President deems it OK to give the finger to...

[E. Blackadder]

... a former President (http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/activists-take-out-frustration-ronald-reagan_647733.html).

UPDATE: On reflection, I misread the Drudge headline. They weren't invited explicitly to give the finger to Reagan. Apparently they weren't asked to stop.


Last Friday, an attaché of important gay people from Philadelphia made a trip to Washington D.C. as invited guests of President Barack Obama for the White House’s first-ever gay pride reception. There, they danced to the sounds of a Marine Corps band; they dined on crab cakes and canapés; they hand-delivered letters from concerned citizens like this 18-year old who has had four people close to him gunned down, and noted rhyming raconteur CA Conrad; and some of them took advantage of photo opportunities to give the late President Ronald Reagan the middle finger...

But his counterparts couldn’t seem to care less. Hart posted his photo on Facebook with the caption, “**** Reagan.” Strauss simply posted hers without commentary. After all, the murderous facial expression and double-barreled bird-flipping seem to speak for themselves. Comments ranged from “you forgot to add with a chainsaw” on Hart’s “**** Reagan” note, to my personal favorite, “star wars … up yours,” on Strauss’s. ...

“Yeah, **** Reagan,” reiterates Hart one week after the reception. “Ronald Reagan has blood on his hands. The man was in the WhiteHouse as AIDS exploded, and he was happy to see plenty of gay men and queer people die. He was a murderous fool, and I have no problem saying so. Don’t invite me back. I don’t care.”

That's what Reagan gets for going to all those bathhouses and infecting those poor, innocent people.

[2pac Shakur]

... a former President (http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/activists-take-out-frustration-ronald-reagan_647733.html).


That's what Reagan gets for going to all those bathhouses and infecting those poor, innocent people.

You don't think Reagan deserves any anger? :roll:

[Actuary321]

The problem comes when the groups represented by these people are not invited back to the white house because of what a few idiots did.

[Baby, ByeBye]

Obama is right

[BigBen]

1st Amendment FTW

[Brad Gile]

1st Amendment FTW

No problem. You can go as low class as you want-IF you want to be low class. Use of such infantile expressions indicates a lack of intelligence, imo.

[Sentinel]

You don't think Reagan deserves any anger? :roll:

Reagan should have done more to stop gays from having sex with each other.

[twig93]

You don't think Reagan deserves any anger? :roll:It's easy to forget how much we didn't know about AIDS when Reagan was POTUS. I mean for heaven's sake, the American Red Cross allowed the entire blood supply to be infected because they didn't even know it was transmitted through blood (let alone how to screen for it) and tons of hemopheliacs and others contracted HIV through contaminated blood.

For example, I remember him getting a lot of flak because a political advisor had him omit a section from a speech that said that you couldn't get AIDS from a mosquito bite. I believe this speech took place in 1987. An expert had previously assured Reagan that you couldn't get it from a mosquito bite but a political advisor told Reagan not to say as much on national television because they didn't know that for certain.

Yet I well remember being "taught" by an AIDS expert in 1991, after Reagan was no longer POTUS, that you could get AIDS by French kissing someone with AIDS. (The idea was that although the saliva was safe, we all have tiny cuts in our mouths from brushing our teeth and/or flossing and the virus could escape from the infected person's blood stream into his/her mouth that way and then be transmitted into the non-infected person's blood stream through cuts in that person's mouth. Now I guess the thinking is that absent a humongous quantity of blood, saliva will kill the virus long before it's transmitted in such a way.)

Anyway, so if in 1991 there were still "experts" who weren't 100% accurate on how the virus was transmitted, I have a hard time blaming Reagan for failing to reassure people of things that he just simply wasn't certain of. Some experts were saying one thing, others were saying different things. If he'd come out and said that you can't get it from a mosquito bite and it turns out that you could... he would have been burned alive.

[twig93]

Reagan should have done more to stop gays from having sex with each other.
Yeah, how well did it go over when the mayor of San Francisco wanted to close down the gay bath houses (or whatever they were called... the places where gays were having lots of unprotected sex)

hint: he was not exactly thanked by the gay community

[Baby, ByeBye]

Reagan should have done more to stop gays from having sex with each other.

