Pentagon Art: $600,000 Gurgling Toad Sculpture

reply to post by Whereweheaded


I think you've been pranked.

Early April Fool's joke.

what is the pentagon thinking, $600,000 can buy you ten 2,000 lb jdam missiles. for the price of one sculpture they can kill countless civilians in libya while they take out a tank parked next to a school zone.

or those pesky fighter jets that are disguised as merchant ships chugging along at 10 knots of the coast of tripoli in clear defiance of the no fly zone.

i don't think gaddafi has any submarines breaking the no fly zone, but the jdams would be good for them too.

I'm going with early April Fools Day joke too. This, with a 10-ft fairy, playing soothing nature sounds or whatever has to be a joke. And I officially retract, I want my 600K spent on better art!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d50654132745.png[/atsimg]

reply to post by Whereweheaded


Ok so I guess we should just abandon all the govt buildings in D.C. and move the capital into a trailer park.

2nd.

reply to post by Whereweheaded

Needs an investigation money to friends sounds like. Unknown artist friends in power

reply to post by TKDRL2


It is just the American way... Everything has to be bigger, more expansive and better than everywhere else. So F... the poor people, f... the meth problem, f... everything except how it looks to the rest of the world.

America: A land in ruins and I always used to love it.

Why a frog? Seems the government all over the world loves frogs, snakes, or other cold blooded animals. Why is that?

The creator sounds a bit "off with the pixies" herself.

But the one drawing most attention is the fairy and frog from artist Cheryl Foster. Her proposals describes the sculpture this way: "A 10-foot fairy, using an American Toad as 'transportation,' scurries to the entrance of the station. The interior of the toad is illuminated and the sounds of nature emanate from his throat." She said that nature inspired her.

Ummm.....yeah...okay.....

Yup, that statue could have bought about 3000 SAPI plates(body armor) for our troops. I know protecting soldiers from bullets is squandering money, but hey at least DOD employees can glance at a frog transporting a fairy from time to time.

reply to post by Jason88

kid's need their grandparents too....for many reason....
so, let's cry proverty and eliminate their social security, starve them to death...
so we can have a fairy and a frog at the new, very expensive DOD building!!!!
I'm sure mommy and daddy will have the money to take off work and take the little kiddies to see the pretty little froggie with it's fairy!!!

a fairy at a DOD building???
doesn't that convey a strong message of power and strenth to the "terrorists"!!!

we should all take time off work, and go visit this little frog and fairy, take pictures of it even!! and well, write nice little letters to our representatives in washington throw our pictures into the envolope and ask them wtf!!!
is it pure 24 caret gold and sitting in front of a pentagon building so that our investment can be protected???
or are we so broke, so close to bankruptcy, that you guys have gotten so depressed you just don't give a dang anymore???

oh, I am so broke, I am racing toward bankruptcy like a speeding locomotive....
think I will go borrow a few million and buy myself a picasso to hang on the wall of my house that I ain't gonna have next week!!!

and for those who seem to think that it's okay since the money is being given to artists who will spend it in their local communities...it should have been taken from lots of people who would have spent it in their local commuinities, on the things they need to live!! as it is, they didn't even do that, they borrowed the money, so well, eventually, the citizens will not only have to pay for it, they will also have to pay the interest on it!! and because these fools are spending the money so insanely, the people will have to be paying more for the things that they need! so, ya, let's hurt the whole darned country, to help one little community???

oh, and on a sidenote....
the frog would be better if it was scurrying to the entrance, transporting the workers!! at least then it would have some use!!!

Originally posted by ADVISOR
I would like to see a A-10 or M1A1 Abrams instead, hell even a Sherman would go better...

I think the SR-71 will look cool for centuries, did they find homes for all those? Or the CIA version? Or any kind of hardware the Pentagon already aid for but isn't using anymore, just slap a new paint job on it and display that instead of the frogs...I like that idea.

I do wish somebody would come in here and attempt to explain the deep, dark, masonic/NWO symbolism of this sculpture (ala Denver Airport). Come on, people, we can complain about DoD budgets anywhere on the internet. When I'm here, I want the good stuff.

Originally posted by Whereweheaded

Originally posted by PsykoOps
Are the makers / artist US citizens? Doesn't this just put money into local economy instead of blowing it up on some sand dunes somewhere.

