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"There's a hole in the bottom of the ocean. Unemployment is still near 10 percent. There are two wars underway. And what are conservative pundits fretting about? That this year President Obama won't be laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.

The liberal watchdog outfit, Media Matters, has been keeping track of this latest right-wing meme:

- Glenn Beck says, "Obama is skipping out on a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington Cemetery because he'll be in Chicago on vacation. I'm sorry, I don't ever, ever question the president's vacation. I didn't under Bush, I didn't under Clinton, I don't under Obama. . . . I have no problem with the man taking a vacation. But I am sick and tired -- sick and tired -- of people believing the lie that this administration has respect for the police or has respect for the soldiers of our country. I'm tired of it."

- Erick Erickson, a conservative blogger and CNN contributor, tweeted, "Obama skipping the Tomb of the Unknowns this weekend for Chicago is offensive. Chicago can wait. The Commander-in-Chief has a job to do."

- Noting that Vice President Joe Biden will assume the wreath-laying duties this year, Doug Powers, a guest blogger for conservative Michelle Malkin, grouses, "President Obama went to Arlington Cemetery to lay the wreath last year, but this year Obama's handing the wreath to [Biden] and heading off to the more welcoming political climes of Chicago. . . . Obama will however make it back to Washington in time to honor Paul McCartney next week. Boy, I'm starting to think that West Point speech [Obama gave this past weekend] wasn't from the heart."

You'd think these folks would have better things to gripe about. And Obama is not retreating on Memorial Day. (What president would?) Instead of visiting Arlington cemetery, Obama and the first lady will participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill., about 50 miles south of Chicago. Moreover, not every president has spent Memorial Day at Arlington. In 1983, President Reagan was at a summit meeting, and the deputy secretary of defense -- not even the veep! -- placed the wreath. Nine years later, President George H.W. Bush passed off the wreath to Vice President Dan Quayle (who had used family connections to get a slot in the National Guard during the days of the Vietnam War draft). And in 2007, Vice President Dick Cheney took on the wreath mission, while President George W. Bush was in Texas, perhaps clearing brush.

This wreath scuffle is yet another silly episode in the right's never-ending campaign to persuade Americans that Obama doesn't care about U.S. troops and is weak on national security. It shows how unserious these bloviators can be. Obama is in the middle of sending an additional 40,000 troops to Afghanistan and has boosted the number of drone attacks aimed at al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Still, conservative wingnuts insist on questioning his commitment to the defense of this nation. (I'm skeptical of the Afghanistan surge, but it certainly is a commitment to the war -- for at least the time being.)

Obama appears to approach his commander-in-chief responsibilities in an appropriately profound manner. Last fall, he made a midnight visit to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of dead GIs -- which his predecessor never did. Two weeks later, he was in Arlington cemetery on Veterans Day, placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and greeting mourners who had come to this garden of stones and death on that cold and wet day. One of those was James Gordon Meek, a reporter for The New York Daily News, who happened to be at the cemetery visiting friends and relatives buried there. Afterward, Meek wrote a wonderfully poignant column:

What I got was an unexpected look into the eyes of a man who intertwined his roles as commander in chief and consoler in chief on a solemn day filled with remembrance and respect for sacrifices made -- and sacrifices yet to be made.

I'm sure the cynics will assume this was just another Obama photo op.

If they'd been standing in my boots looking him in the eye, they would have surely choked on their bile.

His presence in Section 60 convinced me that he now carries the heavy burden of command.

So what the hell do these conservatives want out of Obama? And does it matter if Obama throws some leaves on a tomb?

The president is now prosecuting two wars, both of which are insufficiently covered in the media -- which includes conservative talk radio and blogs. The war in Afghanistan hit the artificial milestone of 1,000 dead U.S. soldiers last week, and it is costing taxpayers around $100 billion a year (which could finance, say, up to 2 million teaching jobs annually). Yet the war is hardly debated on Capitol Hill. It registers barely a blip in the cable news world. I don't see right-wing agitators paying much more attention to this endeavor than anyone else. As Memorial Day approaches, it is a perfect time to reflect on this ongoing war -- whether it is worth the cost in lives and treasure, whether it is being waged in an effective manner, whether it is truly making us safer. Instead, conservative pundits absurdly turn Memorial Day into political ammo to further their vicious crusade against the president. That dishonors those who rendered the ultimate sacrifice for this country."

click here

I thought this was going to be a happy, friendly thread.