:shake: christians

[TheGillotine]

There are a lot of ridiculous things in this thread, but probably most ridiculous (IMO) is trying to pin this on the President. It's like all of Obama's supporters and detractors think he's God.

[twig93]

Oh and as far as the OP, regardless of how you feel about ANY former presidents (and all of us can name several that we think are pretty bad) it's completely inappropriate to be taking pictures in the White House flipping off their portraits.

He didn't break any laws obviously, but in the interest of decorum, Obama or one of his staffers should have put a stop to what was happening IMO.

[Baby, ByeBye]

There are a lot of ridiculous things in this thread, but probably most ridiculous (IMO) is trying to pin this on the President. It's like all of Obama's supporters and detractors think he's God.

do not insult Obama with that three-letter word

[twig93]

There are a lot of ridiculous things in this thread, but probably most ridiculous (IMO) is trying to pin this on the President.
It's certainly not Obama's fault that they were doing it in the first place. It's his fault that he didn't ask them to stop, however. (Assuming he was there. If he wasn't... then the fault of whichever staffer(s) were with them. I presume they weren't just permitted to roam freely around the White House unaccompanied.)

[TheGillotine]

It's certainly not Obama's fault that they were doing it in the first place. It's his fault that he didn't ask them to stop, however. (Assuming he was there. If he wasn't... then the fault of whichever staffer(s) were with them. I presume they weren't just permitted to roam freely around the White House unaccompanied.)

It's not clear at all that Obama was even aware that it was going on. I've never been in the White House, but I've been in Congress, and I don't think it's a stretch that someone snuck a picture in while the staffer (certainly not the President himself) wasn't looking. And if they noticed it, what do you expect them to do, confiscate their cameras?

[twig93]

It's not clear at all that Obama was even aware that it was going on. I've never been in the White House, but I've been in Congress, and I don't think it's a stretch that someone snuck a picture in while the staffer (certainly not the President himself) wasn't looking. And if they noticed it, what do you expect them to do, confiscate their cameras?
I would hope that anyone from the White House who was aware of what was going on would immediately ask them to stop.

Given that there were multiple pictures and multiple people involved... it seems unlikely that no one from the White House knew what was happening. If they didn't... then say so and apologize to Reagan's family for the tasteless behavior of some White House guests and move on.

[Brad Gile]

I would hope that anyone from the White House who was aware of what was going on would immediately ask them to stop.

Given that there were multiple pictures and multiple people involved... it seems unlikely that no one from the White House knew what was happening. If they didn't... then say so and apologize to Reagan's family for the tasteless behavior of some White House guests and move on.

:iatp:
twig93: point, set, and match!
Mods, please close this thread. :)

[Loner]

It's easy to forget how much we didn't know about AIDS when Reagan was POTUS. I mean for heaven's sake, the American Red Cross allowed the entire blood supply to be infected because they didn't even know it was transmitted through blood (let alone how to screen for it) and tons of hemopheliacs and others contracted HIV through contaminated blood.

For example, I remember him getting a lot of flak because a political advisor had him omit a section from a speech that said that you couldn't get AIDS from a mosquito bite. I believe this speech took place in 1987. An expert had previously assured Reagan that you couldn't get it from a mosquito bite but a political advisor told Reagan not to say as much on national television because they didn't know that for certain.

Yet I well remember being "taught" by an AIDS expert in 1991, after Reagan was no longer POTUS, that you could get AIDS by French kissing someone with AIDS. (The idea was that although the saliva was safe, we all have tiny cuts in our mouths from brushing our teeth and/or flossing and the virus could escape from the infected person's blood stream into his/her mouth that way and then be transmitted into the non-infected person's blood stream through cuts in that person's mouth. Now I guess the thinking is that absent a humongous quantity of blood, saliva will kill the virus long before it's transmitted in such a way.)

Anyway, so if in 1991 there were still "experts" who weren't 100% accurate on how the virus was transmitted, I have a hard time blaming Reagan for failing to reassure people of things that he just simply wasn't certain of. Some experts were saying one thing, others were saying different things. If he'd come out and said that you can't get it from a mosquito bite and it turns out that you could... he would have been burned alive.

