This guy doesn't want you to blame him...

[McLovin]

So if Stalin became leader of the US, I should respect him?! That's being a subservient bitch. Respect is earned based on your character and deeds, nothing else. Anything else is religious voodoo. Performing rituals to please the gods.

Not one bit, IMO. Especially if it was someone like Stalin who murdered his own people. You can bet your ass I would stand up to that.

 

[McLovin]

Im sure you were up in arms about Clinton/Bush etc bashing shirts, stickers as well right?

Nope, because to the best of my knowledge not one of them mentioned their skin color.

And for the record, I did not vote for Obama in either election, did not vote for Mittens, and I am a registered Republican.

 

[Mixolydian]

How can you believe that? We elect presidents essentially in the same way that people vote for the winner of American Idol. A bunch of idiots pressed a button in a voting booth and now he's president. That's no basis for respect of any kind IMO. I'm not nearly as mad at Obama as lxskllr is, but even I see that.

That's how it's always worked. If you don't like it, you should leave.

So if Stalin became leader of the US, I should respect him?! That's being a subservient bitch. Respect is earned based on your character and deeds, nothing else. Anything else is religious voodoo. Performing rituals to please the gods.

You should respect whoever is leading your country. That doesn't mean you have to like them - you can hate them all you want - but you should still respect them. Disrespecting your leader is disrespecting your country.

 

[SAWYER]

People do not have the right to not be offended. Is the shirt dumb? Yes imo but there are much worse things going on in the world, but then again I am not one who gets offended over stuff.

 

[halik]

You live in the south

 

[boochi]

Doesn't matter how much you agree or disagree with their politics, you should always have respect for the person running your country. Respect is not the same as "liking" a person.

What? I should have respect for someone that was elected by a mass of low information voters? Go fuck yourself.

 

[highland145]

You live in the south

AZ

 

[SAWYER]

Racism and stupidity are not geographically exclusive to any area

 

[Mixolydian]

What? I should have respect for someone that was elected by a mass of low information voters? Go fuck yourself.

Yes, you should. But maybe I'm just more patriotic than some.

 

[lxskllr]

Disrespecting your leader is disrespecting your country.

We have a core philosophical difference. My country isn't a person, flag, building, or occupation. It's the people that strive to live up to the ideals of the country's founding. Those people get my respect. Those that work against those principles get my contempt. Someone saying "Fuck Obama!" is much less disrespectful of the country than one who lies to gain power, and clandestinely works against the country's principles, and against the *people*. The people are the country. Not all the symbolic bullshit.

 

[GasX]

The problem here is with the OP. Taking offense at things should be considered more of a character flaw than a right.

 

[Mixolydian]

We have a core philosophical difference. My country isn't a person, flag, building, or occupation. It's the people that strive to live up to the ideals of the country's founding. Those people get my respect. Those that work against those principles get my contempt. Someone saying "Fuck Obama!" is much less disrespectful of the country than one who lies to gain power, and clandestinely works against the country's principles, and against the *people*. The people are the country. Not all the symbolic bullshit.

"The people" elected the leader.

 

[lxskllr]

"The people" elected the leader.

Based on lies and fraud. A lead bar plated in gold doesn't deserve special attention if it was sold as being solid gold.

 

[John Connor]

Actually, those that don't vote cannot be blamed for the failures of ALL of these politicians!!!

I don't blame the politicians, I blame the Voter!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efKguI0NFek

This is what I have been saying all along. It's the fucking people's fault!

 

[McLovin]

We have a core philosophical difference. My country isn't a person, flag, building, or occupation. It's the people that strive to live up to the ideals of the country's founding. Those people get my respect. Those that work against those principles get my contempt. Someone saying "Fuck Obama!" is much less disrespectful of the country than one who lies to gain power, and clandestinely works against the country's principles, and against the *people*. The people are the country. Not all the symbolic bullshit.

My question to you, and understand I am not disagreeing with you, is that if the people of this country elect one person to the highest position in the land and that person/position represents us, the people, could you not make the argument that your country at a given point and time, could be that person? It seems like to me you can go back through our recorded history and just by looking at who was President at the time, what the state of our country is in.

