Maine Governor Orders Mural Depicting Labor History Removed From Labor Department

[meegbear]

Source: TalkingPointsMemo.com

It's Diego Rivera Redux in Maine, as Governor Paul LePage is taking down a mural in the state Department of Labor building depicting the history of the labor movement and changing the names of conference rooms that he deems too pro-labor.

The 11-panel installation depicted such figures as Rosie the Riveter and FDR-era Labor Secretary Francis Perkins as well as events like a 1937 shoe mill strike and 1986 paper mill workers' strike. Several rooms are named after historic labor figures including Perkins and Cesar Chavez.

A spokesman for LePage told the Lewiston Sun Journal that business had complained about the piece and "The message from state agencies needs to be balanced." He added that the rooms could instead be named "after mountains, counties or something."

Progressive and labor groups are upset about the change and the artist who painted it, Judy Taylor, told the paper that the mural's message was already fair. "There was never any intention to be pro-labor or anti-labor," she said. "It was a pure depiction of the facts."

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/maine-governor-orders-mural-depicting-labor-history-removed-from-labor-department.php?ref=fpblg

---

Maine blog Dirigo Blue posted a purported e-mail to staff from Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Boyett explaining the decision, as well as pictures of the offending mural.

"We have received feedback that the administration building is not perceived as equally receptive to both businesses and workers - primarily because of the nature of the mural in the lobby and the names of our conference rooms," the e-mail reads. "Whether or not the perception is valid is not really at issue and therefore, not open to debate. If either of our two constituencies perceives that they are not welcome in our administration building and this translates to a belief that their needs will not be heard or met by this department, then it presents a barrier to achieving our mission."

[RKP5637]

1. Yep, removing historical reference, out of sight, out of mind. Yet another WTF moment. n/t

[MidwestTransplant]

18. Just like the Texas history books

[RKP5637]

23. Yep, same old crap. n/t

[SoapBox]

36. Ditto! ...RushThugs/T.HATERbaggers trying to rewrite history.

Wake up America.

...before it's really too late.

[tblue37]

38. And the old Soviet style of erasing purged people from photos. nt

[Kolesar]

144. no kidding...eom

[defendandprotect]

217. Fascists are the same the world over -- GOP no different -- !! Where are the Dems?

[Roy Rolling]

37. Call/write veterans groups

This is what I sent, I suggest everyone (especially veterans) complain to Maine:

Dear Amvets…I am too young to be a World War 2 veteran, but my best friend’s father was one of “Doolittle’s Raiders”. You have my utmost admiration for your sacrifices.

I am writing because I am outraged that the politically-correct state of Maine is removing a mural depicting “Rosie the Riveter”, saying it is too “pro-labor”.

Apparently, the fact that Rosie the Riveter is a World War 2 icon representing the sacrifices of women for the war effort has escaped the history-challenged politicians in the state of Maine.

Here’s the story: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/maine-governor-orders-mural-depicting-labor-history-removed-from-labor-department.php?ref=fpblg

Can Amvets take a stand to prevent this ignorance from smearing the reputation of women like Rosie who were essential to the US winning World War 2?

I hope you are as outraged as I am…this has gone too far. This is not a pro-labor issue, it is a pro-American veterans of World War 2 and Maine is insulting them.

[RKP5637]

94. This is a great idea. It deserves a thread of its own so it gets seen by more of DU. n/t

[roxiejules]

97. Yes, call vet groups, feminist groups and AARP

Frances Perkins was the first woman appointed to the US Cabinet. One of the murals is about her. She is credited for establishing Social Security and minimum wage laws!

When FDR invited Frances to be his Secretary of Labor, she brought with her a hastily written laundry list of ideas for which she would expect his support if she were to accept his appointment. FDR agreed and she began twelve years as his Secretary of Labor. Throughout these years, some of them during the height of the Great Depression, she worked tirelessly and accomplished a huge number of reforms, establishing new programs for American workers. This story is very well told at the AFL-CIO website and at the Department of Labor website where it is claimed that she led the battle against the Great Depression (with New Deal reforms and programs she either proposed or supported). Among Frances Perkins' major achievements during her tenure, establishing social security for the American people is one of her best known and FDR called it the "cornerstone of his administration." This story is told at the Social Security Administration's website.

As Secretary of Labor she played a key role writing New Deal legislation, including minimum wage laws. However, her most important contribution came in 1934 as chairwoman of the President's Committee on Economic Security. In this position she was involved in all aspects of the reports and hearings that ultimately resulted in the Social Security Act of 1935.

http://www.ssa.gov/history/fperkins.html

http://francesperkinscenter.org/life.html

[rucognizant]

169. Send an e-mail here

[e-mail]

swamp the Me. labor dept with protests against moving the mural renaming the rooms


IT IS GEORGE ORWELL'S DOWN THE MEMORY HOLE, TACTICS............FASCISM!

[roxiejules]

184. Thanks - I emailed the Chamber of Commerce, too

Maine State Chamber

125 Community Drive, Suite 101
Augusta, ME 04330

Main Office Phone: [phone]

Dana Connors, President

[e-mail]

http://www.mainechamber.org/mx/hm.asp?id=home


Board Chair
Stephen Culver,
Hannaford Bros., Co.

First Vice Chair
Frank McGinty,
MaineHealth

Second Vice Chair
Melinda Poore,
Time Warner Cable, New England Division

Treasurer
Wick Johnson,
Kennebec Technologies

Chamber President
Dana F. Connors,
Maine State Chamber of Commerce

Immediate Past Board Chair
James Atwell,
Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc.

[roxiejules]

200. Call Maine outdoor store LL Bean

to let them know how disgusting this is:

CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-441-5713




"To be sure all of our products are manufactured under legal, safe and fair working conditions, we work with vendors who have an established code of conduct. Our dedication to labor rights is served through careful monitoring of factories, upholding apparel industry codes of conduct, investigating potential violations and collaborating with other organizations to further enhance our business practices."

http://www.llbean.com/customerService/contactUs/index.html?nav=ftlink

[mimitabby]

187. done!

