Listen Scott, this is getting tiring. Stop seeing conspiracies everywhere, and try asking simple questions (which have already been answered elsewhere) instead. That's how you get to the truth, not by wildly speculating.

The Media Gallery module box in the corner of the home page displays a random image selected from a list of files uploaded to the Media Gallery in the past 7 days. Images uploaded with articles and features are NOT displayed in the Media Gallery, which was designed for images, PDFs, and audio/video files that stand on their own (flyers, photos of protests, audio interviews, documentary videos, etc).

Your "Martin O'Malley's Irish Roots..." photo is a perfect example of what DOES NOT belong in the Media Gallery. The image itself is pointless without any context, and doesn't merit inclusion in the gallery. You appear to be using it simply to link to your blog posting, which is a fundamental abuse of the gallery.