While there are those who want to label the stunt as "unconscionable, inappropriate, offensive and disrespectful" of the office of the Presidency, I have one question for them. Where were you during the insanely ugly character attacks that were taking place on the last President? Remember the college professor who encouraged his students to write an essay that involved the murder of the President? Why weren't you calling for his life-time ban from teaching? Or financial consequences for the University that employed him?
Why is there freedom of speech for those who hate conservative ideology, the Constitution, or God; but the First Amendment doesn't apply to those of us who disagree with you? And now Missouri's state branch of the NAACP has rushed to call the incident a "hate crime". From my understanding, a hate crime generally refers to criminal acts that are seen to have been motivated by bias against a racial group, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or gender identity. I don't see how any of those can be proven based on the statement or actions in the arena that night.
And racism isn't the only charge, Mary Ratliff, the NAACP President is levying. “We are taxpayers in the state of Missouri,” she said in an interview last week, “and when taxpayer money is utilized to discredit and be disrespectful to our president, whether he be black, white, Hispanic, Latina…it is an outrage.” Again, I go back to the University professor and his outrage against President Bush. That college receives funding from the American taxpayer. Where was the NAACP then?
Even the Senator from Missouri is climbing on the "we have to protect the American taxpayer" bandwagon, insinuating that the Missouri State Fair receives federal funding, which must now be considered. There are even those calling for the Department of Justice and the Secret Service to investigate! Do I have to say it again ... remember the University professor?!?
Whether the White House is quiet on this incident because it is nonsense and unworthy of such hubbub, or they are leaving it to others to stir the flames of racism, hate and controversy, I find it undeserving of such debate. There are far more reprehensible actions we should be shining the national spotlight on ... is this really what we should be focusing on? Does it really rival Benghazi, Egypt, the IRS or NSA? REALLY? And at the root of all this dissension is the unanswered question .... was it the wearing of the mask that you found offensive and beneath the dignity of the Presidency, or was it that you just didn't like what it stood for to that audience? Perhaps that is what we should really be debating.
Ephesians 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Amen.
ReplyDeleteThat about says it all!
DeleteIf I became outraged and demanded federal intervention for every insult I "perceived," I would live a sad life and seriously annoy a lot of government bureaucrats. (Ok, so the second part of my statement isn't necessarily a bad thing.)
ReplyDeleteAnybody remember this movie - "Death of a President" -- an odious film that justified a black man killing President George W. Bush because of America's "War on Terror"?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853096/
This movie was celebrated, where the director Gabriel Range justified his movie with a truly lame excuse: "a starting point for an exploration of what I think are some really serious issues." Range's wretched "work of art" even won a prize at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006. It's been a while, but I don't remember anybody demanding a Justice Department investigation, or "sensitivity training" for Mr. Range.
The rodeo incident in question was in poor taste. Then again, so is pretty much any joke on Saturday Night Live or network comedy.
It is also a another excellent example of hypocricy from the Left. Anything outrageous from their ranks is justifiable and acceptable. Anything from the Right is wrong and needs silencing with mandatory re-education.
If the Left wants the Office of the Presidency to retain the highest levels of respect and dignity, perhaps they should work hard to keep it that way: accepting a Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing, giving ill-considered apology speeches in foreign countries, playing cards while Navy SEALs take down Bin Laden, spouting off on the Harvard Police force before knowing facts, telling America Trayvon Martin looked like your non-existent son, going to bed while an American Ambassador is murdered in Ben Ghazi, exerting Executive Privilege while your Attorney General exports illegal guns into Mexico, lying about your role in the Sequester, lying about your position on the 2nd Amendment, lying about the Healthcare Reform Act ("Obama-Care"), making ill-conceived statements about military justice with regard to sexual assault trials, refusing to call Nidal Hassan's attack at Ft. Hood terrorism while using Homeland Security to scrutinize veterans as 'extremists," etc. etc. etc. My list is just what comes to mind to ad to your examples and does nothing to increase my respect for the Presidency!
The Rodeo Clown story is just one more example of how our political opponents use a double-standard to force others to be silent. Of course, if I use their logic, I must therefore be the worst kind of racist...nothing else makes sense in their dialectic.
I can tell that this controversy hits a nerve with you, as it does with me and a large part of the American population! If this much scrutiny could be applied to what's going on "behind the Wizard's curtain", perhaps we could get to the bottom of all the scandals that are marring the reputation of our nation, and wounding the heart and soul of every American. Once again, you've left no stone unturned, my friend!
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