[blackspade]

120. The only problem I have with your letter is...

that linking Rosie the Riveter to the labor movement is not a smear.
Other than that, spot on.

[barbtries]

150. good letter

[rucognizant]

167. My old neighbor was a rosie!

She lived to be 102 years old, and I used to love to hear her stories of going to Portland during the war to work in the shipyard, while her hubby was overseas fighting.
Roy Rolling.it is a SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY NOW ISSUE! pro AmVets. Pro WPA mural painters who went on to do a lifetime of good work because the Govt supported them during the depression, artists everywhere, and everyone else who works for a living. I would be really surprised to hear that any small Mom & Pop, tourist oriented, biz ( 70,80% of the income base now that the factories have all gone over seas.) here in the state had a problem with that mural.
If you want to join in our protest, you can send an e-mail to

[e-mail].
SHe is NOT an appointee but a regular employee at the Dept of LAbor.

[certainot]

180. local RW radio blowhards will be getting his back on this and

if any of those limbaugh megastations are located in public places maybe they'd be good to picket.

[Pholus]

70. Well if they succeed, just gear up to start renaming everything "Reagan" when the wheel turns...

There might be a positive side to this travesty.

[Roy Rolling]

152. some of the Reagans

one room will have to be the "Ronald (not the liberal junior) Reagan" room. ;-)

[Pholus]

157. I was afraid I was not clear. I mean undoing Norquist's campaign to name a bunch of stuff Reagan.

That's what I get for posting when tired... ;)

[rucognizant]

170. NOT EVERYTHING

IN MAine we will name everything Le Plague..oops Le Page!

[freshwest]

210. How very appropriate!

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Just doing the corporations' business.

[polichick]

175. Yep - gov't of, by and for the corporations. Republican voters are...

...stupid beyond words.

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. He is taking down a mural by DIEGO RIVERA?

that is sad. what a Philistine douche bag

[PatSeg]

5. No, it wasn't painted by Diego Rivera

It was compared to Rivera's pro-worker paintings. It appears that this mural is far more recent.

"The mural was erected in 2008 following a jury selection by the Maine Arts Commission and a $60,000 federal grant. Judy Taylor, the artist from Seal Cove, said Tuesday that her piece was never meant to be political, simply a depiction of Maine's labor history."

http://www.sunjournal.com/state/story/1004031

Nonetheless, it is still outrageous.

[JitterbugPerfume]

15. ok, but he is still a philistine

[PatSeg]

22. Oh, no doubt about that

These republican governors aren't even trying to disguise their pro-corporate, anti-worker sentiments. Don't have to read between the lines these days.

[roxiejules]

64. Title and Description of 'Hostile' Murals

1. The Apprentice : Here, a Cobbler trains his young Apprentice. In the background, are scenes from that era.

2. Lost Childhood : Child labor was common in Maine. They frequently performed dangerous tasks for long hours.

3. The Textile Workers : Young women were often sent to the mills by their families, who could not, or would not support them.

4. The Secret Ballot : For the first time, workers were allowed to vote anonymously in 1891.

5. First Labor's Day : In 1884, Maine celebrated it's first "Labor's Day", a day for the workers to celebrate.

6. The Woods Workers : A member of the IWW or "Wobblies" tries to organize the Maine woodsmen.

7. The 1937 Strike : Scenes from an unsuccessful strike attempt to create better conditions for women workers.

8. Francis Perkins : FDR's Labor Secretary, and untiring labor activist, a Maine Labor icon.

9. Rosie the Riveter : Maine's version of WWII women workers participated as ship-builders.

10. The Strike of 1986 : The International Paper strike in Jay, Maine. One that still divides the town.

11. The Future of Labor in Maine : A figure from the past offers a hammer to workers of the present, who are unsure of it's value in a changing world.

[rucognizant]

173. DID YOU KNOW?

Our "esteemed Governor".......was a child laborer himself? His alcoholic Father kicked him out or he left not clear which, on the streets at age 11. He survived by SHINING SHOES on street corners..........
That was when Maine had shoe manufacturing plants and people wore REAL leather shoes, not plastic & net made in CHina.
( which soon will be radioactive as well!)
Gov. is an abused child and I bet you money he never attended any Adult Child of Alcoholics Meetings or any kind of therapy..with the determination of the immature, integrity/ ethically challenged Scarlett O'Hara, he went oin to become a wealthy CEO of a recycle chain store in the state. Sad Now I can't shop there or Walmart either.leaves one store chain!
Unfortunately there are too many fact challenged teag bagger/uninformed people who admire that. Not enough to get him elected however; it a was a majority split between the Dem & the Independant candidates that put him in the Blaine House.

[roxiejules]

188. LePage wants to overturn Child Labor Laws

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/17/paul-lepage-child-labor/

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Debra Plowman (R) and “backed by” LePage would roll back the state’s child labor laws, with the pretext of giving kids more liberty to work. “We have no other restrictions on any other things they do,” Plowman explained. “They can watch TV 32 hours-a-week.”

[EC]

208. I think the repubs have this dream world

where all the poor will just have more kids to work for them at pennies on the dollar.

LaPage is just carrying a grudge - that he couldn't get a decent job at the age of 11 and had to resort to shining shoes on street corners. So now he wants to make it easier for abandoned kids to get jobs (instead of finding families for them or feeding them and schooling them).

[roxiejules]

212. Yep, it is called 'The Jungle'

Today's world is sounding like the turn of the century novel by Upton Sinclair where children were forced to work to feed their families and factories paid them far less than an adult and had no safety standards. Quite the deal for the factory. There is a national movement by the GOP to overturn these laws.

There may also be a provision to eliminate insepctions by the State and let the companies regulate themselves on child labor.

[EC]

219. Yep

I remember that book - the Chicago Stockyards.

[PatSeg]

199. That's pretty pathetic

But I guess different people learn different lessons from similar experiences. Its hard to believe that such a childhood wouldn't result in a little empathy towards others, but I've known people who just became harder and more insensitive.

