Obama Hope poster image stolen, caption should read LIFE!

Steve -

I would be shocked if the boyz at SouthDacola said anything at all.

I know I'm picking a little fight here which is hardly pastor-like. Forgive me. All in good fun. The high ethic standard at SouthDaCola for copyrights is admirable and they deserve credit and cash for their talent. My "no talent" comment certainly wasn't aimed at them. I'm scaring even myself with this comment… I'm even starting to like their cartoons/artistic style.

The real ha ha in this post for me isn't the stolen image, it's that Brownback and the LIFE message are the true inspiration here for this facial expression. Only God could have set that one up. God has a great sense of humor you know.

[…] Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, where do I begin? As a fan of underground art (come look at my house walls sometime) and having a shrine to my hero, Warhol in my studio (there, I said it, are you happy) I have come to realize that everyone doesn't understand copyright laws and 'image borrowing'. Underground art is based on taking something that is mainstream and converting it to something original and anti-establishment. Something Fairey did with the HOPE Obama image. Underground art is kinda the thrift store version of fine art, just as beautiful and useful, but a lot f'ing cheaper. Though I am disappointed that Fairey hasn't credited the photo, I'm also glad he didn't. Why? He does not have to. Once you CHANGE something, it becomes yours. And that really is the essence of art. Creating something new, from something old. I would hope the original photographer would be joyous about it - not sure. But I will say this, Fairey's version is a lot cooler than the original. […]

I believe Obama was listening to George Clooney speaking on Darfur. You really need to do a little more research, bible man.

btw, good thing you got rid of the photo of the 5 year old kid on your blog, looking like she was telling a secret. Never quite got what that message was. It was creepy, like that movie "jesus camp". the new masthead is nicer and doesn't look like you are trying to recruit kids to "spread the word".

AC- wrong on the Clooney thing. In a second picture taken seconds later, Clooney is sitting to Obama's right.  http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/sceneonroad/ROAD20090121G.jpg

Regarding Darfur, Brownback was giving his "whole life speech" on how we care for those dying in Darfur and those dying in the womb. I heard him say it again on Monday.

Still trying to find a full transcript of Brownbacks comments at the Press Conference - Obama and Brownback co-sponsored the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act which imposed sanctions on the perpetrators of the genocide. Clooney just returned with his father from a trip to Darfur.

CBS records a few Brownback comments - those of us who've heard him talk on this will recognize them and again, he's talking about having a whole life perspective and being a voice for those without a voice.

Brownback quoted Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel: "What hurts victims most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander. George Clooney is giving a voice to people without a voice," Brownback stated, "because without that voice, they die. They die."

Just from that we can get a strong LIFE message and strong words to give voice to those who have no voice - if we don't they die - genocide. And Obama gives the blank stare. To be fair, he's probably very engaged and if he wasn't he wouldn't have co-sponsored the bill.  But why doesn't he connect the dots and be whole life??  Instead he signs the Mexico City Policy reversal and thrusts abortion on the world's poor.

I just heard from a buddy in DC who, just yesterday hung with Brownback, and at Brownback's recommendation went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the two Lincoln masks and what human suffering did to age the face of Lincoln in just five short years. Brownback was deeply moved by that and said he needed to see it.

My friend called to tell me he saw my blog post here and the Obama Hope original artwork is the first thing you see when you walk in right now to the National Portrait Gallery. It's like seven feet high and quite a piece of art, so he says. Maybe he'll jump on and comment.

"…at Brownback's recommendation went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the two Lincoln masks and what human suffering did to age the face of Lincoln in just five short years."

I give Barry four years in office before he's at least mostly gray. Look at the before and after on Dubya.

The Fairey piece is interesting. I actually prefer it to a regular portrait.

[…] clears up the debate about Fairey's HOPE print and Garcia's photo that DooHickey is up in arms about. Garcia responds to her […]

Follow the link on the pinkback above and you'll see I started a little debate among the artists over at South DaCola - so much so that one of them wrote the photographer to see if he feels the artist lifted his work for profit and fame. South DaCola hammered me with an "F'ing Duh" comment implying I was a ignorant of copywrite law to post what I posted. But after that it became clear to them that maybe I had something here.

The photographer didn't respond with much besides this interesting link which includes the following statement from the photographer…

Of the iconic poster he said, "I've been on the campaign for twenty something months, so I would see the artwork, I would photograph it, and think what is with this image? But it didn't snap. It never occurred to me it was my picture. I thought, 'that's familiar.' I would see it and say that's cool, but it did keep sticking in my head." He was quick to add he is not mad at Fairey, and he's not looking at any lawsuits. "I know artists like to look at things; they see things and they make stuff. It's a really cool piece of work. I wouldn't mind getting a signed litho or something from the artist to put up on my wall."

The best part of the whole thing is still that Obama was staring at Sam Brownback when this image was captured.

Yeah, he was thinking, "How long do I have to sit here and listen to this crap?"

Copyright, not copywrite.

Detroit - did you and your buddies see this?

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9652OD01&show_article=1&catnum=8

Poor Fairey. More trouble yet…
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,489604,00.html