Daily Kos

First gulags. Now this.

by kos

Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:09:55 PM PDT

Here, on the home front:

(Click here for full size.)

Those are being run by MARC, the metro rail between Baltimore and DC.

(Via Obsidian Wings.)

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Permalink | 271 comments

  •  Oh dear god... (none / 1)

    that is fucking terrifying.

    The responsibility of a great state is to serve and not to dominate the world--President Harry S. Truman (April 16, 1945)

    by TomK002 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:10:57 PM PDT

    •  Hegemony crickets! n/t (none / 1)

      Sometimes a .sig is just a .sig.

      by rhubarb on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:16:54 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  comfort (4.00 / 8)

        I would like to think that the deisgn firm that won the contract with Homeland Security was subtley making a comment through their decision make it echo soviet propaganda... though something tells me that particular artistic direction was included on the creative brief.

        Coming up next: Lincoln Memorial to be replaced by Freedom JesusTM Chapel complete with full ATM service.

        by voltayre on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:34:42 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  How can we make this easier? (none / 0)

          Hey Freedom Jesus(TM) Chapel, that could just work.  But why use an ATM?  Just swipe your debit/credit card when you walk in.  Better yet, this could be an excellent testing ground for mobile technology payment platforms (payment by cell phone? a dream no more?)

          Oh, I can only hope we can save ourselves.  Who else is going to if we keep going this way...time to pick up the hammer and saw.

          by PeachesAreRotten on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:52:42 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  you beat me to it: design commentary (none / 0)

          -----
          _The Flow of FISA: video clips | GroundZero

          by rhfactor on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:53:01 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  I don't know (none / 0)

            I think the design is cute; in Britain it would be easily seen as a sight gag.  You know your own country best, I suppose, so if you say they're being serious, I guess I have to take your word for it.  

            The only creepy bit I can see is the injunction to report suspicious activities to the conductor.  The bit about packages is just common sense, and frankly I'm a little disturbed to see commenters here mocking it.  

            As you know, we in the UK have been at war with terror far longer than you have, and we've long got used to posters reminding us to take unattended packages on trains seriously.  Not doing so can literally blow up in your face.  

            by Del C on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 12:30:35 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  you're spot on about the packages (none / 0)

              And there have indeed long been reminders to be on the lookout. That's just common sense.

              But this is just plain creepy. You know, it took me a moment to realise that the woman isn't holding a red flag – she's holding a subway support. Like the London ad Magnus posted further down, and kiw has suggested, maybe it was purposefully done this way. If so, damn – their good!

              But the point is, the metro appears to be using it sans irony. And that's just plain creepy.

              I saw the London one when it was released; it's pretty obviously a bit of a send-up. But that's the UK - a keener, darker sense of humour.

              "They're telling us something we don't understand"
              General Charles de Gaulle, Mai '68

              by subtropolis on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 01:06:40 AM PDT

              [ Parent ]

            •  bullcrap (none / 0)

              not at you, but at the hyypothesis.

              there is nothing not serious about homeland security. the poster cannot be interpreted in that manner.

              the bushnazis are copying the playbook, play by play. it is in literal mode now.

              by heterodoxy on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 04:41:59 AM PDT

              [ Parent ]

            •  I have to admit (none / 0)

              Purely has a matter of personal taste, I've always liked this sort design.

              by Argyle on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 07:39:26 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

        •  design mole, maybe? (none / 0)

          an interesting and eerie similarity to Russian Constructivist posters, circa 1920.

          This poster is called "Workers to Arms! You are needed by the Red Army."

          How apt!

          www.epluribusmedia.org

          by kiw on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:18:05 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Subversion (none / 0)

            The similarity to socialist realist art from the Soviet Union cannot be accidental.  The artist is having a good laugh about this, I bet.  Subversion lives in the form of fascist realism!

            Liberty and justice for all

            by lovable liberal on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 06:50:22 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  Hmmm... (none / 0)

            my first reaction was the communist tone of the piece, the black star could have easily been a black sythe and star against the red.  At the same time the modernist style is reminiscent of the Roosevelt WPA programs.  Since the period of the 30's and 40's when the WPA program and rise in communist ideology dovetail it's not surprising that you can't reference the style without bringing up both ideas.  

            The subway poles mimic flag standards.  Why would the design be approved, if that were obvious, as supporting red flags (except for the suggestion of danger) without some blue (suggesting American flags and patriotism)?

