BLUE HILL, Maine — After losing a case to reinstate the missing Maine Labor History Mural — first in U.S. District Court and again recently at the First Circuit Court of Appeals — advocates for the piece say they will seek help from the Democratic legislature in getting the piece displayed in public again.
Robert Shetterly, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit aimed at forcing LePage to reinstate the mural at the Labor Department, where LePage ordered the mural removed in 2011, said restoring the mural to its original hanging place would likely have to wait until LePage is out of office, but other public locations may be possible.
“We’ve now lost twice and I don’t think we’re going to appeal again,” Shetterly said. “But now that we have a Democratic legislature, we’re going to ask the attorney general or the legislature to make a writ or pass some kind of bill requesting the governor to reinstate the mural in some prominent public place.”
Shetterly specifically mentioned the Maine State Museum in Augusta or Portland City Hall as potential homes for the mural. LePage has maintained secrecy as to the mural’s current whereabouts.
He made his comments while introducing Judy Taylor, the Seal Cove artist commissioned by the Labor Department to create the mural in 2007, who gave a presentation on the piece and the surrounding controversy Thursday night at the Blue Hill Public Library.
Taylor spent most of the lecture describing the 11 panels that make up the mural. Each depicts a different piece of Maine’s labor history — an apprentice and shoemaker in one scene, child laborers at a garment factory in another, loggers, the 1937 shoemaker strike in Lewiston-Auburn, and so on.
LePage gave several reasons for removing the mural. One of those was an anonymous letter he claimed to have received, in which a businessman complained about the mural and compared it to North Korean propaganda.
Central to Taylor’s talk was an unspoken thesis, a defense of the piece and a repudiation of propaganda claim. Her work was representation of Maine’s history, she said, a thoroughly researched project informed by primary documents and the assistance of a labor historian. Her piece was an accurate representation of Maine’ history, she said, not propaganda.
Each panel features several images in the background, recreations of historical photos from different industrial sectors — everything from blueberry rakers and corn canners to textile mill workers and fishermen.
“I wanted this to be an educational piece,” she told the crowd of about a dozen. “I was really geared toward having something teachers would want to bring field trips to.”
Taylor also criticized the argument cited by the U.S. District court affirming LePage’s right to remove the mural. LePage’s actions, the court ruled, constitute “government speech,” a doctrine in constitutional law that says government is entitled to express a point of view.
“To me, that’s a slippery slope,” she said. “There will always be someone who doesn’t like something. But there’s a process for putting work up, and there should be a process for taking the work down.”
Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine.
You lost!! Get over it.
Couldn’t agree with you more. Let’s waste somemore state money that we don’t have going to court over a stupid one sided mural. What I want to know is how many people who have commented on here have gone and seen the mural?
I am willing to bet that there is not one poster here that knew of its existence before it was removed and the BDN decided to make a big deal out of it. Those party to the lawsuit did nothing until the BDN ran 3or 4 stories on it. People forget that sometimes newspapers are in the business to create news…. profits you know.
This labor mural debate has gone on long enough…either put it back up somewhere or get rid of it completely
I seriously doubt that the mural still exists. It is likely that it burned up in Dan Demeritt’s arson fire.
There must hundreds, maybe thousands, who have not had the opportunity to view this piece of art – the most censored artwork ever created in Maine.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature needs to satisfy our thirst to see just what it is that irked Paul Le Page so much that he felt he had to exercise his dictatorial powers of censorship – powers he does not have.
He is, through this action and his other actions over the past two years, a pop-up from “1984” and “Brave New World.” Orwell and Huxley forewarned us of such people. Le Page’s picture even bears astonishing similarities to the artistic renderings of Big Brother in Orwell’s “1984.” His actions and those of some of his cabinet members almost duplicate state-control as depicted and ordered in those scary books.
We need a state which is free of censorship. No individual, especially the governor, should believe he can control art, anymore than he can control having his picture taken.
The next governor will have to assure Mainers that if it hasn’t already been done, he or she will restore the mural for public viewing. The new Legislature needs to reaffirm our faith in people’s vote and bring the mural out of hiding.
He took it out of a seldom used conference room at the board of labor becaus e it’s hideous.
So is that the latest lie of explanation?
so was the price to have it made.
I’m not a painter, so I’ll use writing as an example. When you read a story in the paper, a lot of work went into it before the reporter even typed a word. The painter wasn’t paid just for applying the final brush strokes to the mural, she was paid for researching the subject, making various sketches of what the finished product may look like, and just plain thinking about the project.
As Burton Saroyan once said, “What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he’s staring out the window.”
The same is true for a painter.
So a new lie is ok with you and LePage’s pals just to get your way. Hmmm….. what an insidious disease in the Blaine House right now.
“Hideous”? Maybe to you, but not to others. Your comment is shallow and ignorant.
From the point of view of art and state history, the piece is anything but hideous.
At the same time, LePage also changed the names of eight conference rooms at the Dept. of Labor. Among them was the room named after Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet member and a woman who LePage couldn’t hold a candle to in terms of intellect and contribution to society.
no he got an anonymous fax from someone who didn’t care for it
Yeah lie number one!
None of the censors, including you, seem to agree on the real reason over why Le Page removed the mural.
He never said he thought it was hideous. He removed it based on a complaint he said he had received from someone who told him the mural looked like a propaganda piece displayed in a North Korean POW camp. He also claimed it was anti-business.
North Korea, China, the Middle East and other government-controlled countries, decide what art and books should be read. In the early 30s, Adolph Hitler burned books and artwork, that he decreed should not be seen by the German people.
This is America.
“powers he does not have.”. It seems like a couple of courts don’t agree with you.
Let’s hope that the next governor finds the portrait of LePage offensive to someone( I’m willing to send an anonymous letter saying it’s offensive to my democratic ideals)and it is hidden away somewhere for years.
…better yet turned around to face the wall.
Powers he never should have exercised. Only a fool would have done what LePage did and he is a huge fool.
The more the mural is talked about, the more LePage suffers politically, and the more the history of the labor movement gets spread. This is an example of the power of the Good overcoming an attempt by Ignorance to snuff it out.
Unions are part of history. Each day it gets a little closer.
http://news.yahoo.com/michigan-gop-pushes-amid-protests-231041639–finance.html
Forbes Magazine says the happiest countries in the world all have strong welfare nets, powerful unions and lots of redistribution of wealth:
http://www.forbes.com/2011/01/19/norway-denmark-finland-business-washington-world-happiest-countries_print.html
Doesn’t matter. The thought of unions dying makes me smile.
This from a former Teamster Shop Steward.
You seem bitter and also like you are trying to inflict pain on me. As I’ve told you many times before, you lose credibility and make Republicans look bad when you do this. Make arguments your tools, not bullying and abuse.
I wish you peace.
Bye.
You make me smile.
An if the unions die out as you say i hope every one loses every thing that the union had gotten for every working an retired person
They are dying because they made some poor decisions. They allied themselves with the wrong people and they killed the industries they dominated. They did it without remorse and without a thought for the future. They committed suicide.
