[BigKPM]

Living here in the NYC metropolitan area, I remember very well the hubub over a Brooklyn museum displaying "art" depicting a crucifix in urine.

I guess, in the eyes of free speech advocates, that's protected, while this is not.

Very sad.

Another case of liberal tolerance. We will tolerate all of your opinions as long as we also hold them.

[muawiyah]

Knowing that Hedrick is one of the more popular spellings of a far more famous Nazi name from WWII that some people pick to hide their relationship with the guy, I'm not surprised to find this ol'gal out there protesting an American Marine exhibiting his art.

She should go back in hiding.

[Zacs Mom]

Cassic! Absolutely classic!

[Vor Lady]

"The fact that he would come not dressed as an artist, but as a Marine is an affront," said Natasha Mayers of Whitefield. "I'm for real expression that's not paid for. This guy is paid for, he's been a Marine all his life, and this is a military point of view. The day-to-day part of war, which we can't imagine, is what we need to see. We need to see images that tell us the truth."

These people are all for the government paying for trash by Robert Maplethorpe, but object to the government paying for this? HYPOCRITES!

[Sabatier]

--"The fact that he would come not dressed as an artist, but as a Marine is an affront," said Natasha Mayers of Whitefield. "I'm for real expression that's not paid for. This guy is paid for, he's been a Marine all his life, and this is a military point of view. The day-to-day part of war, which we can't imagine, is what we need to see. We need to see images that tell us the truth."--


Let's see now. Where to begin? Nah, never mind. No point in wasting time arguing with this mentality. As if most art wasn't paid for. As if museums weren't filled with art that was commissioned at some point. As if all those portraits and landscapes that hang in museums were done for free.


Nope, rather, give credit to the museum curator for having the guts to put on this show. Hopefully this artist will get some recognition from this "controversy" and his work will sell. All this free publicity will work to his benefit.

[Maceman]

"The fact that he would come not dressed as an artist, but as a Marine is an affront," said Natasha Mayers of Whitefield.

What, now artists have a dress code? If he came dressed as a giant condom, would that make it art?

"I'm for real expression that's not paid for.

That's exactly what I say whenever I see an "artist" whose work is paid for with taxpayer money. I'm glad this individual agrees with me that we need to immediately cease public funding of the arts.

[Imaverygooddriver]

I from NYC too. Remember that? How about the one painting of the Virgin Mary smeared with elephant dung?

[Noachian]

Another case of a Marine who has put himself in harm's way to protect the "right" of liberal wussies to defame him.

[Texican72]

We ALL know that if this art gallery had a show of only anti-war art, these same people would be there protesting the lack of balance.

[marty60]

Fascists

[nothingnew]

...images of tanks, bombs, planes, ambulances and rifle-carrying soldiers.... OH MY!!

FMCDH(BITS)

[trebb]

They said a more balanced show would include images of civilian deaths and mass destruction.

Once again, let's use their own "logic" against them. If the above is to believed, then any gay-themed "art" should also be balanced by depicting the wasting death of AIDS, the festering STDs, and the poor children that suffer at the hands of homosexual pedophiles.

[elfman2]

"Very sad. "

As usual, this protest backfired. Lots of stories on this artist now. Here’s what I could find of his work.

Marine Staff Sargeant Michael Fay, a reservist from Fredericksburg, VA, holds the distinction of being the only combat artist currently serving in the Marine Corps. Recently returned from Iraq, he continues a tradition of combat art that dates back to ancient times. Fay earned an undergraduate degree in Art Education from Penn State University and works at the Combat Art Museum when not on active duty. This small selection of paintings and drawings made in Afghanistan and Iraq documents aspects of war in a very personal and immediate way. The exhibition runs concurrent with the Camden Conference, The Middle East: Compromise or Conflagration?, February 25-27. For more information on the conference, see www.camdenconference.org

Staff Sgt. Michael Fay's work includes depictions of some of the quieter moments in military duty. Above is his painting of Marines setting trip flares that will warn them of intruders.

Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Fay, a combat artist, is heading to Iraq.

Above is Fay's pencil drawing of a Marine returning from a nine-day patrol in Afghanistan last year.

More written here.

[Feckless]

he's been a Marine all his life, and this is a military point of view

And you've been a scum sucking, America hating commie douchbag all your life, and yours is a scum sucking, America hating commie douchbag's point of view.

[Pharlap]

Those who protested came not as artists but as antiwar demonstrators, while the marine came as an artist. Let those who would disagree with the marine's art present their own works as an alternative. By not doing so, and by protesting the marine's right to display his art, they reduce themselves to merely rabble rousing dissenters.

[cake_crumb]

Leftists=fascists. Freedom of speech is for them, not for lesser life forms like the bulk of humanity

[WorkingClassFilth]

"The fact that he would come not dressed as an artist, but as a Marine is an affront..."

That reminds me of a joke.

A dishevelled and rumpled woman walks into a bar. Looking at her tangled hair and unkempt appearance, the bartender asks: 'Did you get dressed in the dark this morning, or are you an artist?'

Other than that, this article is not a joke.

Combat artists are terrific people. Not only do they go into the caldron of combat and serve as any other troop, they are forced to observe and memorize the details with an artist's razor sharp clarity.

The hypocritical protestors and the purile purveyors of pop-culture sh*t should get down on the floor and lick the Marines boots for the priviledge he affords them to pander their excrement in a free society. In Saddams Iraq, they'd either service his sodomite troops or be slime on the bottom of his acid vats.

[DTogo]

The protesters objected to the show's content and what they claimed was the museum's "implicit support of war." They said a more balanced show would include images of civilian deaths and mass destruction.

Let's balance it further with paintings of burqa'd women beaten in the Afghan streets before their liberation and right to vote, ancient Buddhist statues destroyed by the Taliban, Saddam filling mass graves, and Uday/Qusay raping newlywed brides while bribing the UNSC in their oil-for-food scam.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Some days I just wanna beat the snot out of peace activists, other days I just feel like puking because of them.

[jec41]

"The fact that he would come not dressed as an artist, but as a Marine is an affront," said Natasha Mayers of Whitefield. "I'm for real expression that's not paid for. This guy is paid for, he's been a Marine all his life, and this is a military point of view. The day-to-day part of war, which we can't imagine, is what we need to see. We need to see images that tell us the truth."

How does a artist dress? What is the dress code? Does that mean if he wears old clothes with holes, doesn't bathe, protests everything, and searches for truth forever and remains ignorant because he never choose a path other than descent? These idiots didn't know the truth and they were looking at it. You will never find the truth by searching. You must submit to trying a path and achieving a goal. If that path is wrong you will know and can try another. The Marine has done that and he is the truth. His path is one who elects to defend his country and exercise his talent. A great painting would be one of this Marine standing his ground and defending his rights against these shallow thinking rabble

[Larry Lucido]

May God be with you, Sgt. Fay.