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in the House of Representatives TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1991 But Newsweek put it best in a story on the controversy when it wrote: `To label the Smithsonian a hotbed of radicalism because it runs a show like The West as America is a little like calling The Wall Street Journal a communist rage because it once ran a piece of Eugene Debs. Yet Secretary McC. Adams was subjected to a McCarthy-like grilling before the Senate subcommittee, warned by Stevens that 'I'm going to get other people to help me make you make sense.' It is ironic that in its attempt to foster diversity and the free flow of ideas, the Smithsonian has been criticized for having a political agenda. It is also ironic that those who level these criticisms seek to impose their own ideology on the Smithnsonian - a political agenda of a different breed. The institution should be commended for not laying a politically correct blanket over its exhibits, and for examining history with an open mind. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Senator Stevens. Apparently, freedom of expression means tolerating unpopular views, except when you disagree with them. |