Wrong thing
Regarding Obama in Japan bowing to the emperor: This is the wrong thing for any U.S. president to do in any nation. A polite handshake would do nicely.
LOUIS J. ALTERISIO, Salem, N.H.
Do something
At first glance it is "much ado about nothing" but still the resident seems bent on outward appearance and less on substance. I don't think the commander-in-chief of the United States of America should be bowing to anyone in a public forum, especially emperors and kings who do not represent our way of life. What do we remember about this Far Eastern trip but the bow? Obama came home with no gains or concessions from any country he conferred with and the Iranian/North Korean nuclear missile problems are still out there. Israel and the Far East states are waiting. Do something about it Mr. President!
JIM CASSIDY, Bradford
In real trouble
One out of every seven mortgages
are either behind or in foreclosure. One out of every four homes have mortgages higher than their home is worth. Unemployment and underemployment is crippling families, let alone health care. Other countries as well as some in the U.S. are calling for an investigation of the U.S. Federal Reserve. And the conservative right-wing news media is concerned with — a presidential bow? We are, indeed, in real trouble.
ANNE COMMENATOR, Derry, N.H.
Bow away
Our 6-foot president bows to a 5-foot emperor, and it causes a stir. Not only was the bow a sign of respect, it was also politically astute for the president to have done so. Now, whether we as Americans like it or not, we need all the friends we can get, especially Asian friends. If a bow will nurture a friendship, I say bow away. It's good for America. Cheers.
WARREN F. KELLEY, North Andover
Off-key
I would agree the bow itself was off-key. I will never agree that as Americans we meet foreign leaders of potential huge massive economic significance and we walk in the room and expect them to do things our way.
Let Vietnam in the early 1970s be an example. The Japanese emperor and empress seemed pleasantly surprised by this action by our president. But with the media in my view it's just more negative hype about Obama. It's just something insignificant in my view for the far right to whine about.
DAVID H. YAGHMOORIAN, Lawrence
Handshake enough
President Nixon bowed to the emperor of Japan when he visited the U.S. in 1971. They seem to have some problems bowing to an emperor. First of all, if you bow the wrong way, it could send a wrong message to the emperor. As far as I am concerned a handshake should be enough. It shows respect in your own way.
DENNIS GROULX, Salem, N.H.
Something's wrong
All President Obama had to do was shake the hand of the emperor.
That holds true for any other leader he has to greet. All the problems the world has and people are worried about how President Obama greets the emperor of Japan. Something is wrong somewhere.
VIOLA HAYNES, Methuen
Web poll results
Should President Obama have bowed to the emperor of Japan?
Yes — 39.72%
No — 46.26%
It doesn't matter — 14.02%
214 votes counted.
