Posts Tagged ‘culture’

Visionary Reflections: Studies in Aesthetics

Aug
13

My friends in the Buford Artists’ Group are organizing our next show. Here is a list of our participating artists:

1. Anita Stewart: Instructor/owner of Anita’s Artscool in Buford, GA; Mixed Media &             Acrylics

2. Beth Arnold: Retired Teacher,; specializes in Acrylic and Watercolor landscapes

3. Beth Stokes Clinton: Specializes in landscapes in Oil based on her travels including France and China.

4. Carol Luttenberg: Signature Watercolor artist, originally from PA;  now experimenting with colored inks and liquid watercolor on Yupo

5. Dolly Alexander: Originally from Texas, specializes in dry pastels.  She is known as “The Cloud Lady” for her unique rendition of clouds

6. Frances Byrd: Political activist and social conscience.  Works in Acrylics.  SCAD graduate and visionary artwork

7. Howard Wilemon: Retired Engineer. Very distinctive style.  Paints in Acrylics.

8. Judith Surowiec: Paints very colorful and surrealistic scenes in acrylics.  Studio at Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford, GA

9. June Gotthardt: Paints landscape scenery of North Carolina mountain region.

10. Lois Colborn: Self taught Visual Artist.  Specializes with watercolor on Yupo which feature still life, abstract, or landscape as well as her own “Tiffany” look.

11. Lucy Brady: Paints in Watercolor and specializes in landscapes from National State Parks.  Also House portraits

    12. Rosemary Benavides Williams: Originally from MA, Watercolor Instructor at the Sugar Hill Community Center

    More details will be posted as they develop. The show is currently scheduled for October 13 – February 23, 2011. The venue is the George Pierce Park Community Center in Suwannee, Georgia. I am planning to submit work from the Patriot Pony Project.

    A Farewell to Alms

    Aug
    8

    By Stan Transue

    Confusion does reign in Liberals’ brains
    It makes them defenseless and weak
    Whenever I deign to try to explain
    They rebuff the wisdom they seek

    They’re led by emotion, envy and greed
    To sanction their brutal desires
    The warnings of prudence they never heed
    While stoking the class-envy fires

    They claim that our rights are subject to need
    While increasing their needy-ones list
    They chastise those on whose labors they feed
    But upon whose support they insist

    They rally the poor, the ignorant masses
    By saying they can live off the rich
    To keep them all resting on their lazy asses
    They use the same old bait and switch

    In the depths of despair they call on the able
    To remedy their faulty schemes
    Then blame their saviors for their empty table
    While maintaining impossible dreams

    To the ghost of society they hold us in debt
    For the good of this ghost they all strive
    To steal all the money they’ve not stolen yet
    To enslave us like drones to the hive

    At the pinnacle of this crazy pyramid scheme
    Rests the spirit of cannibalism
    Our blood is to buy their utopian dream
    Our bones ground to feed Communism

    To restore the blessings of liberty’s vision
    And stop our demise in its tracks
    Expose the charade that they have permission
    And give all these looters the sack

    When two thousand ten comes rolling along
    Your ballot can express what’s desired
    Open your throat and sing freedom’s song
    Tell Congress that they are all fired.

    Stan’s work is available at the Habersham County Conservative Examiner and at The American Exile

    This Poem was also posted at Liberatchik

    Liberatchik: Art Inspired by Activism

    Aug
    2

    These paintings are by Michael LeKites, who was kind enough to post them on our Facebook page. They were inspired by last year’s Taxpayer March on DC. I eel a personal connection to the work because I also attended the event. From the perspective of an artist, they are very well executed. The color and composition are amazing. From the point of view of a propagandist – they rock and I hope to see more work of this kind in the public forum. Please keep an eye out for future postings of Mr. LeKites’ work, as I plan to keep track of his progress.

