"Walmart Liberace"

If you know anything at all about Der Furor, you know that he loves the trappings of wealth and power, especially gold. His Trump Tower penthouse apartment has long been famous for its over-the-top gilding of almost every surface ...

His home at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, is similarly decorated,

Der Furor's belief that acres of gold convey a sense of luxury and power now extends to his redecoration of the historic Oval Office, covering every available surface with gold trimmings, objects, curtains, and carpets. He called in the cabinetmaker who upgilded Mar-a-Lago to add gleaming golden touches throughout the historic mansion, and also wanted to hang a chandelier in the Oval Office, but dropped the idea when he was told it would be too heavy for the ceiling to support. 

Der Furor's Oval Office style has been called "Walmart Liberace."

The Oval Office is the official workplace of the President of the United States, who deserves the right to decorate it in a style that creates a personal comfort zone in which they can make decisions that affect every American and the rest of the world. In that regard, presidents deserve a degree of freedom of expression in their choice of decor.

But the Oval Office is more than just the workplace of the current officeholder - it's a symbol of the United States of America, and it represents all of us. It should present an image of gravitas appropriate to our history. 

We fought a revolutionary war to free ourselves from kings who needed to impress their subjects with displays of wealth and power. Versailles represents in gold and crystal the past glories of French kings. The Kremlin represents in gold the power and dominance of the tsars. Buckingham Palace remembers the golden highlights of the power and majesty of the British empire at its height. And all of those are appropriate to the history of their nations.

The Oval Office should represent the history of a free people ... not a garish whorehouse gleaming with golden bling.

We deserve better than Walmart Liberace.

Have a good day. Demand better, but expect less. 

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

The Great Seal of the United States, Updated

I originally planned this post for tomorrow, but then realized that because I'll be working as an election officer at the primary and have to be on-site at 5:00 AM, I'd go ahead and post it now, a day early ... 

On June 20th, 1782, Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States. The front, or obverse, side of the Great Seal looks like this ...

and the somewhat less-familiar reverse side looks like this ...

The Great Seal contains all sorts of meaningful imagery, as explained here ... 

Note that the eagle's head is turned toward the olive branch, indicating a preference for peace over war, and that he holds a scroll bearing the original national motto* - E Pluribus Unum, meaning "From Many, One." 

The reverse side of the Seal is laden with Masonic imagery and with two inscriptions: Annuit Coeptis, meaning "He (the Almighty) Has Approved Our Undertaking," and Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning "A New Order of the Ages."

The Great Seal is colorful, meaningful, and heraldically impressive, but we are no longer living in 1782. Times have changed, and many of our national ideals have fallen far short in practice.

In a 2015 post titled Thoughts About Flags, I proposed a redesign of the American flag to incorporate symbols more meaningful to today's citizens. When I realized that tomorrow was the anniversary of the adoption of the Great Seal, I decided to attempt a redesign of the Seal more appropriate to how we have developed as a nation. Sadly, my limited artistic skills fell short of the level needed to do the job properly, and so I decided to just seek a single image that would sum up our national character as it exists today. That image is, of course, an actual SEAL ...

I think this is an appropriate replacement for the traditional Great Seal, as it incorporates the things most indicative of modern America: aggression, rugged manliness**, a fetish for the unlimited ownership and employment of powerful weaponry, the cosplay of wannabe heroes who need to pack iron for a trip to Dunkin' Donuts, a camera to record the misdeeds of those around us, a spring-loaded readiness to react to perceived limits on freedom (as individually interpreted), and a mask to hide one's identity (although not, gawd forbid, to protect us from disease). 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, I give you the 2023 version of the Great Seal ... a sad reflection of the evolution of our national character. 

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* "E Pluribus Unum" was the original, de facto motto of the United States until July 30th, 1956, when a joint resolution of Congress established "In God We Trust" as the official national motto. 

** Not applicable to Senator Josh Hawley, despite his unintentionally comic literary aspirations.

The New Symbols of Hate

The events that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend, when a group of white nationalists and other far-right groups staged a "Unite the Right" rally that degenerated into violence and murder, should shock and dismay everyone who believes in the traditional idea of America as a welcoming and inclusive nation*. And the sad fact that Donald Trump delivered such a weaselly commentary on the situation underscores the utter lack of moral leadership we have at the top of our government.

As you know, I'm interested in language and symbology, and I found this CNN article to be particularly interesting: These Are the New Symbols of Hate. I won't reproduce any of those symbols here, because they don't deserve any more attention; I'll just point out that they are intended to replace the most historically objectionable symbols, such as the Nazi swastika and the "blood drop cross" of the KKK, and help far-right characters identify each other in the murky darkness of their ideas.

As it happens, I have a few suggestions for symbols they could use.

This one seems appropriate ...

As is this one, for those who also consider information with which they don't agree to be "fake news" ...

As for me, I think the right symbol for America is the one we all should honor - 

Have a good day. Don't let the haters win.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Yes, I know we've not always lived up to that ideal, but we've managed to build a pretty good place in spite of underlying racist ideas and spasms of things like "No Irish need apply."