[rucognizant]

171. Of course

it is outrageous! I applied for that grant myself in 2007 as did several of my artist friends..............a bit grateful I didn't win it at this point!
It is MORE OUTRAGEOUS because it ISN"T with a political slant it's HISTORY!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. "He added that the rooms could instead be named 'after mountains, counties or something.' "

The Mesothelioma Room.

The Bronchiolitis Obliterans Room.

The Hexavalent Chromium Room.

[harmonicon]

7. what about naming at least some of them after things that labor changed...

that could keep it balanced.

The Child Labor Room.

The Sweatshop Room.

The White Men are Paid More than Anyone Else Room.

[murielm99]

31. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Room. n/t

[Maeve]

32. Perfect!!!!! eom

[harmonicon]

47. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! FTW!!! nt.

[AlbertCat]

82. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Room.

The REAGAN Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Room.

Geeze!

[crim son]

34. LePage is ignorant to the point

that if you suggested those names and claimed they were mountains, he'd go for it. He's a disgusting teabagger and I truly believe, has no conscience whatsoever.

[abelenkpe]

6. Clearly his is insane

How did such a lunatic get into office?

[Lost Jaguar]

16. He's a minority governor...

...got around 39% of the vote. The progressive vote was spit between the Demo and an Indy. Maine has a strong tradition of indy voting. It's been proposed in the state legislature for auto run-offs to occur in the future.

I sent an e-mail to Laura Boyett, commissioner of Maine's Dep't. of Labor, earlier today expressing my dismay and anger at this Orwellian history-erasing. I reminded her that Francis Perkins is buried in the small town of Newcastle, Maine, if she wanted to visit her grave and further desecrate her memory.

Don't the working folk of Maine--and everywhere else--realize that if it wasn't for Sec. Perkins and a hell of a lot of labor agitators that they wouldn't even have overtime pay?

[callous taoboy]

8. Let's replace them with the mugs of the Koch brothers. That would be appropriate.

[hifiguy]

164. A stylish fresco of LePage

kissing the asses of the Koch Bros is doubtless being planned as the "appropriate" replacement.

[callous taoboy]

218. I'd go you one more, but it would be too pornographic.

[hifiguy]

222. !!

:rofl: :spray:

[Plucketeer]

9. The dominos

just keep on toppling! TRULY STUPIFYING to watch all this play out. I sure hope those who enabled this with their votes - or LACK of votes - are enjoying. :crazy:

[reformist2]

19. Their true colors sure are showing - and they sure are ugly!

[emsimon33]

10. Maine's Taliban Governor

Guess he would have been putting the dynamite under the Large Buddhas if her had been in Afghanistan.

[murielm99]

12. Someone needs to write a letter making the comparison.

I did that here a few years ago when one of our local county board members did not want a statue of Demeter placed on the courthouse lawn. He said he did not think it was a good idea to have an idol on the courthouse lawn. The statue was a gift from a local arts foundation. There are ignorant fools everywhere.

The statue is now on the lawn.

I don't even particularly care for the statue. The arts foundation has donated other statues that I like more. But it was the principal of the issue. The ignorance was astonishing!

[salib]

17. Beat me to it...

[matt819]

11. This war on workers is mind-boggling

How do these people think stuff gets done? Well, my kids think the house is cleaned by cleaning fairies and cars maintained by the car maintenance fairies, and the driveways plowed for free by the driveway plowing fairies. That's fine. They're kids. (Well, they're older kids, but you get the idea.) But why are these goons declaring war on road crews and teachers and people who make stuff and people who answer the phones in offices, etc.? The contempt that these pols and their corporate overlords have is truly breathtaking. The real crime, of course, is that they have us just where they want us. With unemployment so high - both reported and unreported - and jobs scarce, and housing no longer available, there are no options. You and I have seen it coming for years, and yet the bibles and bullets types keep voting R.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. 
[link:www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html|Click
here] to review the message board rules.

[crim son]

35. Living in Maine now, and unsurprised by this.

We have an impoverished, aging and uniformed population who has bought into the teabagger philosophy. We recently voted down Baldacci's gay marriage law as well. My daughter worked on that one and said the bigotry she encountered on the UMaine Orono was astonishing. Where she goes to school now, also in Maine, is much, much worse. Check out the bangordailynews.com site and the comments on Lepage's actions. Progressives are represented but reading what the teabaggers have to say is eye opening.

[txwhitedove]

53. I resent that. The new labor wars are being fought now in other states.

Get off that old broken record.

[lunatica]

14. Fuck facts! Only opinions count and only Republican ones at that

Really. WTF!

[and-justice-for-all]

20. "It was a pure depiction of the facts."

Facts; something the pukes have issue with.

[ArcticFox]

21. Isn't such an action openly hostile to workers?

I mean, desecrating a piece of artwork depicting workers is kind of symbolic of a desire to erase workers from the administration building altogether, is it not? Even if not, "Whether or not the perception is valid is not really at issue and therefore, not opent ot debate." So, if desecrating a piece of artwork installed using a federal grant creates the perception of animosity toward workers, shouldn't the artwork stay up?

On a side-note, is the State of Maine going to repay the federal government its $60,000?

[ZombieHorde]

24. Yes, the Republicans are becoming very open about their anti-worker stance. nt

[aquart]

25. I hope something large eats him.

[Iliyah]

26. WOW

voters in Maine, just WOW. You guys really voted for this sociopath, along with MI, FL, OH, MI and others. JUST WOW.

Every last one of them are complete sociopaths of the Koch Brothers. Apparently they want America to fail, forever.

[eShirl]

27. he did NOT get a majority! the non-tea vote was split

[defendandprotect]

202. Are you voting on computers?

[Posteritatis]

44. Annnnnd that's my favorite-worded malign wish for the week! Hee. (nt)

[freshwest]

95. Thanks, I needed that ...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Kolesar]

143. He could bring a parasite home from one of his vacations!

Your post was hard to top

[freshwest]

214. Invoking the specter of 'The Enemy Within.'

We're so terrible here.


:rofl:

[SpankMe]

28. This is a nationwide, all-out war on labor. n/t

[SteppingRazor]

29. The main problem here is perfectly highlighted in a phrase from DoL Commissioner Boyett's email:

"If either of our two constituencies perceives that they are not welcome in our administration building ..."


