Eric:  In response to your 31 Jan. post to me:
 
>          ...That is a rush to judgement that the Smithsonian Secretary
has, to >          his credit, apparently declined.
 
I agree wholeheartedly!!!  But, as I understand it, Mr. Heyman is waiting
for things to cool down before he takes any kind of personnel action.
 
>          ...if everyone wants to see a story told in a certain way, your
post >          suggests, then that is how the museum should present it.
After all,  >          museums do have responsibilities to the marketplace.
 
I think in the marketplace of ideas, there is plenty of room (and tolerance)
for diverse expressions of opinion and points-of-view.  I think the *power*
of factions envisioned by Madison, et.al. is still working pretty well. I
hope we never become a homogenized society were *everyone* wants the same
thing.  I also hope we stay ever-vigilant against the tyranny of a majority.
 Paraphrasing Th. Jefferson, I pledge eternal hostility toward this kind of
thing. I also try to remember that the *bolshevik/menshevik* sword cuts both
ways.
 
>          I'm sure that you are accurately describing the way museums
>          will increasingly function...
 
I think I described the way museums have always functioned.  For the most
part, patron audiences are small on a museum-by-museum basis.  As is often
the case, both a museum and its core constituency are like-minded in many
respects.
Fractal theory works well here.  The Smithsonian is *everymuseum* writ large.
On its broad shoulders should ride the interests of its audience...the
*Mythical American*...and I think Mr. Smithson would agree.
 
>          ...particularly the consensus represented by congresspeople...etc.
 
Congresspeople are audience-people, too.  Some are even human.  They also
operate with their *enlightened self-interest* buttons switched on high.
Behind every congressperson is a constituency and a pledge to the country
they serve.  In their purest form both of these motivations are honorable
and deserving of respect. Collectively, they (congresspeople and their
constituencies) can be counted on as fair measures of a national
constituency's mood, perceptions and historical perspective.  With regard to
the Enola Gay issue, I think the geographical expression known as the United
States spoke loud and clear.  The country has a voice and it is heard in
places like the Smithsonian Institution.
 
>          ...those with the power get to tell the story.
 
You're right, but not absolutely. Right has might, but not always.  These, I
think, are facts of life.
 
>          ...what in the world is wrong with using "hindsight" to present the
>          context of a story?
 
There's nothing wrong with hindsight as long as we don't try to ascribe
today's thoughts to yesterday's people.  I think *hindsight* and *historical
context* are mutually exclusive terms.  Its like a 250 lb. man feeling
guilty about a fight he didn't break up between his parents when he was 5
years old.  The "if I knew then what I know now" approach must go
hand-in-hand with a "that was then, this is now" thought process.
 
>          ...Isn't that what historians do?
 
Good ones do it well, contextually speaking.
 
>          ...the calculation of casualties avoided in Japan, and the
>          motivations behind the dropping of the bomb (whether, for
>          example, it had an element of warning to the Soviets) appear
>          to be subjects on which honest and well-informed people can
>          disagree.
 
I, and probably most everyone else couldn't agree more.  Unfortunately, this
wasn't the issue.  If that's what the *Times* is focusing on, I guess I have
to say the paper needs bifocals.  Way out west here, the *Searchlight* waxed
eloquently on the question, what if we had The Bomb, didn't use it, invaded
Japan and suffered 10000, 100000, or 1,000,000 casualties as a result?
By the way, I wonder how many Japanese citizens would have layed down their
lives in defense of their country if we had invaded.  My guess is a hell of
a lot more men, women and children than were lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
 
I wish the Smithsonian had measured twice, cut once.
 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rich Jones                              Governing Board For:
Development Director                    Carter House Natural Science Museum
Shasta Natural Science Association      Redding Arboretum By The River
[log in to unmask]              SNSA Environmental Resources Center