Der President's message was not exactly met with great enthusiasm at this year's Scouting Nation. You know, the event that was less important that appearing on The Sycophants.
I heard of a scout in the late '90's who could have gotten his Eagle badge when he was 15. He wanted to wait, as he did not want his certificate signed by Bill Clinton. There may be hope yet.
Of course the left will bemoan the lack of courtesy on the part of the Scouts. I don't care. There comes a point when you must stand up and be heard.
HT: Big Journalism
Repeat after me, width 480...
ReplyDeleteFixed it for you, you're welcome.
I don't think the Boy Scouts used the right venue for their booing. They could have stayed seated and not clapped. They also could have not used his taped statement.
ReplyDeleteI just don't think it was right. Even if I understand the sentiment.
"They also could have not used his taped statement. "
ReplyDeleteHuh?
afw, I'm inclined to agree with you - that was my initial reaction.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in defense of the Boy Scouts, I'll note a couple other things I noticed from the clip:
1) the atmosphere of the event more closely resembled "rock concert" rather than "solemn ceremony". People were milling about some substantial distance from a huge screen and booming loudspeakers - the "social cues" for good behavior were absent, and the social cues for "mob behavior" were present in abundance.
2) there was no recognized leader who was orchestrating the response. It looked spontaneous.
If the Scouts had been seated in rows, otherwise exhibiting decorum, and been exhorted to boo the President by a recognized leader at a podium, I'd be downright disturbed...
...but then this describes perfectly what the President and Congress did to the Supreme Court during the State of the Union address. Innit?
AFW - I must disagree.
ReplyDeleteIt was completely, totally and utterly 'right' that the BSA, the youngest member of which has more patriotism and honor than Barry has shown in his whole life, are free to boo the useless bastard who would rather pimp himself on the view than to speak live at the 100th aniversary of an organization that will be here, doing good, long after he is nothing more than a footnote in history*.
* Look under 'Fake American Presidents'.
Maybe if they threw their shoes at the screen they would be honored as standing up for Freedom of Speech.
ReplyDeleteThey were booing a video of someone who could not be bothered to do what so many before him has done.
While I do agree in my heart agree with AFW, I also feel that to be upset at the Scout's reaction is the same as saying we should allow the mosque at Ground zero in order to show that we believe in diversity.
ReplyDeleteObama would rather piss on the Boy Scouts than look at them. He would rather sell the country down the drain than say the Pledge of Alegence.
But we are still expected to treat this man as a man of honor?
It is not a matter of disagreement. It is a matter of his clear demonstration of hatred towards this country and its people.
I think it is a good thing that he learn that he sees that we are not quiet sheep beeing led to the slaughter.
Okay, so my question in #3 was, wasn't his only statement a "taped" Statement?
ReplyDeleteWhat other Statement was there?
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ReplyDeleteHow do you show courtesy, or lack of it, to a video tape? I agree, and more, with Lewy14, the President's diss of the Supreme Court was far more egregious...their quiet response, face to face, not tape, was courteous.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they even bother to show it, rather than just print out the President's comments in a hand out?
Ari - or better yet, have a muppet Obama stand-in. He can sing about the letter 'O'.
ReplyDelete"Today's Obama Street has been brought to you by the letter B and S, and by the number 0."
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly sure that Obama and his ilk regard the Boy Scouts as a predominantly white, conservative organization. IOW, the enemy. Obama blew off a golden opportunity to build a bridge between himself and traditional American values because, IMO, he loathes everything the Scouts believe in.
ReplyDeleteFlip side. We teach our children to revere the office of POTUS. We teach our children courtesy and manners. We teach our children to stand straight and tall, and to defend the values and principles that forged our great country.
After watching the video and thinking about it awhile, I come down with AFW on this one. The Scouts should have listened to the taped message quietly, and not clapped. Just because Obama & Co. act like Jr. High school brats doesn't mean we should allow our children emulate their bad behavior.
Fay - I mean that they could have not shown the statement at all. If they were insulted by it (and under the circumstances I'd be as well). I think that that is a more fitting response by the Boy Scouts than the booing.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I totally understand the sentiment behind it. I have to bite my tongue more often than not when talking about the administration (because I have an issue with having a bit of a potty mouth under normal circumstances), and I do it because I remember how furious I was when people treated President Bush like shit. It wasn't right - they didn't have to agree with him. That's what happens in politics - shit happens. A lot of it. But I refuse to look as ugly as those people did. And they were HIDEOUS. Every time they said "Bush" in that trademarked left sneer they were revoltingly hideous.
I don't want to be like that. And I don't want my kids to be like that. So no matter how much I am horrified by the administration's policies, we always refer to him as "President Obama" in this house. Because he is. Whether I like it or not (NOT!).
I don't think this is like the Ground Zero mosque at all. The Mosque, and it's builders, are not the leaders of the free world. How can we expect foreign countries to respect the United States when we are disrespecting our own leaders? We give what we get, and I think we saw that in spades during the Bush presidency. The rest of the world felt they had carte blanche to treat America like the left in America treated President Bush.
I will NEVER make an excuse for the harm I think this administration is doing. I will never keep my opinion in check about it. But I will present my opinion as an adult and not like a spoiled teenager who has seen too many episodes of Jersey Shore. (just to clarify, I'm not accusing anyone here of that - just going along in the same vein as the leftist "Bush" sneer).
Thanks for the explanation afw.
ReplyDeleteBut doesn't there come a time when people should say "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore?"
ReplyDeleteMatt - I think so. But I've also watched a lot of arguments politically between people who are good friends in other areas. I grew up in politics, thanks to my family.
ReplyDeleteThat behavior doesn't make the statement people think it does. I think the bigger statement would have been Boy Scouts, not booing, but deciding to leave when the video was announced.
The Boy Scouts could have appeared rational to some who are not quite on the fence, but approaching it. Instead, those who did the cheering chose to appear as the very stereotype the supporters of the administration wish them to.
We all want the flashy response that agrees with what we are saying. But that is preaching to the choir. There is a time and place for that - after all, if the choir doesn't hear the message, they find another place to sing.
I do know that I've gotten a lot further with my left-leaning family understanding that (a) some people will never change their opinion, even if the President were to sacrifice small children at an altar in the Oval Office and air it on network pre-empting American Idol, and (b) when I point things out rationally and without the screaming they are more likely to respond.
Something else I've noticed: Buyers remorse. Some of the people I talk to who voted for President Obama are supremely uncomfortable with what he has done. However, they need that final push to renounce their support. That push is not going to come from booing Boy Scouts, as that just makes the whole "persecuted by racists!" meme more entrenched (it doesn't have to be true, especially for people grasping for straws).
I love the way Cassandra at Villainous Company discusses the situations. I've seen her "convert" more people than any other online writer, and I think that her approach is exactly why. We need more like her, I think.
"Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary," St Francis of Assisi
"'Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary,' St Francis of Assisi"
ReplyDeleteMighty powerful words.
AFW - I understand your reasoning here, and even agree, intellectually. It would be very good if everyone acted respectfully.
ReplyDeleteBut emotionally, I understand why the boys in this video reacted as they did.
Their organization's centennial was essentially dismissed by its supposed honorary chairman so that he could stump for goodwill to prop up his already failed administration.
Perhaps the leadership of BSA should not have played the video, but that would really have been a sign of disrespect, from the adults, instead of the boys.