Jasper Johns' America

I visited yesterday MOMA, my favorite museum in NYC. I've been there plenty of times - with some paintings it's a bit like meeting old friends. Of course, they don't change or age, but sometimes I see them differently.

One of my favorite works there is Jasper Johns' American flag. Painted in 1954, it always makes me think about what makes us a nation - and this is true not only for the US, but also for my native country, Israel.

For me, Johns' flag shows how a country is the sum of all the people who make it. It's not some ideal red/white/blue set of stars and banners that we should conform to. His flag is not clean and pretty - but life is not either. The stars are a little stained with red, the stripes are not even. The idea they form is not necessarily coherent - different pieces "pull" the piece to different directions. In a sense, this is an anti-fascist statement. You can also see how much work he put into creating this piece. Just painting a banner with colors is not enough to unite a nation - but maybe giving everyone the chance to contribute his own piece and own shade can do it.

Tomorrow I'm going to vote for the first time for the president. I'm excited to be part of it, and excited to finally have a president that represents me. I believe Obama believes in this tapestry called America - after all, his personal biography is anything but homogeneous. Even with all the economic turmoil of the last months, I feel things can dramatically change for the better with him. Run, Obama, run!

The Last Racist Law in MA: 1913-2008

 

The Massachusetts House voted Tuesday to repeal a law that had prohibited out-of-state gay couples from legally marrying in the Bay State.

 

By a margin of 118-35, legislators voted down the 1913 law, which nullified any marriage performed in Massachusetts that was not legal in a couple's home state. The state Senate approved repeal earlier this month and the bill is likely to reach Gov. Deval Patrick, who has pledged to sign it, within a week.

 

I thought this is a good opportunity to recall the wonderful events of the night of May 17th, 2004, when gay marriage became legal for the first time in Massachusetts. Moreover, the first place in the state that opened its gates to same-sex couples was just 2 blocks from me, namely, Cambridge city hall. At midnight, after a long celebration outside, the first couple got married.

 

Danny and Tao Kai had to wait until 4am that night to get their marriage license, but we all celebrated a few weeks later at their marriage.





For more pictures from these eventful nights, check my web site, taalul.com.