Wrong, wrong, wrong. Business is not, and has never been, a constituency of a labor department, state or federal. Labor departments were put in place to ensure occupational safety and wage and hour standards, as well as facilitate unemployment benefits. The workers are labor departments' only constituency. If anything, the relationship with business SHOULD be adversarial.

[krkaufman]

75. exactly what I was thinking. n/t

[roxiejules]

78. Comparing mission statements from Departments of Labor

Wonder if the Maine Dept. of Labor website or mission statement was changed recently to include the well being of businesses?


Maine Dept. of Labor:

The Maine Department of Labor promotes the safety and economic well being of all individuals and businesses in Maine by promoting independence and life long learning, by fostering economic stability and by ensuring the safe and fair treatment of all people on the job.

http://www.maine.gov/labor/about/index.html


In comparison to:


US Dept. of Labor:

To foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/mission.htm


Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries:

L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety, health and security of Washington's 3.2 million workers. We help employers meet safety and health standards and we inspect workplaces when alerted to hazards. As administrators of the state's workers' compensation system, we are similar to a large insurance company, providing medical and limited wage-replacement coverage to workers who suffer job-related injuries and illness. Our rules and enforcement programs also help ensure workers are paid what they are owed, that children's and teens' work hours are limited, and that consumers are protected from unsound building practices.

http://www.lni.wa.gov/Main/AboutLNI/


Oregon Dept. of Labor:

The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination.

The four principle duties of the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) are to: 1) protect the rights of workers and citizens to equal, non-discriminatory treatment through the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws that apply to workplaces, housing and public accommodations; 2) encourage and enforce compliance with state laws relating to wages, hours, terms and conditions of employment; 3) educate and train employers to understand and comply with both wage and hour and civil rights law; and 4) promote the development of a highly skilled, competitive workforce in Oregon through the apprenticeship program and through partnerships with government, labor, business, and educational institutions.

http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/about_us.shtml

[Courtesy Flush]

146. According to archive.org

The wording was changed in 2008.

[roxiejules]

182. Am not surprised

Do you know who ordered it changed?

[Courtesy Flush]

189. No, I just checked for the date it was changed. Don't know how to get the backstory nt

[defendandprotect]

203. Exactly -- we have to remind ourselves the Founders did not trust corporations --

nor the power of capital --

Someone from Michigan on call in to Hartmann the other day was saying their new

GOP gov is looking to get rid of the Secretary of State -- an office which

oversees corporations. And, closing down much of state/county/local control over

every issue.

[Roy Rolling]

30. Rosie the Riveter

is not a "labor" figure, she represented women who, during World War 2, worked in factories to help the military. I think if Veterans groups and World War 2 groups were to see this they would be offended that Maine is trying to erase that record of women's sacrifices in World War 2. Not only is Boyett insensitive and a political hack, she has less knowledge of history than Michelle Bachman.

This is an insult to military veterans everywhere. Once they start flooding Maine with comments, all hell is gonna break loose.

[plumbob]

33. Gosh, a Department of LABOR building with LABOR figures mentioned!

Gaw-dam, what a disgrace!

Never been to Maine, not going now. I can get all the fucking official idiocy I need right here in my beloved state of Texas, usurped by Republicans in 1984 and haven't looked forward since.

More room names:
Squamous Cell Carcinoma Room
The Our Governor Will Suck a Businessman's Dick for a Quarter Room
The Pinkerton Room
and finally,

The Death by Suffocation Room!

[AlbertCat]

86. The Our Governor Will Suck a Businessman's Dick for a Quarter Room

Damnit! that's

The Reagan Our Governor Will Suck a Businessman's Dick for a Quarter Room

C'mon guys!

[plumbob]

130. Obviously, you're correct!

Thank you!

[Patiod]

163. The Pinkerton Room!

Love it! My late grandfather, much to our family's shame, was a "Mine Policeman" in the employ of the Central PA mine owners when he was younger. His job was to, as he said "crack heads" to ensure the miners stayed in their place.

It's good for all of us to remember those days of private owner-paid police forces ensuring that labor stayed quiet.

[sulphurdunn]

39. I think they're channeling

Joe Stalin. I hope they don't get their own KGB.

[hifiguy]

166. They already have it

It is called Xe.

[Turbineguy]

40. He should

name the mountains and counties after Ronald Reagan first.

[USBlues]

41. I cant help but to wonder

What it will take for Americans to take to the streets to stop the corporate takeover of this nation. What has to happen for Americans to realize we are being driven into the abyss by these right wing radicals? When will we wake up and realize that radicals have taken over the government from the White House to congress to the supreme court to state governors and reps?

These people are radicals...simple as that. They have a radical agenda that they are determined to force upon this nation when this nation does not want it. Thats why Obama won...because he said the things Americans wanted to hear. I dont have to go through 'em...we all remember. Unfortunately the Corpo-rats are in control so none of Obama's rhetoric came to be.

Radicals forcing a radical agenda call for radical push back, not voting, not a one day march...radical action. How much longer can we give them before they take it all? When will we demand an end? I know its coming...I sense its coming. The question is will it be too late.

[54anickel]

118. Welcome to DU! And people HAVE been taking to the streets. Have you not been paying

attention to places like Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, etc.... We've only just begun!

[USBlues]

133. Well yes but is it doing any good?

Did the radicals not ram through their union busting BS anyway? Is there not still an onslaught against the working class? And in fact those attacks are being cranked up. I dont see where the current protests have done anything but maybe put a dent a some of these fucks approval ratings. So what...they are still attacking.

But yes you are correct 54 that there is some action. But its going to have to get a lot more forceful if we are to stop the slide into some dark Corporate created hell.

[defendandprotect]

205. Could we please start with the voting computers -- back to paper ballots and pen!!

We also have to look at the LARGE computers used by our corporate-press/MSM to

PREDICT and CALL elections -- PREDICT and CALL Electoral College votes -- and

to PREDICT and CALL winners and losers, including the next president!

