I just don’t get it. Maybe Beppe Grillo would.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s staff have altered a reproduction of a famous 18th-century painting by Giambattista Tiepolo to cover an exposed breast on full display in the press room in the Palazzo Chigi, the prime minister’s palace.
You will remember that a Mr. John Ashcroft (or a member of the white house staff) seems to have had the same problem with the Spirit of Justice ( boy did he ever! who just happened to be bare breasted). That breast cost the taxpayers of the US over $8000 to remove from view, about 12 Euro if the dollar sinks a little more.
It’s easy to say, “yeah, but I’m shocked that an Italian known for flirting with women on and off the campaign trail would stoop so low as to idiotically paint over an artistic nipple.” But it seems that this little incident is being played out on top of an epidemic of idiocy.
Public displays of affection in a car can earn you a fine of up to 500 euros ($745) in Eboli ~ No sandcastles please, you’re in Italy
If you don’t think that’s nuts, remember that here are also assaults on reading books in public:
Rodrigo Piccoli, 33, called national radio to protest after he was fined 50 euros for lying down in a park in the northern city of Vicenza to read a book.
Has the world gone nuts? Should we have a test that weeds out weirdo politicians? Say we put them in the room containing a painting of a famous nude (a reproduction to be sure) and a can of white spray paint. After say eight hours if the painting is unmodified, the politician would be allowed to run for office.
Wada ya think?