    These images have also been posted on Liberatchik

    Origami Artist Pushing Climate Change

    Jul
    30

    How do those two topics relate, and how did I come across them? That’s not a bad question for a reasonable person to ask. When I picked up Origami on the Edge, I thought I would be teaching my son how to make some cool monsters.

    Like everything else that involves raising a child, I should have known better than to make an assumption. If I haven’t learned anything else in the last six years, I’ve figured out that I don’t know squat about kids and just when I think I’ve seen everything, I’m proven wrong yet again.

    We went to the library this week to get books and origami was a subject we were interested in. So we came home with this book by Xander Arena: American Mensa member, custom stone craftsman, full time student, and animal groomer of all things. I think you can probably guess what I thought of the biography, so we’ll leave that alone. Once I was actually reading the book to figure out how to make the monsters, which was the actual purpose of getting it, I realized there was a blog post in the making.

    On the front cover is this little icon that says Green Edition. I bet you can guess where this is going. Before you assume I burn trees every day because I like to watch the shiny embers float about or club baby seals for their fur, let me say – I understand the need to conserve and protect our resources and the environment. However, those goals should not be accomplished at the expense of human life, under false pretences, at the point of a gun. The inside of the cover on the book describes why the book qualifies as planet friendly publishing in a smarmy, you suck manner that makes me want to add Dover Publications to the long list of companies I don’t want to give my money.

    So, on to the point of this post. Why do I care about the blatant propaganda campaign in one origami book? Because it is obviously geared toward young people. You wouldn’t believe how many books like this are out there. I don’t believe it is coincidental any more than I believe that The Rainbow Fish is about sharing. It is a blatant campaign to teach children from a young age that humans destroy the earth and we all need to do without. Once that goal is accomplished, it’s a baby step to the concept that we’re all equal and should have equal things. Equality of outcome not equality of opportunity.

    Why is this in a post on an art page? Because we need to be doing the same thing to promote honest, Conservative philosophy. Yes, you can find beautifully illustrated books on American history and Liberty in the children’s section. However, very few of them are the storybooks geared toward toddlers and young readers. If we don’t ingrain these ideas in our kids before we pack them of to public school, we have no one to blame but ourselves when they turn into blithering fools dependent on the State for their ‘needs’.

    All of this brings us full circle, back to the origami book. The portion of the book that set all of this in motion is included below. You would think the description of how the artist designed the polar bear would be innocuous. Again, you would be wrong. The intro reads as follows:

    “Originally, I viewed this model as simply a bear, but after reviewing photos of various sorts of bears, determined that it was definitely the arctic variety. Polar bears are presently in a bit of trouble, and I really do hope that they are able to adapt to our changing climate. Or conversely, that we slow the change…It would be a shame to lose them.”

    I promise to come back from my family camping trip with something positive to say about art. I’m sure a weekend in a national park will lift my spirits. I know cooking meat over an open flame will!

    Just in case you’d like to know what your kids are learning on TV, check out this article by our contributor Greg Contiero.

    This article was written for Liberatchik

    Liberatchik:The Screwtape Letters and Modern America

    Jul
    28

    One of the books I am currently reading is the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I am not a religious person by nature. Therefore, the book has afforded me some interesting insight into religion and spirituality. I do not, myself, posses faith or the belief in a higher being although (unlike many atheists) I do respect the right of others to do so. I find the concept of religion interesting; particularly the wealth of cultural and iconographic influence it has bestowed upon society.

    For this reason, I believe I have approached the reading of this book with an open perspective. I have no agenda or preconceived notion of what it is about. I am reading it simply for the sake of gaining perspective. Ironically, the letters from Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood could just as easily be from a congressman to their aid. Perhaps it is because so many of them have spent their entire career dismantling America in much the same way that Screwtape dismantles souls.

    I am not yet finished, but here are some lines I found particularly fitting to the current establishment in Washington.

