Friday, September 25, 2009

Ars Gratia Grantis


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Audio tapes have revealed collusion between the Whitehouse and the National Endowment for the Arts to fund artworks which celebrate the president's policies and, disturbingly, encourage citizens to serve the government.

It's hard to know which is more troubling: the blatant illegality of misusing public funds, or the Obama administration's continuing efforts to brainwash the population by any means possible.

Bonus: A Hope n' Change pop quiz! Can you guess which piece of government-funded art your tax dollars paid for? No cheating by peeking in history books!




6 comments:

Dan M said...

I try my best to avoid using terms like "Nazi" when I describe the Obama administration but when you seem images like this, along with the push for a civilian army and the latest indoctrination video to come out of NJ you really have to wonder ...

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

Dan M, I agree. To characterize Obama or any politician as having Hitler-like tendencies is a risky business; it could easily make the accuser look ridiculous.

But what other president has stated his desire to create a domestic army "as large and as well funded" as our real army? What internal threat does the president want to use it for? Meanwhile, we continue getting signs that this president has no tolerance for opposing views, and - along with his spokespeople - paints his opponents as stupid, evil, and the cause of the nation's woes. Again, anyone familiar with Hitler's road to power should feel uncomfortable about this.

Regarding the indoctrination video, it seems likely to be something of a fluke - not a coordinated propaganda effort. But the NEA situation is just the opposite: an attempt by the Whitehouse to covertly use public funds to create propaganda under the guise of art. This is a serious and scary development, and should be getting more attention than the the media (surprise!) is giving it.

Dan M said...

Stilt, agree with everything except the idea that the NJ video is a 'fluke'. It may be the only example (to date) of a teacher having their students sing praises to Obama but it is far from the only example of "devotion" that I have seen.

I am truly bothered by what I am seeing happen all around me. The NEA situation, the appointment of so many radical "advisors" and, in my opinion, a blatant disregard for the responsibilities of the office of President. And, I'm sorry, "but.. but.. Bush did it" isn't an excuse.

We have the sons and daughters of this nation currently in harms way, miles away from their homes and families and Obama can't even take the time to review and act on a request for troops. I'm glad that the pressures of being President have not done much to hamper his busy vacation, golf and fluff-interview schedule. I would hate to see what might happen when he's actually forced to solve a problem without a teleprompter.

staghounds said...

The fact that they were Nazis doesn't mean they weren't good with graphic design.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

Dan M, don't get me wrong - the school video is chilling (and will be visited in tomorrow's cartoon). To me, the worst case scenario is the government telling schools to promote this sort of thing, which I don't think happened here. BUT...there's clearly a governmental encouragement of "personal initiatives" to celebrate and praise The One, including in public institutions, which is nearly as bad.

And the way Obama has put Afghanistan and our troops on the back burner while pursuing his personal domestic ambitions is nothing short of a criminal dereliction of duty.


Staghounds, the Nazis were damn good with graphic design, and it was instrumental to their political power. Class assignment: go watch "Triumph of the Will" to see the awesome power of Hitler's artistic propaganda.

Dan M said...

Stilt - now I can say that I completely agree, even with your interpretation of the effectiveness of the Nazi propaganda machine. I sincerely hope that more people search for the truth with an open mind because, frankly, if the President had an "(R)" after his name I'd be screaming the same thing.

Looking forward to tomorrow's 'toon and, as always, keep up the GREAT work!