They have not killed BIW an BIW is stronger then ever
Only because of government work rules and the fact that there are only two shipyards that both work under the same rules.
only because of “government ” contracts.
UH greed and the need for MORE profit “killed” the manufacturing industry in the US
like conservatives
How small of you.
you’ve never been in a union in your life.
If you have been in some of the meetings I have been in and watched the union steal from its members, then advise them against their own best interest you might have my attitude.
edit: In the end it doesn’t matter I suppose. Unions are still dead.
You don’t say! Could one of those ecstatic countries be, say, Norway? I understand they’re absolutely giddy over there. Must be the excellently high taxes and their large and diverse population.
As ruler, Le Page has commandered the supreme powers of censorship, like other self-appointed rulers have done in North Korea, China, and the Middle East. .
Le Page decides what Maine people can view. Soon, it will be what they read.
Those licking his boots and encouraging his dictatorial powers, ought to do a little self examination of their support for permitting censorship in the United States of America.
There must hundreds, maybe thousands, who have not had the opportunity to view this piece of art even when it was up because no one cared if it was there or not.
It is not censorship by the way. The courts just determined that.
I think you’re being far too conservative with your estimate. I’d guess 95% of Mainers didn’t even know about it, let alone saw it before the gov took it down.
The people that say it’s an issue of LePage’s own creation are right, whether he was legally entitled or not. Now instead of focusing on real issues, Mainers are stuck with this lame soap opera. :
$65,000 soap opera. That’s a lot of food or fuel for the needy, I think.
Possibly kindlin’ for the wood stove.
Amazing how many who are staunch supporters of the Constitution are advocating the burning of art!
After the stink the left made it no longer qualifies as Art. The mural is now political theater, no more Art than is a protest sign left in a trash can after an Occupy demonstration breaks up for the winter.
Your argument: The appeals process, so far, has sided with LePage, and so what he did is not unethical.
Counterargument one: the law is not the same as ethics.
Counterargument two: Another court could overturn.
Therefore, you’re wrong.
I just love it when you put words in my mouth. But that aside, did you read the article? Its over.
“We’ve now lost twice and I don’t think we’re going to appeal again,” Shetterly said.
The bottom line: the mural will live on in fame and importance, its message immortalized by LePage, who–ironically– tried to destroy it and who will be remembered, if at all, as a pathetic leader.
Bye (on this thread)
Keep cheering for the waist of tax payer money.
Waist is important, yes, but don’t forget the inseam, which is critical for a good fit.
Thought you said “Bye” to this thread about 4 hours ago.
I said bye to Cheesecake.
*wipes tear*
I have to laugh at your sense of humor!
Is that all you got? You prove my point. The money spent on that stupid mural would be much better spent on public education. But then again I’m a skilled laborer so choosing the correct spelling for a word that has many different meanings is low on my priority list. Would you believe I graduated high school with a “B” average? I learned to read when my daughter went to school.You might want to bring your nose down some. It might rain today.
Spent on public education? Lepage and public education? Really? that’s the best comedy line in these comments!
I have every confidence that this MURAL will be the very definition of the LePage governorship, I see some small things ahead for this large man.
Yep. In short, LePage will be remembered in the history books as the guy in the Blaine House that, “Failed to lead and was done in (and did his party in) by silly issues of his own creation.”
Trash ain’t art. Hopefully, it found it’s way into a spool of recycled toilet paper. It’ll wind up stinking again! History repeats itself…..
Yes history can repeat itself if we don’t learn from it. The 3rd reich burned art also……
You, Le Page, and a few others, have set yourselves up as a Censorship Committee to decide what Americans should be allowed to see.
Amazingly simple to condemn something without having the slightest notion of what this mural depicts. But then, that’s how censorship works in the Middle East, North Korea, China, and other countries where dictators rule.
One man’s declaration that this mural should not be seen by the public not only strengthens the message, but also the public resolve to set it free. This is America.
Just what we need, waist more money and time on a stupid mural. It’s nice to see the liberals are all about the same ole same ole. Do a whole lot of nothing for the state of Maine. How about making it easier for businesses in Maine to do business in Maine. The dems are supposed to be for the working person. The only people the mural puts to work are the lawyers.
Freedom loving people do not believe in censorship. Freedom from censorship is a mutually shared right not to be stripped from our Constitution. A majority of Liberals, republicans, and, independents rightfully question not just Le Page for his autocratic action, but also the courts that upheld him.
It is easy to demean any artistic endeavor. Everyone has a right to say and think what they wish. But to censor an Americans’s right to view and read what we please, stands as a strong contradiction to the American Constitution.
Le Page claimed he received a lot of complaints about the mural. It was learned that he received perhaps one E-Mail, comparing the mural to propaganda art displayed in a North Korean POW camp. Ironically, Le Page’s censorship is one that we could expect from North Koreans and Chinese: To see only what their glorious leader mandates should be seen.
Oh please…Don’t we have better things to worry about than THIS?
John Baldacci did not ask permission to hang it or to buy it, why should LePage have to ask democrats to remove it? Democrats in Maine look like fools for keeping this in the news and the Bangor Daily News looks like fools for continuing to print this garbage. With all of the budget problems we have in Maine, democrats and the BDN are more concerned over a mural than solutions to our financial problems.
The labor mural represents Maine at it’s worse. Throw it in the TRASH and move on folks!
“Represents Maine at it’s worse. Throw it in the TRASH and move on folks!” Wow, for a few seconds I got excited…I thought you were referring to LiePage!
So you don’t like our history do you. You would not have today if it was not for those men an women .
You aren’t from Maine are you.
I am not from Maine either but I was born and grew up in a mill town in Massachusetts. I know that the history of labor is the history of what built this country, and we ignore history at our own peril.
Great comment!
I encourage everyone to know ALL about Maine’s history. The problem with the mural is it only represents a 1 sided view. It never shows all the good things businesses did for the communities. Take Harold Alfond for example, why didn’t the mural show the many good things he did with his philanthropy? It’s because it didn’t fit into the communist narrative, that’s why. History yes, but it needs to be balanced and the mural was NOT balanced and that is why it NEEDED to be removed and burned.
Burning art is one of the first things all dictators do. Hitler did it, Mao did it, Mussolini did it. Art is art and can have a point of view that does not have to be balanced. Any more than a novel has to be balanced.
But this isn’t art. The labor mural is TRASH at it’s finest!
That’s only your opinion not fact.
And your credentials as an art critic are…?
A taxpayer.
I am a taxpayer too. I just wonder how your credentials are better than mine when it comes to judging art.
Troll and Koch tool!
Why on earth are you advocating burning this artwork?
This mural depicts a part of our history whether you like it or not and no artwork or books should be burned not matter their content.
Art is a form of speech and you are advocating suppression of speech by burning.
Do you remember history and the massive burning of art?
How about the destruction of the Buddha’s by the Taliban. They were ancient works of art that they blew up.
