-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Statues’ new clothes waste of government funds
Archive
Comments
Story
WACO, Texas – Justice Department spokeswoman Barbara Comstock announced on Monday the department will be covering up the Spirit of Justice. Not only that, but they paid $8,000 for the drapes to do so, according to a Fox News report.
The Justice Department also will use the curtains to cover up the Majesty of Law.
No, the Justice Department is not really masking justice and law, rather they are covering two semi-nude statues which stand in the Department’s Great Hall.
The main reasons given for the big cover up were for television aesthetics, as the statues, predominately the Spirit of Justice, a female statue wearing a toga with one breast exposed, has appeared in speakers’ backgrounds in many media camera shots.
However, the most cost-effective solution naturally would be to either move the statues or move the podium – and in this day and age, electing the most cost-effective means is extremely necessary.
In President Bush’s State of the Union address, he described the budget he will propose to Congress, which includes the largest increase in defense spending in two decades.
Defense spending is something essential to protecting the nation’s security, especially with the war on terrorism. Covering up drapes? Now, that’s not as worthy of a cause.
Yes, it is only $8,000, but in government spending, a few thousand dollars here and there can start to add up – and as the president outlined very high aspirations for his budget, being economically conscious is mandatory.
“To achieve these great national objectives – to win the war, protect the homeland, and revitalize our economy – our budget will run a deficit that will be small and short-term, so long as Congress restrains spending and acts in a fiscally responsible manner,” Bush said.
All forms of government ought to act in a “fiscally responsible manner” – not just Congress.
The statues were installed in the building in the 1930s; in the last 70 years the Justice Department should have been able to come up with a relocation solution for the statues.
I would even go so far as to say the partial nudity is not worth all of the controversy that it has been causing.
The statues are works of art depicting human figures. The nudity does not appear in a grotesque, repulsive or perverse manner.
However, if the Justice Department still deems the statues inappropriate, then they ought to get rid of them all together as opposed to spend government money to conceal them.
Jeff Percell, The Lariat (Baylor U.)