I would agree that sounds funny. Who is texting another person and sees someone walk up to a painting and then thinks hmm I am going to record this yahoo..

This is not a case of ordinary vandalism. I would hate to have to guess the value of an original Picasso, but my gut tells me it's worth millions. There should be stronger penalties for this type of action.

Vandalism is vandalism. The value of the damaged item should have nothing to do with the degree of punishment meted out for the act. Does an arsonist get less of a sentence for burning down a modest home versus a mansion? I've seen public buildings, private houses, bridges, cars, public statues, murals, street signs - everything you can think of - spray painted by clandestine graffiti idiots with a "message" to share. All acts of vandalism are deplorable.

So stealing a pack of gum should be the same as grand theft auto????

In criminal court the crime of vandalism is treated the same regardless of the value of the item. Civil court is where the distinction is/should be made.

I really hope that this guy gets charged for the cost of the restoration.

Yes the person who filmed it was obviously in on it. my hunch it is this person posting up on facebook by the name of Joshua... www.facebook.com/events/140938656030579/

'leroy2112' wrote:

"It was a political statement. Obama surrendered. That fool conquered America. And we let him."

REPLY: I'm curious, 'leroy'. Please give us some insight. Is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read any news story, about any subject, ...how to turn it into a partisan and vitriolic anti-Obama rant?

We get that you hate Mr. Obama, the President of the United States. We couldn't miss that. But do you think your hatred may be at a level where it may be personally unhealthy for you? ("Hatred destroys the hater.")

And do you think that people on these discussion threads reading your posts think that you are clever when you post an anti-Obama rant about an act of vandalism in an art museum?

Please tell us a bit about your mindset and thought processes. Is there some real substance to you? Or should we just continue to dismiss you as "just another fool", or "a discussion thread troll" or both?

leroy2112 is either a racist fool, a troll or both. anything that person says is ignorant.

A Mexican American writes conquer in spanish. Hispanics have been flying the Mexican flag high all weekend where I live. They are having a victory celebration. I would give five to one odds this guy was motivated by Baracks announcement. He wrote CONQUER. Do you think that was random. Words have meanings.

leroy2112 wrote:

" ... Words have meanings."

REPLY: Yes, I couldn't agree more. And a reading of your posts suggests that your words primarily mean that you have deep-seated intolerance, hatreds, biases and that you are consumed with xenophobic outrage.

Is that the message you are trying to send to the rest of us with your words? Is that "the content of your character"?

Just asking, mind you.

WHATEVER! Tired of the political trolls. THIS STORY HAS ZERO TO DO WITH POLITICS. Enjoy your 2 micro seconds of stupidity.

Ok, the vandals were MSNBC

Leroy and Jesse ventura should do a show called, wait for it, wait for it, called.......... "Conspiracy Theory". Yeah, perfect. Wait that's already been done, you don't say? No way!????

Notice to liberal Popinjays:

Disagreement with your opinion/position on any particular issue is in no way tantamount to actual hate by your opposition, debate participants from the right. Get real.

Is it any wonder Americans Hate Mexicans? That country has never done anything for the world. Lazy cowards.

You have some serious mental issues. This man no more represents all Mexicans than you represent all bipedal humanoids.

bipedal huminoids.???? Do you really talk like that?

Troll.

For Leroy

Hurricane Katrina

@Leroy

The Mexican Government aids in illegal immigrants to come in our country, the Mexican border is where majority of drugs come into America. You obivously forgot about the war we had with Mexico over Texas (No matter that America provoked it on purpose) and you obviously forgot about the Zimmerman Note which Mexico was going to follow through on. Mexico does a lot to hurt America, just because you're ignorant to it doesn't mean they don't exist. The only difference is we deal with it.

Leroy: Let's see if I can understand your ranting. You rant because you assume that an Hispanic desecrated a Picasso painting (just because he wrote conquer in Spanish)... Let me give you a refresher course in history and art.