But this isn’t art. It’s political propaganda (with a communist slant), which has NO place in a state office building. Certainly no place if we want more businesses to open up shop in ME. If a prospective business owner were to see this piece of Marxist propaganda, he or she would develop an opinion that Maine is hostile to business owners because of our 1 sided view of history. Of course, many jobs did leave Maine under Baldacci, so the mural is a good historical representation of Baldacci’s hostility toward businesses. However, a brighter day is upon us and Baldacci is no longer in power. Our new governor wants to create jobs, not send them out of state, like his failed predecessor who only had a 35% approval rating when he left office.
Art is art, you may not like it but it doesn’t make it any less of a work of art.
LePage is a lame duck and a majority did not elect him and no Baldacci isn’t governor. I met Baldacci he had manners this buffoon lacks manners and education. Baldacci was a class act compared to the buffoon. Go ahead believe as you choose , it’s your right. It doesn’t mean you are right about what is art.
LePage has 6 years left, so I hardly call that a lame duck.
Yes, I will admit that Baldacci’s smile and mannerisms were quite SLICK!! So slick that he left Maine with a 1 billion dollar budget deficit, a 4.5 billion dollar pension crisis, furlough days to state workers, potholes, began the wage freezes on state workers, etc. Let’s not forget that in Oct., 2010, Forbes magazine rated Maine as the worst state to do business. Combine this with turning Maine into a welfare state, while he shipped jobs out of state, yes Baldacci was pretty slick indeed, with excellent table manners. All while he killed Maine’s economy!
For me, I look beyond the polished political smiles, filled with rhetoric. I focus on policy and LePage’s policies are spot on!
It is NOT art. It is Soviet propaganda, which only represents a 1 sided view of history. Therefore is not accurate, nor does it belong in a state office building.
It is art. You can claim it’s not all you want but it is art and that is undeniable.
It is highly accurate and it reflects labor in Maine.
You believe your own lies. It’s disturbing that you can claim this is not art.
It is not Soviet in nature at all. You just don’t like it. Just because you dislike it does not mean it isn’t art.
Do you know what art is? It takes many forms and this mural is just that… a form of art.
Go ahead deny it. It’s foolish to argue that this is not art….lol
One man’s art is another man’s TRASH! The courts have spoken and said the $60,000 hate filled mural has no place in a government building.
I’d say your comments are full of nothing but hate. Aren’t you tired yet?
The biggest BS comment here. You are either not from Maine or you are a one percenter/trust fund kid who has never had to work for the few pennies those people in the mural did.
Trust fund baby or a one 1% er? I think you have me confused with Justin Alfond.
Hit the nail on the head.
Yessah
Representing the working class is representing Maine at its worst? Really?
Maine at its worst? You seem uneducated. By the way, it is worst, not worse. Worst is the correct word for as bad as it could be. (which is your opinion.)
Thank you rof pointing this tpmi detail out. I believe worse is a better word in this case. I say this because we are speaking about the inaccurate portrayal of history. Had the mural been a true historical representation it would have also shown the many benefits that businesses brought to Maine, like jobs, philanthropy, community development, etc. Had it been balanced, it wouldn’t have been necessary to burn the mural.
I think it’s time to put the mural controversy to bed. When the Governor is tossed out in two years, then it can be put back! Lets focus on other more pressing issues.
You have a sound point. It is only a matter of time anyway.
Burn it along with the union contracts.
As for dems…..quite worrying about this stupid mural and start working with the governor to help fix our states budget woes. And you can leave out the words compromise and conform.
I hope you sent your request to the Dems anonymously If it is what took it down, it might be what puts it back up.
For those who think we should just bury historical facts, YOU are part of America going down the slippery slope. For one who has lived in 3rd world dictatorship countries, the Governor is wrong on his removal decree. The mural is government property (as in We The People). Wish the Governor could understand the concept…..even Scrooge and the Grinch changed, but my temper-tantrum-prone Governor is just a sour puss! Santa is going to leave him a dirty sock full of wet wood pellets.
Why don’;t you run for Govenor?
You seem to know it all why don’t you run.
Why don’t you purchase the mural if it means so much to you. It seems many Americans are not aware of the history of socialism or communism. It is evident in the way they are voting. Indoctrination in the government schools is alive and well. This mural is not accurate history. I have family who worked in Maine, all were successful and treated well. They were laborers. If this is supposed to display the history, why would the then current head of the Dept. of Labor be painted in the mural, as if she is the current day savior. It is propaganda, obviously you never learned that in school. It looks like a third world photo. It would definitely discourage anyone from wanting to do business in Maine. If you know anything about art, you know that the hues used are to create a depressing atmosphere. Again, just buy the photo and all the libs can come view it, charge admission, and you can put it in the BDN everyday. By the way, why didn’t the BDN put a photo of Baldacci’s visit with Castro on the cover. If they were not biased, a photo of him and Castro should have been in the paper everyday. Yeah, Castro, now there’s a guy who really supports workers’ rights.
another one bandying terms like socialism and communism that they dont understand–look up oligarchy , and plutocracy –have someone help you—yeah look at the republicans , they really support workers rights, yeah the right to work at a job with coolie wages and no benefits
Hostess! Enough said.
You aren’t the majority.
VETO and 2014
enjoy losing even more in 2014
why sure, where do you work, how about a wage cut and freeze and you pay more of your medical while management gets raises.
you people are so gullible–do a little research on how they have been screwing the workers
although i will say-with your minimum wage job, they probably are paying you what you’re worth
I’ll keep my American flag thanks. I learned more about freedom from Oscar Look (Bataan death march survivor and POW) while growing up in Maine, than i did in 21 years military service. As a coastal Maine kid I dug plenty of clams, raked plenty of blueberry’s and baited plenty of pockets. I know a little about art (Grandmother was in who’s who American watercolors). I’ve stood on the Bataan death march trail in the Philippines and listened to it’s ghosts ; stood in North Korea at the DMZ; been in the tunnels under the DMZ; worked in eastern Europe on old Mig bases with guys who were as they said “trained in Moscow”; protected presidents, dodged bullets, fought corruption in government procurement, caught spies and tracked terrorists. I studied the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis…. to the degree of reviewing many formerly classified documents on each (one seemed to have made the other). I stood in wait for the U.S.S.R. nuke to hit our B-52 base, only to find it was our computer that went wrong. I also thank a couple of Russian Military Officers who did not fire their nuke torpedoes or missiles at us when they were supposed to. From what i see on this mural matter, it is about more than art or a painting or government property. It is Censorship. And our Governor was wrong…….don’t get all excited and start hanging labels (liberal, conservative, tea party)…..i did after all vote for him.
Seems the courts disagree with your assessment so far. They have ruled that the removal amounts to “government speech”.
Maine was founded in 1900 by the Unions whether you people know it or not. This founding mural is our State Symbol! Where’s my Democratic rep?
