President Bush was at a rally in Sterling Heights Michigan last night about a half mile from where I live.  I wasn't able to go but my 18 year old son got a ticket from a family friend and was able to accompany this adult and his two teenage sons to the rally.

My son is high school senior and this will be the first presidential election he can vote in. He was excited to go, not so much that he likes Bush, but seeing a President is a unique experience.  

I should mention that the two of the boys are high school seniors, the other a junior. They like many teenagers dress in baggy bluejeans, have unkept shaggy hairstyles and "hoodies" (hooded sweatshirts).  I should also mention that all the boys were high school wrestlers, one a state qualifyer, one (mine) an all A student, Boy Scout and academic award winning Scholar Athelete who has a academic scholarship to a university next year.

While waiting in line to get into the event, they were approached 4 different times by security (Secret Service?) and asked for ID. They were asked why they were there and asked if they were republicans. Once in they were followed to their seats by agents who kept a close watch on them. After about 20 minutes of sitting and long before the President arrived. My adult friend was approached by an agent who asked to speak with him. He was told that the Secret Service was asking him and the boys to leave. Before he could respond he said he looked around there were 7 agents around him. He and the boys were told to follow which they did and when outside the seating area he asked who he could talk to.  He was given a phone number which he called, the man said he was the facility manager and that the Secret Service had requested his removal and there was nothing he could do. When questioned further, the guy hung up on him and the "agents" promptly escorted him and the boys through the outer gate.

Ironicaly, this friend was sent tickets because he contributed to Bush's campaign and is quite upset. My son is quite angry for getting the boot because of the way he dressed. I of course have told him that people judge you by how you look first and that life is unfair.  Although I am disappointed at him not being treated fairly I understand that he and his buddies were seen as potential agitators. What upsets me the most is that this is his first experience with a presidential election and it has soured him to the whole process. He now says he will not vote, though I am sure he will change his mind.

I of course, am debating what to do about it. Should I contact the Michigan republican party and complain, contact the Secret Service and complain (yeah, right), contact the President's office and complain, right a letter to the local newspaper, not so much to complain but make the powers that be aware that they are losing potential youth votes?

I'd contact everyone I could find a contact for. And I'd make sure my son didn't vote for mr. Bush unless he was issued a formal apology. He's earned the right not to.

I think you should go postal. Maybe even Pali.

Make sure and don't yell.

Write a letter to the President. Screw all the other toadies.
See what happens. Keep us informed.

Although, I hate to say it but I guess you've found out that "gangsta" attire isn't acceptable everywhere. Fine, upstanding young men should dress the part. I'll be voting for Bush again, but I'd have more sense than to show up at a rally wearing my favorite cammies and my anti UN t-shirt.

The nextr thing we'll see is Skerry wearing the same clothing your son was kicked out of the Bush rally for, jus so's he can identify with that group, like the snowboarders, Harley riders and guitar players.

I of course, am debating what to do about it. Should I contact the Michigan republican party and complain, contact the Secret Service and complain (yeah, right), contact the President's office and complain, right a letter to the local newspaper, not so much to complain but make the powers that be aware that they are losing potential youth votes?

DO ALL OF THE ABOVE AND DO IT NOW!

Bitch like you've never bitched before.  GW and the republican party need to be made aware of incidents like this or they will never learn.

Good luck to you.

That wasn't the SS - that was the President's Staff.  They were afraid of a protest in the middle of the speech.  The staff wear suits and have Motoraola SABREs with fancy ear plugs just like the SS.  You can tell them apart by the pins the wear on their lapels.

Had they been SS, there wouldn't have been any pity-patting going on.  They probably wouldn't of asked them for their ID's until after they removed them, and they most certainly wouldn't have let them go on their merry way until after the POTUS had safely left the area.

Bottom line:  This is what the Republican party thinks of you and your son.

They should have dressed as Rodriguez and Jésus bin-Saud and there wouldn't have been a problem.