Based on your point of view, with Obama being a Liar and traitor, I could see people looking back at this time period and say 'Wow it looks like the country was full of turmoil, and with seemingly the wrong person to be leader in place". Take the same view and look at say the 1940's where you saw the same individual elected to 4 consecutive terms that lead us out of one of the darkest period in our history to becoming the world power we are today.

 

[John Connor]

"Don't blame me I voted Romney."

 

[lxskllr]

My question to you, and understand I am not disagreeing with you, is that if the people of this country elect one person to the highest position in the land and that person/position represents us, the people, could you not make the argument that your country at a given point and time, could be that person? It seems like to me you can go back through our recorded history and just by looking at who was President at the time, what the state of our country is in.

You could make that argument, but I think it's a weak one. See my reply above regarding lead and gold. We don't have leaders anymore. We have people that consult spreadsheets to determine what views they should hold to get and retain power.

We have "leaders" that promise free shit to the people, and people like free shit. Their own interests come at the expense of the whole. You may note that this view is in opposition of my support of "the people" I mentioned earlier, and you're right. I tend to hold contempt for the general population also, but I don't entirely blame them. When people are pushed to do great things, the cream will rise to the top. Doing great things requires great leaders. I guess it's patronizing, but people need to be shown how to be great, and they need to be aware that life sucks. Equal opportunity doesn't mean equal outcome, but we all have a role play, down to the lowest person in society. I'm not the biggest fan of Kennedy, but these were great words...

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.

Take the same view and look at say the 1940's where you saw the same individual elected to 4 consecutive terms that lead us out of one of the darkest period in our history to becoming the world power we are today.

That world power cuts both ways. We went from being the Good Guy™, to being a bully, and a dishonest imperialist. It's led to many of the problems we see today. That happened because we lost the path, and strayed from our roots.

 

[qtnguyen87]

How is this worse than people voting for Obama twice. Once I can understand, but twice?

There are more POOR people in USA than there are Middle/Upper class people.

Guess who voted for him.....

 

[KMFJD]

What? I should have respect for someone that was elected by a mass of low information voters? Go fuck yourself.

Enough about Bush, i thought we are supposed to be outraged by Obama now!

 

[IEC]

There are more POOR people in USA than there are Middle/Upper class people.

Guess who voted for him.....

People who are apparently okay with the government spying on them, executing American citizens by drone strike, and kicking off gun control by sending thousands of weapons to the Mexican cartels.

Enjoy your police state. It's only going to get worse as long as we keep voting in big government types of EITHER party.

 

[Ichinisan]

I don't understand why people where this shit in public and think it's acceptable. I wanted to ask this guy why he felt it was appropriate, but I'm sure it would have ended badly.

We also have some people driving around with big signs on the back of their trucks that say:

DOES THIS ASS MAKE MY TRUCK LOOK BIG? with a picture of Obama next to it.

The shirt is racist and unacceptable. The truck sticker sounds pretty cool...if it was an original idea.

 

[Ichinisan]

You should respect whoever is leading your country. That doesn't mean you have to like them - you can hate them all you want - but you should still respect them. Disrespecting your leader is disrespecting your country.

Bush Jr. got no respect. Did you complain about that?

 

[Mixolydian]

Bush Jr. got no respect. Did you complain about that?

Of course.

 

[John Connor]

"Disrespecting your leader is disrespecting your country"

I wonder if those poor bastards who starve in Korea care to respect their leader. How about China? Please!

 

[McLovin]

"Disrespecting your leader is disrespecting your country"

I wonder if those poor bastards who starve in Korea care to respect their leader. How about China? Please!

Using your and lxskllr's examples above, I would think that his view would most likely be different if the President were Stalin and Kim-WTF-ever, but thankfully he has not committed mass genocide.

That is something I would emphatically and patriotically give up my life to fight against, especially since it would honor my Grandfather's sacrifice of doing the EXACT same thing.

To that point, if his view stayed the same with someone like Stalin or Kim-WTF-ever in place, then he would are no better then the Germans who allowed Hitler to come into and stay in power. In that case, he and others like him would deserve what they got.