            And worse, the lead character is so obviously Aryan!?  I nod to the Europeans on our list but find it hard to believe that if the design decisions were tongue-in-cheek they'd have likely not made it past approval.  Terrorism is a sacred cow in the US.  Everyone with a political pulse finds it too valuable to take chances lessening its power as a symbol.

            No, this is creepy because it is almost precisely an image of what I, at least, see this country devolving into--a stalinesque, theocratic corporatocracy--real Franz Kafka in Disnelyand and Big Brother reports if you don't take the blue pill stuff.

            by clb8 on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 08:42:09 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  can someone photoshop this...... (none / 0)

             into a recuiting poster for OUR army.. afterall we need some new soldiers too!!!! ;-)

            Welcome to the empire. now run away if you can... life is not a dress rehearsal

            by johnfire on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 10:59:37 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  That was my first thought (none / 0)

          Like the character in the 60's TV show originally named "Christian White."  "Chris" for short, of course.

          How hard would it be for someone to Photoshop the "R's" in "REPORT" to the Russian "Yah"?*  Because not everyone has seen the Soviet poster style.

          *(Yes, I know that isn't the Russian letter for "R.")

          Rubus Eradicandus Est.

          by Randomfactor on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 08:13:03 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  Christians should not be the focus of our attack (none / 0)

          Yes the Republicans have struck an alliance with some extremist preachers to further each others' repressive agendas in Washington, but let's be clear on what we are opposing. This thread is about stopping and reversing the creeping police state in America. There are many so-called "right-wing" Christians working their butts off to achieve the same goal - Alex Jones' infowars.com and his crusade against tyranny springs to mind immediately.

          Unfocused attacks against "right-wing Christians" play directly into the hands of the bi-partisan global business elite who should be the focus of our attacks and who maintain power only by dividing and conquering us with red herring issues. Disrespecting Jesus alienates us from a very spirited and effective group of Christians that are in many cases crying out more loudly than anyone on the "left" for Americans to wake up and fight the fascist elements that have infected all parts of our country.

          Alex Jones' 9-11: The Road to Tyranny. A documentary.

          by Texas Steve on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 09:59:08 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Oh Gawd!!!!!! Awful!! (none / 0)

      Reminds me of those Eeringly similar things seen in Nazi occupied Europe and in the USSR especially during the Stalin and Kruschev regimes.

      The one thing we know about the McCain campaign...is that they're very good at negative campaigns, they're not so good at governing- Barack Obama

      by wishingwell on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:49:33 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Sheep (none / 0)

        In the 1960's, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev promised, "We will bury you."

        We dug our own graves & laid in them...quietly.

        by Ranting Roland on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:56:53 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  It's my opinion (4.00 / 2)


           that that's what he really meant, i.e. the mere existence of the Soviet Union would cause us to change our society in such ways which would 'bury' ourselves as a democracy.

             K. started it, OBL pushed it along.

                                              SR

          by SergeiRostov on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:07:25 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  I thought.... (none / 1)

            Kruschev was referring to economic might.

            My understanding was that by exclaiming "we will bury you" he meant that Soviet socialist economic production would leave American capitalism in the dust.

            That's how it was explained to me anyway.

            ....Listen to Ded Prez....

            by Manix on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 10:54:32 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  It's entirely possible (none / 0)

                 
                 that that's what he meant. I haven't yet read his collected diairies or other writings. However, if that had happened, we might have ended up duplicating the SU just to survive (perhaps not very likely, but still).

                  My contention is based on a notion put forth by the James Blish in the first part of his Cities in Flight tetraology, They Shall Have Stars, in which

               

              ...the West has chosen to combat the Stalinist menace by mirroring its adversary and the FBI, in particular, has become menacingly all-powerful, gripping science and progress in a paranoid bureaucracy.

                  Take out "bureaucracy" and put in "lust for power and control" and we have the Bush/neocon vision for America.

                  And this was 1952.

                                                 SR

              by SergeiRostov on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 06:30:32 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

    •  un-friggin-believable (3.66 / 3)

      No doubt where the graphic design firm got their visual inspiration. And they likely presented 5-10 different comps with the designer, creative director and account rep thinking "no way they'll pick that one" but "nevertheless, this will be fun, just to see if there if anyone really gets it." Then they PICK that one probably to wild disbelief... And then the irony sets in even deeper "They don't even have a clue what they are evoking".

      ANd the question is: DID they have a clue? And if so, thought it sent the right message...?  If so, man are we in way deeper than I could have believed.

      It's all right out in front of everyone's noses how over the top this Administration is, has been, and how dramatically different our society's tolerance of totalitarian policies, under the guise of security, is vis a vis in the late 90's

      -----
      _The Flow of FISA: video clips | GroundZero

      by rhfactor on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:51:08 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  ask 'em (none / 0)

        here's the Media Relations/Communications number for the Maryland Transit Administration: 410-767-3936

        by somasalesman on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:20:41 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  I just left a voicemail (none / 0)

          Thanks for the # ... I left a voicemail and asked for a return call. The recording, btw, stated:

          If this is an emergency, you may page the PIO on duty at:

          410-909-9675

          Is PIO "Public Information Officer"

          or Public Informants Officer?

          -----
          _The Flow of FISA: video clips | GroundZero

          by rhfactor on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:46:07 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  the former (none / 0)

            I'm a PIO. it's public information officer.

            report what you learn. i'd be really interested in how they handle this. part of my job is to get people to prepare for emergencies, but we stay far, FAR away from mention of terrorism or homeland security and instead emphasize house fires and hurricanes. i cannot imagine how stupid the person had to be who approved this, but they're obviously not a sovietologist.

            by dirtgirl on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 05:16:58 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

      •  You are right (none / 0)

        This is clearly the work of a savvy graphic designer with a wicked sense of humor.  The sad part is, his or her employers don't get it.  The sadder part is, most of his or her audience won't get it, either.  So what was intended as a historical sight gag will be processed without irony, and das Volk will proudly denounce their comrades to the Cultural Revolutionaries.  Totalitarian tragedy returning as farce returning as tragedy.  Perhaps some direct action is called for--like posting photocopies Stalinist, Maoist, and Nazi posters next to these  ones without commentary.    

        -8.63, -7.69

        by YoloMike on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 08:11:37 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Paranoia is Patriotic (4.00 / 7)

      Image hosted by Photobucket.com

      Sponge Bob, Mandrake, Cartoons. That's how your hard-core islamahomocommienazis work.

      by Benito on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:55:58 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  If I lived in DC (none / 0)

      I'd steal one of these.

      If they're not worth something down the road, at least they'll make good learning tools about life in a police state.

      Why isn't the new pope named George Ringo?

      by the littlest raskolnikov on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 06:10:00 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  I sure hope they do (none / 0)

    Not really a bad idea to report unusual packages while riding public transportation....

    Let's be honest.

    by diplomatic on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:11:39 PM PDT

  •  Ach! (4.00 / 4)

    That poster makes me get little Teutonic goosebumps all over, like.

    Sometimes a .sig is just a .sig.

    by rhubarb on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:11:49 PM PDT

  •  Stalinist? (4.00 / 7)

    I think the artistic style echos Soviet themes in an ironic swipe at the Right.

    If you are interested in the politics of Proviso Township in Cook County, Illinois, visit Proviso Probe.

    by Carl Nyberg on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:12:54 PM PDT

    •  Yup (4.00 / 4)

      "Socialist Realism" to the core.

      MA-02

      by Dancing Larry on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:13:37 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Beat me to it (4.00 / 2)

      Backgrounded by a most unsettling shade of red.

      Moue

      by wilco920 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:18:31 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Very much so (4.00 / 2)

      Frighteningly close to Soviet propaganda posters.  I'm googling images and will post a good one when I find it.

      -- Stu

      Help Chris Dodd retire his campaign debt

      by sdf on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:28:05 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Victoria Bonnell (4.00 / 2)

        A Professor at Berkeley who has written a book about it has a good website of Soviet posters up here that is worth checking out.  This one in particular calls this poster to mind (I don't want to steal her bandwith so am just linking).

        I'd also add that not only the artistic style but also the overall tone is very reminiscent -- Soviet posters were chock full of references to remaining vigilant against everything from Trotskyist running dogs to people stealing supplies from the job.  In fact, it's so over the top I wonder if the artist, at least, who put this poster together, who had to be aware of what he/she was doing, didn't mean it to be at least a bit tongue in cheek.

