Maine's Governor Orders Removal of Public Mural Depicting Workers

Submitted by Anne Landman on

The Governor of Maine, Paul LePage, ordered a commemorative public mural depicting Maine's labor history be removed from the state's Department of Labor, saying he had gotten complaints that the artwork was too pro-labor. The 36-feet long, 8-foot tall work by Judy Taylor of Tremont, Maine depicts workers like Rosie the Riveter, child laborers, shoemakers, textile workers, strikers and the first female American cabinet member, Frances Perkins, who served as U.S. Labor Secretary. The governor had the mural taken down in secrecy, over the weekend, and had it stored in an undisclosed location. The governor also plans to assign new names to the building's conference rooms, which are currently named after prominent labor leaders. In response to the mural's removal, Maine video producer Geoff Leighton proposed balancing out the mural by adding to it images of well-known recent American business moguls, like WorldCom's Bernard Ebbers, who was convicted of fraud and conspiracy, former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay, and ponzi-scheme investor Bernie Madoff, "who were significant in bringing wealth to the wealthy, despite onerous government regulations and pesky unions."

Topics: 
Activism
Right Wing
Labor

Comments

inquiring minds replied on

He said what? He got "complaints" that the mural was too "pro-labor"? That is really effing lame! But let us not be too hasty in passing judgment. First, we need to determine the facts. There are simply too many unanswered questions. Such as . . .

How many complaints did he claim to get? two? three? four score and twenty?

By whom? masked strangers? cronies? sweatshop operators? the Koch brothers?

How and where were these alleged complaints made? mailed to the office of mural complaints? phoned in to the special hotline for that same purpose? or, perhaps, directly communicated to the Governor on the golf course?

How many complaints about this mural had previous governors reported? they can't remember? won't they say?

What, exactly did the complaints state was the offense? Since he claimed to receive "complaints" a plural form of the grammar suggesting multiple incidents, did all of these multiple complaints use exactly the same wording, i.e., "too pro-labor"? Did they say what it is it about "pro-labor" images that is so offensive? Who would be offended by such images anyway?

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