These same new powers that COMPUTERS allegedly give them were used to REVERSE

the 2000 election!!

How many of us are willing to leave our futures to GOP voting computers?

[freshwest]

215. Same feeling here. Welcome to DU.

[Dappleganger]

42. Well, Big Business bought that building so I can see why they would get their feelings hurt.

Screw 'em.

[RainDog]

43. oh for fuck's sake

poor widdle big businesses can't get their feelings hurt b/c they're viewed as scumbags by the majority of people in this nation.

[iwishiwas]

45. What a petty little mind the Maine gov. has!!

[Enthusiast]

136. His mind is pretty typical

of Fox News/Limbaugh dummies.

[Astraea]

46. Because God forbid anybody get the idea

that ordinary people can enact change and participate in society and government. As everyone knows, those privileges are reserved for less than 2% of the population, who know what's best for the rest of us.

[toddwv]

48. Well, he's right. The murals only tell 1/2 the story.

They leave out the dead workers shot by company hired goons.
The company script used to by goods at the company store for grossly inflated prices.
The maimed children working 12 hours a day around heavy factory machinery.

[defendandprotect]

206. +1000% --

[glinda]

49. and Dems just roll over and play dead

[neoralme]

194. Might be time for an email to Bernie Sanders.........

[8 track mind]

50. what i'm having a hard time understanding is

Why the repukes think this is a good idea. Did they honestly expect this to win the hearts and minds of the American people? This has done nothing but galvanize the Dem's. Even some Fox news watchin' hardcore republicans think this has gone entirely too far. This is really going to wind up biting them in the ass come election time.

[rucognizant]

174. From your keyboard.............

to Goddesses ears!

[liberal N proud]

51. Not changing history but erasing it

You would think they would want to keep it around to remind the people how they (the ruling class) have beaten them.

:grr:

[radhika]

52. Idea: Subversive Grassroots Graffiti and Mural Project

I don't have the talent myself, plus I'm on the west coast. But I'd love to see some talented hot street artists, or artists commissioned by labor unions and Progressives to mount a stealth campaign in support of Progressive ideas. I could surely toss in a few bucks and buy whatever art prints emerge.

I can just lather at the idea of walls, streets, seaport towns during Tourist Season (Memorial-Labor Day) all with pro-worker themes. Central and Coastal Maine makes a lot of their money duirng the summer, so let's make it a Summer to Remembers. Maybe a poster art prize with anti-Bagger themes, ridiculing LePage and his ilk. Could be a union fundraiser. Bury that ass*hole LePage and the as*wipes that voted him in a sea of media that they will loathe.

Just thinking out of the box. Shepard Fairey, Bansky, Robbie Conal - not to mention a ton of others nationwide.

[2Design]

54. where are the jobs? Why are they wasting taxpayer money on ideologies? clueless

[ej510]

55. Can recall the Gov. of maine?

[Overseas]

61. Let's hope he's clueless. Going too far on the GOP Crush Unions Campaign.

Hope this move gets Mainers to recall him.

[vicarofrevelwood]

56. OMG!

These People will surely swing for this someday!

[TheCowsCameHome]

57. Is this guy a total idiot, or what?

I think I've just answered my own question.

[derby378]

58. The Tea Party has officially declared a national war on the American worker

Come 2012, can we please let the teabaggers know that there are more of us than there are of them and start repairing the damage, since Obama apparently isn't gonna do a damn thing to slow this down?

[Hissyspit]

59. Asshole.

(The governor, not you, Meegbear.)

But, no surprise. Gag 'em. Gag artists. Gag NPR.

[NeoGreen]

60. Just like when the Taliban destroyed...

...those Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.

[meegbear]

142. +1

[Overseas]

62. Disgusting. More GOP cruelty.

Let's hope this gets a recall campaign started.

[Lint Head]

63. Pardon my language. Maine's Governor is a piece of shit!

[polichick]

192. And that's being polite!

[sarcasmo]

65. Corporate controlled douche bag.

[Beartracks]

66. Having a Labor Dept. *is* the balance.

I guess they can just move the mural to the Chamber of Commerce and balance things out over there.

-------------------------

[ezmerelda39]

67. Art History.....

Art work commissioned for public buildings, especially the work commissioned during the depression era, are a valuable part of Americana. To obliterate such work is unconscionable and a despicable act of a cowardly ass, totally in keeping with the present day GOP mindset. What will be next? Banning all cultural aspics of the working class? We don't see a lot of enduring culture from the elite, to busy buying up expensive what-nits.

[AlbertCat]

88. all cultural aspics of the working class?

Best typo EVER!!!!!


My cultural aspic never gelled.

[WillyT]

68. HUGE K & R !!!

:kick:

[femrap]

69. These right-wing

fascist governors are getting completely out of hand. Remove art work??? What does he want...pictures of Fat Cats now? Slaves?

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[muntrv]

71. This is right down there with John Asscraft ordering the cover up of the statue of Lady Justice.

[Enthusiast]

138. Thanks for reminding us

of that little act of insanity. And just imagine, Asscraft had enough sense to tell the Bush Administration that they could not legally wiretap without a warrant. He was the one with ethics!

They can only accomplish their ends through the ignorance of the electorate. They have been working on ramping up the stupid for decades.

[krkaufman]

72. It *is* the Department of LABOR, right?

The business community can hang their own artwork over at the Dept of Commerce.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

73. It's appropriate for him to be anti-labor...

since his party is clearly anti-employed Americans.

[Miss_Underestimated]

74. Contact info. for LePage - Call up and protest!!!

http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/governor.html

Contact the Governor

Office of the Governor
1 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0001

Email Governor LePage: [e-mail]

Phone: [phone]
[phone] (TTY)

[rucognizant]

176. I COULDN"T DELIVER MY MESSAGE this am!

They have those answering machines you know!

Please write your objections to

[e-mail]. SWAMP HER, SHE WELCOMES IT!

SHe is in the Dept of Labor ( has been a reg. employee not an appointee) and is collecting "voluums" of we-mails to weight against the few fat cats who sent "anonymous complaints about the mural. ( typo but I like that we-mails!)
This is a travesty & the beginning of the end for all but 1%.

