerland, Italy, Finland and it was translated into German and read
on German radio, at Universities and other venues across this country.
It has become one of the most circulated of my poems.

Yet it was not until I read the poem at the Dodge Poetry Festival
that I got negative response from three people that I know of. The
overwhelming response was an almost thunderous applause. I even had to
come out and take a second bow at one performance. So why now and Who,
as the poem asks, is behind it? Perhaps the forces which have
dishonestly tried to characterize the poem as "venom" or merely "a
harangue" (just as they called John Coltrane's music "Barbaric Yawps")
are simply, the Charlie McCarthy voices for Bush & Sharon's Edgar
Bergen's. Empty-headed devilish dummies constructed of wood and
painted and costumed to look like it is real people speaking, when
all the time it is imperialism is the ventriloquist speaking through
their mouths,

NO, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE, I WILL NOT RESIGN. In fact I will
continue to do what I have appointed to do but still have not been
paid to do. Publicize and Popularize poetry and poets throughout this
state. To set up new venues and new networks for poetry reading and
workshops, in the state's libraries and schools and other
institutions. Hopefully initiated and given paradigm right here in the
Newark Public Library, its branches and throughout the school system.
Therefore giving more of our citizens access to poetry, involving
poets of all nationalities, both male and female, of diverse
experience and styles. I have already begun to enlist coordinators of
poetry programs throughout the state, so that we can network a tour of
poets, hopefully beginning in January, throughout the state.

To do this I will be approaching local, county, state, federal and
private funding. And expand our budget with the cooperation of these
other existing programs. We will ask that poets POET-ON! That they
begin to produce at least one poem or publish a poem monthly, in the
most modest forms, Kinko style, and give them away if they have to.
That they begin to set up readings not only in the places we mentioned
but also in parks and restaurants and in neighborhoods.

We say this because we feel that this state and indeed this nation
and this world is desperately in need of the deepest and most profound
human values that poetry can teach. That is what Keats and Du Bois
called for the poet to do, to bring Truth and Beauty. To be like the
most ancient paradigmythic image of the poet. To be like Osiris and
Orpheus, whose job it was to raise the Sun each morning with song and
story. To illuminate the human mind, and bring light into the world.
POET ON!

An mp3 of this chappie performing this poem is available here
http://www.amiribaraka.com/Somebody.mp3 (5.2mb)

It is a litany of jewish activity although Mr Baraka does not seem to
be fingering them.

To revisit the McGreevy-Cipel episode try these:

http://www.nndb.com/people/403/000044271/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5709441/site/newsweek/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,128836,00.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/1244568/posts

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