Larry #18… How DID I miss this post! OMG, on the floor a’roar, I am.

So is this original? Or is this an uncredited cut paste?

If original, quit curing cancer and sign on as a SNL/Jay Leno/Letterman writer!

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@gitarcarver:

I have no desire for this thread to devolve into a “Yes he did”, “No he didn’t” sort of back and forth between the two of us.

It is widely known that members of the military, Marines in this case, are expected to salute the CIC as he approaches. That salute is to be held until the CIC passes.

It is widely known that the President is expected to return the salute as he approaches the Marine.

It is widely known that protocol does not call for the President to stop and shake hands with the Marine. The surprised/shocked facial expression of the Marine standing by the helicopter speaks volumes about this.

Those are the points that I was making with the original post.

The breach of widely known, historically recognized protocol is a clear demonstration of Obama’s cluelessness.

You say that you’ve read my writings and, if that’s true, then you should know that I have a firm command of the facts whenever I create a post or response. You should also know that I don’t back down from the facts. This occasion is no different.

Let me say that I’ve read your posts as well, and in that process, I’ve found that your writings are full of opinion and light on factual backing.

In your latest post you’ve added insult and invective to your quiver of arrows.

When you can find me something factual that backs up your claim that it is acceptable protocol for the CIC to interrupt a Marine in the process of saluting in order to shake his hand, let me know.

Until then, you have nothing to contribute beyond more meaningless words on the page with a few insults thrown in to break up the blandness.

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Aye Chihuahua:

What’s the source for your information?

The salute regulations are in the Marine Handbook and a supplement given to the members of HMX-1.

Whether the President may return the salute or not is cited by your own article.

The source of your mischaracterization of the Marine is the video itself.

As I said, this is a tempest in a leaky teapot.

There are plenty of things to bash Obama about that are real and legitimate. Whether he choses to salute, not salute or be friendly with a Marine is not one of them. If you want to raise this and then expect be taken seriously, that is on you.

Its stupid, childish, and petty.

You are above that. I have seen, read and enjoyed your writings. This issue is not of your caliber.

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Oh, what a hypocrite we have in Obama, the media and the dem leadership. Here’s Obama on the campaign trail:

“Barack Obama, in Harrisburg to campaign in the Pennsylvania primary, drew applause from a crowd at The Forum with lines like these: “We need to break the politics of fear that uses 9/11 to scare up votes”; a promise to “obey the Constitution of the United States”; and an aspiration to “disagree without being disagreeable.”

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/03/live_blogging_barack_obamas_ha.html

Anyone else recall the eight years of accusations waged against President Bush for “politics of fear?

Isn’t that what Obama and company are doing now? Shortly after the election of President Bush, dems and press were eager to call him on his mild comments about the economy that had been in recession for 9 months, comments that never included terms like:

“Worst economy since the depression” Here are a few the following article mentions:

“From crisis to catastrophe. Off a cliff. Dark, darker, darkest. Mortal danger of absolute collapse. Armageddon. ”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/09/ramped-up-obama-rhetoric-could-backfire/

They are the ones that are “off a cliff” and into a deep ravine.

Carter is also mentioned for his malaise rhetoric, Clinton, for some reason, escaped scrutiny for practicing the politics of fear throughout his campaign when it was the economy stupid, worst economy since Hoover, etc. Hypocrites, one and all.

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@gitarcarver:

What’s the source for your information?

Cite it for me.

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Aye Chihuahua
Perhaps you missed what I said.

I didn’t miss it. What you stated was incorrect.

You wrote: The Commander in Chief is supposed to salute the Marine standing outside the helicopter, not shake hands with him.

That is incorrect. The President may return the salute or not.

By protocol, the President is expected to return the salute, which he did.

No sir. Once again, the salute may either be returned or the Marine will remain saluting until the CIC has passed.

If the President chooses to address the soldier or shake his hand, there is no regulation or protocol that prevents him from doing so.

Hence the surprised expression, the brief handshake, and the immediate return to salute by the Marine.

Except the Marine does not have a “surprised expression” on his face. Of course, anyone would be slightly surprised if the President stopped by to shake their hand while they were doing their job. Perhaps you may be different.

This is a tempest in a teapot with a leak in the bottom.

Obama did nothing wrong and neither did the Marine.

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@gitarcarver:

Perhaps you missed what I said.

By protocol, the President is expected to return the salute, which he did.

The President is not supposed to break protocol by shaking hands with the Marine.

The Marine is to hold his salute until the CIC has passed by.

Hence the surprised expression, the brief handshake, and the immediate return to salute by the Marine.