1- Picasso was not an American painter, he was Spaniard.

2- Picasso was a staunch communist (to the point that one of his most famous paintings -Guernica- was in exhile until Franco passed away, returning to Spain only then).

3- Any idiot that can mutter a word in Spanish is not Hispanic (for that matter you hailed Arizona in perfect Spanish, are you Hispanic?)

4- As a matter of fact, there was a Mexican squadron in WWII assisting the United States in the Pacific (Squadron 201).

Now, please remove your foot out of your mouth before answering, or your mother didn't teach you not to speak with your mouth full?

Mexico supplied raw materials required to make explosives to japan DURIG WW2.

Leroy, American don't hate Mexicans.

SOME americans hate Mexicans, more Mexicans harbor resentment for "us" then "we" do for "them"

Just as is true for most any other group of people one can name, there are all kinds within the demographic

Leroy...hahahaha. someone named "leroy" complaining about a group of who contribute nothing. the irony is too much

leroy2112

When was the last time Mexico did something to help the world?

When was the last time YOU did something to help the world?

justiceforall-2038290, It's good to see someone schooling a bigot, good job

We don't want to know. Just sayin

He probably just did not like modern art. Thank God it was not a Rembrandt he spray painted.

AG99,

"Sounds like he's right up there with the vandals who spray paint graffiti on public buildings and think it's art."

Unfortunately, there are some today who want to call graffiti "art", and I don't mean just the grafitti painters themselves, either. I have actually heard discussions about graffiti "art" on TV. It kind of makes me mad, but that's fine with me if they want to call it "art", I suppose art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I would must prefer it if they would keep their "art" off the side of my house.

Mickey, while I'm not a fan of graffiti, and I am absolutely against vandalism, you have to give those people some credit. NOT for defacing public or private property they don't own, but for the skill. Have YOU ever tried drawing concise lines and angles with spray paint? Me neither, but it seems hard. If graffiti is done LEGALLY, without being vandalism, I would say it IS art.

Allielcea,

I'm not one to argue about art. Many things these days are considered "art" that no one in his right mind would have considered art in the past. Witness Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup cans and the paint dribbling of Pollock, for example. I really don't know if our idea of art is just degenerating or if we have simply discovered a wider meaning for art. I have to admit in all honesty, though, that I have seen some graffiti (though very little) that is very well done, and could certainly be considered art, but I would still prefer not to have it on the side of my house.

He was thinking he conquered America? He did. Amnesty was granted to a million punks like this.

I don't think jail time is needed. Honestly a $15,000 fine (or w/e it costs to restore) should be penalty enough. Makes him think twice before doing it again.

Serious jail time is needed. It is called a deterrent. Give him 5-10. Then the next loser might not want to try it. Screw the illegals anyways. Obama gave them amnesty. They think they beat us. Our leader gave up the fight. Soon it will be time to merge with Mexico. Mexicans think they conquered America. Maybe they have.

Troll.

Ram, you tell um!!! I bet that one really hurt and taught him a valuable lesson.

Way to Go!!!!

@leroy2012. You are scary. I hope you don't have access to weapons or sharp objects and that someone sane is watching over you.

He's simply trying to serve as a voice for law and order and of course, all of the blue collar citizens who are out of work, whose jobs have been taken by immigrants who are willing to accept lower wages and the quality of life that goes with it.

Your reaction to him is extremely judgmental and prejudiced, it shows that you perceive anyone who disagrees with you in terms of negative stereotypes and that you are indeed intolerant to any opposition. That is the foundation for bigotry. Try to monitor your fear, it is inhibiting your ability to reason.

Most conservatives only ask that modern immigrants be required to pass through the same process and filter that most of our ancestors did. This country has no moral obligation to serve as a relief valve for the failed states to the south or anywhere else.

