Codrescu at Midwinter

I've been struggling about how, or even if, I should weigh in on what will forever be known as the Anarchist Addresses Pinko Commie Librarians Midwinter Meeting President's Program Incident.  I should fully disclose that Andrei Codrescu is my friend, a good friend.  And I should further disclose that when Cuba last came up as an issue, I voted with the majority and voted against inserting stronger language into an IRC/IFC report that called for the immediate release of political dissidents in Cuba (the particular vote of which is summed up here by Karen Schneider).  I can't tell you precisely why I voted the way I did, aside from the fact that I followed the lead of those I knew, not feeling like I had reliable information about the situation.  I've since learned what "abstain" is all about.

I can tell you that if Cuba were to come up again, I'd likely vote differently, all because of comments made by my friend, Andrei, sneakily delivered though they were.  Today's theme is trust, and quite simply, I trust Andrei. 

Going into the President's Program, I had no expectation of a meaningful conversation about the future of libraries and the profession, given that one of the participants is not a librarian, is a cultural cousin to the Merry Pranksters, and whose last novel, Wakefield, was brilliant satire about a guy who makes a lot of money as a lecturer for hire (and has been given a one-year reprieve by the Devil).  I knew he'd have some good librarian stories, and he did.  But, you don't invite people outside your profession, like authors or politicians, to tell other professionals about their work, unless all you're looking for are aw-gee platitudes, or a kick in the ass about what you're doing wrong.  My friend delivered both and even if I didn't agree with him 100%, I'll stand by him.

In case you missed it, Andrei [hearts] libraries, particularly those in his hometown, turned to rubble by Hurricane Katrina (from Downtown Express):

What remains, however, developed by over a century of democratic practice, is the librarian as a person and the building as a multi-use structure. The librarian is not just the guardian of books, but the guarantor of the liberty of humans to read and think for themselves. The buildings can be many things if we can imagine those things. The New Orleans libraries need help. To find out how, write to Ronald L. Biava, Fund Development Counsel for NOPL, ronbiava@earthlink.net

Comments

[Norma]

Sneaky? What is sneaky is turning a dues paying professional organization into a patsy for every liberal cause that rears its head.

[conductor]

I have posted a link to this at cubanamericanpundits.com

[rochelle]

Doh! Will do.

[K.G. Schneider]

Nice post, though could you point folks to freerangelibrarian.com instead of the old (pre-2004!) URL?