Some folks are a little put-out that a tapestry recreating Picasso’s famous Guernica mural, which hangs outside the UN Security Council chambers, is being covered up during various Iraq-related media opportunities.
The painting, which shows the destruction of the Spanish village of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, is a very fitting image for the UN, to the extent that the UNSC is there to help prevent war and destruction. Is some sort of US-backed conspiracy to ramrod through an Iraq resolution behind the draping of a big UN banner and collection of flags?
Well, maybe not. The claim is that the usual place for media briefings and photo ops, which has a big UNSC logo behind it, is too crowded for the large swarms of journalists that are now collecting whenever anything Iraq-related is discussed. The new location is backed by the hind end of a rearing horse, and, supposedly, some folks thought that a bit undignified for the speakers, or confusing to viewers.
I dunno. It does sound a little like Ashcroft’s draping of statues at the DoJ, but it could be innocent. On the other hand, Caesar’s wife must be beyond reproach, so it might be worthwhile for the UN to try to figure out another angle (so to speak) to handle this problem.
Because, after all, it’s not like Guernica is necessarily just embarrassing a reminder to those who favor war on Iraq. It could equally be used as a reminder of how innocents suffer when tyranny is not confronted early on.
(via BoingBoing)
It is curious that it’s shrouded, that’s for certain.
Andrea encounters someone who is sure this is all a deep, dark conspiracy to mask what the US is going to do to Iraq. She disagrees, in her own inimitable style.