[efhmc]

76. Is this really what the people of Maine voted for?

[high density]

83. 61% voted for somebody else

So, no, not really.

[efhmc]

91. How is that possible?

[rtassi]

100. No ... Most of us voted for the independent

[efhmc]

102. Was the vote split 3 ways?

As a Texan, I have always looked to Maine as one of the true beacons of progressive ideals. Sorry to see it becoming a part of the teabaggers' destruction of democracy.

[high density]

121. The main race was among LePage, a lame Democrat, and an independent

Near the end of the race, the polls from the media showed a sudden surge for the independent candidate. I think this led to a bunch of people jumping ship from the Democrat, but ultimately not enough for the independent to overcome the teabagger votes for LePage. The sane vote was split between the independent and the Democrat.

The Maine Democratic Party put their efforts into fighting a race against the independent instead of against Paul LePage and ended in third place. In addition, we lost the state house and senate in this election.

[efhmc]

122. How sad! What do you see for the future?

Are the tb's growing?

[rucognizant]

179. I ran briefly for State Senator...........

When I met the Dem Gub. candidate I stepped down! Thank the Goddess!

[Enthusiast]

139. As an Ohioan I feel the same about Maine.

Just look what happened to us.

[rucognizant]

177. NO NO NO NO.........

Majority split the vote between Dem & Independant candidates. He won by less than 45% or less..............
Elections are set up now to make this the more probable scenario..Cock Bros behind it of course.

[tripperfan]

77. If it weren't for Unions

If it weren't for unions we'd be working 7 days a week.

[Sabien]

79. The facts have a liberal bias... n/t

[AlbertCat]

80. If either of our two constituencies perceives that they are not welcome

Hey.... now the workers don't feel welcome.


Destroying that dangerous historical art! Replacing it with Thomas Kenkade will be safe! Or maybe a painting of happy happy Aryan children in lederhosen

[Highway61]

81. Ahh LaPage

His resume??? Management at Discount Marden's. Ya with me yet? If there was ever a call for run off election...this was it. But yet again...here we are.

[lz1122]

84. This makes me sad....

Born in NJ, but raised in Maine and really enjoyed being raised there. I have been living in the Miami for the last 7 years and can't wait to get out. I also prided myself of Maine for being really open minded for a State that is not very populated as well as being very rural. I know Maine can be very independent but for LePage to get in was very surprising to me. I'm wondering if either the Dem or Indy candidate would've comprised about one dropping out of the race if this would've still went LePage.

[Paradoxical]

85. Why does this make me want to punch someone in the face?

:argh:

[baldguy]

87. More proof that Republicans hate America.

[madrchsod]

89. some really good comments at the newspaper`s site...

the idiots on my newspaper`s site would be calling for the burning of the art work...

[freshwest]

90. It's like that quotation about 'those who control the present, control the past and the future.'

If the people who built the country, the masses of workers are to be disrespected, who is the new symbol of humanity?

All the work of generations wiped out by these thugs, with a word.

If we are destined to have a planetary government, must it be this anti-human?

I can't see anything positive about this at all.

[ck4829]

92. Uh... What?! How the heck do you 'balance' this?

Fair pay, fighting against discrimination, a weekend. Yeah, we REALLY need to have some opinions from the other side on this.

[bluerum]

93. WTF. Just WTF.

[madmax]

96. Can this be stopped?

Another fucking outrage, one on top of another.

[rtassi]

98. Yes, in the next election ... keeping in mind that the

only reason Le page won, was NOT due to a mandate, but due to the democratic party and candidate, not yielding to the momentum of a very qualified independent candidate. Libby Mitchell could not have won one her own the numbers showed that. The selfless thing to do, if she and party actually gave a shit about Maine, would have been to throw down with the independent ... We gave it to them ... It's the shit we need to eat for our arrogance!

[madmax]

101. Thanks for information. May be too

late next election to stop him from removing this but, you guys may have bigger fish to fry with this jerk. What's next?

[eShirl]

132. Libby was in the lead when early voting began

And a lot of people voted early or via absentee ballot sent in before Cutler took the lead

[jtuck004]

99. Isn't this a historical piece? Could they apply for such status and stall this?

Maybe until they get a human being back in the office?

[madmax]

141. That's an idea. n/t

[ElsewheresDaughter]

103. Can he do this without discussion or without a vote?

[Marthe48]

104. My Mother's foster brother got his fingers shot off

in the late 1930's. He was part of an effort to organize a steel mill in Cleveland, and the company hired guns or got the U.S. Army called in to shoot at the organizers. Real nice that business can use weapons against citizens then and I bet they can do it whenever we get irritating. They can remove the murals, but I will not forget my foster uncle's courage or that he was willing to die for the labor movement. Hell of a lot better to die on your feet than live on your knees, which I am sure the teabag's, etc are plenty used to.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

105. Maine governor orders labor mural takedown

Source: cnn

CNN) - Maine Gov. Paul LePage ordered a 36-foot mural depicting the state's labor history be removed from the lobby of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Augusta, Maine, according to LePage's office.

The plan put forth by the Republican's administration also includes renaming several department conference rooms that carry names of pro-labor icons.

LePage press secretary Adrienne Bennett said discussions about the mural began months ago. After they received phone calls in opposition to the mural, his administration concluded the art showed favoritism toward a certain group.

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/23/maine-governor-orders-labor-mural-takedown/

[geomon666]

106. What's next? Ban labor day?

It shows favoritism towards a certain group. Yeah, workers asshole!

[drm604]

117. No, they want balance, so they'll create Business Day.

On Business Day you don't get a long weekend, you get a short weekend and have to work on Saturday - for free. This balances the paid day you get off for Labor Day.

[Brickbat]

107. People, it's a war. Never forget it.

[madmax]

109. If it's war...

I can't write what I'm thinking... :mad:

[Brickbat]

110. I'm picking up what you're putting down.

I'm with you.

[handmade34]

111. it IS a war...

can't forget, can't give up, can't stand idle...

