"One of the great things about America is that millions of people sacrificed their lives so someone like Tim Thomas can make a hypocritical ass of himself.

The Bruins' constitutional law expert managed to do this simply by doing nothing, which is what a lot of his kind of "patriots'' do these days. Thomas chose not to show up with his teammates at a White House reception Monday hosted by President Barack Obama to honor the team's Stanley Cup victory.

It caused a predictable firestorm of protest or support depending on your politics. The inaction of a guy who stops frozen rubber for a living thus became an issue of local and national debate."