Bikini Liberty

“That is a Bikini argument! What is revealed is interesting; what is concealed is VITAL!”
Robert Lodder, my mentor, 1978

My photography mentor, Robert Lodder, had a million such sayings, euphemisms and parables. A devout Republican, he had strong opinions about government, many of which were not comforting to my liberal nature.

He did, however, recognize the mechanism by which our govern-ment controls information and, thus, the minds of the populace. This image represents a combining of his comment and my observations of the way our government promotes, supports, displays and sometimes obscures our liberty. I have also included some icons representing the way a nation that promotes bikini liberty is perceived by others.

The ideal of the Statue of Liberty can be summed up in the last line of Emma Lazarus’ poem found at the base of the Statue, “I raise my torch beside the golden door.”

The reality is that the torch has become a gun.

This image should be food for thought regarding the complete-ness of what we see and hear and how we are seen and heard on the world stage. Remember, what is concealed IS vital!