[Name removed]

108. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Downwinder]

112. Any stadiums with Corporate names? Paint them over.

[bluesmail]

113. The Nazi's are coming. The Nazi's are coming. eom

[madmax]

140. The fascists - and they're already here. n/t

[bluesmail]

193. Nazi/fascist/same differeance...

:hi:

[madmax]

223. LOL yep nt

[Viva_La_Revolution]

114. Maine governor orders labor mural takedown

This thread has been combined with another thread.

Click here to read this message in its new location.

[drm604]

115. WTF? It's the labor department. Not the anti-labor department.

I weep for those poor businesses that had to look at those murals. :cry: :sarcasm:

More balanced? Without the state backing them, workers have no chance against powerful business interests. The existence of a labor department which works for laborers provides balance. Lessening the emphasis on labor doesn't create balance, it unbalances things in favor of business.

[marions ghost]

116. Sad

:cry:

Erasure is the Repuglican Way

[blackspade]

119. Hey Dumbfucks...

It's called the Department of LABOR for a reason!
As if the rest of government wasn't pro-business enough!

[BrightKnight]

123. Are there laws against destroying public property? - n/t

[AsahinaKimi]

124. Republican's War on Labor...

What so many people have worked, sweat and died for, is being stomped into the ground. There should be a major backlash against this. The protests in Wisconsin and other places were a start, but I fear that this battle is one, that will be lost, unless the people stand up and get in Republican faces.

[Zambero]

125. Order up! One governor removal

Hopefully Maine is not constrained in it use of the recall.

[droidamus2]

126. Isn't it convenient

When these idiots want to do something that they use generalities like 'we've had some complaints from some business interests'. Really? Exactly who were these business people we would like to hear what their actual complaints were. Did addressing their discomfort (if you believe they really exist) require removing the art work or was it just removed because the administrators didn't like its 'message'. It is the 'Department of Labor' not the 'Department of Corporations and businesses' why shouldn't it have a depiction of the history of the labor movement?

[Shining Jack]

128. +1 n/t

[roxiejules]

127. Frances Perkins Center responds to diss by Governor

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x594310

[JCMach1]

129. He is also wasting tax payers dollars!

[gtar100]

131. Despicable. They are showing their true colors.

Speak out liberal America. These conservatives are too full of themselves to realize what assholes they really are.

[Enthusiast]

134. This is so wrong.

Working class Americans already feel that they are under assault.

[Bluebear]

135. Vote for the replacement mural!!!!

http://www.savemaine.org/

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

137. This sort of thing has been done before ...

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0301-04.htm

:cry:

[drm604]

145. I wonder what it costs to remove those murals.

Probably a drop in the bucket, but do they really need to be spending precious tax dollars on things like this?
:shrug:

[felix_numinous]

147. Sadly, this is not the Onion news.

Republicans' are driven to rewrite history and dumb down this country so no one will notice.

[barbtries]

148. unreal.

when does it end and reason return.
why must it be business against labor? i work, and i feel as if i work with my employer and co-workers toward a mutual end that will benefit us all. it's like business, or is that simply big business, is intent on turning the vast majority of people into non-people.

[Kablooie]

149. They are so confident now they are open about destroying the middle class.

Who the hell ARE these people?

[catbyte]

151. What a sh*thead. I hope a recall is planned. n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

153. A mere distraction. This public move is intended

to get an emotional response from us, while they do even worse things in private.

[nbcouch]

154. The GOP = enemies of the people

They don't even bother to hide or disguise it anymore.

[Zoonart]

155. Degenerate Art

This is nothing new. Fascists are known for destroying art that does not fit their "vision". The Taliban destroyed some of the greatest works in history when they blasted the hillside buddhas from existence.
Does anyone remember that over 15,000 works of art were condemned by Hitler's regime for containing "deviant" sexual elements, anti-nationalistic themes or criticizing Nazi ideology.

What will get thrown on the fire next... books... music? They are destroying art, women's rights, workers rights, voters rights...
These right wing morons are convinced they are on the verge of their 1000 year reich. They are very close to their ultimate objective of drowning Government in the bathtub and every American needs to boot up and get into the streets before the junta is completed.

[Epiphany4z]

156. they are like

spoiled little children...uggg....

[Swede Atlanta]

158. Let's look at the State Department of Commerce.....

I hope he is looking at the offices of the DoC and doing the same thing...

[Mosaic]

159. Fascists

the bastards hate any empowerment of the people. They are our greatest enemy and we must acknowledge it.

[rucognizant]

160. PURE BULLSHIT!

"If either of our two constituencies perceives that they are not welcome in our administration building and this translates to a belief that their needs will not be heard or met by this department, then it presents a barrier to achieving our mission."
THIS CONSTITUANT IS OPPOSED TO REMOVING THE MURAL....................THEY WILL NOT TALK TO ME!
AFTER THE INITIAL CALL WHEN I WAS NOT PUT THROUGH TO THE CHILD WOMAN SPOKESPERSON/( DESCRIPTION I HEAR FROM MY FRIENDS, I DO NOT HAVE TV TO SEE HER) THEY ARE NOT ANSWERING MY CALLS ( CALLER ID AT WORK IN REVERSE!)
OK I have an e-mail address to receive statements from those OPPOSED to removing the mural, to spare the conscience of the few wealthy business men who are bothered by it. If you would like to put in your bid for true Democracy you can write here.
neena.quirion

[dotymed]

161. I am so tired of the constant revisionism.

If the people, as a mass, are willing to take it, then there is nothing that anyone can do.

[hifiguy]

162. Soviet style historical revisionism and

mind-boggling stoopidity.

They're scared of a mural and room names. Could anything reveal more completely the childish, pants-poop­ing fearfulnes­s and lickspittl­e servitude to their masters of the bagger ignorati?

[TBF]

165. Labor, what's that? nt

[yesphan]

168. I'd like to see them try that

here in OK. I'd have to remind them that our motto is "Labor Omnia Vincit" (Labor conquers all things).
I guess they'd have to change the flag at that point.

All this stuff going on with these repubs around the country seems quite surreal to me. Or maybe like a
bad dream.

[guitar man]

172. Oh the irony

He "ordered" it taken down. Who the fuck does he think is going to take it down, CEOs and trust fund babies? No, it takes LABORERS to take it down. If I was on that crew I'd refuse, I'd tell the sonofabitch if he wants it down to go take it down himself!!

:grr: :banghead:

[certainot]

178. so the local RW radio stations will likely be egging him on on that and maybe they

need to get some union picketing

[roxiejules]

181. Let the Chamber of Commerce know how you feel

Maine State Chamber

125 Community Drive, Suite 101
Augusta, ME 04330

Main Office Phone: [phone]

Dana Connors, President

[e-mail]

http://www.mainechamber.org/mx/hm.asp?id=home


Board Chair
Stephen Culver,
Hannaford Bros., Co.

First Vice Chair
Frank McGinty,
MaineHealth

Second Vice Chair
Melinda Poore,
Time Warner Cable, New England Division

Treasurer
Wick Johnson,
Kennebec Technologies

Chamber President
Dana F. Connors,
Maine State Chamber of Commerce

Immediate Past Board Chair
James Atwell,
Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc.

[forty6]

183. The Governor of Maine suffers from extreme paranoia, and should be

removed from office immediately. If not, he will destroy more than a few murals before his term is up.

[Marthe48]

185. Recently watched a doc about rr laborers' mass grave

Men were recruited from Ireland, brought to PA to build railroad track. One gang caught a disease and most died. The RR Co. buried them in a mass grave, and covered up to avoid panic in the local communities. So think of all the men and women who worked and died to make America grow and profit. Women worked in the N.E. clothing mills, inhaled cloth dust, ruined their health and died. Just 2 examples of the work done by the men and women who built this country. If all of the workers who suffered to build the infrastructure and produce goods hadn't worked at all, where would this country be? Do the CEOs and pols think the work was done by magic? They couldn't put a nail in a chuck of wood. The Taliban of Maine is just a perfect description.

[Zorra]

186. The fascist revisionists will be burning books in the street again soon. nt

[polichick]

190. Yep - I've been expecting that for a while.

[Blue Owl]

191. Clearing the way for a wall full of giant corporate logos

The bastids...

:mad:

[jwirr]

195. Oh, the poor businesses who are not getting the recognition they

deserve. I think we should put up a bunch of pictures depicting them outsourcing their jobs to other countries. Or maybe setting on their pots of gold while American workers are unemployed.

As a museum archivist I think that taking those pictures down is a desecration of our history. And these pigs claim to love America.

[Jack Rabbit]

196. If there is a hell . . .

Walker, Kasich, Snyder and LePage will work in a sweatshop for eternity.

[beac]

197. Well, that's ONE job the GOP has created...

mural remover. :eyes:

[RedCloud]

198. Keep pissing on workers. You'll find out in 2012. End of days for elephants.

[defendandprotect]

201. How are Maine'ers reacting to this new governor? Some GOP Gov "wins" were a "surprise"?

[katty]

204. god-these f******* are so weak and mentally deficient

[indimuse]

207. What's going on with all the Gov's lately?

WHO are these people?

[EC]

209. Reminds me of regime changes in

other countries. Like when the new dictator comes in and drags down all icons of old and replaces with their parties stuff.



On edit: This is a declaration that labor lost and corps won. Rather the rich rule and we're owned.

[xxqqqzme]

211. So erasing labor history

does not create the perception '...that they are not welcome in our administration building.....then it presents a barrier to achieving our mission." EXCEPT "...Whether or not the perception is valid is ...not open to debate."

OK I'm confused - is it or isn't it?

[Citizen Worker]

213. Erasing history, republican style.

[Martin Eden]

216. The MEMORY HOLE

Out of sight, out of mind :mad:

[james0tucson]

220. Is he legit?

Well, if you can tell me that Gov. LePage was not elected to his office in a fair at-large election, or if you can tell me that the Governor does not have the authority to remove a mural, then I will take an interest in this story. Basically, was a crime committed, or not?

[davidthegnome]

221. My own blasted State

For a long time I've admired Maine for ignoring the political beast and voting based on conscience and truth. Now I must cast aside that admiration and admit - hey, we're just as dumb as every other State. Hell, given our recent voting record, we're dumber than most.

My Father is a man of some small influence and great ability. He's met the Governor, dined with him, even listened to him rant about the "necessities" of the time. He tells me that he doesn't see the Governor as a terrible man, simply a terrible politician - one who would lead us back into the dark ages, given a choice.

Nonetheless, regardless of how many votes went for him or his opponents - Maine did indeed vote for him. My own County - "The County" as it's often called (Aroostook) played no small part in electing LePage.

Why? Hell, I don't know. A great many of our people are hunters and fishers, construction workers and teachers, those who have the ability to think outside the box. Often I see a gathering of the elderly at my local general store where they gather to discuss politics. I, of course, am too young and unimportant for my voice to really count. I know they'd ignore me or laugh at me if I even tried. So instead - on occasion, I listen.

We are a more simple people, trusting and (many of us at least) honest to a fault. We believe the rhetoric, the lies and the idiocy until it is double and triply proven to be false. We vote for whom ever we believe is the best person, often regardless of political rhetoric, often we mistake political rhetoric for honest belief or ideal.

I am a young man... but I see the forest through the trees, I do, after all, live surrounded by a forest. LePage is a corrupt little imp without the integrity of the most corrupt lawyer. Most of my people, however, do not recognize this because we listen to what people say, most of my people do not read the news frequently and certainly don't frequent message boards like DU.

We will learn... in time, but that will not help much, the damage is being done and will be done until we alter our methods. Baldachi (sp?) (our former governor) was a decent man, but not very effective or progressive. Many believed that the opposition would be better, simply because it would be different. They were wrong, but they aren't stupid or cruel, simply ignorant.

So I humbly beg the pardon of America and ask that you not judge all Mainers by the fool we have for a Governor. I didn't vote for him. Most of us didn't. He won mostly by default because there wasn't much inspiration going on in the last election...