The heated political debate surrounding an art exhibit co-sponsored by State Attorney General Bill Lockyer will intensify Thursday when conservative opponents of the Lockyer-sponsored exhibit put on their own, counter exhibit.

The Sacramento-based pro-military non-profit group, Move America Forward, has announced it is teaming up with Sacramento talk show host, Mark Williams of KFBK 1530, to put on an “I Love America” art exhibit and rally. The group will gather the individual pro-American art submissions together into one giant exhibit that they will put on display on Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in front of the California Department of Justice headquarters, located at 1300 I Street in Downtown Sacramento.

Organizers say they want to showcase a pro-American display of art because they feel the artwork hanging from the walls of the California Department of Justice is anti-American, anti-military, anti-Christian and anti-Semitic.

They even say the display undermines the men and women of the military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Any time someone seeks to dishonor our troops, we must step forward and make our voices heard that this nation will stay united, and never cease to support our troops and their brave fight against the threats of terrorism,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward.

The source of turmoil is a display titled “A Creative Merger: Lawyers & Artists.” There are a few dozen pieces of art in the exhibit, but several pieces in particular have aroused a great deal of controversy.

And of those controversial displays, one featuring a U.S. flag being flushed down a toilet sits in the center of the storm.

The exhibit is co-sponsored by the California Arts Council, a taxpayer supported state agency, and Attorney General Lockyer.

The sponsors of the exhibit say that while they may receive taxpayer funding to support their duties, that the display itself was produced with private funds.

“The exhibit was not funded by the California Arts Council,” said Mary Beth Barber, Communications Director, California Arts Council.

And Nathan Barankin, spokesperson for the state’s Attorney General, said that Mr. Lockyer had no role in selecting the pieces that were chosen for display.

Barankin told the San Francisco Chronicle that Lockyer, “…played no role in developing the guidelines on what the curator of this exhibit could pick or not pick.”

However, such denials of responsibility have elicited harsh criticism, supported by a news release which showed Lockyer and the Arts Council were initially quite supportive of the material in the exhibit.

On Move America Forward’s website resides a scanned copy of the news release from the California Arts Council announcing the exhibit.

In the release, Attorney General Lockyer says it is “an honor to co-host this powerful exhibit.” Lockyer goes on to say, “the collected fine works of these artists – and lawyers – achieve these worthwhile objectives with style and beauty.”

In the same news release, Muriel Johnson, Chairman of the California Arts Council, says she was “impressed” by the work, describing it as “wonderful.”

“Bill Lockyer has moved to the front of the pack of infamous traitors and will long be remembered as today’s Jane Fonda.  Make no mistake about it; not only are our tax dollars sponsoring this display, but if the Attorney General did not endorse the views on display they would have been taken down, if put up at all,” said Mark Williams of Sacramento news-talk radio station KFBK 1530 AM.

William’s sentiment was shared by Move America Forward’s Melanie Morgan.

“We are not saying people do not have a right to produce and display such offensive art, but it should not be sponsored by a taxpayer funded official and displayed in a taxpayer funded building,” said Morgan.

And while the two sides fight over the appropriateness of political art in a public building, Move America Forward and Williams are working to come up with an alternative exhibit that showcases the patriotic side of local Sacramentans and others.

The organizers have asked not just local residents, but people from throughout the nation to send in art that showcases the American flag; supports U.S. Troops serving overseas or celebrates the American principles of democracy and liberty.

Submissions to the patriotic display began arriving last week, with the first art being sent via overnight mail from Key West, Florida.

“This is a story that has attracted the attention of people from around the nation, because so many Americans are sick and tired of seeing people who get their jollies from bashing America and undercutting support for our troops,” said Melanie Morgan.

Move America Forward and Williams say they are inviting the public to show up at the same time for a pro-American rally both to protest the display co-sponsored by Lockyer and to show support for their own patriotic exhibit.

They say the need for a rally was made evident in their recent trip to Iraq to speak with U.S. troops serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The “Voices of Soldiers” Truth Tour was organized by Move America Forward in conjunction with talk show hosts from around the nation.

Among the delegation was Mark Williams and Move America Forward’s two co-chairs, Howard Kaloogian (who announced that he will soon be resigning from Move America Forward to seek the congressional seat being vacated by San Diego Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham) and Melanie Morgan (who has her own talk show weekday mornings on KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco).

“Our troops made it clear to us that the negative news stories they see on certain TV networks and in certain newspapers embolden our enemies by suggesting American support for our troops is slipping,” Morgan explained.

“So when you have people like Steve Pearcy and Bill Lockyer doing everything they can to crank up the ‘Blame America First’ sentiment, it’s not helpful,” added Morgan.

Thursday’s patriotic art exhibit and rally won’t be the first time that the players involved in this debate have clashed.

This past February, Steve Pearcy, along with his wife Virginia, galvanized a vocal public debate about an array of issues ranging from free speech to supporting our troops to questions about how one should conduct themselves in order to be a “good neighbor.” [See more from the Sacramento Union story, “A Private War in Land Park”]

While the Pearcys maintain their primary residence in Berkeley, it is in Sacramento that the couple chooses to most prolifically express their political opinions.  And in February those displays included U.S. soldiers hanged in effigy from a noose, with an American flag crumbled up into a ball and stuffed in the soldier’s helmet.

On the display was a sign reading “Bush Lied.  I Died.”

“Obviously these are people who are looking for publicity and the way they can best achieve it is by offending people’s sensibilities.  The Pearcys are simply rude and obnoxious people who seem to enjoy upsetting as many people as they can,” said Sacramento-based political consultant Sal Russo.

Among the people offended by the Pearcys were radio talker Mark Williams and the Move America Forward organization.

Williams and the pro-troop organization organized a “Support Our Troops” candlelight vigil across from the Pearcy household.

Over 400 people turned out both to support and protest the candlelight vigil including scores of the Pearcy’s neighbors who said they had grown tired of the offensive displays erected by Steve and Virginia Pearcy.

KFBK’s Williams made it clear he’s not intimidated at the prospect of facing off with the Pearcys again.

“Steve Pearcy is a a 98-pound weakling bully who compensates and gets his jollies from inflicting emotional pain on those vulnerable.”

For more information on the “I Love America” Art Exhibit & Rally, including how you can submit your own entry to their exhibit, call Move America Forward at 441-6197 or visit the organization’s website here.