Politics and Art

Our present political environment scares the shit out of me. I started out my art with political pieces that reflected my anger and depression. Since then I moved away from the political, not because I'm no longer angry, but because I could no longer find inspiration from my anger. I may or may not go back to the political and may or may not find my muse there. The anger remains no matter.

Bush, Cheney, et al continue in their goal to create an Orwellian America. Those leopards won't change their spots, but I had hopes that McCain wasn't the same sort of leader. Alas I was wrong. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." I'm not so sure we won't get fooled again.

You may have seen this detail of my 2006 piece The Medusa Leaders or Orwell Just Got the Year Wrong in which I quote George Orwell, "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Sign me an agnostic who is praying for this world and country.

Not a Political Post! (yes it is)

I was born in Jackson, MS, while Jim Crow was still alive. My tiny mother was teaching at Provine High School the first year that the Federal government made Mississippi desegregate its schools. Grandfather, while not particularly racist for that place and time, thought that blacks and whites should stay separate and used the n-word liberally.

And last night I watched a stirring speech and an amazing moment. I didn't know if I would see such a day -- blacks and whites standing in ovation for a black presidential candidate. More than that I watched Hillary Clinton's multi-racial supporters cheering the first serious female candidate. I thought about a Democratic party race that included a black, a woman, and an Hispanic.

Compare this to John McCain, the last white guy, among many white guys, standing at the end of the Republican primaries. On this historic day, June 3, 2008, he was speaking in New Orleans. He spoke of change and responsibility.

On another historic day, August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina plowed into New Orleans. The levees failed and as a result more than 1,800 people died.

McCain wasn't in New Orleans that day. He wasn't in Washington either. Instead he was with George Bush in Phoenix so that Bush could cut McCain's birthday cake at Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort and Country Club. Because they had nothing better to do. Because eating cake was the responsible thing to do.