Twig, were you perchance in a religious school? Because their "experts" tend...well, not to be. It was definitely known by then that kissing was not a hazardous activity. I worked in a pharmacy and received the mandatory training regarding needles etc in 1990.

[Brad Gile]

do not insult God by associating Him with Obama!

IFYP

[twig93]

Twig, were you perchance in a religious school? Because their "experts" tend...well, not to be. It was definitely known by then that kissing was not a hazardous activity. I worked in a pharmacy and received the mandatory training regarding needles etc in 1990.
No, but the expert was speaking to the youth group at my church. I'm sure the church tried to get someone who actually did know what they were talking about (he certainly wasn't saying 'it's all the fault of the gays' or anything ridiculous like that) but obviously he was wrong about French kissing.

Anyway, need I point out that 1990 was also after Reagan was no longer POTUS?

[Loner]

No, but the expert was speaking to the youth group at my church. I'm sure the church tried to get someone who actually did know what they were talking about (he certainly wasn't saying 'it's all the fault of the gays' or anything ridiculous like that) but obviously he was wrong about French kissing.

Anyway, need I point out that 1990 was also after Reagan was no longer POTUS?

I wasn't stating anything about Reagan, I'm just saying that sex ed provided by religious groups tends to be subpar and they just try to panic you in the hopes you won't do anything.

[twig93]

I wasn't stating anything about Reagan, I'm just saying that sex ed provided by religious groups tends to be subpar and they just try to panic you in the hopes you won't do anything.
Well they certainly weren't telling us that we shouldn't be French kissing.

My point was basically that this guy was considered a respected AIDS expert and he had wrong information as late as 1991. So it's hard for me to cast aspersions on Reagan for failing to disseminate correct information 3-10 years earlier when the experts didn't agree on what the correct information was.

The same TV special (I'm kicking myself for not remembering the name of the "news magazine" that ran the program - a non-profit group out of Boston...) anyway that same TV special also pointed out that in the early days AIDS was called GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency). When a straight woman from the Caribbean came down with the same symptoms her doctor was chastised by the CDC because "neither women nor heterosexual men can get the disease".

Are you really upset that Reagan didn't say THAT on national television... when it's what the CDC honestly believed at the time???

ETA: not you specifically Loner (although feel free to comment if you wish)... I mean "you" in the more generic sense of people who are upset with Reagan's action/inaction on AIDS.

[Harry]

Thread title = lie. Shocking.

[E. Blackadder]

Let it not be said that I stick to a falsehood. The White House Disapproves, and it only took a week (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/22/activists-photographed-flipping-bird-to-reagan-portrait-at-white-house/?test=latestnews).

The White House on Friday rebuked two visitors who were photographed last week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue flipping the middle finger below a portrait of the late President Ronald Reagan.

The guests had been invited to a reception last Friday marking gay pride month. The images of them -- with both middle fingers raised, pointing up toward Reagan -- were first published by Philadelphia Magazine.

The White House did not approve.

"While the White House does not control the conduct of guests at receptions, we certainly expect that all attendees conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Most all do," Shin Inouye, a White House spokesman, said. "These individuals clearly did not. Behavior like this doesn’t belong anywhere, least of all in the White House."

I regard this as one of my worst errors on the Outpost. :(

[Actuary321]

EB, you can change the title by moving the thread to another forum and back. When you move a thread, it allows retitling. Just remember to not leave a redirect.

[E. Blackadder]

EB, you can change the title by moving the thread to another forum and back. When you move a thread, it allows retitling. Just remember to not leave a redirect.

It's my mistake and I won't try to hide it. OTOH, If the mods kill the thread, I can't stop that.

[twig93]

Let it not be said that I stick to a falsehood. The White House Disapproves, and it only took a week (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/22/activists-photographed-flipping-bird-to-reagan-portrait-at-white-house/?test=latestnews).


I regard this as one of my worst errors on the Outpost. :(
When you make a mistake, admit it, apologize and move on. You've done the first two... now you get to move on.

