If you scroll down that Snopes page, there are photos of him with his hand over his heart for the national anthem on another occasion.
Personally, I couldn’t give a damn. The next president could have burned a flag as long as he or she makes decisions that respect our nation as a whole.
DavidSimmons is also a WWII vet, altough if I recall the last “Who’s the oldest Doper” thread correctly, KlondikeGeoff has a couple years on him.
Non-issue, or maybe one that makes me like him more.
I don’t sing the Anthem, or put my hand over my heart. I think it is a horrible song.
The subject appears that it will attract more heat than light.
Moved from IMHO to the Pit.
Yes, but it’s a* dry * heat.
Non-issue for me. As long as he was standing quietly and showing respect, who cares if his hands were at his sides? As long as he wasn’t picking his nose.
Maybe he knows he won’t get the nomination anyway, so he may as well forgo the flag-waving, baby-kissing bullshit and establish himself as an honest man for the run in 2012 against the republican incumbent.
I agree. But I was always taught that simply standing was showing proper respect, anything else was strictly optional and not at all disrespectful to omit. This from one of my High School teachers, also a WW II vet, when this discussion came up in a classroom. In his opinion one could disagree with the concept of pledging allegiance for perfectly valid philosophical reasons and thus not want to hold your hand a certain way or recite pledges, but that it was respectful to acknowledge a national anthem ( ANY national anthem, whether it be Sweden or Swaziland ) by standing quietly.
I think that is proper and that is what I have always observed.
Another war veteran here. I respect your service. I respect the symbol of our country. I believe that Obama standing quietly is every bit as respectful to those who have served and died as someone who raises an appendage to his chest. Not doing so says zero about his character, only about his political savvy. Or perhaps it says a lot about being true to his own values while showing appropriate respect to his flag. Whichever is the case, I’m sure he’ll be flogged to death with it while more people die in a shithole for all the wrong reasons.
I think it was unwise for him to do it because many Americans seem to find symbols far more important than governmental policy. When it comes to issues like this I’m reminded of the late great Bill Hicks
Not a very savvy move, but I imagine everyone who has ever run for president has heard the national anthem often enough to be rather desensitized. After a few weeks of hearing it 10 times a day, I suppose it’s part of the ritual to the point where it feels more like a waste of time.
After all, people weren’t at the rally to hear the anthem, they were there to hear him - and if his mind was on what he was going to say, rather than on making the Politically Correct gesture, that seems to be sound priorities.
Not that I get a vote, anyway.
You know who else wouldn’t put his hand over his heart for our national anthem?
Hitler.
Standing when able is enough to show respect–and to stay silent and have a respectful demeanor, no matter which nation’s anthem is played (some Olympic attendees could learn this).
I think it’s a non-issue. But I thank you, Klondike, for your service.
I don’t care. It’s a song. It’s a tradition.
If he says he wants to make it a criminal offense to stand or not stand or put your hand over your heart or not, then I’d care. You show respect for your country by following the principles it was founded on, and last time I checked, ‘meaningless acts of patriotism that require no thought or effort whatsoever’ was not mentioned in the Declaration or Constitution.
Call me when he’s started an unjustified war.
The flag reverence that many Americans have borders on idolotry, IMHO. People don’t even put their hand over their heart when they sing hymns at church. Does this mean they aren’t showing respect to God?
People who have a problem with this need to get a life.
My take is no big deal, but at this stage he needs to be more aware of what the voters are going to think and act accordingly. You can’t have some jingoistic souls hypothetically not voting for you over something trivial like this.
It’s improper as the Commander in Chief to salute? I’m surprised to hear that, but I guess I’ll have to take your word for it…
Or picking earwax and eating it.
Should be a non-issue but politically, we, and he, know that’s not how it works.
On the one hand, so what if he didn’t put his hand over his heart but otherwise stood quietly and respectfully? On the other hand, a political candidate has to know there’s going to blowback over this.
Perhaps he was tired of how the little, nothing things get focused on.
Perhaps he deliberately was trying to make a statement.
And, KlondikeGeoff, Obama is not in the military.
(I wasn’t up on the flag pin thing, but that is a bigger crock than this; at least the national anthem protocols have some real history and tradition.)
I was never taught that the hand-over-heart thing was manditory.
Maybe I was taught by dirty Commies.
(Seriously, people actually care about this? Really?)
Really? Really?? You know, I think I’ve finally figured out why this country has such incompetent, criminal leadeership. If people are really choosing their leaders based on this kind of trivial stupidity, then we have the government we deserve.
I never post in political threads, because they get so ugly and I’m not particularly comfortable sharing my political views. But this is just too stupid to be ignored. I don’t care who the candidate is, or what party they represent, it can’t possibly be relevant whether or not they put their hand over their heart during the national anthem. It says nothing about their views on war, torture, civil rights, the economy, education, healthcare, or anything else that might actually matter in a political candidate.
By the way, if anyone is interested in understanding Barack Obama as a man, how his values were formed, and what kind of president he might make, I recommend reading his first book, “Dreams From My Father”. Or you could just look at video of a steak fry in Iowa and make up your mind.
I swear I tremble for my country when I reflect that her citizens are morons.