Maybe your son should get a haircut and stop dressing like a thug.

I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.  

That sucks, but consider how obnoxious Bush's critics are, and why the SS and security went out of their way exclude likely suspects from disrupting the rally?

Quoted: I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.

Spoken just like my father. Not that I disagree...

Quoted: I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.

Yup, have to agree with shotar 100%.

Buy your kid a new wardrobe.

While I'm sure other people were dressed in relaxed clothes at this rally, I have always been of the opinion that an event such as this, or any public gathering really, you should at least dress a little nicer than what you described. Even if it's a pair of jeans and a tucked in polo shirt.

Comparable anology: Guy go up to a skantily clad girl in a night club and asks her if she she wants to f*ck. She asks, "Do I look like a hooker to you?" He replies, "Well, You are wearing the uniform."

Dress like a child and you get treated like a child.

Lessons learned:
- "Think about the consequences of your actions."
- "When in Rome..."
- "Blend in with your surroundings"
- "Next time wear either MARPAT or a turbin"
- "Bring pie for the SS, and the jack boot on your neck won't hurt so much."

CONFORM!!! MUST CONFORM!!!!!


I love doing crap like that.  Normally, I am a well dressed young man.  Buisness Suit, or generally nice clothes.  But crap like this makes me want to go to the porsche dealership with 75k in cash, drive my Rustang, wearing the tatterd crap I wear when I work on said rustang (still clean tho),  and then after I am treated like shit, show them the cash and tell them they missed out on a sale.   Any piece of trash can put on a suit and act all important, look at hollywierd.  

all u "get a haircut" "stop dressing like a homeless guy" crew, lemmie ask u something, how long was your hair in the late 1970s.  Oh yeah, thats right, I've seen the pictures

Quoted: I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.

I also agree.

I understand why you're upset, but personally I'd also be upset with my son for dressing like a scrub while in the presence of the leader of this country.  Ever if it was Klinton, I'd want to dress properly, to show respect to the position (not the person in that case).

I don't mean any offense, because when I was 18 I was also pretty immature and disrespectful.

Quoted: Quoted: I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.   I understand why you're upset, but personally I'd also be upset with my son for dressing like a scrub while in the presence of the leader of this country.

BOW DOWN TO YOUR KING!!  SHOW RESPECT IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS.

I'm all for showing the approperiate respect for the job, but a suit isint the way to show it.  

I bet u inisit that u dress up for church.  Personally, I want to be comfortable in the presence of the Lord.  Since he is always watching, he sees me in the shower or when I am cursing over a rusted bolt in my car.  As long as there is a vote for the guy and u can influence others to vote, I doubt they care, as long as u arent nude.

Hey guys, I hear you.

I agree that he got treated by how he dressed. He doesn't dress like a thug or ghetto dweller but he certainly doesn't dress like a preppie. This is an issue we've talked about many times. He has been told many times that people will judge you by how you look, but he is an individual. I will suggest that he clean up and dress appropriately but I will not make him do it. He has to accept the consequences.  

I am not that upset that he got booted, I understand that. I am upset that his first experience in politics was so negative.

He learned a valuable but sad lesson. Conform or get treated like shit.

Kind of stupid that they didn't just talk to you for a little bit and make sure they weren't planning trouble before tossing you.

The secret service doesnt mess around, if they dont want u there, u go or u r removed.

I saw bush when he spoke at tech.  One of the campus hippies was also in attendance, they wanted him gone, he didnt want to go.  I think he got to spend the rest of the afternoon in a holding cell @ the GTPD (subset of the Atlanta PD so they arent woodenbullets)

Quoted: I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.

Exactly! Well put.

