JIM: I don't have a remedy for this mess. I'm hoping the cure doesn't do the patient in. I do, however, have a thought on what the outcome should be. I used the word "replaced" instead of "fired" because I think SERIOUS errors in judgement should have a negative consequence attached to them when such wrong-headedness threatens the health and reputation of a national treasure like the Smithsonian. Hindsight tells me "demoted" would have been a better word than "replaced." As for the politics of my post, if you are referring to my use of the phrase "minority point-of-view" that's the best euphemism I could come up with to describe what others might call "revisionist", "un-American", etc. I wanted to use "overly-erudite" but I wasn't sure if it had one R or two and I didn't want anyone to pick on my spelling and miss the meaning of my post. Sometime back, I stated my position in favor of "institutional free-expression." I guess now I have to qualify that by saying "provided such free-expression does not have a pyrrhic quality about it." >>If it is determined, like I believe it will be, that the Smithsonian >>momentarily lost its head about the Enola Gay >>exhibition, then those who advocated vehemently for the minority >>point-of-view should be commended for sticking up for what they believe in, >>complimented on their professional accumen and if they were directly >>involved, REPLACED [emphasis mine]. . . >Rich, Pray tell expand on that last thought . . . Are we at the point of >firing people simply because they embrace a minority view? Talk about a >"chilling effect!" A long view of recorded history demonstrates, in time, >many (most?) majority views (in nearly every discipline) are eventually >discredited or at least proven to be only partially valid. On the surface >your remedy sounds awfully wicked. And vaguely political? Jim Czarniecki > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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