Recent links of note:
“Why We Must Still Defend Free Speech”
David Cole, The New York Review of Books
In an opinion article that will appear in the September 28th issue of The New York Review of Books but which appeared online on August 24th, David Cole, the National Legal Director the ACLU, pens a noteworthy defense of free speech principles, taking left-wing critics of the First Amendment to task for their shortsighted and dangerous outlook. Cole then makes a case for his organization’s decision to represent reprehensible organizations, such as that of the Charlottesville neo-Nazis who have made national headlines this month. Though one may not agree with many (or, indeed, most) of the ACLU’s legal machinations, Cole’s reasoned and firm article is certainly laudable.
“August 28, 2017: The NYC Statue Debate”
Rafael Pi Roman, Kyle Smith, and L. Joy Williams, MetroFocus
This week, MetroFocus host Rafael Pi Roman moderated a discussion between The New Criterion’s theater-critic Kyle Smith and L. Joy Williams, the President of the NAACP’s Brooklyn branch, regarding the ongoing statue debate and Mayor DeBlasio’s suggestion that New York consider removing the statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus Circle as part of his review of “symbols of hate.” In the discussion, Smith reiterates the points made in his August 23rd article in National Review on the same subject—mainly, that because uncomfortable racial legacies are so deeply embedded in our nation’s history, attempts to sweep their reminders under the rug will prove neither beneficial nor successful.
“Is the cash-strapped Newseum facing a final deadline?”
Peggy McGlone, The Washington Post
It seems that the “Newseum” of Washington D.C. has found itself in dire straits of late. Running a yearly deficit of $30 million, this postmodern institution has had financial difficulties since it opened in D.C. in 2008. Apparently, it suffers from more than a terrible name: the museum reported only about 800,000 visitors, which may have something to do with the fact that it charges twenty-five dollars for admission in a city home to many of the world’s greatest free cultural institutions, and offers a significantly inferior product.
From our pages:
“The colorblind bard: an exchange”
Solveig Lucia Gold and Dan-el Padilla Peralta