"A must read From Sunday's Televised "Meet the Press" Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag. Obama Explains National Anthem Stance
Sun, 07 Sept. 2008 11:48:04 EST, General Bill Ginn' USAF (ret.) asked Obama to explain why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played. The General also stated to the Senator that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171...During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. At the very least, "Stand and Face It"
Senator Obama Live on Sunday states, "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides, Obama said. 'There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I MIGHT salute it."We should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love.
My wife disrespects the Flag for many personal reasons. Together she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past, many years ago. She has her views and I have mine"."
it is false -- seems that it all started because he was seen without his hand on his heart. BUT custom says when the anthem is played, you can just face the flag. Not that I endorse one way or the other, but now you know "the rest of the story"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp
thanks for clearing that up!
ReplyDeletecindy gave me the website factcheck.org... by searching "saluting the flag" this came up:
ReplyDeleteThat's false. The quote was one conservative writer's idea of a joke, which has been picked up and repeated as though it were true in a chain e-mail.
This is a ridiculous example of how false stories are started, spread and, in many cases, believed.
It began with a column dated Oct. 27, 2007, on a Web site called the Arizona Conservative, which is written by John Semmens and clearly labeled as humor. His column, in fact, is called "Semi-News -- A Satirical Look at Recent News."
Nevertheless, his column on Obama has been copied and sent around in e-mails, masquerading as true stories. The reader who asked us about it said he received it from a conservative Republican coworker. The e-mail included a note calling Obama's candidacy "a joke."
In this case, the joke is the message falsely quoting Obama, and it's on whomever is gullible enough to believe it's true.
Footnote: For background on the "news" that Semmens was satirizing, see our Jan. 10 article, "Sliming Obama." Also, thanks to Snopes.com for tracking down the source of this latest e-mail falsehood.