A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS THEY SAY !!!!!!!!

A Tale Of Two Hoodies  (Racism)

Inspired by the handling of the Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman case, this painting symbolizes the travesty of racially profiling innocent children and the effect of racism in law enforcement and the judicial system.







Adam & Eve-olution
(Creationism versus Evolution)

Evolution or creationism? Has scientific research disproven religious beliefs? Does religion stifle scientific progress?  More and more children are being taught creationism in school, either along side of or replacing evolution. It’s been said that teaching creationism in public schools is religious discrimination, constitutionally illegal and worst of all bad science.

The scientific community feels there is a false equivalency being set up by calling both creationism and evolution “schools of thought.” They assert evolution is based in proven scientific fact, whereas creationism is based on a book written at a time when conventional wisdom believed the earth to be flat. They fear denying children of the process and validity of scientific research will impede future scientific advances. The religious community fear science’s ability to disprove certain biblical explanations with empirical research challenges their belief system.

While there is really no denying that evolution is a proven fact, creationists can at least take comfort that there exist’s no evidence that evolution wasn’t God’s plan. We’d like to know your thoughts.'



BAD APPLE  | (Genetically Modified Food)

Some say that Monsanto has monopolized our food supply and persuaded our government to look the other way when it comes to the safety of their product. Specifically when it comes to genetically modified food. The agricultural giant has lobbied hard to get congress not to pass a bill requiring the labeling of GMOs. Makes you wonder why don’t they want you to know what your eating.

I was thinking that if the witch had offered Snow White a genetically modified Monsanto apple, it might take more than a kiss from a prince to revive our heroin http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/19632-monsantos-very-bad-week-3-big-blows-for-gmo-food


The Conservative Christ  | (Sanctimony)

The Conservative Christ symbolizes the sanctimony of the religious right. They proclaim the Republican party as “God’s party.” This painting questions if the conservative agenda is at odds with the teachings of Jesus. Christ said “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away” and “Judge not, that you be not judged”3. “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Compare these quotes with the conservative stance on entitlements, gay marriage, immigration, healthcare, and gun control. Ask yourself, “how would Jesus vote on these issues?”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/06/artists-new-painting-targets-conservative-christians-views-christs-teachings-seem-to-go-against-the-republican-line/


Blood Money (NRA)

The painting Blood Money explains why we do not have meaningful gun control in America. In the wake of Newtown, 45 senators disregarded the will of 90% of Americans who support universal background checks for gun buyers. They willingly put more innocent lives at risk just to ensure that their campaign contributions from the NRA keep coming. This is the most blatant and egregious example of special interests subverting our democracy with great sums of money.  The sole reason for the NRA’s existence is to lobby congress not to create any gun control legislation that might hurt gun ; ammo sales no matter regardless of the cost in human lives. Only in America do the profits of gun and ammo manufacturer’s take priority over the safety of their citizens. The blood of thousands of gun violence victims stain the hands of Wayne Lapierre and the politicians who take their money.



Brought To You By The NRA

This painting is in response to the Newton massacre and the NRA’s response to the tragedy. Instead of taking some responsibility and supporting tougher gun laws, they call for putting more guns in schools. This painting is meant to serve as an iconic reminder of the very real consequences of allowing the NRA to continue dictating gun control policy to our elected leaders. We will never know how many innocent lives might have been saved if the NRA hadn’t successfully lobbied, congress to allow the Automatic Weapons Ban to expire. If you were to read the death certificates of the victims of Newtown, I’m sure cause of death would read gun shot wounds. While technically accurate, the real cause of death is greed. The greed of the gun manufacturers, the greed of the NRA and the greed of the politicians who accept their money.





Who the hell is Grover Norquist?

Who the hell is Grover Norquist? He is the lobbyist whose Svengali-like control over the GOP has forbidden them to end the Bush tax cuts for the rich, creating unprecedented gridlock and putting them in a very “uncompromising position” negotiating the fiscal cliff.








Illegal Immigration

When it comes to the immigration issue it might be wise to take a minute to reflect on the pilgrims we so joyously celebrate every Thanksgiving. When you think about it, our genocidal ancestors were the first illegal aliens. They came uninvited and without documentation wiping out the indigenous inhabitants and taking over their land. Maybe that anyone could do such horrific things is what scares their self righteous descendants so much today.






CANDY FROM BABIES

Candy From Babies, the first in the ‘Portraits in the Redistribution’ trilogy, depicts a child front of torn headlines that narrate how the next generation are being burdened with our debt and having the opportunities for a good education striped from them.








Too Big To Jail

In great contrast to the other two paintings in this series of sacrifice, Too Big To Jail speaks of how well the redistribution of wealth has benefitted the Wall Street fat cats who have been richly rewarded for their bad behavior.







SOCIAL INSECURITY

The last piece in the trilogy, Social Insecurity, represents how the redistribution of wealth has put the sacrifice upon the elderly who are being treated as if they are not deserving of the entitlements they have paid into all of their hard working lives.








