The Truth About Triple-A Bond Ratings, Immigration, Women's Rights & More // EVOLVE: Subversive Art in Germany

UPDATE: Here we go again. Republicans are proposing cutting government workers so that we can prop up defense spending.

Maryland Juice in Dusseldorf, Germany

BACKGROUND: In case you couldn't tell, this week activists on both sides of the marriage equality debate started to throwdown for a showdown on the issue. Sorry for the erratic posting schedule this past week -- Maryland Juice has been lobbing bombs from across the Atlantic Ocean. The conservative bloggers at Red Maryland, for what it's worth, are now trying to make a punching bag out of me for calling out hypocrisy from public figures. Gee thanks.

ANYWAY -- now I'm back in the U.S. of A, and I have a lot to report back from my trip to Germany and the Netherlands -- starting with another meditation on subversive art. My second to last entry on subversive art was a dispatch from Seattle's EMP museum, which was designed by iconic architecht Frank Gehry.

This week, I stumbled upon yet another set of Frank Gehry-designed buildings -- but this time in Dusseldorf, Germany. My visit to Dusseldorf was completely by accident -- but as luck would have it, the experience provided me with multiple new insights about Maryland politics and the DC metro economy that I will share below.

Three new Frank Gehry designed buildings are revitalizing Dusseldorf, Germany

After submersing myself in EU news and policy perspectives again, I have two main points:

1. By looking at the policy contrasts with European economies, it continues to appear that U.S. policymakers have been brainwashed by the Chambers of Commerce, and
2. I continue to believe that subversive art can have a huge role in priming the public consciousness in positive ways.

More Subversive Art: 90's Punk Bank Nirvana & FairVote's Board Chair Krist Novoselic

Maryland Juice is currently in Seattle, Washington and decided to check out more subversive art -- but this time it is a flashback to my teenage years. The city's Experience Music Project museum is currently hosting an exhibit titled Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses.

Notably, Nirvana's bassist Krist Novoselic is Chairman of the Board at my former employer, Takoma Park-based Fairvote. Before I discuss the Nirvana exhibit, I encourage you to check out this quick video statement from Mr. Novoselic on the motivations for his recent political activism. The video was taped shortly after Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election:




In any case, as a result of my past work with this pioneering musician, I was intrigued to discover the deep political roots of Nirvana, stretching back to the band members' high school years. The exhibit included this high school art piece from the late Kurt Cobain, which appears to depict President Reagan making a fascist salute: