The disturbing imagery of Barack Obama

With just hours left until the election, there's something that has really been bothering me, and that is how Barack Obama has gotten this far in this race. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's definitely something that doesn't feel right about him. I don't know whether it's because he's a Socialist running as a Democrat or because we actually know so very little about him or because he seems to embrace imagery and symbolism that has run contrary to American ideals.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not a big McCain supporter either. In fact, I can't stand the guy, but I'm voting for him because at least with him we know what we'll be getting. And please save the "more Bush doctrine" crap. You know it's not true just as much as I do. McCain isn't a Bush guy - they've been bitter rivals since the 2000 primaries. "But he'll just tow the Republican line," you say? McCain is barely a Republican and certainly isn't a conservative. He's made a career of bucking his own party. Besides, the Republican party is in such an impotent state these days that there's not much of line to tow, anyway. The majority of Republican representatives and senators have compromised their principles at the alter of "bipartisanship" and have even outright betrayed their conservative principles, especially in the past few months. The lone exception is a representative - who happens to be my representative in Congress - named Michael McCaul.

But back to Obama. For months now I've been searching for words - trying to put my finger on exactly what it is that is so distressing to me about this guy. Being an artist - a visual guy, I was having a tough time. His marketing and delivery is slick, polished and more subtle than any I've ever seen before. People, the media especially, are treating him like a celebrity - like a rock star - like a god - and like a savior.


There are so many aspects to the marketing of this guy. The "heartland O" logo. The owning of the words "hope" and "change." The constant inspirational photography that pops up on the internet and in newspapers with the sun shining behind him or that shows him towering over the crowd while giving a speech. And the posters that carry his image. It's these posters that predate the logo and all the other imagery. And that's because I believe they were specifically designed to bring to mind, very subtly, other revolutionary images. It's the very core of his campaign, and it finally occurred to me why I'm so disturbed. his entire message, his entire philosophy is telegraphed in his imagery.



The images of him are reminiscent of Communist posters featuring radicals such as Stalin and Che Guevera. It's this kind of symbolism that I think is very telling, and very dangerous. Why am I so disturbed by simple imagery? Because i know that imagery can be very powerful, very evocative, very sly and very persuasive. I've also seen these posters hanging as banners and over-sized prints on the sides of buildings (in Austin) as far back as March. You haven't seen these things until you've seen them looming over you three stories tall like some kind of giant overseer - like Big Brother.

Even the day before the election, there's so much we don't know about Barack Obama. There's so much that feels like it's been off limits for whatever reason. As someone with a degree in journalism, it's unthinkable to me that reporters haven't asked Obama the really tough questions.

And it scares me.

Your head will explode in 3... 2... 1...

I ran across this last night.  It's from the Kansas City Star. What's sad is that this guy is serious.

Shame on McCain and Palin for using an old code word for black
By Lewis Diuguid, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The "socialist" label that Sen. John McCain and his GOP presidential running mate Sarah Palin are trying to attach to Sen. Barack Obama actually has long and very ugly historical roots.

J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972, used the term liberally to describe African Americans who spent their lives fighting for equality.

Those freedom fighters included the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who led the Civil Rights Movement; W.E.B. Du Bois, who in 1909 helped found the NAACP which is still the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization; Paul Robeson, a famous singer, actor and political activist who in the 1930s became involved in national and international movements for better labor relations, peace and racial justice; and A. Philip Randolph, who founded and was the longtime head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and a leading advocate for civil rights for African Americans.

McCain and Palin have simply reached back in history to use an old code word for black. It set whites apart from those deemed unAmerican and those who could not be trusted during the communism scare.

Shame on McCain and Palin.

The original can be found at here. Be sure to read the comments.

The Clearing

I just finished a painting that I'd like to share. It's for a marriage retreat lodge that will soon be built near Brenham called "The Clearing."

I was contacted by my friend Lori a few weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in doing an illustration for one of their clients. I did a brochure for her employer, Texas Log Homes, last fall and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to do some more work for them. That, and I'd like to transition into illustrating children's so I was really interested in a paying gig that would allow me to practice.

The drawback was that there was nothing in existence for me to work from except an architect's elevation drawing. Oh, and they wanted it with just a little more than three weeks turnaround.

So I got to work drawing. Trying to draw a building that doesn't exist from a straight-on drawing and trying to show depth and size is actually pretty tough. After several starts, I finally got a sketch that I likes and that I thought was decent enough to proceed. So I scanned it and began working with it in Photoshop.