Anyway, have a nice Memorial Day weekend all. Weather looks good.

Memorial Day should be a solemn day, not just an excuse for picnics and beer.

And not another excuse just to attack the Commander In Chief.

I currently have 5 members of my family serving in the military- I think about them all the time.


Keep your loved ones who serve in your thoughts as well.

And not another excuse just to attack the Commander In Chief.
- FB


Um, whens the last time ANY commander in chief was attacked on Mem. Day for his whereabouts?


FAIL.

A BIG "THANK YOU" to all who've served and especially to those who've laid down their lives in service.


Happy Memorial you idiots- enjoy your BBQs and Beer & Flyers.

Yes, by all means- let's get back to that beer and babyback.


Shout out to that not hollow show of thanks from Hallmark in 736.

As long as we get that generic "thank you for your service" in- I'm sure our troopers like section don't see right thru that.


Here's a genuine thank you Section and others reading this. It's only because of tough son of a bitches like you that we get to whine and moan about how fucked up things are. We all have the freedom, because you represent an ideal on our behalf. And yes, I think that those who died with the uniform on deserve slightly more than a passing "Thanks! Where's the BBQ?"



Salute.

Fred,

You started this thread in the most hollow of ways- with 10 eye drying and senses dulling cut-n-paste paragraphs bashing conservatives for "attacking the commander in cheif" from an article that you laughably provided a link to.

(Presumeably so we can see who penned it and from what publication??-- cos damn if you didnt chew up some bandwidth with your rhetoric, well, someone elses which you agree with).

Then when your leveraging of a Memorial Day Thread in order to climb atop your (sturdy) soap box yet (again) was called out by SLAP you offer up a lame "5 of my family serves & I think about em all the time".


Some of my best friends are black too, FWIW.
Both are likely true, but you get the jist- after that deeply profound offerring of yours I'd not be tossing rocks at my expression of grattitude.


Your idiocy is remarkable and almost beautiful in its own way.

Some of my best friends are black too, FWIW


I highly doubt it

You'd be surprised.

Not all are blowhards looking for racism at every turn- and those cats are cool to chill with.


Fred- the S1W's have disbanded.

Enjoy life a little.

And enjoy your beer, brats and Flyboys this wkd.

Sincerely.

Thanks Fred...

I've been in the Air Force for 30 years... Seen a lot of crazy shit but for the most part it’s been a good ride. I've been very fortunate in my career. I've only had to serve in a combat zone a few times.

Probably the saddest thing I've seen lately was a friend getting buried at Arlington National Cemetery a few years back. He got killed in Iraq by a road side bomb. He certainly made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Not trying to bum anyone out so I hope everyone enjoys this Memorial Day weekend and LETS KICK SOME AZZ FLYERS!

RIP to your friend, section371.

"Memorial Day should be a solemn day"



Post the texts or emails from your relatives that are actually serving that agree with that.

NTFF!

And then plz post their full fledged agreement with your grandstanding defense of a weak 'attack on obamma' in a thread dedicated each year out here for those who served.

I had a great uncle, called him "Uncle Harlan". Soft spoken, big, nice guy. I knew he served in the Infantry in WWII (got a purple heart and a decoration of valor), but at the time that I was old enough to ask questions, I was told not to ask Uncle Harlan anything pertaining to his service or the war. When I was 13 and at my Nana's shore house, he spilled his guts to me about what happened over there, and it was pretty compelling and gut-wrenching. Didn't ask, he just told me.

I say this because my family used to have a party every memorial day at our house which was pretty much the party to represent the opening of the pool at our place. Uncle Harlan never missed it.

Every Memorial Day, I think about both of those things.

Hook, was that his tacit approval of the celebrations of Memorial Day? I'm curious what those guys saw. I stayed at a hotel in Germany about 10 years ago and the innkeep (small place) was a former tank driver. Between my miniscule German and his even more minute command of English, he shared several stories.

It's too bad that Glenn and Juan-Carlos in 736 have to make a mockery of this thread when some people actually want to take it seriously, for once.


Everything's not a joke, boys.

