Now that the state primaries have begun and we prepare for months of campaigning for this year's presidential election, I've added a newly acquired piece with a "political" theme by Outsider Artist Myrtice West to the image gallery of her profile page in the Sacred Artists section. This acrylic on canvas painting, titled Pray for the Peace of Israel , presents Christ standing in front of an American flag, keeping watch over a group of buildings, which appears to include the U.S. Capitol and sacred sites in the Holy Land. West has taken Psalm 122:6, where we are called to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." as the text for this sermon in paint about the need to defend America's Christian heritage and support the state of Israel. Both issues are vital concerns of American Protestant Fundamentalists like West, who believe the promises God made to the Hebrew people in the Old Testament are still relevent to the present day political situation in the Middle East. (John Kohan)