Date: Sat, 28 Jan 1995 10:12:40 -0600 (CST) From: heikki emil lempa <helempa@midway.uchicago.edu> To: H-verkko <H-VERKKO@sara.cc.utu.fi> Subject: HISTGRAD NEH UPDATE, part I (fwd)
Tuota, ajattelin pistaa hieman myos tiedepolitiikkaa, vaikka se tietenkin on erittain paha sana. Amerikkalaiset, jotka tietysti haluavat puhua siivosti haluavat nyt paasta lopullisesti eroon tasta pahasta sanasta. Eraanlainen Endlosung tamakin.
Heikki Lempa Universitat Tubingen
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 28 Jan 95 9:17:01 CST From: elizabeth ruth dale <erd1@midway.uchicago.edu> To: histgrad@listhost.uchicago.edu Subject: HISTGRAD NEH UPDATE, part I
NCC Washington Update v.1 #4 January 24, 1995 - by Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History *
*NEH and NEA *Smithsonian
*National Endowment for the Humanities - The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, chaired by Ralph Regula (R-OH), held a hearing on January 24 on the National Arts and Humanities Endowments. Reflecting the high visibility of the debate over the future of the endowments, almost all members of the subcommittee attended. In a packed hearing room, five witnesses addressed the basic question of whether there should be federal funding for the arts and humanities. Two former chairs of NEH, Lynne Cheney of the American Enterprise Institute and William Bennett of Empower America, and Edward Delattre of the School of Education of Boston University called for an end of federal funding for the endowments. A summary of Cheney's testimony appeared in an opinion piece in the January 24 Wall Street Journal. All three cited examples of what they considered inappropriate grants and stressed that as government downsizes and as new priorities are developed for a smaller budget that th ere is no longer money to support scholars and artists, who represent elites. In the question and answer period, Yates (D-IL) stressed the many positive things that the endowments had accomplished. Dicks (D-WA) questioned Cheney on the discrepancies bet ween her positive statements about NEH a few years ago and her current negative position. Skaggs (D-CO) asked Bennett to be more precise about his claims of "massive corruption" at NEH in the practice and products of the humanities. Political correctness, Bennett claimed, with its emphasis on such ideologies as feminism, had corrupted scholarship. Cheney also laid blame for the poor state of current scholarship on postmodernism which she said had tossed objectivity to the winds. Delattre stated that "in many instances federal funds by the endowments has militated against both intellectual quality and the public interest." There was some discussion of the National History Standards. Cheney responded to a question from Nethercutt (R-WA) by saying that at this time the state of study of history in higher education is such that she did not believe that any national group of historians would be able to promulgate standards that the committee could accept. Skaggs, however, noted that in her testimony on the history standards Cheney had picked examples out of context and had distorted the standards. The last two witnesses -- actor Charlton Heston and Frank Hodsell, former head of NEA under the Reagan Administration -- made strong statements in support of NEA and NEH. Both acknowledged that there had been mistakes but Hodsell estimated the mistakes at about 1% which he said was a much better performance rate than most corporations. Heston refuted the notion that the endowments are for the elite and talked about how NEA had nourished regional theater and brought the arts to ordinary people across the country. If NEH and NEA are abandoned, Heston stated the U.S. would be the only industrial democracy in the world that does not provide support for its culture. In closing Heston quoted eloquently from Shakespeare to make the point that the arts and humanities are fundamental to the fabric of American life. Hodsell asserted that arts and humanities are as important to the national life as science and that the National Science Foundation has made mistakes that cost millions of dollars, yet no one suggests that NSF be abolished. Only two members of the subcommittee have e-mail: Charles Taylor (R-NC) CHTAYLOR@HR.HOUSE.GOV and David Skaggs (D-CO) skaggs@hr.house.gov. The Senate hearing on NEA was postponed today because of the death of Senator Kennedy's mother.
* Enola Gay Exhibit at the Smithsonian - Three congressmen -- Representatives Peter I. Blute (R-MA), Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Stephen E. Buyer (R-IN)-- have sharply criticized the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Enola Gay exhibit. They called for Martin Harwit, the director of the museum to be fired, the exhibit to be cancelled, and oversight hearings to be held. The Washington Post quoted Representative Blute as saying: "we think there are some very troubling questions in regard to the Smithsonian, not just with this Enola Gay exhibit but over the past 10 years or so, getting into areas of revisionist history and political correctness. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered." Representative William Clinger (R-PA), who chairs the House Government Operations Committee, indicated that oversight hearings on the exhibition will be held. It now appears the hearing will be held at the subcommittee level by the Government Management, Information and Technology Subcommittee chaired by Steven Horn (R-CA). No date for a hearing has been set. The issue of the Enola Gay exhibit is expected to be on the agenda of the Smithsonian Board of Regents meeting scheduled for January 30. Those wishing to register concern about this matter, should write to Secretary I. Michael Heyman, The Smithsonian Institution, 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW, Washington, DC 20560
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