"just a little logic" ... indeed , very little

Busy doing random searches, oh wait they aren't doing that either. hmmmm

I'm surprised too. This vandal should be turned into a work of modern art....

so Tyler, may I ask how this:

"I'm confused: What would a work of art be doing in Texas? Isn't Rick Perry their governor? Isn't that the state George Bush hailed from? I'm surprised the painting wasn't burned and the museum sacked."

which is a fine example of stereotyping, intolerance and bigotry slips through the censorship net you have set up?

Is it just the direct name calling that you will not tolerate....?

Why is it acceptable to stereotype the population of a whole state?

5. Acts that run contrary to the spirit...... and purpose...... of Newsvine, including attempts to circumvent the (selectively and unfairly applied) Code of Honor & User Agreement, are not allowed.

Disclaimer: Excluding attempts to circumscribe, apply stereotypes to and or demonize any conservative perspective.

You are a dumbass. Go take an art appreciation course and STFU.

like "weird" is bad. You probably like the accessible garbage that is out there. You probably think good art is bought at walmart. If its hard to undertand or something that looks like something you cant figure out its not art is probably your motto. Shows your level of education.

Not to excuse the jackass who vandalized the painting, but I agree that bidding up the dollar value (not any other value) of "great art" is hard to understand. Have you ever heard of the "Inverted Jenny" stamp? It's a 1918 US stamp where the picture is printed upside down. There are exactly 100 known to exist. A block of four inverted Jennys was sold at auction for $2.7 million. (A Wall Street executive bought them ... that's a different comment about America ... Why does that executive deserve to have enough money to blow $2.7 mil on four 24 cent stamps.) Is the "Inverted Jenny" great art?

A lot of Picasso's stuff is intriguing. Some does make you think and wonder about things. But a good TV commercial does too. (And deserves about the same amount of attention.)

I've visted a lot of art museums. (I love the Met in New York. The coffee shop that overlooks the park is fabulous.) I wouldn't have most of that "great art" in my house. I've listened to people go on and on about "great art" and ... meh ... it makes no sense to me. As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as "art". The only real thing is "decoration" and everybody's taste about that is equal.

But I guess, plastic surgery is art in your eyes.

Some of it is clearly worth appreciating!

shallow opinion, ignorant...

And your's is less shallow and ignorant ... why?

You might have years of education in art appreciation. You might have suffered for your own art. But your personal taste is still equal to anyone else (including me) ... no more, no less.

Porter, you bring up some interesting comments about Art and monetary value. Have you seen the movie "Who the #%@$ is Jackson Pollock"? It's a documentary I think all art appreciaters should see. A woman truck driver buys a painting at a garage sale for cheap. She takes it to her friends as a joke gift except it won't fit thru the door of her trailer. So Mrs. Truck driver takes it home. One day a friend sees the painting and says "That looks like a Jackson Pollock". She says "Who the $#%@ is Jackson Pollock". The materials are what Pollock used, the style is his, AND it has two fingerprints on the back that are his. The problem is she has no provodance, the paperwork that says it's authentic. So, the Pollock "experts" say it's a fake. She could sell it for several million right now, but if "proved" a real Pollock is worth much more. See it and you'll get the idea of how much paperwork is worth in the Art world. ;-)

Art is subjective, when a person feels the need to create clever insults to denigrate an artist and his or her work instead of simply rejecting it, they are using the opportunity manifest their own ignorance and issues.

That is the difference between simply expressing an opinion and providing shallow commentary. Thus that individuals' opinion has less merit than a person such as yourself.

Robert ...

I haven't seen the movie, but I remember reading the reviews. (I'm more of a "read, don't watch" kind of guy.)

A scientist did an analysis of Pollock once and compared his stuff to mathematically generated randomness. Surprise! Pollock isn't mathematically random. There was actually method to what he was doing. Nobody knows what it is, but it's there.

I remember visiting the Kröller-Müller museum in the Netherlands. There was this wall of rusting oil drums. They claimed it was art!! There was a nice sign in front of it and everything. You could even buy postcards of it.