CONFORM!!! MUST CONFORM!!!!! I love doing crap like that. Normally, I am a well dressed young man. Buisness Suit, or generally nice clothes. But crap like this makes me want to go to the porsche dealership with 75k in cash, drive my Rustang, wearing the tatterd crap I wear when I work on said rustang (still clean tho), and then after I am treated like shit, show them the cash and tell them they missed out on a sale. Any piece of trash can put on a suit and act all important, look at hollywierd. all u "get a haircut" "stop dressing like a homeless guy" crew, lemmie ask u something, how long was your hair in the late 1970s. Oh yeah, thats right, I've seen the pictures

What if they were not rude to you? Would you buy or do you do this simply to prove your rightousness? There is a difference in a fad and being a scum bag.

Quoted: I have a different take on this.  I fully support your son's right to dress however he wants.  That said, being in the presence of the President is an honor.  When one is sharing this honor, it is customary to go a little beyond if possible in ones appearence.  In general, if you dress like a rag bag, you will be treated like a rag bag.  That is the way things are.  If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself at least a little for not teaching him that people that dress like ghetto trash, will be treated like ghetto trash.  I see it every day.   Fact is I do not support your son's appearence in this instance.  We recently went through this with my wifes youngest brother.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he looked like a retard and if he expected to get a job he needed to dress like a human.  An earlier poster is correct, you are judged by how you present yourself and I honestly don't blame the Secret Service one bit.  Their job is to reduce potential threats and they did.  While appearences certainly can be deceiving on occaision, they usually are not.  I would think at least business casual would be appropriate to see the President.  Last time, I wore a suit.

Gets my vote also.

Quoted: He learned a valuable but sad lesson. Conform or get treated like shit.

It's not about conforming. It's about appropriateness. There's nothing wrong with wearing only your skivvies, but try wearing them to church or school or work. Sex is great too, but doing the nasty on bus full of kids ain't too bright, either.

Dressing like a ghetto hippie while not actually in a ghetto tends to be frowned upon by society.

Quoted: Quoted: Maybe your son should get a haircut and stop dressing like a thug.

The REAL lesson learned here.  He was going to see the President, not some two-bit rapper.

Quoted: What if they were not rude to you? Would you buy or do you do this simply to prove your rightousness? There is a difference in a fad and being a scum bag.

No, I honestly believe a person should be treated with respect unless given a damn good reason.  When I worked at a planetarium in NE tennessee, I had many an intellignet conversations with people would have taken for a highschool dropout bum.  But I dont do that.  Unless someone shows that they are a piece of shit, they wont be treated as such.

U talk of rightousness, we all do it with gun rights.  Talking to a manger because of their no CCW signs and why they lost out on a sale, its the same damn thing

How should someone dress when meeting the president?  i would get my suit cleaned, hair cut and shave.  the way your son was dressed he should not have even been in the room.

i am glad someone had the decorum to kick his punk (looking) ass out.

this is the PRESEDENT!  not Adam Sandler.  

Quoted: Quoted: BOW DOWN TO YOUR KING!!  SHOW RESPECT IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. I'm all for showing the approperiate respect for the job, but a suit isint the way to show it.   Um, of course it is.  How else would you be respectful?  They did their job, period.  If anyone is to be upset, they should be upset for not learning how to dress properly.  Sounds like a personal problem to me.  Don't blame Bush.

I show respect to political figures by standing when they enter the room (also goes for the ladies).  I listen to their message, even if I dont agree with it.  I applaud when the speech is complete.  I stand when they leave (this too applies to the ladies).

The day I saw bush, I just finished working on a testing rig in the structures lab, I had grease stains on my clothes, under my nails, and my hair was rather messy.  But its not like I can just zip home (I live 40 miles from campus and commute), take a shower, change into one of my suits.  

Actions, not clothes convey respect

Try wearing that stuff in court and see what it gets you. I have to agree with Shotar on this one.
I would try and turn this a positive lesson about respect for the office of the President.

obviously that sucks he got removed but;

if you're gonna dress like an indian and look like an indian in cowboy territory, you're probably gonna get your ass rounded up & wrangled.

