AKPirate wrote:I served in the military during some questionable prez terms. We didn't have to respect the man, we respected his position and his authority as Command in Chief.
Me too. But as a member of the military, he is our boss and ultimate commanding officer, and deserves the respect accorded to that position. But that goes for all civilians. Even the highest ranking general is to address a ditch digger as "sir". All civilians "outrank" all military.
But as a civilian, the president works for us. He is our employee, we "hired" him, and deserves nothing. It must all be earned. The position of "president" does NOT automatically get respect from the people. The position is technically nothing more than a job we have hired someone for, and, as such, deserves nothing aside from a fair evaluation of their performance. To say the position deserves respect is silly. We don't have a divinely appointed king.