        -- Stu

        Help Chris Dodd retire his campaign debt

        by sdf on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:41:17 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  That said (4.00 / 4)

          I think the MARC poster above is a cross of various styles. It's arrangement and typeface certainly feels Soviet, but the characters are art deco. As far as I can tell, art deco stylization was forbidden in Socialist Realism (under Stalin at least) The characters in true Soviet posters are either rendered in a painterly style or are simple monochrome photographs abutting color art as in the constructivist style. Either way, they are realistic and not the elegant streamlined depictions of art deco travel posters (which the Soviet state would no doubt have found to be decadent).

          A large selection can be found here. Most of the posters feature photography, but there are a few more painterly approaches as well. I think my favorite is Let's Build the Dirigible Fleet in Lenin's Name because of the way it captures the playful absurdity of the style in a way that seems to be almost self-mocking (like the MARC poster in question).

          After doing a little digging, I have come to the conclusion that the only place you would likely find this particular combination of elements is in American posters.


          What was this designer secretly trying to tell us?

          And now a word from the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association

          by Olds88 on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 12:58:25 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Is that a howitzer shell in your pocket... (none / 0)

            Comrades, this poster is something to be heralded!  We must all unite in support of our great and fearless leader for it is with His wisdom that we are being guided through this scourge we call terrorism!

            The wisdom of our great leader george w. bush will prevail!

            I am now going to barf.

            Now, as a person with some design background I would say that the artist DID have in mind some level of snarkiness but they were also probably given a detailed creative brief with which to create it.  The final design I suspect was probably more to the liking of those who approved it and not the designer themselves for it is quite over the top, disgustingly propaganda-ish and definitely elicits the feeling of fascism creeping in.

            fuck bush.

            by jackemoe on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 05:27:20 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  The secret designer was telling us (none / 1)

            that homoeroticism sells.

            by corvo on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 06:30:26 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  Another item off Terry Gilliam's checklist (3.80 / 5)

      Reminds me of the posters that appear in the background in Terry Gilliam's film Brazil. They date from, or are inspired by WWII propaganda.

      My favorite: "Don't suspect a friend, report him."

      . . . solutions emerge from [our] judicious study of discernible reality.

      by realitybased on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:43:57 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I went out and rented Brazil tonight! (none / 0)

        Funny you should mention that.  Just by chance I brought home the DVD tonight (my wife had never seen it), and we just finished watching it.  Then I switched to the Dail Show, then I sat doen at the PC and saw this - wow, the connections are pretty impressive.

        Incredible how prophetic that film now seems.

        The posters in many scenes were spot-on.  Now I might have to go back and review them and jott down the slogans.

        If anyone here hasn't seen this film (or seen it recently), get thee to the video store.  The film's vision of dystopia will surprise you with it's accuracy.

        by leftyboy666 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:47:24 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Don't suspect a friend, report him. (none / 1)

        My favorite too. The design also has a déjà vu feeling...

        by PhiNk0 on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 03:46:00 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Jebus! I had to do a double-take (none / 1)

      when I saw this on the top of the front page!

      With the expert use of the colors, imagery and the font types, I just presumed it was a Soviet-era poster straight-away.  Then I noticed that I could "read" the text and my heart skipped a couple beats.

      This is either an excellent swipe at the bosses who commissioned this work by the people in the MARC art department, or they are getting even scarier, sooner than I ever thought possible.

      Does anyone remember what the Soviet term for their version of "neighborhood watch" (essentially, turn in your neighbor as a spy) was?  How to get to sleep after viewing all the pics in this thread?

      "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." --Thomas Jefferson

      by frisco on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:03:34 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I'm seeing more of a Nazi propaganda poster. (none / 1)

      I agree this looks like a subversive swipe, though.

      by Ascendent on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:06:38 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  After seeing this, (4.00 / 2)

      this North Korea propaganda doesn't look so bad.

      by msl on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:14:23 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  I think the guy in the foreground (4.00 / 2)

    is Ahnuld.

    Sometimes a .sig is just a .sig.

    by rhubarb on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:13:01 PM PDT

  •  Comrade Stalin approves (4.00 / 6)

    Let us be Stakhanovites in the cause of Homeland Security!

    MA-02

    by Dancing Larry on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:13:03 PM PDT

  •  I never thought... (4.00 / 6)

    ...that Socialist Realism was going to make a comeback. What do I know. I never thought the gulags would make a comeback either, and certainly not in the US.

