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• Position: Republican senator Mitch McConnell objects to exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution - Other news items are included - Brief Article

McConnell Fumes at Smithsonian

From an article in The Washington Post on a letter from Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, to I. Michael Heyman, head of the Smithsonian Institution after McConnell's recent visit to the museum: "`I saw quite a lot, and much of what I saw, frankly, I didn't like,' said McConnell.... What he encountered, McConnell said, was part of the nation's `drift to political correctness.'.... McConnell's criticism centered on two exhibits: `American Encounters,' a look at American Indians, Hispanics, and white Americans in New Mexico, which opened in 1992, and `Communities in a Changing Nation: The Promise of 19th Century America,' which opened in February. `In the New Mexico Pueblo exhibit, references are made to "invasive forms of Christianity." Invasive! The characterization seems more apt for a parasitic virus, a plague, than as a means of describing the evolution of Christianity in this country,' McConnell said. He told Heyman the newer shows seemed to focus on `the darker side of capitalism,' and that descriptions of immigrants' experiences in the `Communities' show downplayed the contribution of hard work and emphasized `luck, just luck.' His visit, he said, `was downright depressing.'"

Atomic Trinkets

From an Associated Press story datelined Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico: "Souvenir earrings with tiny silver replicas of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 are being sold at the National Atomic Museum, causing indignation in Japan. `It's not the sort of thing you should be hanging from your ears or using to decorate your desk,' said Naomi Kishimoto of the anti-nuclear group Gensuikyo in Hiroshima.... Members of Gensuikyo found the earrings and other items, including medallions that commemorate the bombing missions, on the museum's web site, which is run by the U.S. Department of Energy. The earrings are shaped like the `Little Boy' and `Fat Man' atomic bombs developed during the war at Los Alamos under the Manhattan Project. They sell for $20.00.... Museum store manager Tony Sparks said the earrings are the most popular item in the store that offers a balanced view of events. `We're aware that it's sensitive,' Sparks said. `We have such a high contingency of Japanese visitors, most of whom are interested in hearing our side. We are careful not to glorify it.'"

Still on Board

From a letter dated August 6 by Tulley N. Brown, executive director of Direction Sports, a group...