Your boy gets in costume to blend in with his peers.  The President is not his peer.  He needs a different costume.  Some people have trouble with the idea of blending in.  Those same people, if they had an undercover job would see the wisdom in it.  The ticket is the key.  If you have one you implicitly agree on some things and if you ignore them ....oh well.....

Quoted: obviously that sucks he got removed but; if you're gonna dress like an indian and look like an indian in cowboy territory, you're probably gonna get your ass rounded up & wrangled.

LOL.

On a side note I just heard that Bush and Ashcroft are going to try and expand the definition of terrorism to include males who wear baggy jeans and have long hair.  This of course will be punishable by death.  

Belfry_Express

Internet=Talk the Talk

Reality-Walk the Walk

Sure it shouldn't be that if you dress like a punk you get treated like a punk but that is simply the way it is, like it or not.

You are what you project to people. We pre-judge people by the way they dress all the time, I do, you do, we all do.

Notice to all the people who said this kid dresses like a thug

unkept shaggy hairstyles and "hoodies"

That is just the suburban white boy look, they are far from threatening and most of them think bands like Simple Plan and Blink 182 are badass punk rock. (No disrespect to the bands, but they ain't no Iggy Pop)

Quoted: Belfry_Express Internet=Talk the Talk Reality-Walk the Walk Sure it shouldn't be that if you dress like a punk you get treated like a punk but that is simply the way it is, like it or not. You are what you project to people. We pre-judge people by the way they dress all the time, I do, you do, we all do.

Meet me in person and we'll have this discussion.  


PS, first one to accuse of "Keyboard Commando" looses

Gotta agree with most of the comments here. They got thowed out because they looked like possible troublemakers.

Belfry: You go to "Jacket Required" restaurants and protest in your jeans?

jim

Quoted: BOW DOWN TO YOUR KING!!  SHOW RESPECT IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. I'm all for showing the approperiate respect for the job, but a suit isint the way to show it.   I bet u inisit that u dress up for church.  Personally, I want to be comfortable in the presence of the Lord.  Since he is always watching, he sees me in the shower or when I am cursing over a rusted bolt in my car.  As long as there is a vote for the guy and u can influence others to vote, I doubt they care, as long as u arent nude.

Would you go to a job interview in sandles and a tank top?

If so, don't expect to get the job.

How about going to a nice wedding wearing a Black Sabbath T-shirt?
Funeral with body piercings and tattoos showing?

Sure God might not care (or maybe he does), but it might be offensive to the priest or the others in the Church.

It's a free country and you can wear whatever you like, but don't expect to be treated the same as someone who dresses appropriate to the occasion.

I didn't say he had to wear a suit and tie, but al least wear some slacks and a button up shirt.  If it were ME, I'd wear a suit, but I'm an adult, so more should be expected from me.

ok, we can meet up at the next shoot. I'll be wearing what the majority of my peers are wearing. A tee shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes and my ARFCOM hat.

How will I recognize you? Gold chains, baseball hat on backwards, rings that read P I M P on your fingers, pants down to your ankles in your tricked out gold rimmed cadillac?

I'm just trying to make a point. I'm not accusing anyone of being a keyboard commando, just that what we say and what we do sometimes are two totally different things or better put, what should be isn't what necessarily is.

Quoted: ok, we can meet up at the next shoot. I'll be wearing what the majority of my peers are wearing. A tee shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes and my ARFCOM hat. How will I recognize you? Gold chains, baseball hat on backwards, rings that read P I M P on your fingers, pants down to your ankles in your tricked out gold rimmed cadillac? I'm just trying to make a point. I'm not accusing anyone of being a keyboard commando, just that what we say and what we do sometimes are two totally different things or better put, what should be isn't what necessarily is.

AHAHAHAHAHAH, thats a good one!  Ilike that.  I may need to photoshop a pic of me like that.