    Just another day in Bizarro America.

    I'm not part of a redneck agenda - Green Day
    Neither is California High Speed Rail

    by eugene on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:14:24 PM PDT

  •  The fatherland must be protected... (4.00 / 3)

    I mean the motherland...Oh, the homeland..thats the non-fascist and democratic one

    by babbitt on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:14:58 PM PDT

    •  Gang of Four (none / 0)

      Guns Before Butter

      All this talk of blood and iron
      Is the cause of all my shaking
      All this talk of blood and iron
      Is the cause of all my shaking
      All this talk of blood and iron
      Is the cause of all my shaking

      All this talk of blood and iron
      It's the cause of all my shaking
      The fatherland's no place to die for
      It makes me want to run out shaking
      I hear some talk of guns and butter
      That's something we can do without
      If men are only blood and iron
      O Doktor Doktor, what's in my shirt?

      Just keep quiet, no room for doubt

      I'm hearing talk of joy in labour
      I'll tell you this you can leave me out
      The motherland's no place to cry for
      I want some sand to hide my head in
      I'm hearing talk of strength in labour
      That's something I can do without
      If I'm only blood and iron
      O Doktor Doktor, what's in my shirt

      Just keep quiet, no room for doubt

      All this talk of blood and iron
      It's the cause of all my shaking
      The fatherland's no place to cry for
      It makes me want to run out shouting
      I hear some talk of guns and butter
      That's something I can do without
      If men are only blood and iron
      O Doktor Doktor, what's in my shirt?

      Just keep quiet, no room for doubt

      MA-02

      by Dancing Larry on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 12:55:17 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Tooo weird (none / 0)

    of course for safety & security it makes sense to keep people aware..etc etc

    but does it have to look so creepy?

    and can we PUHleeeez change the name from 'Homeland Security' to something else?

    UNCLE SAM wants YOU to help IMPEACH BUSH

    by RumsfeldResign on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:15:55 PM PDT

    •  Salut Publique, non? (none / 1)

      Vive la Revolution, citoyen Robespierre!

      Dailykos.com; an oasis of truth. Truth that leads to action -1.75 -7.23

      by Shockwave on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:26:02 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Do the threat levels and the security warnings (4.00 / 2)

      really work though?  When you are at an airport are you looking around for suspicious packages or unattended bags?  I have lived for 19 years under various threat levels, since for many of those years I have lived on army posts, and after a while, the threat levels are just background noise.  Every time I open a door into the commissary or BX or PX, I see the alpha plus threat level sign, but it has sorta lost any meaning.  I don't worry about attacks, I don't look for terrorists, I don't think anything is going to happen.  I guess after 19 years with virtually no incidents worth remembering, I just don't think the threat levels have that much meaning.  I don't think that trying to force everyone in the US to be paranoid and fearful and on the alert is going to stop another terrorist attack...But then again, the object of the threat levels and posters like these is to keep us scared and voting for republicans, right?

      Proudly providing chaos since 1964 -6.75, -8.31

      by jules too on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:39:08 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Agreed (none / 0)

      The term "Homeland Security" gives me the willies.  I can't hear it without thinking "Heimat".  "National Security" would have been nice, although it would make you wonder what the hell the purpose of the Department of Defense is.  "Domestic Security"?  

      by ortcutt on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:48:22 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Not to worry (none / 0)

        were n't we all to go shopping, and leave the planning of our "defense" to the big-boys.  I seem to remember it had something to do with duct tape and plastic wrap.

        Kinky!

        On a planetary scale, habitat and life are interchangeable.

        by libbys mom on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 12:49:42 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Homeland Security (none / 0)

        You've got it! Homeland Security is the "Defense Dept" and the "Defense Dept" is now the War Dept, and Rumsfeld is Secretary of War. We're back to the twenties...soon to be the thirties...

        "red hair and black leather, my favorite colour scheme" - Richard Thompson

        by blindcynic on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 02:41:05 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Is that an unusual package... (4.00 / 9)

    ...or are you just glad to see me?

    John McCain

    by joejoejoe on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:16:12 PM PDT

  •  Maybe (4.00 / 8)

    This Soviet-style paranoia will come with universal healthcare and free higher education. Since we are getting all the crappy parts of Communism here already, why not get the good stuff?