Glad to see that the White House doesn't approve. An actual apology would have been nice, but this is at least a move in the right direction.

[Harry]

When you make a mistake, admit it, apologize and move on. You've done the first two... now you get to move on.

Glad to see that the White House doesn't approve. An actual apology would have been nice, but this is at least a move in the right direction.
Who whould apologize? And to whom?

[twig93]

Who whould apologize? And to whom? I already said in an earlier post. Either Obama or some White House press flunkie should apologize to Reagan's family for the disrespectful behavior of some White House guests.

[Harry]

I already said in an earlier post. Either Obama or some White House press flunkie should apologize to Reagan's family for the disrespectful behavior of some White House guests.
Ridiculous.

[twig93]

Ridiculous.
Says you. Others disagree.
:iatp:
twig93: point, set, and match!
Mods, please close this thread. :)

[Guerilla poster]

I already said in an earlier post. Either Obama or some White House press flunkie should apologize to Reagan's family for the disrespectful behavior of some White House guests.


Freedom of speech, imo. Why do we have to respect dead Presidents? It is the people's House.

But, sure if you saw you can ask them politely to stop...

[TheGillotine]

I would hope that anyone from the White House who was aware of what was going on would immediately ask them to stop.

Given that there were multiple pictures and multiple people involved... it seems unlikely that no one from the White House knew what was happening. If they didn't... then say so and apologize to Reagan's family for the tasteless behavior of some White House guests and move on.

Yeah... that would be good.

[erosewater]

Geez, this thread has more butt hurt than a federal prison

[twig93]

Freedom of speech, imo. Why do we have to respect dead Presidents? It is the people's House.

But, sure if you saw you can ask them politely to stop...
Certainly no laws were broken. I'm just saying it would be classier of Obama or at least someone on his staff to apologize to Reagan's family. Saying that they don't approve is a step in the right direction, it just would have been nicer to actually apologize.

I'm not outraged by this response or anything... just saying it would have been nicer if they'd actually apologized.

Oh and we don't have to like dead presidents (or live ones either for that matter) but I think that everyone is deserving of respect. Flipping someone off (POTUS or not) is taste-less, low-class behavior. I dislike Barack Obama's policies, but I'm not going to post a picture on Facebook of me flipping off his portrait. That's just trashy behavior. Same goes for LBJ or FDR. It doesn't make a difference (IMO) whether they're alive or dead.

[Guerilla poster]

Maybe Obama called up the Reagans and said sorry for having all my rowdy friends over....

[erosewater]

If someone gave my dead dad the finger I would be outraged! I'd be so butt hurt you'd think I was at football camp at PSU

[wolferine]

It is the people's House.
.

Why have I not been invited to dinner at my house?

[Guerilla poster]

I can't wait to see what happens to the Obama White House portrait when President Bristol Palin holds her first party there

[Actuary321]

Says you. Others disagree.Harry and Brad Gile disagree.

Shocking I tell you. Just shocking.

[Harry]

Certainly no laws were broken. I'm just saying it would be classier of Obama or at least someone on his staff to apologize to Reagan's family. Saying that they don't approve is a step in the right direction, it just would have been nicer to actually apologize.

I'm not outraged by this response or anything... just saying it would have been nicer if they'd actually apologized.

Oh and we don't have to like dead presidents (or live ones either for that matter) but I think that everyone is deserving of respect. Flipping someone off (POTUS or not) is taste-less, low-class behavior. I dislike Barack Obama's policies, but I'm not going to post a picture on Facebook of me flipping off his portrait. That's just trashy behavior. Same goes for LBJ or FDR. It doesn't make a difference (IMO) whether they're alive or dead.
They didn't do anything wrong so no need to apologize. The people that gave the finger to a picture :roll: should apologize (to the picture I guess).

[Harry]

Harry and Brad Gile disagree.

Shocking I tell you. Just shocking.
lol

[erosewater]

with the stuff that people say about Barry O (myself included) it is pretty funny to see how they react to someone flipping the bird at a picture. get a life people

[Actuary321]

They didn't do anything wrong so no need to apologize. The people that gave the finger to a picture :roll: should apologize (to the picture I guess).But didn't Obama appologize for some in the military inadvertently destroying some Korans?