What is a joke is that you declare the tone for how Memorial Day Celebrations should be, based on some murky association of yours with peeps who's true attitudes we know not.



Celebrate or don't celebrate the way you choose and we will do the same. My brother in law spent 20 years in the army, I am pretty sure he won't spend Monday locked in a closet clutching a rosary.

It's not about sitting in a closet or walking around dressed in black- it's about retrospection and showing some genuine gratitude.

But yes, you are correct- it is your choice if you want to pay the day lip service and act smug. You've certainly got the market cornered on that.


Enjoy your bratwurst

Um, you sir are the one acting smug. I am telling you to celebrate however you see fit, you are telling the rest of us to do it your way.

Jules,

Here's what it was. The guy saw it, lived it, and nearly paid with his life for it. He was decorated and honored for it, but never wanted to really talk about it, or be recognized in any way for it, because it was too painful for him to go back to that place in his mind.

I think that he genuinely appreciated the time and the gathering with the family. After his military career, he worked as a heavy crane operator for Bethlehem Steel, so the idea of a holiday at the beginning of the summer probably was still a cause for celebration in and of itself, even in his retirement.

I offered this story not because it represents anything for anyone outside of my family. Rather, I think it stands alone for myself and how I feel about the holiday. To me, there's a place for both lines of thinking here. I remember a family member who didn't lose his life on the field of battle, but knew the pain of losing many in his company in the battle of the bulge. I also remember how he used to laugh, watch the ball game when the old man used to pull the TV out on the patio, eat, and joke with the kids (myself included) when we jumped in the pool trying to get him wet on the same patio.

Thanks for sharing, Hook. I was curious as to his take. Watched nearly 1.5 hours of history channel on WW2 on the elliptical today. It was a different time. Just hearing those guys speak really accentuated the notion of how a real gentleman conducts himself. They were respectful, introspections not littered with expletives. A stark reminder of how social darwinism subselects for aggression, but also a reminder of the passing of an age.

I think on some level, the clamoring of the tea baggers/party for their country is really for the time when you could leave your door unlocked, new your neighbors and strangers would lend a hand to those in distress.

A salute to all those who paid the ultimate price. And a salute to simpler times.

grrrr Knew your neighbors....and no comma before introspections....

Um, you sir are the one acting smug.


"I know you are, but what am I"?

Glenn, please let the grown folks talk





Thx Hooky. Very nice statement.

I kinda understand your uncle's feelings on this- I too have an uncle (he's still alive) who served in the Army for most of his adult life. This is the uncle who was a major player in our family's "ping-pong wars"- and who once described to me how they were trained to drink their own urine when water was scarce and how to eat things that would make a dog puke. I used to spend much time with this uncle, my aunt, and my older cousin (whom I considered my big brother, being an only child). My time with them (block parties, bopping my cousin on the head with a heavy electric guitar, and then crying and whining and getting HIM punished) rank as some of my favorite memories. This cousin also joined the Army, and then later was suddenly taken from us. I know that it was then that I started to take the holiday more seriously, and think about how easy the rest of us had it.

I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I think this holiday deserves more than a Valentine's Day/President's Day type of recognition.

It's about people giving their lives, and if you are like Glenn and 736 (the type to laugh and goof around at funerals) then maybe this thread is not for you. Please at least have the courtesy to save the usual bullshit for the other threads.

FB, you can't really condemn anyone for celebrating. There are LOTS of people who believe that they would rather those close to them celebrate their life at a funeral rather than be somber in mourning.

You could easily take this from the perspective that this is a time for family and friends to come together to celebrate our freedoms. Having fun is not mutually exclusive from saluting those who paid the ultimate price and even those who didn't but whose lives were drastically altered as a result of their service.

only mockery made of the day/thread was your intial post fred.

geezus. i didnt know 1 had to qualify their appreciation of the day by citing dead uncles, which i chose to spare the group, who served and died or were wounded in combat- the latter for my uncle.

you chose to make a political statement about your boy obama being attacked- which was flimsy- youi suck worse than the douche singin the national anthem right now in chicago-


teh guys here know how i value the day along with everyone else who posts in the annual thread- and im staunchly supportive and thankful to ALL who have served, are serving etc.

you are a smug sob who seems to have deflected well, the criticism you deserve for your contribution the thread at the onset.

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday

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