Time Magazine published this picture of Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin during the national anthem at Tom Harkin's Iowa Steak Fry.
Three of the four people in the picture want to be President of the United States. One of the three is disrespecting the Flag of the United States during the playing of the National Anthem.
United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10 - Patriotic Customs, provides:
During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.
If you wanted to be president, wouldn't you give proper respect to the Old Glory during the National Anthem? Barack Hussein Obama would rather dispaly another testament to his patriotism.
Thanks to Theodore's World for the tip.
typical spin and twist and out of context of republicans...first of all, I have forgotten to put my hand over my heart when hearing the national anthem...second, he was first in line and facing away from the rest, if any of them forgot I am sure they took lead from seeing everyone else in front of them. try looking a little closer...he is SINGING out loud to it!!!!
Posted by: leonora | Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 12:51 AM
"During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart." Actually, please note that none of those pictured are facing the flag so I guess the other three are not giving proper respect either.
Posted by: SI | Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 03:32 PM
mccain has violated the flag code before by autographing flags, and there are pictures of bush standing on a welcome mat that features the flag.
Posted by: jorge | Saturday, September 06, 2008 at 11:17 PM
it is a common theme with Obama to break tradition and common practices. He created his own presidential seal, took the flag from his plane, would not wear a lapel pin.
Look at this guys mentors and none of this should be a big suprise. Writes books, gives speaches and promotes himself as an agent of change. Be careful what you ask for, the changes may be more than we can stomach.
It's just one more Obamanation after another..
Posted by: Richard | Saturday, September 06, 2008 at 05:05 PM
Obama is all for change. Change, change, change. His first change in America we will be to hold our hands over our crotch while saying the pledge.
Posted by: Mel | Friday, September 05, 2008 at 10:38 AM
and 'W' sat around (& continued!!!!) reading a book upside down to kids when the 1st plane struck. Talk about disrespecting the people who voted that jackass in thinking he was the man for the job! what a joke...and now he's rich with blood money. gimme a freakin break.
Posted by: bob guilbert | Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Ok, stop blaming the republicans, I'm tired of hearing that, I do want Obama to win, but that was so f#cking stupid, you dont DISRESPECT the AMERICAN FLAG that stand for everything this country has fought for and stands for. People say "he's not disrespecting it" we'll you wrong if he wants to be president of this beautiful country, he needs to believe in what is a symbol of everything to this country. This really pisses me off, and if your one that says he's not then you can BOTH leave the country!
Posted by: 13 yrs old | Friday, June 13, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Guys!! did u watch the video! whitney wasnt singing the national anthem my friends!! he's the only smart one up there!!! hahahahahahah
Posted by: Ignorance | Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 02:58 AM
Nice try republicans! [hateful comments deleted]
Posted by: Objectman | Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Hello... OBAMA is LOST he doesn't know what country he belongs to.. Just look at his face he doesn't know where to put it. Do you want a LOST man for president?...lol.. no thanks.
Posted by: Jack Jill | Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 07:19 AM
Something doesn't look right here. How come Barack looks like a giant compared to Hilary and Ruth? A wide angle lens would make this type of distortion, but the chairs behind the people should also be just as distorted. The flag too. It looks like a composite. Use the chairs as a comparison to the people. Use the stripes of the flag to compare the height of the chairs. Now use the stripe of the flag to compare the height of the people. Granted that Barack and and Bill are taller than Hillary and Ruth, it just seems like Barack is 9 feet tall here.
Posted by: karl papus | Friday, May 09, 2008 at 11:47 PM
Think about what the flag represents. Not only our country, but everyone who has fought and died for our country. So not only is he disrespecting the flag, but this country and all the men and women fighting for it.
Posted by: Lynn | Monday, April 21, 2008 at 07:37 PM
ok this is stuppid. i agree that if he's gonna be president he should do the correct things to respect the flag, but if this picture is relly the deciding point of whether you vote for him thats bad. maybe you should dig a little deeper and find some good reasons on whether or not to vote for him........ like if he's going to send our country int totally doom and destruction
Posted by: who cares | Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 02:59 PM
He blames his grandfather, he should also blame his pastor and his wife. It's strange that their beliefs are all the same. That has to tell you something. I remember in one Olympics, black runners held their fists high while our anthem played. They said that they wanted to show the world something. I wonder if that's what Obama wants to show!!!