Court Blanche – Citizens United

The Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling on the Citizens United case overturned century-old restrictions on corporations, unions and other interest groups from using their vast treasuries to advocate for a specific candidate. The five conservative members of the Court ruled corporations have the same First Amendment rights as individuals. Justice John Paul Stevens described the decision as “A radical departure in the law, the ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the nation.” Wrote Stevens, “It will undoubtedly cripple the ability of ordinary citizens, Congress, and the States to adopt even limited measures to protect against corporate domination of the electoral process.” President Obama called it “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”







Small Government | (corruption)

This painting represents the relationship between the growing corporate power and the diminishing of our government’s control. A smaller government makes corruption a lot more affordable. Like small-time criminals want a police force too small to catch them, corporations want a government too small to regulate.
http://ux.brookdalecc.edu/student/stall/drupal-6.17/node/351






 DOWN & OUTSOURCED | (outsourcing)

Down & Outsourced humanizes the growing problem of outsourcing. American jobs are being outsourced to India, Hong Kong, The Peoples Republic of China, Panama, Manila, The Philippines; and many other countries by the thousands. Since 1986, corporate executives have outsourced over 15 million high-paying manufacturing jobs have left the the American workforce to the countries with lower paying labor forces in order to increase their ever growing profits. Any job that can be performed in another location, preferably outside of the realm of American wages and work-related laws, are going. Yours might be next.
http://josephfreedomoranarchy.blogspot.com/2014/07/donate-and-support-veterans-project_30.html






Independence

It’s foremost an environmental issue, but it is an economic and national security one as well. Investing in clean renewable energy is the only way to save the environment and our independence. Developing alternatives to burning fossil fuels offers us a brighter future if we act fast enough. I don’t think the problem is our addiction to oil that gets in the way. I think it’s that the big oil companies have an addiction to big profits?



Dependence

It’s foremost an environmental issue, but it is an economic and national security one as well. Do we have an addiction to foreign oil like our politicians tell us or do the big oil companies have an addiction to big profits?







Corpocracy (Corporate Influence)

This painting represents the devastating effects boundless corporate influence has on democracy. The corporate elite have co-opted our government, using enormous campaign contributions to convince our elected leaders to bend to their will. While democracy is a system of government of the people, by the people and for the people, Corpocracy is a system of government of the people, buy the politicians and for multinational corporations.





American Pie (trickle down economics)

Call it trickle down economics. Call it Corporate Welfare. Our government represents the interests of corporate elite for they are always served the first and largest slice of our American pie. Instead of prosecuting those who greedily and carelessly put our country in economic ruin, they rewarded them with no strings attached billions.









The Truth (President Obama)

This painting of President Obama crucified was inspired by watching conflicting reports on the different cable newscasts and the effect on their viewers. This painting made point that peoples’ perceptions are distorted though their political lenses by the drastically different interpretations of the piece. Millions of people around the world theorized about the meaning of it. Some thought it was comparing President Obama to Christ, others saw it as satire and some came closer to the truth. What you see in this painting will be a reflection of your own partisan view and that is precisely the point.




… what I meant was … (media bias)

This painting is all about media bias and how our views are often distorted looking through our political lenses. It was done in response to the thousands who misinterpreted ‘The Truth’ as blasphemy. Not wanting the message of that painting to be lost, this painting was done without the use of religious symbolism. hence the title “… what I meant was …”






Murder By Media  (news media bias)

This painting represents the destructive power of news media bias to misrepresent and influence public opinion to support their own agenda. Long gone are the days of Walter Cronkite and objective reporting of the facts. Tremendously partisan reporting of misinformation, along with daily hate-mongering and demonization of the political opposition has created the deep division in our country.







Unbalanced (Fox News)

This painting depicts effects on some people of hate-mongering being offered on some 24 hour cable news outlets like FOX NEWS. Consider the murder of Dr. Tiller after Bill O’Reilly’s repeated diatribes, or the shooting of Congresswoman Gabriel Gifford and others in Arizona and you realize the cause and effect.





Voter Fraud (voter suppression)

Sadly voter suppression, not voter fraud as the real deception concerning elections. The Supreme Court struck down the voting rights act of 1965, allowing certain southern states with a history of discrimination to once again create barriers for racial minorities who want to vote. Under the guise of “voter fraud” (which is a problem that was never proven to exist) many Republican-run states have created new voting laws designed to suppress the minority vote such as limiting acceptable forms of identification, ending opportunities for student voting and reducing hours for early voting. In an effort to win elections, the Republican party have undermined both racial equality and democracy.



Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

It has been common practice for the Catholic Church to transfer pedophile priests in leu of reporting their crimes to the legal authorities. The cover-up goes all the way to the top. As a Cardinal, future Pope Benedict XVI resisted pleas to defrock a California priest with a record of sexually molesting children, citing concerns including “the good of the universal church” according to a 1985 letter bearing his signature.






And Justice For All (assassination of Osama Bin Laden)

This painting commemorates successful assassination of Osama Bin Laden who masterminded the attack on America 10 years ago. Two wars, thousands of lives and billions of dollars later, the successful mission is a reminder to those who would consider killing our innocent civilians that we will not rest until we find you.




Occupying Main Street (wealth disparity)

Enjoying the wealth disparity he helped create, he basks in the comfort of his luxurious office. He needs no crowd, no chant, no sign for he rules Wall Street, Main Street and all the other streets in the land. Far above the maddening throngs of angry Occupy Wall Street protesters revolting against the morally bankrupt super rich, sits our captain of finance ensconced in luxury. Untouched by the discontented masses and untouchable by the governments he and his cohorts control, this heartless monument to selfishness is driven by his bottomless pit of greed. Lacking the restraints of conscience, and government intervention, he lives happily void of contrition for the lives ruined by his machinations.






Winds of Change (clean energy)

Don’t think we need to develop clean energy? Two of the biggest man-made ecological disasters in history have happened just recently. The BP oil spill in the Gulf and the Nuclear disaster in Japan are strong reminders of the importance of changing our environmentally unsafe sources of energy to clean renewable ones.