Free Republic

The Statue of Liberty is a “symbol of hypocrisy or unfulfilled promises” the Washington Post’s Philip Kennicott said in an essay published Saturday. In his piece titled “Maybe it’s time to admit the Statue of Liberty has never quite measured up,” the art and architecture critic wrote: Try looking for Lady Liberty at an exhibition of Chicano graphic art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, for example, where familiar images — flags, maps, military recruiting posters — are repurposed. You will find the statue almost or entirely absent. Maybe that’s because, compared with other icons of national identity, it is...

The Washington Post has published an op-ed arguing that President Donald Trump “must never have” a presidential library. The paper, whose motto is “Democracy dies in darkness,” presented an argument Thursday by “art and architecture critic” Philip Kennicott about why the history of the Trump administration should, in fact, be shrouded in darkness. Kennicott wrote: “Trump must never have an official presidential library, and Congress should move quickly to make sure he never will.” He argued that Trump cannot be trusted to handle documents relating to his presidency, because he “mixed public and private interests.” He adds that Trump must...

Even skeptics are wowed by the high-tech museum. Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Kennicott called Museum of the Bible ‘stocked with historic treasures.’ By Josh ShepherdNovember 20, 2017 The professor of Jewish studies passes under an ornate archway, leading to another part of the sprawling History of the Bible floor. Keeping up with him isn’t easy, as we dodge workers who continue to install museum panels before opening day.“There’s nothing false anywhere,” Professor Lawrence Schiffman says over his shoulder, gesturing towards dozens of Torah scrolls carefully lit for preservation. “I’ve been walking around even today, reading more labels. We keep...

Photo of al-Zarqawi's head framed like a venerated image, or war trophy WASHINGTON - The frame surrounding an image of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's head, revealed to the world as proof the terrorist is dead, is bizarre. When the picture was displayed at a U.S. military news briefing, Zarqawi's face was seen inside what appeared to be a professional photographic mat job, with a large frame, as if it were something one might preserve and hang on the wall next to other family portraits. One function of frames is to bound an image, and close down its open edges; frames delimit,...