Our government is insane to imprison a man for 5 years for the art in his own yard. The charge was a felony!?

Art is in the eye of the beholder. Art evokes an emotion.

Maybe not, but people who decorate for Christmas sure do need to be put in prison. Not all, just the ones who decorate with insanely gawdy, noisy figures and the ones which are so freaking bright you have to get a black-out shade in order to sleep at night. Have some respect for you neighbors you obsessive Christmas fiends who are focusing on the bright, plastic, colored things rather than the non-commercial meanings of the winter holidays.

Okay, back on topic. The government is getting way out of control when it comes to interfering in peoples rights on their own property. Like you can't be topless in your own yard because someone else might think its offensive. At the same time they are totally lax with the media and printing of facts that could endanger our family members who may be in Iraq. Stupid Government. We need less Government in the US, not more! By imprisoning this man and us citizens allowing it, we are allowing the central government too much control over our daily lives! I don't like where this country is headed.

More details needed to make any judgement about this, clearly. A Google, Yahoo! & dogpile search of news items on "sculpture + felony + 5 year sentence" turned up zero results...

That is too weird. I didn't know you could litter in your own yard.

Since the Supreme Court ruled that the government can take your land away from you and "sell it" to the developers of their choice(ostensibly for the good of the community)......any thing can happen.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia questioned whether the detainees are entitled to hearings in civilian courts. "Show me one case" down through the centuries where circumstances similar to those at Guantanamo Bay entitled an alien to challenge his detention in civilian courts, said Scalia. Come back when you can answer that question. In the mean time , we'll have to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to hand down its ruling on this subject.

Well maybe he was a bored artist like most of us. What he really needed was a great job at the local garbage dump recycling the best of the best trash into ART...

That does sound a bit harsh. He probably should have just gotten 40 or 50 lashes with a cane, like they do in Malaysia.

Felony littering in his own yard?

I would need to know more, but nothing surprises me anymore.

You should move to America and become a citizen in my country. They don't put people in jail for their art.

Community Service would be a more fitting punishment.