On August 27, 2013 during the removal of paintings from the exhibition titled 'Leaders', Police seized a painting of Russia's president and prime minister in women's underwear from a gallery, "Museum of Power", in St Petersburg. Russia does have a law against insulting authorities - an offense that carries a maximum one-year prison term.
The painting showed President Vladimir Putin wearing a tight-fitting slip and brushing the hair of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is wearing knickers and a bra. St Petersburg was one of the first Russian cities to introduce a law banning the spread of "gay propaganda" too.
St Petersburg deputy Vitaly Mironov, whose face was combined with the gay rights movement's rainbow flag in one of the paintings, told Reuters the images were inappropriate and "of a distinctly pornographic character".
The Russian parliament has also adopted similar legislation, prompting protests from abroad and calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics which Russia will host in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in February, 2014.
Were you equally upset when the RODEO CLOWN was banned for life in Missouri for wearing a Obama mask?
September 4, 2013
The Missouri State Fair imposed a lifetime ban on the rodeo clown wearing an Obama mask whose depiction of Obama getting charged by a bull was widely criticized by Democratic and Republican officials alike - a Democrat Governor and a Republican Lt. Governor of Missouri. [But, it was not reported by the crowd who laughed with no complaints.]
The rodeo clown won't be allowed [for life] to participate or perform at the fair again. Fair officials say they're also reviewing whether to take any action against the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, the contractor responsible for Saturday's event.
This current rodeo event and political fallout certainly does not follow others over the past fifty years in the history of rodeo clowns' buffoonery while wearing masks of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush and now Obama; nor do any of these masks even remotely approach the acrimony of editorial cartoons and posters depicting far worst imagery and acts over our U.S. history for the past two hundred and thirty years.
Here in the United States our respect for the President as our leader transends any petty laws or groups that don't allow our leaders to be depicted as they are seen - like the good witch on the "down-low", the quirky and bubbly Glinda in the Wizard of Oz?
"Ha, ha, ha! Rubbish! You have no power here. Now begone — before someone drops a house on you, too!"