A painting by David Pulphus hangs in a hallway displaying artwork by
high school students selected by their member of Congress on Capitol
Hill
Free Speech in the Halls of Congress
Rep. Lacy Clay of Missouri and
members of the Black Congressional Caucus rehung a painting in the U.S. Capitol
Tuesday that has stirred controversy over its depiction of police officers as
pigs.
Mr. Clay vowed to fight for the
constitutional rights of the artist, whose painting has been on display since
the summer among more than 400 winners of a high school art competition
sponsored by Congress.
“It is just pathetic that some
Republican members and alt-right media types who constantly refer to themselves
as constitutional conservatives don’t think that that same document protects
the fundamental free speech rights of my 18-year-old constituent,” he told
reporters.
“I do not agree or disagree with
this painting, but I will fight to defend this young man’s right to express
himself because this artwork is true for him, and he is entitled to that
protection under the law,” Mr. Clay said.
The saga picked up speed late last
week after Rep. Duncan Hunter of California removed the painting from the
Cannon tunnel that connects House legislative offices to the Capitol.
Minutes before the painting was
returned to its assigned location Tuesday, Mr. Hunter told reporters he still
believes it should be taken down.
“The art competition rules do not
allow for this kind of painting,” Mr. Hunter said. “It is just that simple.”
The ground rules of the competition
rules warned against “sensationalistic” issues and “contemporary” events.
Democratic Cops-as-Pigs Iwo Jima
We have to ask ourselves, although many things are not against the law, do they belong in the halls of Congress?
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But let's take Representative Clay and, presumably, the Black Congressional Caucus at their word, regardless
of the contest rules:
Would they be so magnanimous if the same
picture had normal human policemen/women, but all the blacks were depicted as
apes? (Perhaps drawn by the son or daughter of one of the many
police personnel ruthlessly executed this year by blacks in 2016.)
What if an enterprising 18-year-old artist "expanded" on
the so-called Piss Christ using some brown plaster of Paris?
What if, and we all know the answer, an artist depicted the
Prophet Muhammad doing literally anything at all?
How about good old fashioned pornography?
Is it free speech, or is it offensive?
It's probably both.