    “An important spiritual law is here involved. I have explained that you can weaken his prayers by diverting his attention from the Enemy Himself to his own states of mind about the Enemy. On the other hand fear becomes easier to master when the patient’s mind is diverted from the thing feared to the fear itself, considered as a present and undesirable state of his own mind; and when he regards the fear as his appointed cross he will inevitably think of it as a state of mind. One can therefore formulate the general rule; in all activities of mind which favor our cause, encourage the patient to be unself-conscious and to concentrate on the object, but in all activities favourable to the Enemy bend his mind back on itself. Let an insult or a woman’s body so fix his attention outward that he does not reflect ‘I am now entering into the state called Anger – or the state called Lust’. Contrariwise, let the reflection ‘My feelings are now growing more devout, or more charitable’ so fix inward that he no longer looks beyond himself to see our Enemy or his own neighbors.”

    Translation: Put yourself and your ‘needs’ above all others. It is the mantra and the goal of the movement for ’social justice’. People are kept in a constant state of fear about their future, their status as victims, who will or won’t provide for their ‘needs’ while being kept in a position of helplessness and dependency by the very people who claim to be helping them. It is no coincidence that those same people have simultaneously torn down the concepts of morality, the family and individual responsibility.

    “Thus by inflaming the horror of the Same Old Thing we have recently made the Arts, for example, less dangerous to us than perhaps, they have ever been, ‘low-brow’ and ‘high-brow’ artists alike being now daily drawn into fresh, excesses of lasciviousness, unreason, cruelty and pride. Finally, the desire for novelty is indispensable if we are to produce Fashions or Vogues.”
    One need only go into the nearest gallery for an illustration of this point. The art community, which touts itself as being avant guard, independent minded, and opposed to the system has become a mere tool to the Progressive agenda. It is now our job, as Conservatives, to stand up to the status quo in the art community and take back our culture. How can we expect the next generation to understand what we are fighting for if they have no concept of Liberty or individualism? Traditionally, it has been the art community that has gone against the grain to raise awareness and promote unpopular ideas. I say we take advantage of that tradition and the means by which it has been achieved successfully in the past.

    Want to help? Submit a blog post on the subject for our consideration. Send us images of your work. Find that in yourself that inspires you to stand up to the system and put it in creative form – produce a video, paint a picture, write a poem – anything to get the point across. If you need help getting started, contact me directly at frances@machinepolitick.com or feel free to use the Conservative Action Tools on my web page for ideas. The future is what we make of it.

    This article was written for Liberatchik

    Muslim Day at Six Flags

    Jul
    28

    I received the following email today from a good friend informing me that Six Flags will be having a Muslim Day scheduled on 9/12. By now I am sure you are all aware of the mega mosque being erected in New York. It is no coincidence that it is being built at ground zero. Historically, the Muslim community builds mosques on the sites of destroyed landmarks or converts existing religious structures. It is a reminder to the conquered that they are expected to submit to Muslim authority. (Some references are provided in the comments).

    Below, you will find a letter from a good friend who has brought another ‘gesture’ toward the Muslim community to my attention. We need to speak out about this kind of thing while we can. Businesses understand profit and loss above all else, so we need to make the people at Six Flags understand that they will loose business if they choose to support a Muslim Day at their parks.
    Once again, thanks for your patience. If you can take action on this, I would appreciate it.
    Have a good day,
    Frances


    Dear Friends and Family:

    Today I learned on the Six Flags website that they have scheduled a special “Muslim Day” at Six Flags on September 12, 2010.  Call me paranoid (I know you do) or old fashioned, but based on my understanding of Muslim tactics for conquest, having the Iconic American theme park schedule a day honoring Muslims on this sacred day of mourning is the equivalent of building a 13-story Muslim Community Center and Mosque just yards from Ground Zero in NYC (oh yeah, they’re trying to do that too!).  It’s gloating.  It’s rubbing our noses in their smug insolence.  And for the American companies and officials who allow it, its un-American!