Lies! Never happened!
http://maine.gov/legis/senate/statehouse/history/hstry7.htm
I wish you would understand, in this country we don’t belong to the Government.. We belong to the “corporate government” which is unconstitutional, yet still exist to and the sheep have followed.
Auction it off to help with the State budget. It sounds like there are many who want it and so should bring a good amount of money.
Or at the very least get it out of the child’s hands so that we can be sure it’s not harmed. Then simply put it back where it belongs after the 2014 elections.
Get use to another term of Gov Le Page after the Dems put forth some flake, Elliott Cutler divides the Dems. At least Gov LePage has given you a reason to get out of bed everyday, so you can run to your computer and post comments all day.
You’re assuming that LePage will even run. I have my doubts about that. Over the past few years it’s become clear to me that poor Paulie simply doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude or mental ability needed to survive the stress of being a public servant. His breaking voice (uncontrolled fear, anger or both clearly have a grip on his psyche) lately has shown me that he’s also just coming to the realization of how badly he’s failing. Now he just wants to hide (even in public) in the hope that not so many people will notice what he already knows, that due largely to problems of his own making he’s now drowning in a half inch puddle of his own tears.
If your so sure that he is not going to run why don’t you? You seem to think you know it all, so why not run and get in there and straighten out the mess that this state is in?
I think Still Relaxin works for the BDN and the staff comes on board and posts likes. He/ she definitely has way too much time on hand to post.
Maybe he/she is retired??? I’m not a BDN employee and I agree with most of his posts. Much more well thought out than some LePage lovers who post here.
Lets assume your odd theory here is even partially true, if so I’d like to take a moment now to say thank you to all those BDN employees and any other thoughtful persons for taking the time to “like” my thoughts. I’m sure they are all wonderful people.
That is a theory. Maybe Still Relaxin works odd hours and posts at times convenient for him or her.
More likely he won’t run because he got tired of representing people in a welfare State that refuse to become fiscally responsible, preferring to live impoverished and largely dependent on local and federal social agencies for handouts.
You still wanna keep giving us that line of smack? How’s hating on the citizens/voters working out for ya? Why not try being nice once and a while?
There you go telling the truth. You’ll be vilified.
I’m not sure why I’m bothering to try to help you folks out here but it just seems like the “right thing to do.” Whether or not Bertha’s or Mr. LePage’s view of Maine citizens/voters is true, it’s never going to be politically advantageous to “build one’s self up by tearing down others who are already down.” Surprisingly enough, not too many people choose to be poor and on welfare. Those who do will surely vote against conservatives and the vast majority who would like nothing more than to be working really resent conservatives who call them lazy because in this horrid economy they don’t have a job. As do the greater majority of people who are working and consider themselves members of the Democratic party. If conservatives want to hold office, they and their supporters gotta stop being rude and nasty towards 55-65% of the population. Hope this helps ya out.
So why don’t you take all your millions and create some jobs. Oops, forgot. The ones with the money, the one percenters who continually post here about socialism and communism are lining their pockets on the backs of the middle class.
Not gonna happen!
Good idea.
While Rome burns this is the best you guys can come up with
Yeah LePage plays a mean fiddle.
“Government speech” should not include the right of censorship by one individual, particularly the censorship of opposing points of view. According to the constitution, the people are the government. Thus it should be the people, not any one person, who should speak for the government. The display of the mural should be up to the people, not a governor who clearly represents special interests.
The notoriety that this mural has received since its removal is much greater than if it had never been touched. This will certainly be Paulie’s undoing if indeed he is foolish enough to run for reelection. He has taken the stand not to recognize the working poor and their struggle to achieve middle class status. Let it remain hidden until the next election so that the actual working class can realize the part they play in Paulie’s little world.
Paul LePage has no problems with censorship when he is “in control”; when it is something he does not like. It will be good when his days as Governor are over.
A government can’t censor itself. Censorship is when a government censors a private entity.
A good idea but the LePage regime will never co-operate because they are not beholden to the people of Maine. They are beholden to the out of state special interests that he promised not to work with when he was campaigning–one of many untruths from our prevaricator-in-chief.
Please share with us what these out of state interest are. I know I’m curious who they are and I’ll bet others would like to know also.
Koch Brothers. Heritage Foundation. ALEC.
For example–“ALEC is one of the nation’s most powerful and most secretive lobbying entities, and it focuses exclusively on state legislatures. Disguised as a non-partisan professional association for legislators, it is actually a corporate-funded mechanism to allow business interests to write their own bills without leaving fingerprints for the public and their elected representatives to see. ALEC hands out model laws to willing or naïve legislators — including some in Maine — which are drafted by secret task forces and approved by ALEC’s corporate donors, who provide virtually all of its funding. Major donors include the infamous Koch Brothers, the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil, and big drug and tobacco companies. The laws seek to deregulate industry, protect the powerful from responsibility for their misdeeds, or dismantle and privatize government. Hundreds of ALEC-written laws are passed in state houses every year, usually without anyone realizing who really wrote them.”
[http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/126378-lepages-koch-brothers-connection-revealed/]
Alec has been around for decades. Where have you been?
There are left wing groups who give out model laws to willing or naïve Democratic legislators as well. It is part of the process, not illegal and it would be censorship if it was disallowed.
It begs the question however – are people electing a leader, or a cut and paster? If one needs the legislation for dummies handbook, they probably shouldn’t run for office (D or R.)
These groups are part of the process and have always been, The leadership comes from deciding which piece of legislation might make sense for your state. (in this case)
Your argument: unethical behavior has been around a while, therefore it is acceptable.
Counterarguement: duration is not sufficient for something to be ethical.
Therefore: you’re wrong.
See there you go insulting again…
I’m just using logic. When someone says something like “this has been going on forever, therefore it is acceptable” they are committing the fallacy of duration.
Example, “slavery has been around forever, therefore it is acceptable.” (fallacy of duration).
Bye (on this thread)
It’s in the CONSTITUTION. What do you have against the CONSTITUTION? It’s the First Amendment.
Throwing tantrums doesn’t help you. It makes you look immature. As for free speech, the Founding Fathers wanted to protect it from tyrants, and LePage does his best to be a tyrant. One man imposing his speech on the People.
It is kind of hard to take someone seriously that believes the US Constitution is unethical.
The constitution doesn’t mention business or their interests … at all. BUT our forefathers were LEARY of their potential POWER to influence and corrupt our elected officials and to put their( business) best interest ahead of the people’s best interest.
But it does mention free speech and it does mention the right to petition the government.
You need to reread spruce’s comment and really think about it for a while.
Which comment? There are so many.
It’s very disturbing to see how many people commenting here support censorship: Government control over what we view and read.
However, can’t help wondering why so many of these people who have condemned a painting, they have not seen; are upset when they feel that their right to bear arms is threatened. Not taken away – merely threatened through rumor.
There is no difference between condemning and censoring art, than there is in rewriting the Constitution for one’s own personal satisfaction.