    (-3.50,-5.85)

    by KPlayer on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:16:18 PM PDT

  •  I had to look very closely (none / 1)

    at this, as I thought it was a poster I might have seen in the old USSR.  I half expected the small print at the top to be in Cyrillic and was looking around for the hammer and sickle symbols.

    I've gotta stop reading this stuff so late at night.

    -8.88, -7.77 THERE IS DEFINITELY NO THREAT WORTH SUSPENSION OF CIVIL LIBERTIES.

    by wordene on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:16:29 PM PDT

  •  Not as terrifying as this (none / 0)

    US nationals deported and Lao Hmong surrendered and detained.

    http://newsblaze.com/story/2005060722100100002.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Story.html

    by newsblaze on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:18:24 PM PDT

  •  Stalin Returns (none / 1)

    This poster is unbelievable being that We were born in 1954 and remember the red menace. The Commie's are back only now they are Us?

    We've got gulag Git. So let's get the purges under way. It's going to take forever to get rid of all the undesirable elements in America.

    by hmsjo on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:19:28 PM PDT

  •  We're Ruled by Kremlin West (4.00 / 4)

    --and we're informed about it by Pravda West.

    We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy.... --ML King "Beyond Vietnam"

    by Gooserock on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:19:35 PM PDT

  •  Jebus! (none / 1)

    They look like the commie ones from the '50.
    Heaven help us!

    "In a time of universal deceit -- telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

    by mint julep on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:19:55 PM PDT

  •  I Love Big Brother!!!!!!! (none / 1)

    nm

    by socal on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:20:32 PM PDT

  •  Welcome to Bushland (none / 0)

    I'm supposed to sleep after seeing that creepy thing? Gimme a break.

    How much is enough, Gordon?

    by SecondComing on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:20:37 PM PDT

  •  Hmmm.....what does that poster remind me of.... (4.00 / 4)

    Only Democrats need to "pay for" any of their proposals; it's just understood that Republicans are "fiscal conservatives." - Atrios

    by Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:21:03 PM PDT

    •  side by side: (4.00 / 7)

      Only Democrats need to "pay for" any of their proposals; it's just understood that Republicans are "fiscal conservatives." - Atrios

      by Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:25:51 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  serious, even the FONT is weirdly pseudo-russian!! (4.00 / 5)

        Only Democrats need to "pay for" any of their proposals; it's just understood that Republicans are "fiscal conservatives." - Atrios

        by Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:35:54 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Font is Agency FB -- based on pre-WWII font design (none / 0)

          The font is Agency FB (from Font Bureau) -- it's one of those unmistakeable fonts used in advertising & posters. It looks like they're using the bold condensed & bold weights on this poster

          The font is based on Agency Gothic, designed by Morris Fuller Benton in 1932 as an all-caps font. (Agency FB has upper- and well as lower-case letterforms, but I still think the all-caps look of the font is where it shines.)

          (Part of my job is doing type specc'ing ... I'm one of those annoying people who tell my date what fonts were used in titling credits at the end of a movie.)

          BTW, when I first saw this, I thought, "OH MI GAWD!" and I was used to seeing "Report suspicious packages" posters everywhere when I lived in England and Ireland in the 1980s at the height of package bombings on the Tube. But my second thought, as a typographic designer of books and ads, was exactly what many other people have said: There's no way the designer didn't know what he/she was doing. I'll bet they handed in 5 variations, with this as their "I had to do something ironic to make this whacky Orwellian project a bit easier for me to get through" -- and found to their delight (and shock) that the MARC people were dense enough to pick the Pseudo-Communist Propoganda Poster design.

          Or maybe the MARC people aren't dense. Maybe they're fans of Soviet propoganda art? I must admit I'm a fan of the style, myself -- but not the message contained in it. Maybe they were just dense enough to not realize that commuters wouldn't separate the Soviet-style art from the message?

          :the red pencil diaries. what are we doing in this handbasket, and where are we going?:

          by editrix on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 08:32:08 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Wow! (none / 0)

            A voice from the past...I always think it's cool when people pick up on an old thread. Thank goodness for the Hotlist or I'd never even know. Anyway, great analysis...I sometimes try to "Name That Font" myself, though certainly not nearly with your kind of skill.  I definitely appreciate your eye for it.

            I also agree with you that this was either an intentional "ironic" work that slipped past humorless, artless bureaucrats, or they knew and just didn't care.

