god bless the U.S.A.

So, in case you haven't heard recently, George W. Bush appointed country and western singer Lee Greenwood to the National Council on the Arts. Yeah, that's right: the guy who is known pretty much solely for the fact that he wrote and recorded this song will now be one of the 14 people in the entire country who will decide whether or not artists get to have a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

As a rule I try not to mention politics on this thing but what the hell is that all about! Is that just the outgoing administration's way of sticking it to the Obama people? Was Toby Keith unavailable?

To make matters worse, he is the only one on the council who was selected by Bush (and confirmed by the Senate!) to serve one of the six-year terms. Obama will fill the rest of the council during the course of his first term but good ol' Lee Greenwood will be there for the entire thing. I mean, really? Really?!

Ah...well, whatever. I'm sure he's a perfectly decent guy and there will be 13 other people making decisions alongside him but, still...that one hurts a bit. I'm guessing there aren't any up-and-coming country and western acts out there that will be applying for NEA grants in the near future (or ever) so his credentials in this particular milieu are a little suspect (which is really the only issue I have with this appointment). Here's a decent article from the LA Times that explains it a little better and a great commentary in the Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert.

"What's that you say, artists of the United States of America? You want to spend hours and hours and hours writing grants in an impossibly difficult effort to further your career and the art you love so much? Now you must go through me, Lee Greenwood."

Love,
Lee Greenwood
XOXO