Hockey's MVP Thomas snubs Obama - declines to visit the White House

I dunno if anyone else here is a hockey fan but this has been pretty big news the last few days.

Tim Thomas (last year's playoff MVP) skipped the team visit to the White House, and released a statement outlining his reasons.

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.​

“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”


I was thinking about putting this in the Stump, if the Mods feel it should go there, so be it. (and apologies)

This thread isn't about debating Dem vs GoP, or whether the Tea Party beliefs are right or wrong. (which is why I didn't put it in the stump.)

My question is this: Was TT right in standing by his beliefs?
Or should he have choked down his own opinions and gone along with his teammates?

Is he selfish or is he being true to his own beliefs?

​

 

True to his beliefs. The visit is all photo ops for the politicians, he's a man of principle, and agree with him or not.

 

Not going anywhere near American politics...I have enough of my own to contend with...But I've never understood those that appear on tv in background smilling and clasping hands in nurses uniforms etc when a politician is touring...He's there to help get rid of your job mostly..but smile and clap...shake hands....madness...Forces folk are best...you usually in my day got forced to appear for photo ops...civvy leader in front...all smiles behind him...but cracks everywhere...Get stuffed @@@::@ and still they smile...Good on him...but just dont go..no need to reason it out for press.

 

I agree, TT is not being selfish, but standing up for his beliefs, and I have no problem with that.

As to urqh's comments about forced photo ops by politicians, it cuts both ways, sometimes the people want to be there, and sometimes not. WRT "forced" photographs we have this "famous one of a soldier and Hillary Clinton

from Snopes.com snopes.com: Crossed Fingers
When originally published, none of the "newsies" noticed the soldiers crossed fingers, or else, did not know what signal he was giving.

 

Didn't Hillary do some photo shoot when she landed in former Yugoslavia? Under fire...Brave lady...Still took time to shake hands...I offer no political meaning apart from the one I hold on all politicians...Flaming hypocritical liar...I bet she didnt want that video shoot to be aired in later years.

 

Sorry...I just had to...

Hillary Clinton Lies About Her Trip to Bosnia - YouTube

 

Sorry...don't want to go off topic but its all part of same thing isn't it....We have em too...Brown sorry for 'bigot' gaffe - YouTube

 

It does indeed cut both ways. Back in 2007-2008 Sean Hannity visited Iraq with Donald Rumsfeld. When he was at Al-Asad he visited with a bunch of Marines fresh back off a mission to Fallujah and Ramadi. They had been operating all over Al-Anbar for a number of months, Al-Taqqadum (called TQ) on the Syrian border, Hadditha, Bagdhadi, etc. My oldest was one of these Marines. When he told us about it he said, Hannity had been really nice and had talked with them for quite some time. They had mostly been positive about their mission in Iraq, they had all stated they supported what they were doing there. They also told him a number of things they thought were screwed up. When the trip showed up on FOX we watched it and recorded it, Hannity was shown, his voice was describing what the troops had told him as they were showing footage of of all these Marines (he neglected to mention even one of the negative things they told him). I recognized Chris and several of his friends that had visited us with him. Hannity actually interviewed a couple of guys. When Chris got back, we showed him and one of the other guys that was there, the show. They both got angry and said that's BS. They remembered the guys interviewed. One was a USAF lower enlisted guy that had been in Iraq only several days, less than a week. He had never been off the base and had in all likelyhood never seen an Iraqi. Yet, he was the interview they showed. Then there was an Airforce Major that was over A/C maintainence, again never off the base. If he had ever seen an Iraqi, and it was unlikely, it was one that worked on the base. Yet he expoused about the situation on the ground and the Iraqi populace. Even though 90%+ of the film footage shown when Hannity was narrating, were the combat soldiers and Marines. Not one of the interviews shown were, with anyone that had actual knowledge of what the situation on the ground was.
We watched it again about a month ago, he's less angry now, said Hannity was a really nice guy and had seemed genuinely interested in what they had to say and thanked them for what they were doing. His speculation now is that it was probably a producer or editor that made the screwed up call.