Then I got some voicemails and an e-mail on Friday from the owners of The Clearing. They wanted the art early for a brochure. I wasn't ready to give it to them, but I promised that I would have it by the end of the weekend.

After several hours of work, I took a look at it and realized that my perspective was all off. It didn't become clear until it was painted how bad it was. It was like MC Escher got together with Salvador Dali and decided to build a log cabin. This is the first version:

So on Sunday morning, I started over. Sitting in the living room drinking my coffee with Kristi, I began sketching. What miraculously appeared was what I originally envisioned, but somehow abandoned. So I scanned it and began working feverishly. Having just done all this the day before, it went pretty quickly.

I fixed a few things that I didn't like from the first draft and experimented with some different ways of doing some things. I worked most of the day, with a 2-hour break to go to the Scarecrow Festival in Chappell Hill with the family. Finally, at about 7pm, I finished. Here's the final result:

I think you'll agree that it's much better.

Choke!

Good football is emotional, and watching the Texans play the Colts today brought up all kinds of emotions. First, pride in my favorite team as they systematically took apart the Colts and made Peyton Manning look silly.

Then disbelief that beginning the fourth quarter they were up 27-10 and it looked like nothing could go wrong.

Then horror as I watched Sage Rosenfels make more mistakes than a high school quarterback in his first game. Diving over a defender, Sage? Really?!?

Then finally relief when the game was over and I knew that the Texans were the same team they've always been. The same old reliable team that always comes through in a pinch. The team that never lets me down. The team that always comes through at the last minute and manages to throw the entire game.

The Colt won 31-27.

Watching the last four minutes of the game felt exactly like watching the Houston Oilers choke and blow a tremendous lead to the Buffalo Bills back in 1993. I remember being at work at Foot Locker watching the game on TV and just feeling like I was drowning in slow motion, helpless to do anything.

Fast forward 15 years.  So now we have a new team. A better team. A new coach. A better coach. Better players. A new stadium. A fresh start, right? Allegedly...

So why does it just keep happening? Why does it all feel the same, over and over and over? It's like watching the Bad News Bears play every week. Is it the water in Houston? Is it the fans? Is it the weather? What is it that makes our teams constantly choke and just generally suck? I have a theory, but I'll save it for another time.

But a HUGE silver lining to the game... This was the first game that Noble and I got to watch together. Well, I watched it. He snuggled in and fell asleep. And he slept on my arm the whole time. And it was magic.  And there was the best emotion of this game.

Hmmm. Sounds legit enough...

MY DEAR AMERICAN FRIEND:

I AM NEEDING TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.

I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 700 BILLION OF YOUR DOLLARS (US). IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.

I AM WORKING WITH HIGHLY REPUTABLE MR. PHIL GRAM, LOBBYIST FOR UBS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY IF MY POLITICAL PARTY WINS UPCOMING ELECTION, WHICH WE CERTAINLY WILL BECAUSE WE ARE IN CONTROLING OF THE HIGHEST SUPREME COURT. YOU MAY REMEMBER HIM AS A SENATOR AS LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S.

I AM ALSO WORKING WITH HIGHLY REPUTABLE MR. BARNEY FRANK, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF MASSACHUSETTS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY IF OTHER POLITICAL PARTY, LED BY MR. BARACK OBAMA, WIN UPCOMING ELECTION, WHICH HE CERTAINLY WILL BECAUSE HE IS IN CONTROLLING OF VOTING IN ILLINOIS, OHIO, FLORIDA, AND MANY OTHER STATES. MR. BARNEY FRANK IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS OF ALL KINDS, FROM WHOREHOUSE ADMINISTRATION TO HOME LOAN BUSINESS, AND FAITHFULLY TEACHES PRECEPTS OF MR. BARACK OBAMA ("FROM TINY A.C.O.R.N. GROWS GIANT FORECLOSURE OAK!").

THIS TRANSACTIN IS 100% SAFE. YOU MUST TRUST ME COMPLETELY AND NOT ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRANSACTION. YOU HAVE MY WORD NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE MONEY. THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED YOUR BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTH PERSONAGE WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.

YOU ARE THAT PERSONAGE.

PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN AND THOSE YET UNBORN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@ TREASURY. GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION.

AFTER I RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS WE PROMISE WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS AND PRODUCE A LONG-TERM RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR YOU AND THOSE YOU LOVE.

YOURS FAITHFULLY

MINISTER OF TREASURY H. PAULSON

P.S.: YOU CAN REALLY TRUST ME. LOOK AT DOLLAR BILL. MY SIGNATURE IS ON THE MONEY.