Critics of this controversial painting are not questioning its constitutionality. What they are questioning is its appropriateness and if this work of art spurs healing or just more divisiveness. Congressman Clay’s office released this statement:

In America we don’t arrest artwork. As the Member who sponsored the art work at issue and a Member who is a First Amendment constitutional scholar, we write to express our grave concern that you may follow up on an act of vigilante censorship in the House of Representatives by taking formal steps to remove a painting by St. Louis Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School Senior David Pulphus from display on a wall in the tunnel between the Cannon House Office Building and the Capitol.

The young man’s painting depicts a scene involving police officers pointing their guns at an African-American man, with the two officers and the African-American man all appearing to have animal-like facial features. The painting appears to show protesters in the background. We believe that removing this work – which has been on display for six months as one of more than 400 winning high school entries selected from each congressional district through the annual Congressional Art Competition – would be a violation of First Amendment free speech rights. Read more…

The liberals, who claim they are the most tolerant  and who constantly remind the rest of us that we should “come together” view this incident as “childish and weird.”

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are supposed to be the grownups in the room, but a spat over a high school student’s painting is revealing their childish tendencies. Read more…

The depicting of police officer as pigs and other animals is probably not childish to the sister of this police officer:

As the sister of a police officer, who lays his life on the line everyday, it saddens me to see our congressman supporting such a distasteful, offensive, and disgusting depiction of law enforcement officers. My brother and his fellow police officers work hard to serve and protect Congressman Clay as well as all of those in the communities they serve. What a tragedy to see such animosity represented, which is clearly not a true or accurate depiction of the motivations and feelings of most police officers, and certainly not something to be publicly celebrated. Read more…

Related:

Picture of the Day: Rep. “Lazy” Clay AWOL at IRS Hearings

Watchdog Group Cites Cong. Clay’s $300k to Sister’s Law Firm

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