OMG! An ESPN Columnist Gets it Right (About Asswipe Tim Thomas)

[joeybee12]

Tim Thomas put himself above team

http://espn.go.com/boston/nhl/story/_/id/7495441/tim-thomas-picked-wrong-time-make-statement

WASHINGTON -- Before most hockey games, it's tough to find many players who stand completely still during the national anthem.

Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas never moves. He stands as still as the Statue of Liberty, with his focus directly on the American flag that hangs from the rafters in every NHL arena. There's no denying Thomas' patriotism. He represented Team USA as an Olympian and has called it one of his most memorable moments of his career.

But when the president of the United States invites you and all your teammates to the White House to honor your Stanley Cup championship, you go and represent the team.


On Monday, Thomas instead chose to represent himself.

-------------------------

Obviously, he's a nutcase freeper, and I'm sure other sports figures are, but the day was not about him...what a sniveling coward.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. The comments from the Pubbies on there are hilarious.

They are "proud" that he "took a stand". Yes, he took a stand by saying that's all he's going to say.

[joeybee12]

2. Some tool at Yahoo wrote a glowing column about freedom of speech...

The d**k apparently read Sarah Palin's Guide to the Constitution.

[Renew Deal]

3. He's not just a freeper. I think this guy might be one of the "sovereign citizen" types

Extreme RW

"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People," the message read. "This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

"Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

"This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT"

[joeybee12]

4. You mean he's insane?

Yup...dick should read the constitution and bone up on the founding fathers...he just thinks his narrow ideology is what they wanted, and it wasn't at all...he's really, really stupid.

[hughee99]

5. Ah, I remember the old days when * was in the white house

and DUers would cheer for athletes who refused to meet him. I guess it's not really about representing the team, or the honor of the white house visit, it's about the politics.

We cheer for people we agree with making a political statement at a "non-political" event, and boo those we disagree with for being the sort of asshole that ruins a non-political event by bring politics into it. Hurray for Ozzie Guillen, Pedro Martinez, Doug Mientkiewicz, who took a stand and refused to meet with *, and boo for Tim Thomas for pushing his own politics into a non-political even and looking like an asshole.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. "We" did nothing of the sort. I think they all (left or right) are idiots.

As my comment there stated, it's for their team and their fans. It's not about politics. So please leave me out of "we" for this one.

[hughee99]

7. My apologies.

For SOME DUers, it's all about politics. Those that commented on Guillen, Pedro and Mientkwhatever threads were in agreement that it was good that they stood up to *. At the time, those that chose to post on the subject were in support of snubbing * and I didn't see any posts about "the team and their fans". For this, the posts are 100% the opposite, and I don't see how that would be attributable to anything but politics.

[RockaFowler]

8. When did this happen??

I've been around here since 2004. I've never seen anyone praising a person who refused to go to the White House.

[hughee99]

9. Here's two of them

Red Sox after '04
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=215x9304

Ozzie Guilllen after '05
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x368500

I didn't look for more, though there could be more.

[RockaFowler]

10. Thanks - I never saw those before

I appreciate you looking those up

But none of them said that they wouldn't go because of the policies of the President. Ozzie was on vacation. Pedro was no longer on the team.

[hughee99]

11. Though neither came out and said why they weren't going

there were many DUers who were willing to assume that's why they did it, and then applaud them for "taking a stand" when no actual stand was taken. Thomas actually did "take a stand", yes it was a stand on top of a festering dung-heap of RW politics, but it was an actual stand as opposed to what some DUers where applauding the others for doing.

[JonLP24]

12. It personally doesn't bother me if an athlete refuses an invite no matter who is in the white house

I likely would pick and choose depending on who is in office if I was in their situation.

[hughee99]

13. I feel much the same way.

I wouldn't have gone to see * for any kind of photo-op, and wouldn't have kept it a secret why, either. It's an honor to get invited to the WH, but it's not an obligation, IMHO.

[Doctor_J]

14. Playing in the olympics makes him a patriot???

Money never has, and never will, buy class. Thomas is an NRA'er, and if you were to add up the IQs of their entire membership you'd get a number somewhere near the president's. He spends his free time reading NRA propaganda and listening to hate radio, and thus fancies his moronic self a historical scholar.

Thomas was in prime shape during our wars in the ME, if he wanted to show his patriotism, he should have dome a Pat Tillman and gone off and gotten killed "defending freedom". Playing in a two-week hockey tournament doesn't make any one "patriotic"