Censorship in the snow

I came across this story yesterday and I just had to blog about it.
Censorship and the prudishness of America keeps getting worse and worse.

It seems that a family in Rahway, NJ sculpted a wonderful nude bust reminiscent of a Venus de Milo out of snow on their front lawn. The sculpture was very artistic and well done. It seems this family has done other snow sculptures in the past including a bust of President Obama last winter. But of course the police received an anonymous call about a pornographic snowman in their neighborhood.

Now really, pornographic?

So Sgt. Dominick Sforza of the Rahway police was sent out to the Conneran household and after admiring the snow sculpture and telling them how well it was done, asked them to cover it up. Not to cause any trouble they covered up their work with a sarong and a bikini top stating, "I thought she looked more objectified and sexualized after you put the bikini on,".

William Torres, visiting from North Carolina, said "They’re censoring art, to me that’s no different from what you see in a museum ... and its lifespan was short anyway."

But of course all it takes is one conservative and narrow-minded neighbor for the police to be called in and someone's fun and creativity be label pornography and "banned".

This act of censorship is just silly and idiotic, but this is the country where Attorney General John Ashcroft moved to drape a semi-nude statue of the Spirit of Justice at the U.S. Justice Department.

As many of you know, I am no stranger to censorship. In fact recently a printing company refused to print a poster of my image "Litha" becasue it showed a butt crack or as a friend of mind refers to it as a glutial cleft. And the Springhill Suites, after signing a contract with me, refused to house my workshop on Sensual Photography for Couples stating that they didn't want "that kind of thing" done in their hotel.

Being America and being private companies they have the right to censor me and my work, but after reading about the Conneran family and their snow sculpture I am wondering how far is this going to go. When is someone going to stand up and say enough is enough.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Remember that short quote? That is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

It seems a lot of so called "Americans" have forgotten it.

For the full store you can read the article by Eliot Caroom for the Star-Ledger at
http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/03/nude_snow_sculpture_in_rahway.html


Photos courtesy Conneran family