If I have a party and my guests take a dump on my neighbors lawn, unlike Lois, I would apologize to my neighbors, whether I even liked my neighbors or not.

[Guerilla poster]

with the stuff that people say about Barry O (myself included) it is pretty funny to see how they react to someone flipping the bird at a picture. get a life people


That is not the same because Reagan was awesome and deserves our respect

[Guerilla poster]

But didn't Obama appologize for some in the military inadvertently destroying some Korans?

If I have a party and my guests take a dump on my neighbors lawn, unlike Lois, I would apologize to my neighbors, whether I even liked my neighbors or not.

well, how about if they flipped off a picture that you had of your neighbor in your house and posted the picture in their FB profile?

[Actuary321]

I would probably first, unfriend that guest.

Then, yes, I would apologize to my neighbor for the bad behavior of my guest.

[erosewater]

Never apologize for anything. Double down or GTFO

[Harry]

But didn't Obama appologize for some in the military inadvertently destroying some Korans?



Nancy and Ron Jr. probably aren't going to try to blow up the White House over this "offense".

But maybe you're comparing Reagan worshippers to Muslims instead.

[twig93]

They didn't do anything wrong so no need to apologize. The people that gave the finger to a picture :roll: should apologize (to the picture I guess).Someone in the administration either stood by and watched it happen without asking them to stop, or they insufficiently supervised a group with the collective mentality of a 4-year-old child.

I'm not saying they have to fall prostrate and beg for the Reagans' forgiveness... just a simple apology for the rude & disrespectful actions of their guests...

(And of course they don't NEED to do that... I'm just saying it would be classy if they did. They probably won't - they've probably done all they're going to do.)

[Actuary321]

Someone in the administration either stood by and watched it happen without asking them to stop, or they insufficiently supervised a group with the collective mentality of a 4-year-old child.

I'm not saying they have to fall prostrate and beg for the Reagans' forgiveness... just a simple apology for the rude & disrespectful actions of their guests...

(And of course they don't NEED to do that... I'm just saying it would be classy if they did. They probably won't - they've probably done all they're going to do.)Homophobe.

[twig93]

Homophobe.Yeah, ok.

[Guerilla poster]

Someone in the administration either stood by and watched it happen without asking them to stop, or they insufficiently supervised a group with the collective mentality of a 4-year-old child.

I'm not saying they have to fall prostrate and beg for the Reagans' forgiveness... just a simple apology for the rude & disrespectful actions of their guests...

(And of course they don't NEED to do that... I'm just saying it would be classy if they did. They probably won't - they've probably done all they're going to do.)


I have not seen the pictures, but it takes a second to fire off a picture.

What was your stand when people pee-ed on a Koran?

[twig93]

I have not seen the pictures, but it takes a second to fire off a picture.

What was your stand when people pee-ed on a Koran?
That the U.S. was right to issue a formal apology (not just a statement that they didn't approve).

It was more than one picture involving more than one person. There's a link to one of the pictures in this thread. Imagine people flipping off a presidential portrait in the White House... that's what the picture looks like. It seems unlikely (though not impossible) that there was no staffer who witnessed the photo being taken. Either way, they were guests of the President.

[erosewater]

flipping off the picture is a lame azz move anyways. If you want to disrespect Ronald Reagan, you bang Nancy

[Actuary321]

Yeah, ok.I meant that to be in red font. Sorry. I just thought the way you mentioned the 4 YO's that someone was going to get the wrong idea.

[Guerilla poster]

I pissed on Lenin's dead body. Should I apologize to his family?

[erosewater]

I rubbed my azz on a picture of Barry O like a dog on the carpet

[E. Blackadder]

I give up. Reefed.

[Standtall]

But didn't Obama appologize for some in the military inadvertently destroying some Korans?

If I have a party and my guests take a dump on my neighbors lawn, unlike Lois, I would apologize to my neighbors, whether I even liked my neighbors or not.

You don't let your guests use the indoor plumbing?