Censorship and revocation of the right to bear arms, are in direct contradiction to what the Founding Fathers decreed. It all boils down to preserving the hard won Freedom, or, tossing it aside on the judgement of one man.
WHAT is in the constitution?? OUR forefathers would be turning over in their graves over the removal of the mural. IMO It’s a corruption of the constitution. and our forefathers “intent” Government’s purpose is to serve ‘the people” NOT capitalism or special interest …or ANY economic theory.
three times. I guess you just like to argue
Such as making voting more difficult for the less fortunate because there may be a case of voter fraud somewhere someday.
i expect and vote for legislators who will think independently and vote based upon seeing ALL of the information on an issue, weighing the pros and cons before them. and then voting for the best interest of the PEOPLE who elected them. Legislators charge is to look out for the best interest of the people FIRST and for most PERIOD.
From the beginning of this country our forefathers recognized the potential for “abuse of power.” They recognized the temptation of “power brokers” and the power of SELF interest to try to influence elected officials votes. Our forefathers sought to minimize it. They recognized that the best interest of merchants might be in conflict with the best interests of “the people’ for example . They talked at great length about how to restrain the influence of the powerful (and monied ) , of the few, when it was in conflict with the best interest of the many. They did NOT want the best interest of the few to overcome and squash the best interest of the many.
Your need to insult people makes you weak and makes Republicans look bad. I’ve been telling you this for over a year. Give your arguments without the insults–if you really want undecided thinkers to listen to you.
Check out this great info from Warren Buffet:
“let’s forget about the rich and ultrarich going on strike and stuffing their ample funds under their mattresses if — gasp — capital gains rates and ordinary income rates are increased. The ultrarich, including me, will forever pursue investment opportunities.
And, wow, do we have plenty to invest. The Forbes 400, the wealthiest individuals in America, hit a new group record for wealth this year: $1.7 trillion. That’s more than five times the $300 billion total in 1992. In recent years, my gang has been leaving the middle class in the dust. “
It is not insulting to query why people don’t know the thing they claim to speak authoritatively about.
Your posts drip with insults, which is how I take your false morality play, so I really don’t pay much attention to you.
I’m honestly just trying to help you. I will pray for you.
Bye (on this thread)
Thanks… but I am an atheist beyond redemption.
twice
When it comes to insulting people, the left does a pretty good job also, do you acknowledge that?
I don’t think either side should employ insults. I’m still waiting for just one person on the right to show good quality arguments in these forums, without the insults. I think we’d all benefit from better debate, and from stepping away from pettiness.
so you don’t acknowledge that the left throws insults around too?
The left does use insults. I think the right does it more. In fact, as I said, I am still waiting for anyone on the right–anyone–to start raising the quality of the discussion in these forums.
There is a lot of tension in the Republican party, as some try to step back from extremeism:
http://undercoverporcupine.bangordailynews.com/2012/11/09/politics/lewiston-republican-chair-to-resign-over-conflict-in-principles/
so you are saying that there isn’t anyone on the right that is capable of raising the quality of discussion.
I haven’t seen any of them do it yet and we are waiting….
If you can raise the level please do so.
there really is no discussion going on. Just a bunch of negative comments about how terrible the gov is.
Because LePage started this and in a democracy we need to speak out. Insults? Both sides do it, but from reading here his supporters continually spit the word liberal, poverty etc with a lot of disgust. Just read the comments about the poor. They believe from some of the comments that EVERYONE on welfare is a lazy disgusting human being.
do you know anyone who is on “welfare”
It all boils down to freedom from censorship.
read spruce dwellers the link above, cheesecake.
Isn’t it interesting beck never used his chalk board to show his viewers the koch connections and their bought and sold “influencers”??
One difference with the Koch boys( and sorso) is they are using their money to try to buy influence that have outcomes for their PERSONAL benefit . Soros is using his money to promote DEMOCRACY and end oppressive ( dare I say COMMUNIST) regimes..
I don’t know of any “left wing groups” who are promoting ANY legislation that benfits any one BUT voters, the people , and society as a whole — things iike clean water, air and land; , things like PUBLIC education , things like safe food and other consumer products , things like SAFE working conditions..( I know, OMG those darned UNIONS how dare they speak up for workers !!)
See there you go. One group has a legitimate interest (yours) and thats ok… but another group has a different interest (not yours) and it isn’t ok. Very bizarre and downright Anti-American. The left, and you have proved it here, is authoritarian at its core.
What about George Soros who heavily funds Democrats? He is an evil man who goes around destroying economies and thinks it is funny. He has been working on the United States for awhile now, he almost has everything he wants. Then, here in Maine we have Donald Sussman, he billionaire hedgefund manager who received 200 mill from the stimulus package which his current wife (1st Dist. Rep. ) Chellie Pingree voted for. He funds things such as Equality Maine and many Democrat candidates. The Koch brothers do not want to destroy economies. They do not want to pass disgusting social issues to fundamentally change America into something we no longer recognize.
Money on the left and right and outside interest groups have been shaping public policy from the beginning. What is hilarious is that since people “just found out” it must not be ethical or legal. But I hate to disappoint, its not either… it is just our system of government.
Just because corruption has been around a long time, that doesn’t mean we can’t minimize it. Or successfully place blame. For instance, here is Wall Street cheating veterans out of their money:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/05/lawsuit-claims-banks-cheated-veterans-on-mortgage-loan-fees/
cheese cake do some independent research .Actually LOOK at the contributions.They DO tell a story but it is not the one you are selling …compare Mitt’s contributions to Obama’s. It is very clear who the intended corporate “puppet” was. And No corporate( or special) influence doesn’t have to be “inevitable” .”Citizen;s United ” is trying to MAKE it inevitable
That is why MAINERS adopted “clean elections” over 20 + years ago—- to keep the BIG MONEY influence OUT and — to ensure that the ONLY people, legislators were accountable to was ,” the people” — the real flesh and blood ones. . Maine clean election LIMITS how much anyone can give so NO one entity or person CAN “own” a legislator or their vote.. and our campaign rules should go ‘national;”
Instead we have a activist supreme court who is opening the floodgate to “Votes to the highest bidder ” type of “influence’.No, it isn’t the way “it has always been” or should be..
Campaign finance laws CAN and ( have) should prevent elected officials from being owned and serving anyone but , “the people ” and voters that they are intended to serve.
elected officials need to be able to be FREE to be indpendent from ANY undue influence in their decision making. Their ONLY charge should be to do what is in the BEST interest of MAINE(r) or America(ns)
The topic was the type of organizations. There has been no sea change in how things are done. That is a fallacy.
The Koch Brothers are rotten, corrupt, ultra right wing sludge who want to buy elections, destroy unions, destroy regulations, and create a corporate plutocracy where the richest of the rich rule and control everything at the expense of everyon else. It is simply immoral, unpatriotic, and repulsive.
