A Forum for Vigorous Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy

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A FORUM FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND VIGOROUS DEBATE, CORNERSTONES OF DEMOCRACY
[For the journal--guidelines, focus, etc.--go to www.theamericandissident.org. If you have questions, please contact me at todslone@hotmail.com. Comments are NOT moderated (i.e., CENSORED)!]
Encouraged censorship and self-censorship seem to have become popular in America today. Those who censor others, not just self, tend to favor the term "moderate," as opposed to "censor" and "moderation" to "censorship." But that doesn't change what they do. They still act as Little Caesars or Big Brother protectors of the thin-skinned. Democracy, however, demands a tough populace, not so easily offended. On this blog, and to buck the trend of censorship, banning, and ostracizing, comments are NEVER "moderated." Rarely (almost NEVER) do the targets of these blog entries respond in an effort to defend themselves with cogent counter-argumentation. This blog is testimony to how little academics, poets, critics, newspaper editors, cartoonists, political hacks, cultural council apparatchiks, librarians et al appreciate VIGOROUS DEBATE, cornerstone of democracy. Clearly, far too many of them could likely prosper just fine in places like communist China and Cuba or Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia, not to mention Sweden, England, and Austria.
ISSUE #45 PUBLISHED MAY 2023. NOW SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE #46.

More P. Maudit cartoons (and essays) at Global Free Press: http://www.globalfreepress.org

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Charles Simic

Poet Laureate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

7 comments:

sdave1 said...

q

sdave1 said...

G. Tod-poet laurette is a booby prize, doesn't mean jack even if you get paid for it. i live near San Luis Obispo and some lame committee selects one. Its usually some connected poet. Anyone thats been around awhile and wants it, will be awarded it.

Simic is not much of a poet, has all the credentials though, son of immigrants (Hungarians or something) had it tough as a kid, blah, blah. I read his an intro to his book, said he was pissed off at this prententious editor who chasitised him for writing about a cockroach, that was the most interesting thing in book.
dave

G. Tod Slone said...

Hey Dave,
Thanks for the comments. Send me some tough poems. Simic writing on cockroaches. Yeah, that's funny. So many poets live in lies. Send me an email.
T.

Timothy Bearly said...

Ah yes, the poet laureate as the domesticated (tamed) lap dog.

Another good one Dr. slone.

G. Tod Slone said...

Wish we could get the targets to stand up and comment. But the high and mighty don't do that.

Spencer Troxell said...

Charles Simic is one of my favorite poets.

G. Tod Slone said...

Well, that says a lot about you, n'est-ce pas?