            I know the square jaws and vigilant expressions aren't completely unique to Soviet-era art, but man, did they have to put it on a red background? If Ann Coulter saw this, she'd die! Hopefully.

            Only Democrats need to "pay for" any of their proposals; it's just understood that Republicans are "fiscal conservatives." - Atrios

            by Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 09:14:58 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  hotlist is my friend (or at least my cheap date) (none / 0)

              Without the Hotlist, I'd never know (or even remember to check) if anyone responded to a thread I'd been writing in! I'm either more lazy than I thought, or I just plain have too much to read (and write). (I claim temporary insanity, Your Honor!) Actually, the Hotlist is a damn good tool for web-based discussion (or blog) communities. Brilliant.

              Yeah, I haven't posted in a long time, but I've been lurking steadily, even if I have to catch up on the main-page entries an entire week at a time. Sometimes I only have time for Kos; the heck with the news! Heh.

              You get stuck with fonts, send 'em here. Really. I have a pretty good track record with "what the hell IS that?" even if it takes me longer than Agency FB did -- I had happened to look at it about 3 days ago when searching through my sans serifed fonts for a good Dada-era font for a  reprint I'm designing/typesetting of Dadaist poetry.

              :the red pencil diaries. what are we doing in this handbasket, and where are we going?:

              by editrix on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 09:44:54 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

    •  This, too: (4.00 / 2)

      by Ascendent on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:26:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  For Our Great Homeland... (none / 0)

      is what the poster says, in Russian of course.

      by daulton on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 11:58:33 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Is this a joke?? (none / 0)

    I can't possibly believe the Bushies would pull something off like that.  It just looks too Soviet..   Please tell me you got it from the Onion.

    by Paul Hogarth on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:21:05 PM PDT

    •  I wonder... (none / 1)

      if the artist wasn't doing some kind of "tribute" to 1930s-40s propganda pieces. I don't think irony was intended, perhaps just an ode to the square-jawed, powerful statist images of the past. Which, of course, is really freaky.

      Only Democrats need to "pay for" any of their proposals; it's just understood that Republicans are "fiscal conservatives." - Atrios

      by Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:34:23 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  That kind of pose (none / 0)

        is common to propaganda pieces in general, you're right. Not necessarily limited to Stalinism, either. It's definitely inspired/ informed by that kind of art, as you say, but I wonder if Carl Nyberg doesn't have a point below when he says it may be more ironic content -- perhaps then approved by a less-than-fully-sentient supervisor or committee.

        Either way, it's creepy.

        Moue

        by wilco920 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:38:38 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Doesn't the style of that poster look... (none / 0)

    So Stalinist-era Soviet?

    "There is no god, and I am his prophet." SocraticGadfly

    by steverino on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:21:06 PM PDT

  •  Hello, MARC? (4.00 / 6)

    I would like to report an offensive poster that is giving me the willies.

    "They blamed it on the Islamic fanatics, at the time. [...] That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary."-Handmaid's Tale

    by JLFinch on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:21:11 PM PDT

  •  Well, I'm officially creeped out. n/t (4.00 / 3)

    "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a democrat."--Will Rogers

    by soonergrunt on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:21:58 PM PDT

  •  This poster (none / 1)

    is begging for graffiti.

    "They blamed it on the Islamic fanatics, at the time. [...] That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary."-Handmaid's Tale

    by JLFinch on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:23:14 PM PDT

  •  I think I'd rather get blown up... (4.00 / 6)

    ...than watch America turn into some fucked-up collage of Soviet paranoia and Nazi Germany authoritarianism, with graphic design influenced by Disney.

    Which one of John McCain's 10 houses is the nicest?

    by Devin on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:23:24 PM PDT

  •  Did Satan just (4.00 / 4)

    finish his ice cream cone?  And where did all of these butt-smellin monkeys come from?  The sight of that poster has pushed the last fart out of my hope baloon.  We have long since abandoned the hand-basket for the more comfortable rocket sled to hell. Good luck, comrads.

    by somasalesman on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:23:31 PM PDT

  •  Hammer and Sickle... (none / 1)

    I can't wait to inform on my friends and family to prove my loyalty to the state party. I know my mother keeps saying she wants to vacation somewhere sunny...Guantanamo has got sunshine in spades! Re-education camp and a great tan, who could ask for more!?

    by chicagochristianleft on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:25:35 PM PDT

  •  Nazification is progressing nicely... (4.00 / 4)

    ... we are now approaching 1936.

