Im beginning to believe that its inappropriate for the President to salute service members. Our country was founded on the principle that the military is under civilian control and not the other way around, which is why we elect their CINC. By expecting our President to follow military tradition, it blurs the lines between civilians and the military, and shifts things more towards what youd see in a military dictatorship, where the countrys leader is a uniformed member of their military. There are plenty of ways that someone can acknowledge another person or show them respect without saluting. Reagan started the practice simply because he was uncomfortable being saluted, and he noticed that when one service member returned anothers salute, theyd put their arms down, so he thought hed do the same. As someone pointed out earlier, its a privilege earned through honorable military service. Anyone subject to a punitive discharge from the military actually loses their right to salute. Civilians who havent served havent earned that privilege, and it cheapens when they do it. Its kinda like when people try to appropriate or take part in another cultures rituals or traditions without actually being part of that culture. It brings to mind images of people running around in Native American headdresses while saying that its out of respect. And yes, this was in response to lattegate.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 05:44:48 +0000
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