I don’t know about the other branches of our military, but in the Army there’s a singular salute — rarely invoked — applied to those who are undeserving of the rank to which they’ve risen: “To the bar, sir,” which indicates respect for the rank itself, but disdain for the person who wears the insignia in that instance.
my only salute to incoming President Obama: “To the bar, sir.”
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 11:19
LOL been a while since I heard this. How do you know this?
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 11:46
my father, a former US Army officer, told me when I was a child about an instance where he’d personally heard “to the bar, sir,” used to salute another officer; I’ve never forgotten the lesson I learned from his explanation: we CAN respect an office, position, or rank w/o any regard for the individual who occupies it. ~~T
Monday, 26 January 2009 at 19:20
We’ve been talking about this here, too.
A bumper sticker I’ve seen reads, “I’ll show your president the same respect you showed mine.” Similar feeling, but more us/them than I want in my own life.
To the bar, sir, indeed.
Monday, 26 January 2009 at 20:25
I’m not interested in “us/them” or “yours/mine,” either — that’s largely what got us into this mess in the first place!
but I have no respect for ANY man who propounds that only socialism can — and MUST — be America’s saving grace; and a man is not the office, no matter the man, no matter the office… ~~T