[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 23656] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]PULL FEDERAL FUNDING FROM BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART ______ HON. JOHN E. SWEENEY of new york in the house of representatives Friday, October 1, 1999 Mr. SWEENEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a resolution along with Mr. Fossella, that calls for an elimination of federal funds for the Brooklyn Museum of Art if it proceeds with an exhibit that desecrates religion. The Museum, which has come under fire for using taxpayer money to host an exhibit featuring a portrait of the Virgin Mary smeared with elephant dung, has received more than $700,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities over the past three years. John Cardinal O'Connor, in published new accounts, called the exhibit ``an attack on religion itself and, in a special way, on the Catholic Church.'' In fact, it is an is an affront to the more than one billion Catholics worldwide! In addition to the Virgin Mary painting, the art show titled, ``Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection,'' also features a portrait of a convicted child murderer fashioned from small hand prints. Do we really want to glorify convicted murderers?! I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague, Mr. Fossella, who describes the exhibit as ``little more than publicly-funded bigotry.'' He was correct in saying that ``the American people have a right to know that their tax dollars are not being used to desecrate religion and promote bigotry.'' When taxpayers decide to support the arts, I doubt these are the kinds of exhibits they have in mind. Our resolution will give a voice to the millions of Americans who are disgusted that they are being forced to fund this offensive exhibit. Furthermore, I believe that most of my constituents would join me in saying that this exhibit goes too far and is devoid of culturally redeeming value, by any standard. Our federal tax dollars should not be spent on images that glorify immoral and criminal behavior. They should be used to defend not offend. Further, if we are to subsidize the expression of art, let that expression carry a message of education, not defecation. We have no obligation to call it art and the American people don't have to subsidize it. While these so-called artists have a right to create their ``art,'' and galleries have a right to display it, the First Amendment does not guarantee that the American people must subsidize it. The City of New York has threatened to pull the museum's funding, and so too should the federal government. Again, I urge my colleagues to continue to cosponsor this important resolution. ____________________