Clemson president scolds students, fans for booing Obama at football game
'It is possible to hold opposing viewpoints and debate issues without rancor and disrespect,' Clemson University President James Barker wrote Tuesday.
By M. Alex Johnson,
NBC News
usnews.nbcnews.com
Video....Obama booed at Washington Nationals Opening Day game
youtube.com!
The president of Clemson University reprimanded the school's football fans Tuesday for booing President Barack Obama during a military ceremony last weekend, saying there is only one president, "and he is president of us all."
The display came as students were taking their oath upon being inducted into the university's Reserve Officer Training Corps on Military Appreciation Day during Clemson's 38-17 victory over Virginia Tech at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. The booing began as the members recited their pledge to "obey the orders of the president of the United States."
The booing, first reported Sunday by the Daily Kos, drew a mixed reaction on the Clemson sports message board TigerNet. One fan called the display "disgusting," adding, "We have actually dropped into the sewer," noting that the ceremony was intended to honor "military heroes and future defenders of our freedom."
But others defended the booing. One wrote: "Even the General who was administering the oath smiled at the booing. He knows the truth."
In an e-mailed message to students Tuesday, Clemson President James Barker said many people had contacted him to "express their sadness and disappointment."
"Freedom of speech is a right which makes our country great," But he agreed that the booing was inappropriate because "this ceremony was a sacred moment to the recruits, their families, and many others in attendance."
Booing the president at sporing events is a tradition that goes back at least as far as the administration of Herbert Hoover, who newspaper reports of the time reported was booed at the opening game of the 1931 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Athletics. |
