What? Did it turn out that Marines are water-soluble or something?
Marines just aren’t qualified to do menial labor in your book? No digging trenches or shoveling shit for those guys? If this trend continues we’ll have them standing around the tomb of some nameless soldier.
You know what it looks like when a couple of Marines hold umbrellas over the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Turkey?
A couple of Marines holding umbrellas over two world leaders.
That’s all. There’s no degradation, no humiliation, nothing that anyone but you frothing neanderthals could possibly see as anything other than a simple situation.
Christ almighty, this is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve seen today and I haven’t even started to read the actual goddamn news.
Has anyone bothered to ask the Marines in question how they felt about it?
And who else is famous for an umbrella! That English guy, the one with the good teeth, knuckling under to Hitler at Munich! So, Obama is sending a clear signal that we are willing to appease Hitler!
Wake up, America!
Nope, sorry. Two similar situations, and it’s my opinion that in bothcases the Marine was put in a put situation.
There is no such thread, obviously. And while the incidents are similar there are differences. In the Bush case, there had to have been deliberation and a conscious decision by somebody to use the Marine to push the wheelchair. In Obama case, what bothers me is that his first instinct was to grab a couple of Marines who are, yes, largely there to stand and bee looked at. A poly sci puke intern would have been much more appropriate..
Thank you for fighting my ignorance of the pit “rules”. Neither I nor Chimera were striving for accuracy. You’ve jumped in and mucked up our fantastically beautiful love/hate/love relationship. (two parts hate/ one part admiration - stirred not shaken) It will take us years or two solid hours of internet stalking to re forge our delicate relationship.
I hope you’re happy with yourself.
Why?
As little outrage as I feel, and as much as I don’t want all the sputum aimed at me, I agree that the president set up a bad looking photo.
He might have explicitly ordered the Marines to *hand *him and umbrella, and to *cover *the Turkish PM with an umbrella.
I agree that astroturf-ed reactions around the web indicate how little there is to really complain about.
Because it actually * is* their job to run around doing petty shit like that.
Bullshit. His first instinct was to look around for somebody who would respond instantly to keep the president of Turkey dry. Calling on any “poly sci puke intern” would just get an argument and wasted time and effort while they figured out how to operate an umbrella. Ordering a Marine to do it gets the job done instantly, without argument, and efficiently. Look at those two corporals. They are dignified, at attention and do not detract from the press conference in the slightest manner. No intern could do it half as well.
Marines are there for a reason, not just as lawn ornaments. This is part of their job description. Demeaning it wasn’t, except to hot-headed morons.
To be fair, though, the OP had already done most of the work for me.
Sounds like some gay porn I’ve seen, only they weren’t choking on rage, visceral or otherwise.
As if that were the silliest or most pointless assignment those Marines ever got. Enlisted people in the military deal with that sort of thing day in and day out. Hope the OP did not strain himself trying to muster outrage over it.
Besides I’d rather hold an umbrella for the CinC or push the wheelchair of an infirm old ex-CinC than sit in some foxhole…
What can I say; I’m a “giver”.
It’s the Marine’s job to hold umbrellas when asked. Or push a wheelchair when asked.
Or kill Charlie with a spoon when asked. The only reason to see holding an umbrella for the leader of the strongest nation on Earth as demeaning is because you think the leader isn’t worthy of respect.
Whatever, just be honest that you think Obama should fly coach and cook his own meals, don’t dress it up in starry-eyed wonder at the perfection that is Marine.
“For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of 'is country” when we need a bumbershoot!”
Good thing that in the ordinary course of their duties they never have to go near wat—oops, wait a minute.
How about you actually respond to my post in addition to merely posting a personal dig?
The silliest and most pointless assignment those Marines ever got was to stand there and do nothing. “Stand there and hold an umbrella” is a step up.