Glenn Beck, who said all those things about Soros, lost his TV show on Fox News for a reason.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/11/29/101129taco_talk_hertzberg
How do you know he received 200 million? I don’t believe that is a fact. I think you might be repeating gossip.
and YET SOROS didn’t FUND ANY Maine elections And let’s think that thru a little deeper — the problem with “contribution is whether there is PRIVATE benefit from the contribution.. K-12 INC who DID contribute to Maine elections wanted charters schools and low and behold they got it. Pharmacueticals wanted their own version of health care reform ( one that would benefit them) and low and behold , they got it. What did SOROS “get”.? Don’t just “repeat” things like a good little ditto head —think it thru .
The problem with contribution IS DOES it actually “buy” therm something –like legislation that is favorable to their industry.
Soros is not exclusively for the 1 percent. Is that your beef with him?
The Koch Brothers are exclusively for the 1 percent.– and that is my beef with them.
You failed to answer the question. I can name many out of state interests. I’d really like to know which ones LePage is working with and to what extent.
Looks like you didn’t follow the link I provided. Here’s a second chance–a different article: http://www.mainesmajority.org/press-release-2012-mar-15
“The LePage Administration and members of the 125th legislature have introduced at least 20 bills with clear ties to ALEC model legislation. Portions of the governor’s recently introduced plan to revamp Maine’s education system are also attributable to ALEC.” There’s a nested link to this article which provides more detailed info: http://www.scribd.com/doc/85472333/Who-is-Writing-Maine-s-Laws
That link provices several examples, including–“ALEC’s elite private enterprise committee, which includes corporations like Pfizer, Altria (Philip Morris), R.J. Reynolds and Walmart, has poured more than $750,000 into Maine political campaigns over the last 10 years. More than 76% of this money has gone to Republicans. Of $177,350 spent in 2010 alone, at least $96,000 went to efforts to elect Paul LePage.”
Then there’s Maine’s Education commissioner, who was delighted to have the need to think for himself removed from his job–“according to more than 1,000 pages of emails obtained by a public records request, the commissioner would rely on [Jeb Bush’s] foundation to provide him with key portions of his education agenda. These included draft laws, the content of the administration’s digital education strategy and the text of Gov. Paul LePage’s Feb. 1 executive order on digital education. A Maine Sunday Telegram investigation found large portions of Maine’s digital education agenda are being guided behind the scenes by out-of-state companies that stand to capitalize on the changes, especially the nation’s two largest online education providers.” [http://www.pressherald.com/news/virtual-schools-in-maine_2012-09-02.html]
And of course, “Guess who is the new corporate chair of ALEC for the state of Maine? …Confidential documents from ALEC’s annual meeting last month in New Orleans obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy reveal it is none other than Ann Robinson, a trusted advisor to Governor Paul LePage… Robinson was the author of the governor’s infamous “Phase I” regulatory reform agenda, which sought to roll all of Maine’s environmental laws back to weaker federal standards, restore the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol-A to baby’s bottles and sippy cups, gut product-recycling legislation, and rezone 30 percent of the Maine North Woods for development.”
[http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/126378-lepages-koch-brothers-connection-revealed/#ixzz2EWpWus4Z
Thanks for asking!
US Chamber of Commerce, K12, insurance industry, ALEC, HPC just to name a few.
I think the first thing we want to know is that it is currently safe. Could the press please provide some photos or information on that?
As long as it’s safe, we know it will eventually be either put back where it was or placed somewhere where even more people can view what has now become famous and a prime example of how Mr. LePage’s administration has torn itself (and his party) down by making pigments on cloth into a political issue worthy of arguing about. Thank you for shooting yourself in the foot one more time Paul.
Yes, somehow it is hard to believe that it is stored somewhere safe, where only the Governor knows its whereabouts. My money is on it being destroyed long ago, sorry to say.
I don’t think he destroyed it. It doesn’t seem like it is his to destroy. In reality it doesn’t belong to him personally.
People are saying what they’d like to see done to it which is incredibly ignorant.
It’s all conjecture and wishful thinking on their part to burn it, make rags out of it or use it as toilet tissue. It’s ignorant to call for the burning of art and it has been done in the past.
That’s the second reason I’d like to see evidence that it’s okay. If it isn’t it would show that Mr. LePage is lower than even I believe him to be. I don’t sense he’s the sharpest tool in the shed, but he couldn’t be that dumb…could he??? I suspect that it’s much more likely that like so many others who commit crimes, Mr. LePage has this stored safely where he can relish it’s possession like some sort of sick unearned trophy. Its become his own personal “precious” possession.
The mural.. the governor’s precious. Sadly it does seem to be the case.
I find it disturbing that some are calling for the burning of it. I realize that ‘s a lot of bluster talk but nonetheless it still is disturbing, IMO anyway. I cringe at the thought of burning any art, written, painted etc…
Grim reminder of the early 30’s when Adolph Hitler ordered the burning of books not in keeping with laws of the National Socialistic Party.
Koch bothers,RGA, etc… follow the money grandpa. I did and it gave me a “clue’ as to what lepage and the R’s agenda would be… even before THEY knew what it would be. Maine R’s , including lepage , didn’t even know where the moeny was coming from, they didn’t bother to ask. They were just glad the money was there and “showing up “. I bet to this DAY Many( most) elected R’s haven’t a clue and haven’t even LOOKED at the PUBLIC contributions sheets .I BET many ELECTED officials still don’t even KNOW their “votes’ were bought LONG before they placed them..
After lepage won the primary money poured in from out of state. He had barely raised ANY money ‘on his own” in Maine and that trend continued after he won the primary.
I looked at those disclosure reports.YUP it’s stiill required by Maine law and accessible to the public for ALL to see ,on their own.. Nope we aren’t just “making it up”; it’s a matter of PUBLIC record..
The money was primarily laundered thru the RGA ( republican governore’s asociation) and other “organizations” and DIVIED up among a number of “hot “state” governorships ‘races” like FLA and WI
When I looked at the contributions i wondered who K-12 INC was ( I learned they are a for profit charter-school organization) I also wondered why some OTHER state”s chamber of commerce ( like Minnesota’s, i forget now who it was) would make a HUGE contribution to MAINE elected races.I also wondered about this group, who I later learned was responsible for “privating prison system elsewhere. Yup they got the “for profit” “contact” for privatizing OTHER state’s prisons and there were a slew of pharmacueticals.
BEFORE LePage was elected I could predict EXACTLY what the agenda would be just based upon looking at the contributions . And low and behold that is EXACTLY what the agenda was.
Follow the money grandpa if you want to know where the votes are going. Lepage, Walker. Scott and all the rest are nothing but their contributor’s puppet.
I wonder what percentage of “mural haters” think Obama is a socialist, or that being gay is a sin, or that billionaires are the real “job creators” Pretty high, I bet.
There is no doubt that Obama is a socialist. And who do you think creates jobs – the pan handlers by the mall? Successful people create jobs.
I think you would be correct.
You it was a really stupid move to make issue of and remove a mural that 95 percent of Mainers have never seen or knew about… It is also stupid to waste more time on it now, let it go, it’ll fix itself. I wonder how may of the people raising hell about ever made the trip to see it when it was there. There are more important things to fix.