I wonder if the Marine will get any flack for shaking hands without removing his glove.

Roll the tape:

Background on where the tradition began:

PRESIDENTIAL TRADITION

I never ceased to enjoy reviewing our men and women in uniform and hope I started a new tradition for presidents.

As commander in chief, I discovered it was customary for our uniformed men and women to salute whenever they saw me. When I’d walk down the steps of a helicopter, for example, there was always a marine waiting there to salute me. I was told presidents weren’t supposed to return salutes, so I didn’t, but this made me feel a little uncomfortable. Normally, a person offering a salute waits until it is returned, then brings down his hand. Sometimes, I realized, the soldier, sailor, marine, or airman giving me a salute wasn’t sure when he was supposed to lower his hand.

Initially, I nodded and smiled and said hello and thought maybe that would bring down the hand, but usually it didn’t.

Finally, one night when Nancy and I were attending a concert at the Marine Corps headquarters, I told the commandant of marines, “I know it’s customary for the president to receive these salutes, but I was once an officer and realize that you’re not supposed to salute when you’re in civilian clothes. I think there ought to be a regulation that the president could return a salute inasmuch as he is commander in chief and civilian clothes are his uniform.”

“Well, if you did return a salute,” the general said, “I don’t think anyone would say anything to you about it.”

The next time I got a salute, I saluted back. A big grin came over the marine’s face and down came his hand. From then on, I always returned salutes. When George Bush followed me into the White House, I encouraged him to keep up the tradition.

I fear that Obama may yet take up this regrettable Reagan-invented “tradition.” But I’d rather that he remember his place as a civilian and continue to shake hands.

Too late Larry, he’s already started doing it. In fact he started saluting on his Inauguration day.

So sorry you’re disappointed with the guy you voted for.

Just remember, you’re not alone in your disappointment.

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Aye Chihuahua
The Commander in Chief is supposed to salute the Marine standing outside the helicopter, not shake hands with him.

Sorry, but this is not the case. The President does not have the obligation to salute the Marine. Reagan started the salute as a sign of repect to the men and women who guard him. At the time, it was against military rules for the Marine to salute the President as the president is not in uniform and only those in uniform may be saluted. The military has since revised its rules to allow the return of a salute by the President.

Larry Weisenthal:
Presidents didn’t salute, until Reagan, who was influenced by too many WWII movies.

Actually you are wrong. Washington returned the salute of those around him when he was president. The tradition of salutiing “broke” when there were presidents who had not served in the military.

Your snark towards Reagan is beneath contempt. Reagan recognized that the men and women of the military were important and often overlooked. He recognized that in the military a salute has historical and contemporay meaning and is given and returned as a sign of respect.

I always thought that Reagan looked ridiculous, standing there in a business suit, doing a military salute.

You are free to have that opinion. God forbid that the commander in chief ever shows respect and appreciation to the men and women who serve beneath him.

I fear that Obama may yet take up this regrettable Reagan-invented “tradition.” But I’d rather that he remember his place as a civilian and continue to shake hands.

And I fear that Obama is disdainful of the men and women who serve this country.

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No This is the opportunity of the dems to pass all the items on their wish list I just hope republicans in both houses will hold firm and let the dems own this garbage, The dems are loth to pass this on a partisan basis They can’t blame the republicans when it fails. The republicans might as well accept this fact. They will get no legislature done for the next two years. It will probably take a generation to straighten out this mess and it is not certain we have the opportunity then either. Our young people are being brainwashed every day from pre- kindergarden through college and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

This administration is a joke. It’s as if Obama is dredging up all the sludge from the bottom. If this is the best he can do for the top posts, goodness knows what the middle and bottom look like. All his Chicago pals, ACORN and UAW thugs? And really, impeachment is not an option. Look who inherits after him: Biden, Pelosi and Clinton. What a choice. The Dunce. The Dimwit. And Clinton. There are meriad descriptions to fit her, none of them good. All four arrogant as hell.

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Regardless of tax rates, revenues are always right around 18% of GDP.

Historically, this is true (I like your graphic). But it tells us mostly that sensible, or at least sane people have set US tax policy over the past 50 years. It’s not a law of nature, and I’m sure that if you were able to get decent statistics on the 19th century US or for that matter other countries of the present day you would find other numbers.

The graphic that shows revenues not correlated with (top end) tax rates, on the other hand, doesn’t tell us much. Looking at it we could imagine that the top bracket of taxpayers payed less while others paid more (as the top end rate dropped), so that the tax system became less progressive while overall revenues were by necessity maintained at a fairly constant level. Now as it happens that is not exactly what happened either, but the graph really tells us very little.

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