Nah, Bluejeans, tshirt (something geeky)m sneekers, the usual.  Hell, I tuck my shirt in always, drives my buddies nuts

Quoted: I'd contact everyone I could find a contact for. And I'd make sure my son didn't vote for mr. Bush unless he was issued a formal apology. He's earned the right not to.

How is that in any way, shape or form GWB's fault?

The protective detail makes decisions without consulting the "boss" on each one.

They want to llok 'gansta,' they'll get treated gansta. Tough shit.

Maybe, if you are going to see the President of the United States they should dress a little more respectably in the future.

I dress appropriately for Jesus, POTUS, and anyone else that has an office deserving of respect.  Even Hillary and Bill.

What kind of a rally was it?

A sit down, dress-up event or a town hall meeting?

Did someone have to pay for the tickets?

Were there people dressed in their work clothes?

Was anyone else dressed like your son?

It's kind of ironic because if you see pictures of how Bush dressed and kept his hair in the 70's, it was probably no worse than the way the kids were dressed.

If you really are angry about this, call your local news station.  They may give you some air time and then you'd be certain to get an apology fromt he Republican Party.

Not that is realy matters but this was held at an outdoor music theater that holds 10,000 people.  It was not a hotel meeting room or even an auditorioum that holds a couple thousand people.

Temperature was about 45 degrees and many people were bundled up. Lots of people were casually dressed, blue jeans sweatshirts etc.  Not to defend them but they were young and more casually dressed than most. They were profiled while standing in line. I probably would have paid attention to them myself in the same situation. But they did nothing to be tossed.

Quoted: Gotta agree with most of the comments here. They got thowed out because they looked like possible troublemakers. Belfry: You go to "Jacket Required" restaurants and protest in your jeans? jim

nah, I let my dad do that one.  He usually shows up in something awful from the 1970s (leasure suit)

I wear a tuxedo to the Symphony, and a suit to weddings, etc etc.

The whole porsche comment was the result of a bad experience at a dealership.

I was dressed in my normal garb, clean jeans, tshirt, shoes, and I was shopping for a new car.  Went to the ford dealer, the wouldnt talk to me after I told them I didnt want the cobra mustang.  The chevy guy was a no go for a test drive for a Z28 Camaro.  After being rather pissed at both dealerships, Grandaddy wanted to go to the Mercades/BMW/Porsche dealer to get some of the literature.  Before I knew it, the salesman had me n a Kompressor then a 911 turbo.  I was definitely not dressed the part for cars like that.  I asked the dealer why, he told me it was out of common courtesy and to attract new buyers.  I may have not been able to afford a 35k automobile from them, but I am one year shy of graduation with a lucrative offer from lockheed.  I am sure going to consider BMW/Mercades/Porsche over Ford or GM cause of their behavior that day.  And I dont even like Porsche

I do believe in dressing the part for some things, but hell, the president is a rough and tumble guy, he wouldnt mind that I had loads of graphite grease on me.  I would understand if shaking his hand was out of the question, cause that stuff is a bitch to get off.

And honestly, I'd like to see what u would do if u were going to meet Billary

Quoted: Maybe your son should get a haircut and stop dressing like a thug.

no kidding.  they couldn't even dress appropriately to go to see the President of the United States?

If you saw the rally last night on C-Span you would have seen the president in an open collar shirt (no tie) and a golf jacket.  This was not a meet and greet it was large outdoor rally, and the kids  were there to support the Prez.

They were given tickets.

Quoted: It's kind of ironic because if you see pictures of how Bush dressed and kept his hair in the 70's, it was probably no worse than the way the kids were dressed. If you really are angry about this, call your local news station.  They may give you some air time and then you'd be certain to get an apology fromt he Republican Party.

Heck, I would settle for tickets for the whole family to see the Prez the next time he comes around. That way I could take my kids (in appropriate dress of course) and show them the way it is supposed to be.