YAY NEW JERSEY: Kudos to the New Jersey state legislature (and especially Linda Greenstein, mother of my friend Evan), who recently passed legislation to eliminate the position of New Jersey poet laurete. The job is currently held by loony, anti-Semitic black supremecist Amiri Baraka, who has threatened to sue.
Baraka came under fire last year when he wrote a poem accusing Jews of planning the September 11 attacks. Baraka to this day claims that "Israeli citizens were warned" about the attacks. By who? Osama? Wouldn't he want more Israelis to die?
This repugnant jackass will still be allowed to produce poetry and perform it as much as he wants- but he should no longer be allowed to do it while representing the state of New Jersey. Governor Jim McGreevey (on whose campaign I briefly worked in 2001) has promised to sign the bill.