Do you put your hand over your heart during the National Anthem?

[NM_Birder]

93. absolutely, .......also take your hat off, .....sing it or be quiet.

You may not respect George Bush, but I will never understand the joyful pride people take in showing disrespect for the country, only to pretend everything is rosy because "the right guy" is in the white house.

The country is not the president. Disrespecting the country, just to protest the president is not something I agree with. For example, the American heartbeat was not created when Bill Clinton was President, then off when Bush, then on again With Barack Obama. The government leadership has been nothing short of embarrassing for a lot longer than the year 2000, but the people of America don't always get heard, you only are shown what organized "news" needs to show you, in order to get a desired reaction. All presidents have been disappointing at one time or another.

Stop watching the news for a week, and just live your life with friends and family without dissecting every event across the country for clues that prove half the country are such terrible human beings, that you are willing to sacrifice your own personal peace to vent relentlessly from whatever soapbox is available. It becomes obvious that the VAST..... VAST majority of people in this country are decent, good, caring people and are NOT racist, homophobe, bible thumping war mongers with a desire to murder minorities........... you just don't ever hear about it on the news. Then start watching the news again and see how much anger and suspicion you start carrying around again. "Us and Them" ........ that is happiness cancer.

The changes that have been brought about are a result of organized focus and direction, not some mind altering messiah that has the ability to alter cognitive thought. Barack Obama is just a man, ......just. a. man.. make no mistake the feeling and the spirit of the American people has always been there, .........sunlight focused is intense ..........but unfocused sunlight is still sunlight and it always shines somewhere.

-or- maybe I'm wrong and the country is filled with douche bags, unless a human belonging to the Democratic party is in charge, then we are all enlightened for 8 years at a time. Thumbing your nose at the country because you hate the president sounds familiar enough, there are always enough people on the opposite side of election results willing to do that, but not me.

Cringe at the thought of celebrating the country you belong to because of whichever meat-sack is in the White House, or feel alive that you woke up this morning in the greatest place on Earth to live. the National Anthem is played to connect the crowd to the feeling of the county's history, community and the event you are attending. Let go of some of the political animosity for just a brief moment while the Anthem is playing,....... I don't see how people can carry political bitterness and hatred around all the time, just waiting for an opportunity to show it off, even at an event you likely PAID to attend. If you don't have any, at least show respect for the people you call countrymen.