He was also in Iraq when John Kerry made his famous "stuck in Iraq" speech and then decided to go over and visit the troops. He was originally scheduled to visit a number of Marine locations in Anbar but the visits were cancelled. Chris said, it was a good thing, there was a great deal of anger at him and they were really afraid someone might shoot him.

 

Much ado about nuthin.

 

It is his right to decline the invitation, especially if he does not agree with a leader's policies. I have a lot of respect. Many civilians, athletes, entertainers use the trip to the white house as a photo op, or opportunity to promote or further their own ambitions, no matter what weather they agree or not with the administration's policies. It's nice to see someone decline based on his own beliefs. The player gets a lot of respect in my book, no matter the politican.

 

Didn't James Harrison do the same thing a few years ago? I don't mind his decision, but if he really believes that his decision is not political he is lying only to himself.

With regards to the photo ops by politicians, I remember a few years ago (2006?) Bill Scranton was running for PA governor. His guys came to our shop for a photo op with him "helping small buisnesses". It turned into a complete nightmare. First they shut down all our production so they could arrange people in a way to make them look like they were working hard. Mr. Scranton stood next to our machinist as if he were teaching him how a lathe works, and had his picture taken. We lost a full three hours of work that day. Mr. Scranton never once spoke to anybody. He came and left without a word.

 

I guess it had the effect he wanted, it made headlines and people are talking about it.

 

Damn fine goalie that boy, too bad ours wasn't as good.

KTK

 

Depending on your point of view, there's not many ways this could be viewed where he doesn't come off either sounding like he's making a political statement or doing it in order to garner more headline attention. Personally, though, I read it as a guy (whom I'd never heard of before reading the title of the thread) who would rather scrub a public subway restroom with his personal toothbrush than to visit the White House for a publicity stunt. His comment at the end “This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT” is pretty telling, too...to me, it sounds like he's responding to the upcoming accusations/speculations/rumors by giving his reason. Period. Take it or leave it, that's the reason I did it, and I don't particularly care one way or the other what you think you read between the non-existent lines. I may be completely wrong, I don't know the man's character, but just from this, I tend to respect the guy.

 

Many of the sports pundits claim that he should have gone because all of his teammates did.

We played against his team in the championship, he's one of the main reasons that we lost, so he wasn't on my favorite athlete list.

However I'm really impressed by the fact that he can stand up for what he believes, instead of just following the other sheeple. .



Does anyone remember Mike Tyson's quote when getting his honorary doctorate?

"With all these fine ladies (at the college) make me want to become a gynecologist".

I guess people would prefer to have more athletes like Mike Tyson rather than intelligent, opinionated University graduates like Thomas.

 

While I fully support his right to not go and agree with much if not all of his complaints, I would have gone to the White House. I had the opportunity to tour the WH in 1999 and would love to do it again.

USMCPrice is right. It's all a photo op for the politicians. That's why the Congressional hearings on steroids in MLB was such a farce (don't tell Roger Clemmens I said that!). It was just an excuse for politicians to get some air time and autographs.

 

It is a matter of choice.........I was once when young given a Senate Dining tour to our nations capital where our state reps met with us and we got a tour of the capital. I used this tour to learn as much as I could about government and utilized many of the things I learned when teaching school for about five years in the beginning of my career. I did not agree with the politicians of that day at all but I put aside the differences..........now I think that decision was a benefit to many others besides myself in the way I used what I gained. Sometimes I admire our sports figures more for their example for all of our young people if they handle that well....and then there are those more intent with making their own statement which will have its 15 minutes of fame. As I see it nothing I could have done by staying home would have changed anything as the politics that got them there was already done if you look at the timing and they are going to have their way politically. The way I look at it, the term is theirs, but the institutions belong to "we the people". If you don't like the institutions, are you living in the right country?

 

If the current leaders of any institution....and they are only borrowing the institution...are dragging the institution down then its the right thing to do to let them know they don't have your support..my country right or wrong..is just wrong...My nations instutions are only borrowed by them not owned by them as you say. They should never think that once they have control of the institutions that they can do whatever they damn well please. And no one tells me I should think about whether I am in the right country..Its my country as well as theirs. I'm not talking Obama or America...I'm talking any damn where.

 

I agree totally Urgh.