UPDATE BY JOHN: The article Chris links to also mentions that "The lamp is a replica of ‘‘The Greek Slave’’ — a chained female slave crafted by a Vermont artist in 1843 that became an icon of the abolitionist movement before the Civil War." The figure was okay for the abolitionists 160 years ago, but today it makes the governor uncomfortable. "It may, frankly, be awkward to explain why there is a nude Greek slave on the governor’s desk to a third-grader," the governor's spokesman said. Well here's a thought: Tell the kid how the figure is actually a symbol of the fight against slavery, and maybe educate the kid about art and history all at the same time, moron.
Perhaps it's time we called the governor and suggested he stop the jihad and start the educating:
Governor Jim Douglas
109 State Street, Pavilion
Montpelier, VT 05609-0101
Phone: 802 828-3333
(toll-free in VT only: 800 649-6825)
TTY: 800 649-6825
Fax: 802 828-3339
As you can plainly see, this lamp which is a replica of "The Greek Slave" is without doubt shocking and obscene. What would the children think? If they see this, the next thing you know they will all be fornicating right there on the spot. This Greek whoopsee was originally created in 1834 and became a symbol of the abolitionist movement prior to the Civil War.
The woman depicted in the statue, her hair tied back in a bun, is looking downward, a chain attached to her wrists. In the original, her clothes are beside her and a locket and cross are visible.‘‘It’s a wonderful statue,’’ said Vivien Fryd, an art historian at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, who has written about the statue. ‘‘It was the first time the American public accepted the female nude.’’
