Obama bobblehead gets ready for a dip (TheBlazeTV)
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UPDATE: Ebay, the online marketplace where Glenn Beck put his Obama creation up for auction for charity, has now pulled the ad. At it's last bidding around 11:00 a.m. ET, the bid for the Obama doll in the jar was up to $11,300. All of the proceeds were to do to the Mercury One charity. Click the link above for the story.
On Monday, TheBlaze alerted readers to a new painting that depicts Barack Obama as Jesus Christ crucified, adorned with a crown of thorns. The work, entitled "Truth," is part of a larger exhibit at the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery in Boston titled “Artists on the Stump – the Road to the White House 2012.” This, of course, is not the first controversial rendition that has been labeled "artwork," nor is it the first time President Obama has been likened to Christ, or in general, God.
Now, the creator of "Truth," Michael D’Antuono, said that his “First Amendment rights should override someone’s hurt feelings" and that "we should celebrate the fact that we live in a country where we are given the freedom to express ourselves.”
After receiving roughly 4,000 angry emails over the painting, D'Antuono also said he respects “their right to express themselves” and hopes they will afford him the same.
With this in mind, Glenn Beck chose to exercise his First Amendment rights and "express himself," during his Tuesday evening broadcast by featuring a piece of artwork of his own.
Watch the clip, sure to make a splash, via TheBlaze TV below:
At some point, Beck decided that submerging an Obama "bobblehead" doll in "urine" (at first the liquid was thought to be beer, but it was later revealed to be water with food coloring) was necessary to convey his message. He of course realizes this will be controversial and that many will find his use of the Obama figurine to be disrespectful. The idea, for Beck however, is not to be untoward, but through irony, to highlight the hypocrisy of those who would shout in defiance at defacing the image of a sitting U.S. president, but not that of an image so sacred to Christianity -- the world's largest religion. In other words, Beck sought to reveal how he truly adheres to the U.S. Constitution where the Left often does not.
Beck supported D'Antuono's Constitutional right to create and display his art even if it is considered highly disrespectful to Christianity. The main point Beck hoped to convey through his controversial display with the Obama bobblehead, was to highlight that through the U.S. Constitution, an artist does have the freedom to display whatever his or her heart desires, however offensive that "art" may be to others.
Regarding D'Antuono, Beck previously stated:
“Art is in the eye of the beholder and this guy has a right to do this. I think its offensive. I don’t think its close to reality but whatever floats your boat. I support his right to do exactly that. I agree with him that people who are upset should not trump his right to be able to do it and be able to hang it wherever he wants – as long as its wanted there."
He went on to cite the U.S. Constitution, saying, "that document [the Constitution] says I can’t stop him, and the spirit of that document is that I shouldn’t try."
Beck hopes that his Obama display, however outrageous, will underscore how important it is to stand by the Constitution, even if members the Left do not. Liberals who shout in defiance at Beck's "art" are inconsistent in their adherence to the First Amendment as was made evident when they took to social media to blast Beck relentlessly with as many expletives as they could conjure up. It seems they only wish to uphold freedom of speech when it suits them, and not when it may suit someone else.
Of course, Beck's "art" is also similar to the infamous anti-Christian photograph titled “Piss Christ,” showing a small plastic crucifix soaked in the artist’s real urine.
Here's a visual representation of how it all went down:
(TheBlazeTV)
(TheBlazeTV)
The Obama bobblehead (TheBlazeTV)
Obama bobblehead gets ready for a dip (TheBlazeTV)
Art? (TheBlazeTV)
"Obama in Pee Pee" (TheBlazeTV)
Put a lid on it (TheBlazeTV)
"Stay consistent my friends" - Glenn Beck (TheBlazeTV)
Beck's "artwork" also highlights the hypocrisy of those who rail against disparaging Islam's Prophet Muhammad. If his image were defaced in the same way as Christ's has been so many times, the backlash could indeed be deadly and lead to the "artist" in question being pursued by U.S. law enforcement, as was the case for the creators of the YouTube video "Innocence of Muslims (to clarify, the creator of the YouTube video was assailed by law enforcement for criminal activity unrelated to his video, but the backlash and public scrutiny created by his video catalyzed authorities to pursue him).
Beck did reach out to D'Antuono, inviting him on the program to discuss the First Amendment.
"Truth" is set to remain on display until Dec. 15. Beck, meanwhile, is considering putting his latest artwork up for auction (the price tag says $25,000).
This post has been updated to reflect that the content of Beck's mason jar was in fact water with food coloring, not beer.
This story has been updated.
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