Sometimes, I think there actually is a God and she's just having us on for laughs.

Ponder ...

And the difference between your post and "simply expressing an opinion and providing shallow commentary" is ???

"Out of the mouths of babes ..."

My post was food for thought, a response to a comment which revealed certain issues within the mind of the commenter. It was not an opinion on art, which we agree, is subjective.

My biting response was an introductory component of a cyber-re-sensitization therapy program designed for people who may be plagued by certain issues. That is precisely why I can appreciate your own efforts on the my behalf and presumably, of the larger sphere of humanity around us. In reality, we are working on the same thing in our own way. You clearly have good intentions behind your comments here and in the end, one's intentions are what matter most.

Keep up the good work.

One of my favorite quotes from the Bible goes something like this ...

"And man created God in his own image ..."

Did I get that wrong ??? ... Well, that's what it should have said.

In that spirit, we are all God-like here to a degree. We are having each other on for laughs. (See #13.11) At least I am. So, it's no effort. It's fun!!!

Thanks for the thoughts ... I will keep it up. Depend on it.

Well very few consider Pablo's works as art. Only elitists who champion it because they are told it is art. The average Kindergarten Art class has more appealing and aesthetic works than Picasso. However if you like it.. so be it.

Maybe the guy was trying to touch it up and improve it...LOL

Not my favorite either, but it is still quite wonderful for some. However, the point is it was not this persons art to deface.

You are right Scott. I was just being a smarta$$.

No one ahs the right ot deface someone else's work or property.

Picasso shor wuzzint no Thomas Kincade. Now, thar's a fella hoo cud paynt sum pritty pitchers.

proudamericanveteran: One of the most common quotes of Picasso, when asked why he painted like a little child was that painting like a child as an adult is more difficult than painting as a grown-up. It is true that for moments we tend to see Picasso as somewhat complicated (no more complicated than Dali or Modigliani), but they represent the change from the romantic period into the cubism. Of course, if you want to compare Picasso with Michellangelo or any of the 'renaissance' period, you will find complete differences in styles, even with a later period like Van Gogh or Renoir (impressionists).

Why, that isn't very liberal of you... Getting violent, vigilante street justice......?

Why, that isn't very liberal of you... Getting violent, vigilante street justice......?

It'd be a lot easier to find someone who had a black eye.

How does your reaction reconcile with the true values of the liberal cause?

How does your reaction reconcile with the true values of the liberal cause?

I'm not a pacifist and never have been.

do you mean slam the cell door or cast him into the midst of the sodomites while actually incarcerated...?

Loser....If you want to talk "smack" about George Bush how about you look up the President that had the most employed Americans during his time as President.

Well it wasn't Bush. The lowest unemployment rate was in 1953 (2.5%) when Eisenhower was president. You can't look at simple "number of people employed" because that doesn't factor in that as a percent of the total population. Population grows, there are more people, hince more employed.

Johnathan ...

Donation to art museum <--> tax writeoff

Texas <--> lots of nouveau riche people who would otherwise be trailer trash

I'm confused.... aren't you a liberal? aren't liberals supposed to be against profiling, stereotyping intolerance bigotry , hatred etc etc... yet here you are casing all Texans and conservatives into the same "them" category. You are aware that you exhibit all of the qualities you despise in your hated "THEM" are you not...?

^______~ Have a Lovely day

Texas Guy,

Still, it was a Republican.

A liberal? If you mean the milqtoast limousine liberals of the Democratic Party whose standard bearer (Obama) as appointed Three Chiefs of Staff from Wall Street Banks and defended those same Wall Street Predators as "Savvy Businessmen" - then No, I am not a liberal.

In so far as stereotyping, though I do loath making generalizations, Texas makes it awfully difficult to abstain.

If you go and spend enough time there, you will find that there are all kinds of Texans, just like anywhere else.

