Last week, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Marketing and Redistribution Division’s website (arstatesurplus.com) was hawking a “Framed and Matted Portrait of a Distinguished Man,” with this description: “Up for bid is a framed and matted portrait of a distinguished man … The frame is wood with an intricately carved design and gold finish. The center piece of this item is a stunning head and bust photo of a white male. The mans’ [sic] attire suggests a prominent status, with a bold yet subtle crimson tie draped effortlessly from his stark white dress shirt. Perhaps he is the God Zeus with a cleanly shaven face. Whomever this alpha-male is and from wince [sic] he came may always be a mystery, but one thing is for sure, the gorgeous wooden sarcophagus for which he is forever entombed will certainly promote peace in even the humblest of dwellings.”
The mystery “alpha male”? Disgraced former Land Commissioner Mark Wilcox, infamous for kicking into gear the state car scandal last year. Several hours after we posted an item on the Arkansas Blog about the portrait, it was removed from the web page.