Posted by: sam pirri | Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 06:50 AM
IF obama is president whos gonna be the vice president Bin Laden?
Posted by: cody | Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 05:45 AM
Wow, some of you guys are complete and utter dimwits. Look at what the brilliant man who you morons are falsely accusing of being "unpatriotic" has done for out country. Look what policies he intends to, and will do when he is president of the United States. We need a refreshing figure like him to lead us in the right direction, so there is something worth being patriotic for! I agree that a man's patriotism should be judged based on his service to his country, not for putting his hand over his heart when the flag is up and the national anthem is playing; who cares about that?! Now I dare you to tell me that he is unpatriotic!
Posted by: intellectual | Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 10:11 PM
Wow, some of you guys are complete and utter dimwits. Look at what the brilliant man who you morons are falsely accusing of being "unpatriotic" has done for out country. Look what policies he intends to, and will do when he is president of the United States. We need a refreshing figure like him to lead us in the right direction, so there is something worth being patriotic for! I agree that a man's patriotism should be judged based on his service to his country, not for putting his hand over his heart when the flag is up and the national anthem is playing; who cares about that?! Now I dare you to tell me that he is unpatriotic!
Posted by: intellectual | Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 10:10 PM
This man has spent his whole life among leftists, socialists, and university intellectuals who feel they are smarter than the average American. Don't you see that he feels good proving that he's not emotionally pressured to show respect to our flag? Don't you see that his apostles who post here are very offended that you still believe in your flag and your country, and that you actually respect and revere those soldiers who died for it? Why, we are all just backward patriots who deserve insults and disdain. But we vote... and this arrogant fraud of a politician will not have mine.
Posted by: Jesse | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 09:55 PM
Check it out on youtube.com and do a search on obama and the flag. he stood there like that throughout the whole national anthem. scary thought that he is on the way to becoming the next president and that the american people are too unpatriotic to care.
Posted by: John | Friday, February 22, 2008 at 06:35 PM
You apologists are right about one thing. He doesnt have to cover his heart if he doesnt want to. Nobody does. But you idiots are talking about someone running for the presidency here. Hello? And its not as if he's just forgetful. It's a blatant display of contempt for this country. I believe he has his own ideas for this country and they dont involve American patriotism. I reaserched the previous commentors claims (KD) this is something EVERYONE should take a look at.
Posted by: Reader | Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 06:24 AM
All you idiots apologizing for this bigot probably hate this country just as much as he does. The list goes on. He's been involved in an exclusively Black racist church for several years. He hangs cuban flags with a communist murderers portrait on them in his campaign offices. The murderer is Che Guevara. Go ahead and research my claims. They're 100% True. All this nobody does is talk and talk without ever saying anything. He never tells you specifically what he has in mind because if he did he'd expose himself for who he really is. But you idiots flock to him like mindless sheep. Can anyone tell me some of his ideas? Anyone? Besides socialized health care where he can rip off 1/3 of the economy in a tested a failed everywhere it's been tried welfare health care.
Posted by: KD | Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 06:15 AM
You put your hand over your heart for the pledge, you take off your hat for the anthem. Obama actually has it right in this picture. You claim to be such an uberpatriot and you didn't know that?
Posted by: Doug | Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 03:03 PM
OBAMA AND THE FLAG. We look back at all the brave men and women that lost their lives. or came back physically impaired, in what happen to them in what they believed in and what the flag stands for. And Obama wants to be President. Obama has no class, he own wife calls him STINKY and she know's him better than anyone, but on the other hand she has no class either, What wife would talk about how bad her husband bodily odor is and bad he smells, he Stinks alright in more ways than one. Someone that makes up his own rules of symbolism, and someone that never served in the military and wants to be commander and chief he has a lot of balls. I served in Vietnam and I remember when I came back, people were ripping up the flag, spitting on the flag, and burning the flag. I believe many of these assholes are still around and he will certainly get their vote, Obama talks about THE CHANGE, I believe he talking about women over 50, if this is part of what his change is, we are in serious trouble.