No, because the art is funded through federal dollars, as depicted in the article. Where do you think federal funding comes from? Hint: TAXPAYERS

drugs/sex/violence....vice, duh. jesus, i thought everyone knew that, i must be ahead of the curve

Meh, New York spends more than that on crappy subway art....while the trains hardly work....

reply to post by dawnstar


I understand what you're saying, and not to be callous, but you must understand that money is going nowhere else, it was created, so-to-speak, for this darn frog (which after more research may not actually be joke). You're thinking about fiscal responsibility and the anger associated with money spent on what seems like frivolous things, when it should go back to the tax payer or used in a more beneficial way to directly support the citizenry.

The problem with that is it's not real money, my friend. The value of US dollars are based on a myriad of contributing factors, none of which is based on gold or tangible items. It is government money, it is fake for the most part. Whether this monstrosity-of-art cost $6, $6K, $600k, or a billion dollars it does not matter whatsoever - it doesn't affect you or me - our taxes will go up with or without this under ANY type of administration.

I live in an area with powerful politicians and I pay the highest taxes in the US, and guess what? My state did damn well compared to others during the recession... my point is not to gloat, it's to point out when dealing with government money you need the best politicians, the most powerful lot, to help your local concerns because the money they provide to your state/city/town will improve your life directly. Complain and change local politics, that's more "real" money at stake, at the federal level it's all monopoly money, printed as needed and burned later to control devaluations and such.

On a final note, as Skeptic Overlord and Springer are playing a fun April Fools Day joke about running for president, they have nailed one thing (among others) in their political messaging - "It does not matter." It does not matter what the federal government does, we have zero control over the shadow government pulling the real strings.

Where's all those that say people on disability are the ones draining the nation's coffers?

reply to post by Jason88


Actually, I'm the furthest thing from socialism. Had you reviewed my posting history, you'd know that. You're assuming, ( you must be privy to information others aren't ) to know my stance's on politics. And as for shedding blood for this country. Your preaching to the choir. I actually served..and hold what this country was founded upon near and dear thank you very much.

But I will agree, the statue's of choice, the frog one is awful~

Originally posted by Whereweheaded

Pentagon Art: $600,000 Gurgling Toad Sculpture

www.usnews.com

A $600,000 frog sculpture that lights up, gurgles "sounds of nature" and carries a 10-foot fairy girl on its back could soon be greeting Defense Department employees who plan to start working at the $700 million Mark Center in Alexandria, Va. this fall. That is unless a new controversy over the price tag of the public art doesn't torpedo the idea.
Decried as wasteful spending that will be seen by just a couple thousand of daily workers who arrive on bus shuttles, foes have tried to delay the decision, expected tomorrow, April 1. But in an E-mail, an Army Corps of Engineers official said th

(visit the link for the full news article) That's strange, I only paid $ 19.99 for mine....?

reply to post by Whereweheaded


As vets, if I'm reading you correctly, and if you would, let's respectively agree to disagree on this topic. I'm sure we have more in common than politics on a message board. Semper Fi.

reply to post by Jason88

well, on the one hand, I think they already screwed up any impression that there was any kind of integrety in the dollar where they went hogwild with their bailouts...

but, I disagree that it just doesn't matter, since we've got to con people in other countries to take our funny money for just about everything we want now!
such a con can only work if those being conned believe that we are being responsible with those dollars...
and it's oh, so quite obvious that we are not!!!

and then well, you have gov't officials wanting to cut just about everything that actually helps the citizens and/or makes sense. and like I implied, it's oh so good to know that they are trading granny's livelihood for a fairy and frog statue for one of their federal buildings...
doesn't that make you all so warm and fuzzy inside...

or wait a minute...

that's just the feeling of being overly angry, isn't it???

they've showed their hand with the big bailouts!!!
they can spend as much money as they like on whatever they like....
and they chose fairies and frogs over national defense, civil peace, food for the citizens, along with making good on their obligation to social secuirty!!

real or not....
crap like this does hurt people!!!
don't believe me, start going to the grocery store week after week, and watch the prices rise higher and higher!

while of course, you paycheck, if you are still lucky to be getting one, remains the same or decreases!