You forgot “move along, nothing to see here”
Burn the pro commy paint-job and replace it with a large copy of The Declaration of Independence, A Large copy of the United States Constitution and a Large Copy of The Ten Commandments!
the ten what?
There probably more importlant things to push, but a little shove now and then wouldn’t hurt either.
Let’s lobby the Gov to do a Pro Business Mural. It would consist of about 200 large thumbs i.e. the Owners. Under the thumbs would be the workers in various stages of poverty and suffering, begging for a decent wage and affordable health insurance while being force fed fast food and Oxycontin by Crusty the Clown. This mural would be accompanied by a sound track and scent atomized into the area. The sound would be hideous laughter with silverware clanking during a gluttonous orgy and Romney’s 47% comment loops around accompanied by the smell of cigars, some nasty industrial cleaner and jet fuel permeating the room which chokes you.
Titled, “Land of the Free”
Heck, I’d buy it myself. Good bonfire material.
I want the legislators working on real issues. We have bigger problems than this settled matter.
It must have been awkward for the governor to sit there and listen to the actual explanation behind each panel and how they were based on labor history and had no ulterior motive. No matter. The next governor, Republican or Democrat, will put the mural back before they unpack at the Blaine House. It is not worth the political fallout and divide it has cost. The governor would have done himself a great favor if he had set his personal feelings and those of the brothers Koch aside and just put the mural back. It will be a large part of his legacy, and not in a good way. It was political suicide to touch that mural in the first place.
You actually believing your comment stating it is anything but a union mural is disturbing.. I feel sad for you liberals.
See description below of what a Pro Business mural smells like, thinking it will be more to your liking.
When did kids start joining unions? I knew many people who hand sewn shoes back before all those jobs went to China. Not one of them was a member of a union, not one. Are we even looking at the same mural? lol. Private union membership is down to 7% in America and the wages for the working men and women of America are in the toilet. Please take a moment and explain to me how 7% of the working men and women of America have brought this great nation to it’s economic knees? I promise not to laugh, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.
I know. I mean, shame on that artist for portraying mill workers, blueberry pickers and others in her mural. The shame of it !!!
She should go back in and add someone wearing a Marden’s smock. Represent the non union “right to starve” crowd. We must not forget the people of Maine who work for “public assistance” wages. They should be represented in the mural too.
advocates equals Union Members.. Educated people know it and the uneducated believe the crap they are being feed about the Mural
The Gov already said he would put it back in a DOL bulding. He was just waiting for the legal stuff and appeals to be over with. The complainers have been delaying it being put back on display. They just want donations.
Yes, but that was after he said the mural was removed because of the way it was financed. And that was after he said the mural was removed because of its pro-labor message as pointed out to him in a single fax — or was it a letter. And that was after he said he didn’t care where the mural goes, so long as it is removed from the Department of Labor. And that was after he said the mural would be moved to Portland City Hall.
The governor has not exactly been guilty of smart politics when it comes to the mural.
Funny, an anagram for labor mural is ball armour. EXACTLY what LePage had when he ordered it taken down.
I love this kind of article in the BND. It always stirs up the lefty wing nuts like shoving a stick into a bee hive. What kind of cheese would you like with your whine Lefty?
They want some runny camembert.
Apparently it gets some of the righteous right goose steppers buzzing as well?
Let’s see, the Democrats tell the Republicans to get over the election after just a month, however after 2 years complaining about a mural, get the hell over it!
The mural is easier to deal with then real issues. It also makes for a good rallying point for people with nothing else to worry about.
Heard he’s planning to take it with him — already has it sold on Ebay.
Nice.
This labor mural, this so-called piece of “art”, is hidious. Very dull and ugly. Leave it where it is, in a dark room, out of eyesight.
and you are the curator of art where? Hampden dump?
It is a matter of perspective. You probably like that velvet art (Elvis,etc.) I doubt you would appreciate fine art in a museum either.
Art isn’t always a thing of beauty. It is sometimes created to stir passion. Certainly LePage felt something when he saw that mural which is the reason why he got so excited about its existence. He was so moved in fact, that he hid it from sight. What about that mural can’t LePage bear to seee?
Rumor has it, that the mural was cut into thousands of pieces and then made into toilet paper. It has been used in the public bathrooms.
GET OVER IT ALREADY!
Oh for heavens sake…. Let it go people!!!!! Do you all have nothing better to do with your time than continue with this rediculous issue? Most Mainers have never seen it and could care less. Why don’t you people do something else with your time like taking a cancer patient for a treatment or providing a nice meal for someone that would really appreciate it? Your priorities are soon out of whack that I am embarrassed for you!!!
Some people appreciate art and history whether you recognize it as that or not Also, people are able to do multiple things. You have no way of knowing what posters do as far as contributing to causes,etc. I know personally, that here we are capable of donating to countless animal shelters, drop money into the Salvation Army kettles, etc. but still appreciate a labor mural. Imagine! People actually can have multiple interests.
Yeah right…..how do u know what I know about art? You must be tired after tossing all that money around!!’
Wow how defensive. I never said I knew how you yourself view art. And no, not tired at all, and did not toss anything around.
The point was, people can like art (in different forms) and still contribute to society and different causes,etc. They are not mutually exclusive.
Not defensive….just tired of all the time being spent on such drivel…am done. Hope you get it back and it gets placed somewhere so all of this crap is over and attention might be spent where it might do some good!
======
I wonder why there is still a mystery about the mural’s location. Did LePage actually destroy it to prevent it from going public again? What if the Democrats raise funds to hang the mural, will LePage release it from hostage then? Does LePage even have the right to keep the mural hidden from the public if we want to see it?
Interesting thoughts, one thing for sure the Mural will define a how small a big fellow’s governorship can be.
In the first place, LePage apparently needed something to focus on to feel important. In the second place, since the piece does not belong to him personally but to the people of that state of Maine, how does he have the right to keep secret the whereabouts of the piece now that it has been removed? Perhaps this entire episode was merely a intended as a personal slap in the face to former governor Baldacci. What I’ve observed of LePage since he’s been in office is the attitude of a petulant child demanding to have his own way. When is the next election……please!
How come my comments are not being posted? Censorship?
Put a picture of Peewee Herman in the movie theater UP instead. I’ts easier to look at.
Not again …………………. There are a lot more pressing issues concerning this State then this d*mn “Organized” labor mural …………………. and yes there was a scene with a logger and if I remember right the caption was, a labor organizer trying to get loggers to unionize, or to that effect.
Maine Department of Labor is for “ALL” Maine Workers & Businesses, NOT just union Workers.
Thug Labor, “Art”…….. Close up photos of the landfill we are becoming……
The courts said the Governor had the right to take it out, as did John Baldacci have the right to put it in.
My question to you mural freaks, If Governor LePage commissions a painting and when he leaves office, does that painting have to stay up forever?? I know your answer thats why you are what your are.