    "This document is totally non-redactable and non-segregable and cannot even be meaningfully described." *

    by dratman on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:25:41 PM PDT

  •  Senate Intel Cmtee Aproves PATRIOT Expansion (4.00 / 7)

    11-4. Rockefeller, Feinstein, Mikulski vote yes.oneworld's diary

    You've been pied, with a brick.

    Goes next to the Judiciary Committee.

    I'm going to the Wisconsin Democratic convention friday, planning to tell Herb Kohl (who sits on Judiciary) that if he backs this I'm running as an Independent, with every intention of "spoiling' his re-election. To the "any (D) is better" folks, well, you've got time to convince him he can both do the right thing, and save his seat.

    This is a test of the Emergency Free Speech System.
    This is only a test.
    If this had been an actual emergency, I'd already be locked up.

    by ben masel on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:25:59 PM PDT

  •  wait - you're kidding, right? (none / 0)

    right???

    these are not really posted...

    i'm gullible...

    sorry!  laugh's on me!!!

    "Those who had the chance for 4 years and could not produce peace should not be given another chance" - Nixon

    by dukeraoul on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:26:18 PM PDT

  •  umm, yes... (4.00 / 3)

    I'd like to report a suspicious poster.

    by dkmikey on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:26:25 PM PDT

  •  My name is Emmanuel Goldstein (4.00 / 2)

    This country has lost its way and the GOP are turning this into a communist state. The GOP are commie-loving red bastards who just want to ship our jobs to China and have us all live in fear. Seriously, how can middle-America republicans support the party that's doing this?

    Are you shaking or biting the invisible hand?

    by puppethead on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:27:00 PM PDT

  •  Wow... (4.00 / 2)

    now that's something...! While Russian and Soviet history is something of an interest to me, I don't want to LIVE it. Good lord.

    They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

    by opheliac9 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:27:02 PM PDT

  •  Reminds me a little of this (3.00 / 3)

    (and I probably just killed this thread)

    by Philosophy on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:27:37 PM PDT

  •  Is that hand about to stab that guy in the back? (none / 1)

    by dkmikey on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:29:09 PM PDT

    •  The caption almost fits, too... (none / 0)

      Translation: "Frontline & Homeland, Guarantors of Victory!"

      This is unbelievably spooky. Can everyone keep on the look-out for more of these? Would be useful to have a series of them that could be juxtaposed with Nazi- or Soviet-era posters. They'd be great images for counter agitprop campaign. Wouldn't mind having some to send to my wingnut relatives and ex-friends.

      -7.13 / -6.97 "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." -- Edmund Burke

      by GulfExpat on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:49:51 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Looks more like the 1930's WPA murals... (4.00 / 2)

    than Soviet art to me.

    I'm not saying I like it, just that it's more like WPA stuff than Soviet stuff.

    ....Listen to Ded Prez....

    by Manix on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:30:38 PM PDT

  •  Freedom, (4.00 / 5)

    requires repression.

    World Peace, requires war.
    Free expression, requires censorship.
    Truth, requires lies.
    Democracy, requires manipulation.
    Free Enterprise, requires government protection.
    Starvation, requires parsimony.
    Genocide, requires indifference.
    Success, requires playing along.
    Wealth, rquires tax cuts.
    Jesus, requires hatred.

    It's a beautiful new world,
    for the Chosen Ones.

    We are the ones we've been waiting for

    by jpgod on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:31:30 PM PDT

  •  who is the artist? (none / 1)

    I'll bet s/he disagrees with Bush security policy and decided to mock them.

    Who was the supervisor that signed-off on it?

    If you are interested in the politics of Proviso Township in Cook County, Illinois, visit Proviso Probe.

    by Carl Nyberg on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:32:16 PM PDT

  •  anyone know where (none / 0)

    i could buy one of these posters? someone steal one for me =P

    i think it'd look great in my apartment! i collect propaganda

    visit www.thehungersite.com everyday to save lives

    by Stampy51 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 10:33:43 PM PDT

    •  me too (none / 0)

      will trade for cans of Quebec Maple Syrup

      The thought had just occured to me a moment ago though: are we sure the metro is really posting these? Anyone take that line? If there's only this one pic we should get another source/pic.

      I say this because this is just the sort of thing myself and friends have been known to do in the past.