Posted by: john | Monday, February 11, 2008 at 04:13 PM
Ok, first of all, the guy who called Obama a nigger is a Retarded Cousin Loving Rednweck most likely. Anyway, my say on this issue is that all he did was relax his hands. Also Obama has very good ideas, and should not discriminated against becuase of his color, just as hillary shouldnt be becuase shes a woman. Not that im voting for either one.(im voting for Edwards)Anyway, a liberal blog have the word nigger on it anyway...You guys should really try to remove that post or something before somebody wanders in here and gets offended, and calls everyone a cracker or something, lol.
Posted by: Donovan | Wednesday, February 06, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Here's a picture of President Bush with his hand on his belly button during the national anthem. Disrespectful? Why isn't it on 100 liberal blogs like the Obama picture? Maybe there's bigger complaints out there besides where his hands are during the national anthem.
Posted by: Social Studies Teacher | Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 08:55 PM
Though military manuals state that those out of uniform should stand at attention with their hand over their heart, go to any event where the national anthem is played and you'll see lots of respectful people standing at attention just like Obama. Are they all false Patriots? Its obvious from the slurs and false Muslim references that this is the type of non-event that racists use to attack a good and honorable person. Stick to the issues and you'll be a lot more credible.
Posted by: Social Studies Teacher | Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 08:44 PM
Ummm, doctored photo? Duh
Posted by: Hemster | Monday, January 21, 2008 at 01:02 AM
I'm amused that you find this so offensive, given that it is not a law that can be enforced because it infringes on his first amendment rights. What do you care that, perhaps for a microsecond, this man was standing respectfully listening to the national anthem? I would be offended if he had, say, spit on the flag or something likewise appaulling. He didn't.
Untwist your panties; now breathe.
Posted by: Liz | Thursday, January 03, 2008 at 08:38 PM
So here is what I think about the situation -- Obama is not wearing a pin with the flag -- he os disrespecting the flag -- he has some issues pending with attachment to the muslim world -- and tell me again why we would even risk having him as a president??????
Posted by: me | Monday, December 17, 2007 at 04:42 PM
Fuck that nigger
Posted by: White Man | Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 06:06 PM
I am not sure what all to say, but I can say this. I was not happy when I saw this picture, to me it does show nothing but pure disrespect for our nation. We have millions of americans who have died and are dying for our freedom and rights, and those same people proudly fly our colors. The flag is a symbol of our freedom, our rights, and of our unity as a great country. The flag and its ideals may not mean something to everyone, but when my son who is only 6 saw this photo he said mommy that man is not got his hand on his heart. Now none of this was discussed in front of him, but he noticed. My 6yr old shook his head and said my teacher told me that when we see the flag and everyone is quiet we should have our right hand across our heart. Then my son went on to ask if "that man" missed kindergarden. I will say that my family is very involved in the American Legion and the VFW. We do have a lot of strong family ties, and are proud to being in support of our members of the military. My children all have attended meetings and funtions, and therefore know the correct protocal, so maybe we are biased. However with that aside, I feel that Obamas actions were nothing more then pure disgrace.
Posted by: K. M. | Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 02:20 AM
Muslims Against Sharia call on Senator Obama to distance himself from al-Qaeda supporters
With the black Islamic flag of war draped behind him, an individual on You Tube that goes by the name Abdul Hakim Khatab has called for people to support Barack Obama for U.S. President in 2008. The video is titled 'Barack Obama 2008 spokenword.' Muslims Against Sharia call on Barack Obama to distance himself from his extremist supporters and to denounce this You Tube video for promoting violence in the name of the Obama for President campaign.
Posted by: Muslims Against Sharia | Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 08:05 PM
Dan, When are you going to organize the flag police. According to your position 85% of the people at Yankee Stadium or any other Stadium are showing disrespect for the flag and should arrested charged and fined or put in jail. What ever happened to freedom of expresssion.
Posted by: jay hariton | Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 06:13 PM
Jay, No one called Obama unamerican. The law Obama failed to follow is not "my rule." Obama is ignoring a law passed by Congress. Last time I checked Obama was a member of Congress. If he doesn't like the "rule" he could try to change it.
Posted by: California Yankee | Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 03:23 PM
After we restore the Alien and Sedition Acts. We will get rid of the First Amendment. If one does not follow your rules now they are unamerican.What's Next? The flag is only a symbol it has nothing to do with ones patriotism. Your actions should be the measure of your respect of county not a piece of cloth or a singing a song.
Posted by: jay hariton | Monday, October 22, 2007 at 09:31 PM