    I have sent the email below to Six Flags Special Events staff (SFGAMspecialevents@sixflags.com), and have called the President of Six Flags (contact info below)

    Six Flags America
    P.O. Box 4210
    Largo, Maryland 20775
    John Winkler, Park President
    Park Information (301) 249-1500
    Guest Relations (301) 249-1500 x3289

    If you are so moved, please share this email with others and join me in letting Six Flags know that this event is an affront that we will not tolerate.  If you want to use my email below, feel free to make any changes that suit your sensibilities.

    Thank you and God Bless America.

    Stan

    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Dear John Winkler;

    According to your website you have set aside September 12, 2010 as a special day for Muslims at Six Flags.

    First, I am absolutely stunned that your staff is so insensitive that you would schedule this kind of event on the day of mourning for the victims of the 9/11 Terrorist attacks.  You may recall that it was Muslims who killed 3000 innocent Americans and destroyed iconic American architecture – the very symbols of American greatness in the world.

    I strongly object to this event.  Do not think for a moment that the significance of its timing is lost on Muslims around the globe; or seen as a mere scheduling coincidence to the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which is nothing more than a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood that also embraces Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

    By Six Flags’ honoring Islam in this way on this day, your company is:

    • Validating the attacks of September 11;
    • Exalting a religion that demands the conversion or slaughter of “infidels;” (That’s you and me).
    • Teaches “peaceful” Muslims to lie to and deceitfully “befriend” infidels in order to thrive while in the minority, so that they may impose the horrors of Sharia Law on their friendly hosts once their numbers are large enough; (Check Western Europe for the latter part of this trend).
    • The ruthlessly expansionistic, despotic political ideology that has as its central goal, the annihilation of Jews the nation of Israel and the imposition of a global Caliphate to  impose a world-wide Muslim Theocratic dictatorship similar to what now controls Iran.

    Whether or not you are aware of it, scheduling this event on this day is not only an ideological victory for the worst in Islam, but is tantamount to inviting the same Muslims who danced in jubilation on September 12, 2001 to spit on the graves of the innocents whose deaths they rejoiced.

    If you let this event go forward, you are a disgrace to all Americans, and I will do every lawful thing in my power to make sure you regret the decision for the rest of your life.

    Stan Transue

    “Master yourself or someone else will always be your master.”

    Liberatchik Featured Artist: Ab the Flag Man

    Jul
    26

    A friend of mine showed me this artist’s work over the weekend. If you live in Atlanta, take the time to stop by DK Gallery in Marietta to see it in person.

    This post was written for Liberatchik

    I Fought For You By The Sound Tank

    Jul
    24

    War sees no warrior color, sex, or ethnic background – wars only sees red blood shed by our heroes for our freedoms.
    I Am An American
    That’s the way most of us put it just matter of factly
    They are plain words those four.
    You could write them on your thumbnail
    Or you could pen the right across a clear autumm sky
    But remember too that they are more than words
    They are a way of life
    So when ever you speak them, speak them firmly
    Speak Them Proudly
    Speak Them Gratefully
    I AM AN AMERICAN
    Check out more videos here.

    Pencil Drawing: Lady Justice

    Jul
    20

    Justice#1

    A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give

    Jul
    18

    By Dennis Prager (Archive) · Tuesday, July 13, 2010

    If every school principal gave this speech at the beginning of the next school year, America would be a better place.

    To the students and faculty of our high school:

    I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

    I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

    First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

    The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity — your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

    If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-, race- and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values — e pluribus unum, “from many, one.” And this school will be guided by America’s values.

    This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

    Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism — an unhealthy preoccupation with the self — while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

    Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America’s citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here — it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English — but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

    Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning’s elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

    Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school’s property — whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can’t speak without using the f-word, you can’t speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as “Nigger,” even when used by one black student to address another black, or “bitch,” even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

    Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way — the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago — by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

    Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky — to be alive and to be an American.

    Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

    Dennis Prager hosts a nationally syndicated radio talk show and is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is the author of four books, most recently “Happiness Is a Serious Problem” (HarperCollins). His website is www.dennisprager.com.

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