Barack Obama and the National Anthem...

[desi]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp

Does this type of behavior bother you about him running for the highest office in the land?

[sowhatifit'sdark]

No what bothers me is that if someone puts their hand over their heart, goes to church on Sundays, makes promises, hands out food to the homeless, says that that they started a war because ________________

these things are meaningful.

[kmguru]

At least he does not bang staff or start unnecessary wars or sends jobs overseas

[Tiassa]

Does this type of behavior bother you about him running for the highest office in the land?

No. It's surprising, though, how many people are so frightened by an Obama presidency that we have to keep hearing this utterly stupid point raised over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Seattle has really bad sports writers, but every once in a while, one of 'em pulls out a decent article. Like this, from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Jim Moore:

The one that really stood out -- 48 percent of men won't sing the national anthem at ballgames because they don't know the words.

I thought everyone knew the words to "The Star Spangled Banner" until I saw this, and it was confirmed Monday afternoon in the Mariners' clubhouse.

Baseball players listen to "The Star Spangled Banner" all the time. Surely they would know the words. Maybe they even sing along while standing at attention in the dugout or the bullpen.

I questioned as many American-born Mariners as I could before Monday night's game. They were certain they knew the words until they were asked to prove it.

"Do you know the words?" I asked George Sherrill.

"I do," he said.

Ben Broussard? "Yeah, I know 'em," he said.

Sherrill played along.

"Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light," he sang. "What so proudly we hailed at the dawn's early gleaming ... Something like that. Is that not right? I have to have the music."

It's the twilight's last gleaming, not the dawn's early gleaming, but who knew? Jarrod Washburn thought he did.

"I know the words," Washburn said. "I'm 100 percent sure."

But he gave it a shot and didn't make it to broad stripes and bright stars either.

"When they're singing the song, I can sing every word right with 'em," Washburn said. "We hear that thing every day."

Washburn was told about the 48 percent stat in Men's Health and said: "I'll bet the percentage of ballplayers is way below that."

The Mariners I spoke to went 0-for-4. Broussard didn't want to embarrass himself by participating, admitting: "It's hard."

(Moore)

Did Obama start yelling and screaming and pumping his fist at "the Land of the Free"?

[sowhatifit'sdark]

Hilary is covering her heart. She must love America the same way Bush does.

Does looking puzzled during the National Anthem mean you are puzzled by patriotism?

Questions like this could damage Bush's legacy.

[spidergoat]

Obviously, Obama is some kind of Al Quida sleeper agent.

[sowhatifit'sdark]

Yeah, and a stupid one like that. I mean if they can teach them to fly airplanes can't they teach them how to stand during the national anthem?

Oh, well shall see through their disguises when the anti-christs come to lead us to Sodom or Mecca or Las Vegas.

[oreodont]

Obviously, Obama is some kind of Al Quida sleeper agent.

True. following in the footsteps of that other sleeper agent, George W. Bush, who Pat Buchanan described as a 'one man wrecking ball destroying the reputation of the United States around the world'. There's no way Bush's disastrous foreign policy is an 'accident'. 'They' had it all planned.

Watch Obama respond to an attack by Saudi hijackers by invading Denmark or Togoland. It'll only cost another trillion bucks....a bargain at $18,000 dollars of borrowed money per family of four.

[iceaura]

Does this type of behavior bother you about him running for the highest office in the land?

You mean that he motivates people to reduce political discussion to this crap ? Nah. They all do.

I'm just happy the original story - that it was the Pledge of Allegiance he didn't hold his hand over his heart for - didn't take root in the rantoworld. We'd be yakking about whether it was the Christian God insertion (1954) that threw him off, whether his madrassa ever taught him how to do it, etc etc etc.

[Neildo]

Obama not placing his hand over his heart can't be any worse than this:



- N

[sowhatifit'sdark]

Obama not placing his hand over his heart can't be any worse than this:



- N

Thank you. Clearly GB finds our great nation nauseating.