I am so tired of hearing about a piece of “art” that most Mainers could care less about and will never see in their lifetime!!!! Get a life people and do something for someone who would appreciate it.
Very interesting!!
Who do you people really thinks this is important in the scheme of life? Take someone for a cancer treatment or take a meal to someone that is in need and discover what life is really about!!! For Heavens sake….you people do not have enough going on in your lives to realize what is really important.
Oh, goodie! Now we can all flock to view the Marxist murals! Good grief, it isn’t as if they are great works of art. This whole “controversy” was so petty and nit-picking it makes one sick. Get a real cause, like creating jobs so we can do more murals of people at work.
This mural, this “movement” this propaganda, this “labor movement” is so indicative of a “workers of the world unite” theme” and did you notice that in that “labor movement propaganda” mural, that not one single person depitcted is smiling??? Just like every communist country.
And, if it is pro union, then it should be burned.
This propaganda piece is good for one thing….starting a fire.
your world view is so limited – kinda sad.
It has been cut up and made into blankets for the homeless in NY City. Just like Unions, this mural is a thing of the past….
It’s remarkable that so many who praise their constitution are also encouraging the burning of art. There was a certain Reich that did that.
yes and they are about to lead our maine congress.
The mural has been stored in a room next to the Labor Commissioner’s office since it was removed.
I would love to see the contract that the artist had with the state on the mural ?
Left unaddressed by the reporter are the painter’s thoughts on the contract that commissioned her work. The contract stated, if I remember correctly, that the mural could not be moved without her being “consulted.”
C’mon — do reporters or editors have any “institutional” memory of these details?
Get over it~ moveon. There are more pressing issues before the legislature. The courts have ruled.
Sour grapes, get over it, and your selves.
Burn it, and spread the ashes over the hostess bakery.
That is mean….People cheerish this Mural…LOL
people really cherish propaganda?Scary.
Enough already. LePage will not re-hang the murals and to continue to push the issue will only serve to further antagonize him. He’s already made it clear he’s looking for excuses to not work with the Democrats, why give him more ammunition? I disagree with him and think he’s a poor excuse for a representative of the people (the state is more than just right wing Republicans) but why beat a dead horse? We have more important issues to address.
snif…snif…he said… but .. i want… me… we will …snif..snif it’s not fair….I hope he orders the thing sold as surplus materials and returns the funds to their rightful obligation. Stop wasting the publics time & money on a lost cause.
Why don’t Taylor buy it back, then she can can put it in her home. The state could use the money. Taylor could charge people to admirer it and give a little (tax) back to the state. Also this will save time so our legislators won’t have to deal with this.
Hopefully they’ll all focus on matters of substance, such as continuing to improve the business climate in this state. This mural issue has been nothing but a silly distraction. Let it go.
Let go of the mural for crying out loud. Move on to something worth all the effort. Who cares about the mural?
It bothers them so much, its funny.
It aggravates the right people.
If you’re out there looking for a job rest assured the Dems in the Legislature will get around to your woes as soon as they successfully command this 11 panel stone tablet be brought down from the mountain. The Union has spoken!
Sorry folks, it has been cut up and made into blankets for the homeless in NY City. Just like Unions, this mural is a thing of the past, move on folks…
Let the dem’s help our great GovenorePage reduce the cost of government so our kids will have a chance!!
Live Free or Die..
Great you say. This Governor was awarded the price of being the “Worst” Governor ever to be elected in our Maine history. This man is NOT great, he is a Shame to the Office – Maybe a Great Clown satisfy you.
I believe Baldacci won the prize!
Awarded by the Liberals who hate and are scared of Mr. LePage… Your award doesnt count, it belongs with the Mural, in the trash…
only by the takers.
can’t the legislature also now use the ‘government speech ” claim to restore the mural to it’s rightful place??
“Rightful place”? Judging by two legal judgements and these comments your biased opinion is wrong.
In the spirit of “moral equivalence” if you grant executive privilege to one executive, you grant the same to all. Make sense? Changing the rules to guarantee outcome exemplifies the worst of politics, not that that has ever stopped politicians from doing so.
That said, executive leadership properly exercised respects executive privilege and uses it wisely in the name of all. When abused in the name of only a portion of the citizens executive privilege has historically ended up as fodder fit for tabloids.
Some people care about their name’s reputation…others don’t.
Seriously people lets get back on topic. Early report said twenty-five people attended this event. It gets head line status in the BDN for almost a non event. If I remember right when there was talk of protesters chaining themselves to the labor department building and “occupying” the lobby on a twenty four hour basis, the mural was removed. More like a reaction by the governor to a potential “three ring circus” in a state office building than anything else. Sometimes you get more than you ask for. Loose in court and maybe with the help of the BDN maybe you can win in the “court” of public opinion.
How about the Legislature just spend their time creating jobs instead of wasting it chasing around paintings!
It should be taken into protective custody until it can be put back in place in 2014 or sooner.
Its no longer usable. The homeless in NY City are using it as blankets… A new one needs to be made..
Why would you put it back? It’s of no historic value. It’s is propaganda done for the Unions.. I never belonged to a Union yet I worked my whole life. Are my struggles less then anyone elses?
This mural was commissioned under Gov. Baldacci to the tune of $60,000, with funds taken from the unemployment fund which businesses unknowingly contributed to. Gov. Baldacci was a governor who went to Cuba and met with Castro, one of the world’s worst dictators. Castro, a man who does not believe in workers’ rights let alone human rights. This painting looks like it could be workers in Cuba. Was this supposed to be labors history, or what Baldacci was hoping it would return to. You have to wonder especially since it had the former head of the dept. of labor under Baldacci painted in among all the “history.” The case is closed on this mural. Lepage has won in court twice. If the libs want to keep pursuing it, it just makes them look like victims of the media and the low information society. Where was their outrage with Baldacci and Castro?
What drible, just a usual handler comment from the Heritage group of people specializing in hate and lies. We want our Mural back!
Then raise the $60,000 and resurrect it from the piles of ashes!
I am amused at how many of you are trying to imply it has been destroyed and is in a heap somewhere….
Truth is if that were to be the case there would be many more problems for LePage than there are now.
Nice try to inflame with lies.
What problems? Where have you been? The courts ruled in LePage’s favor.
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burn it please.
where are the lies? democrats just can not handle the truth.
I have worked my whole life in Maine, I’m non Union and have fended for myself unlike unions who have a highly paid nanny watching over them.. And you think you are more important then I am and need a picture to prove it.. LOL!!!
Unions are dead…… People dont want to admitt it….
The painting ought to show what unions have done to whole areas, and we will see how proud they are of the mural. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jun2009/oakl-j08.shtml
just a picture of a pile of bricks and a field.That tells the true story
Can you imagine if McDonalds went Union, 5 dollar cheese burgers, 4 dollar milk shakes and 20 dollar happy meals.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/17-facts-about-mcdonald-s-that-will-blow-your-mind-210043704.html