Monday, February 11, 2008

First Citizen

* you might want to turn the volume down a bit *
I'm not kidding... it will be quite painful if you don't




The President of the United States is an elected official with a national constituency. We expect that when we grant this honor that the person accepting it acts in a manner that represents us all. Being the chief executor of our laws he should attempt to remain above public pettiness and display honorable character if for nothing else than setting an example of honorable citizenship for our youth. The President could be thought of as the First Citizen.

If anyone not particularly relgious finds themselves a diner guest and the host says grace then it is no big deal to bow one's head as well. It is not the moment to make displays of one's own opinion of religious matters. It is the graceful thing to do.

In like manner, placing ones hand over the heart during the display of the colors and/or the national anthem is a small thing considering the far greater price to self that others have made to make that moment possible. For many of us it a reflexive thing we've done since we were children. It's no big deal. Probably isn't taught in madrasas.

I am starting to think that Obama is a petty and ungracious man. He avoided shaking Hillary's hand at the SOTU. He dropped wearing the flag pin giving some vapid explanation about it being misused symbolically. So in the video is he trying to make some statement? Is it that the he believes the country doesn't deserve his respect or is it because of our country's less than perfect past ? Is it shame ? What motives him to withold a simple gesture ? Arrogance ? Perhaps a messianic complex putting himself above what is expected of we mere mortals ?

Senator, the messiah thing only works on the kids. Eventually they will open the pretty package and find, to their disappointment, nothing inside. Unfortunately, considering it has taken 16 years for the Left to figure out what souless power-hungry liars and masters of the politics of personal destruction the Clintons are, then I doubt it will have dawned on them by Novemeber.
What happened to the America I knew ?

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