[VRob]

That's where Reptiles hearts are located.

[cosmictraveler]

At least he does not bang staff or start unnecessary wars or sends jobs overseas

He isn't the President yet, give him an opportunity and he will end up like all the rest, corrupt, lying, cheating scumbag.

[sandy]

Muslims can't pledge allegiance to the American flag. But people keep saying Obama is not a muslim, so I guess he's just not patriotic, doesn't love America, and doesn't even pretend to care.

[Neildo]

Muslims can't pledge allegiance to the American flag.

Too bad for you, he does. He pledges allegiance to the flag with his hand over his heart. He just doesn't put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem as mentioned and shown in the link of the original post. Hell, I'm the same way. I'd say most people are. How many of you get up off the couch while watching a ballgame on the TV? I sure don't. I guess I'll just one-up George Dubya and place my hand over my crotch next time.

There's patriotism, then there's showmanship. That's all the National Anthem is. It's like people not giving a shit about the war in Iraq but has a ribbon or flag on their car. Or Christians that do all kinds of bad stuff or talk non-stop shit and hatred such as yourself but go to church on Sundays thinking it makes them better than others, rofl.

- N

[sandy]

Too bad for you, he does. He pledges allegiance to the flag with his hand over his heart. He just doesn't put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem as mentioned and shown in the link of the original post. Hell, I'm the same way. I'd say most people are. How many of you get up off the couch while watching a ballgame on the TV? I sure don't. I guess I'll just one-up George Dubya and place my hand over my crotch next time. - N

Oh, duh. My mistake. I still don't trust him. Any American who doesn't put his hand over his heart during the pledge is hiding something. Big. And for some guy who wants to be POTUS to do this is unforgivable.

No one expects anyone to do it at home alone but in public is different. It's a show of respect/patriotism.

[spidergoat]

Muslims can't pledge allegiance to the American flag. But people keep saying Obama is not a muslim, so I guess he's just not patriotic, doesn't love America, and doesn't even pretend to care.

Um, why do you say that? There are millions of American Muslims. There is a Muslim congressman, Keith Ellison.


Regarding his [Keith Ellison's] Muslim faith, he said, "people draw strength and moral courage from a variety of religious traditions."
"Mine have come from both Catholicism and Islam. I was raised Catholic and later became a Muslim while attending Wayne State University.

I suppose according to Sandy's rules, Ellison is still a Catholic.

[Neildo]

Any American who doesn't put his hand over his heart during the pledge is hiding something. Big. And for some guy who wants to be POTUS to do this is unforgivable.

Uh, again, he places his hand over his heart during the Pledge. The National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance are two separate things. One is showing allegiance to this country and the other is an old freakin' song that we gotta hear all the time which loses it's meaning, sorta like having the words freedom tossed around left and right during certain politicians speeches just to make themselves look better than others while they pass laws that screw us in the same way people that call themselves Christians just because they go to church on Sundays while going against the teachings of the Big J. Or worse, like a born-again Christian who are the most fucked up people in the world who lived lives of crime or were big time druggies, then all of a sudden after the fact say they accept Jesus and now everything is alright despite everything they did in the past. Worse, they try and ram it down our throats thinking we're like them, nothing but sinners as they were, needing to be saved like them all because they lived such a horrible past life before their turn-around. Not to mention the only ones making such a huge deal about Obama not placing his hand over his heart during a song are the same group of people listed above, the overzealous Christians making faith and patriotism the same thing always taking things too far because anyone else who doesn't abide are unpatriotic or heathen Muslims, etc etc etc.

- N

[mikenostic]

Yeah, that's a bit trivial, HOWEVER on the flipside, I'd expect a presidential candidate to know the words to our fuckin national anthem.
Would not knowing the words to the national anthem make Obama a shitty president? Not necessarily, but it does reflect bad on him.
I know the words, he should too.
I've been out of the Marines for a few years now but I still know every word of the Marines' hymn and I always will.

[S.A.M.]

Has anyone just asked him why?