I am happy for you that you are not a liberal, or allow me to clarify... a "pseudo-liberal" or those who "think" they are liberals, but embody none of the traditional values of the liberal cause, such as the limousine liberals you mentioned, who are in fact, a sub-genre of that particular demographic.

C'mon Johnathan! He was slamming me, not you!!!

But I have to give you credit. Nice reply. And I especially like, "Texas makes it awfully difficult to abstain."

I guess I would have to describe myself as a "Jon Stewart liberal". The joy I get out of making fools out of RWNJ's is one of life's great pleasures. One of the best parts is how they puff up, turn red, and steam comes out of their ears.

Porter,

I haven't watched the show, how would you describe a Jon Stewart Liberal?

"I haven't watched the show ...."

Your loss! However, today is your lucky day!

Carloz has posted a beautiful video where Jon explains the answer to that exact question. And, just to make it easier for you, Jon is being interviewed on Faux, not his own show.

http://carloz.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/19/12302966-one-year-ago-today-jon-stewart-schooled-chris-wallace-on-fox-news-political-bias-video

Thank you, the tone of your post provided enough information, that along with with the other post, mocking the Bible. Regrettably,I must now inform you, it appears that your brain may be infested with the mental micro-bacteria which causes pseudo-liberal popinjay-itis.

There is no cause for alarm, the cure is simple: simply follow the core values of the liberal cause in your inner and outer life.

This will result in a manifest change in your conscience. Your brain will begin to recognize the contradictions between what you believe you stand for and what your actions in this and similar cyber-stoning circles belie.

The urge to pontificate from the moral and intellectual high ground which you believe to be your own and that of your "us" to the inferior, knuckle-dragging "them" will disappear. You will catch yourself in the act of stereotyping and profiling and identify the intolerance which springs from that mindset. As a result you will no longer allow yourself to manifest the negativity which previously was expressed in your demonization of the large groups of human beings who are the present objects of your hate.

It is not a long process, as according to Carlos Santana, one can "shed a mentality, like a snake sheds it's skin"...

Realize that in most ways one can name a group of people, that there are all kinds of people contained in that group. In contradiction to the Neo pseudo-liberal concepts presently being regurgitated by the witch hunting mob, and demagogues like olbermann and (possibly even your very own Jon Stewart) this is also holds true for christians and conservatives.

I know it flies in the face of the cool-aide you've been enjoying, but it really is true.

Or, for example: do you believe that the fraction of a percent of Christians who voice bigoted and hateful remarks against the LGBT community represent ALL Christians, or even a majority of them?

There are millions of Christians in this country, and the vast majority of them are practicing their faith privately and minding their own business, following the example their own savior set for them. Still, we never hear mention of them when the left leaners are on the warpath.

True it is, they might disapprove of homosexual activity, but in reality, disapproval or even disgust and the rejection that inevitably follows, are in fact, NOT tantamount to hate.

But that is beyond the scope of this therapy session, as those faithful adherents to the true values of the liberal cause, would reject the primal urge that springs from base emotions to identify, stereotype and demonize any particular "them" in any case.

There are times when it's best to just be the best witness possible. Maybe the person who video recorded it was elderly, small female or whatever. If it was a holdup in a 7-11 you would probably be better off to remember all you can rather than getting involved with an armed robber, unless you are armed yourself then cap him when he isn't looking.

Cap him when he isn't looking. Back shooting cowards suck. You get the drop on someone then make him surrender. You don't shoot him in the back.

No, ......there are no rules in war. There are only the survivors and the dead.

Well so far you are the one who brought up obama.

No, he's not. Ol' Leroy has a screw loose and first posted about President Obama in the 3rd reply to the 1st comment.

He actually made a rational case for why he included the name, he drew a connection.

Right or wrong, it is a plausible scenario which nullifies the charges of troll-im.

Just trying to spare him from the gallows here.