I know this has been preached and preached but it really is the truth. When you see anything and I mean anything that offends with disrespect for your president, your country, or your way of life, such as budget cuts, trying to shut down your right to speak, respect for the president in a time of war. YOU must speak up.
Yesterday I was at a local VA satellite office and I love the treatment here in Florida for my vet BUT I sat there and was glancing through a magazine and saw where someone, veteran created or not had put swatizka signs on pics of President Obama and painting him with Hitler type mustache...all through the magazine. I looked at pic after pic and thinking of Michelle Obama's speech about respect. Now, I looked up at the two pics on the Federal facility wall and saw as in all federal buildings the picture of
the president and the Secretary of VA. I got up
and walked to the renta cop desk and handed him the magazine and requested it be removed from the veteran sitting area. I explained that some World War II veteran suffering from his injuries who was an Obama supporter would see this and put some people in a situation that could be avoided , if people learned to respect The Commander in Chief in a Federal Building. then people like me would not have to advocate for a little respect and demand offensive material not to be available.
The renta cop seemed perplexed. He said, "It is just a drawing". I leaned in and said,
"It is a time bomb for some of these veterans. I never liked George Bush but I would never paint pictures of Hitler on the President's face while that President was putting a
commerative medal around the neck of a combat soldier and I certainly would not defend that type of behavior of what amounts to disrespect when one is honoring a soldier. Would you allow a 5 year old to tear pages out of magazines? If the person felt so strongly about the President then would you allow them to walk up to the huge pic in the lobby and paint Fascist, and swastikas on that pic because an image is an image. He said, I don't see the big deal. I got a little angry. I said throw it in the trash or I will. My husband is 100 percent disabled PTSD, an avid reader, and a die hard Dem. You are in no position to say what offends anyone and your job is to keep the peace. He tossed it and I went and sat back down.
Right or wrong and I think I was right, this needed to be said. It was said quitely and not without showing respect and we were the only ones in the room but that discussion IMO needed to happen. People need to stand up for what offends them
and not just let it pass.
Here is a veteran who shook up a budget cut meeting in Modesto, California who
stood up for his freedom to speak.
We are the People. We have to continue fo fight for our rights and Kudos to this vet and this is one of many reasons I fight for veterans.