On September 23rd – 24th 2017 Donald Trump president of the United States went on a tweet storm referring to NFL players as being son of a bitches because some of them chose to kneel in protest rather then stand for our National Anthem. The president was insinuating that those who kneel do not love America therefore should be fired because it is considered disrespectful. From an honest perspective those that kneel are not doing it out of disrespect towards our anthem, flag or even the US Military. The real issue is that as a nation we are divided and those kneeling do so in advocating civil rights and reform for those in our country who abuse their power in law enforcement. Therefore the kneeling done in the NFL is merely a symbol that we as a nation are hurting.
Meanwhile, hurricane Maria has decimated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands which has led to a humanitarian crisis. We have American Citizens without electricity, suffering from a water and a food crisis as well. ISIS is raping children and invading towns across the middle east causing mass genocide and North Korea is replicating weapons of mass destruction which technically could wipe out mankind in a few years. These are only some of the issues across the globe that the US turns a blind eye too and not even our country but society in general.
While Trump blurts out that football is boring and that the NFL suffers from poor ratings the truth is the Superbowl is the most watched event in the world. As a matter in fact football is one of the most beloved played sports across the country. Sure NFL players make far to much money but so do any athletes of any given sport in America. The lovely thing about America is that this is the land of opportunity but it also is a free country then again is it really? You decide!
We live in a society that the masses would rather spend time discussing who stands or kneels in front of our American flag. But what about issues like homelessness? Curing cancer? Reliable health insurance that benefits all Americans? Stopping racism and corrupt police who pull the trigger because of skin color? Fixing increasing crime in the nation such as children being sexually assaulted? Gang violence? Are these not bigger issues then a few NFL players exercising their freedom of speech?
While some of you may find it disrespectful that some may kneel rather then stand in front of the American Flag I am willing to bet my entire life savings that most of you never thought about it till Trump decided to bring up this topic of discussion. This is not Putin’s Russian or Kym Jung Un’s Republic Of North Korea where you are executed for exercising your freedom of speech or sent to fifteen years of hard labor. The more rhetoric I see from my fellow Americans the more it sounds like we no longer live in a free democratic society which should scare some of you.
While the flag is symbolic to America’s history and to our nation it still is a piece of fabric no matter how you cut it. In Christianity the bible states thou shall not worship any false idols if you really wanted to get technical it would be a sin to idolize our flag period. Perhaps some may not stand for the national anthem because our government has shunned them in some way. Regardless of the reason whether your protesting for change, do not want to idolize the flag or you simply were burned by the American Government Democracy can fail the most patriotic therefore we must not undermine our freedom of speech or expression no matter how disrespectful it may seem
I have a friend who served in Vietnam he loves America always votes, volunteers politically with elections and is more American then anyone I ever met. But at the same time he has lost total faith in America being that it was our government that killed his own men and almost him with Agent Orange. Despite that factor he was never compensated appropriately. Should he also stand at attention for the American Flag and Anthem when he has spent years carrying this trauma and suffering? Does that make him any less American because he fails to do so? Would you stand for a country that uses biological weapons on its own military service members?
While we are even having this discussion in America the world is going to shit. Global Warming is on the increase states like Florida will be under water in a couple hundred years and gang violence in cities like Chicago are off the charts. We have Russia intruding on our Democratic principles and politicians using American tax dollars to take fancy vacations with but that my friends is none of that is disrespectful correct? Forget that the nation with each passing hour becomes more divided any true leader would bring us together when that fails it is up to the American People to do so no matter the cost whether that is protesting, kneeling or by exercising our freedom of speech!
When will the time come for America to have a discussion about helping homeless veterans for example or stopping hatred in America? After all on August 11th 2017 White Nationalist and Supremacist marched with torches in Charlottesville Virginia spewing hatred which I found more disrespectful then any NFL player kneeling during the national anthem. While Trump was told to denounce such hate groups by Congress he also stated that many of them were very fine people. Thus, what he is trying to say is that it is okay for White Nationalist to spew hatred because they stand for our anthem but NFL players who are exercising their freedom of speech are called disrespectful for taking a knee?
I consider taking a knee as virtuous what I mean by this statement is that it shows signs of peacefulness, submission, humility and in some countries even knighthood. While Trump may say its disrespectful to his base I find that this is rather an act of nobility because at least the NFL players are not burning the flag. If supposedly the NFL players did not take a knee I would find it even more dishonorable for them failing to exercise their freedom of speech and protest by not doing anything. Without protest their would be no change my good friends and without change their would be no democracy! Being American also means freedom of expression without any president passing judgement.
Our forefathers had given all Americans the right to protest our government just as they gave us the right to bare arms during tyranny. I realize that we have many Americans who are butt hurt over who stands or who kneels but what is even more offensive is those who fail to do nothing but continue to critique those exercising their freedoms. Firing NFL players does not solve racism in America. It will not make people any more patriotic nor will it solve the bigger issues this country is currently facing. The only reason why this topic was brought to the public’s attention is to distract everyone focusing on bigger issues such as the Russians attacking our democratic process, hurricane Maria’s wraith on Puerto Rico and North Korea setting off a nuclear bomb which was more powerful then the nuke that the US dropped on Hiroshima Japan.
Sadly the things that we love in America such as NFL football are being slowly taken away from us because of what a few powerful men in Washington believe in. Will I stop watching football because the players protest racism? NO and if you do then you truly are more robotic then a well oiled machine. It is hard to believe that our society has been reduced to discussing who stands or kneels for a flag when deep down inside this is not about disrespecting our service members but rather saying to the government enough is enough. While the NFL players do not have a say in our presidents decision making process our government does not have a say in how each American decides to protest. The day Trump let alone any politician decides to hear the people is a day where America will be great again!
While Trump states that NFL players are being disrespectful for kneeling and lecturing his base about what he deems right or wrong try to bare in mind some of the following facts. This is coming from a president who praises White Supremacist, talks about grabbing women by the pussy, puts down flat chested women, makes fun of handicap people, was golfing during hurricane Irma meanwhile folks were drowning in Texas, was 100 percent sure that Obama was not born in America and continuously has lied to the American people numerous times. So if you find that those players kneeling in the NFL are being disrespectful to our flag then you surely must find our president to be also knowing these facts otherwise you are simply being hypocritical and honestly somewhat delusional. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!
I mean honestly, do that many folks feel that NFL players are purposely being disrespectful? The way the media including the president makes it out to be is that these players are purposely disrespecting our service members and our flag. Sadly this is not the case since many NFL players brothers, fathers and mothers previous served in the US military and at some point were upstanding American Citizens. Rather then address the real issue at hand most of America would rather blame the NFL for our countries failure rather then face the harsh reality that it is the government that has failed all of us for so long. While you can debate who failed who we live in a country that faces real threats, issues and problems right now. The last of our worries is a few NFL players who have lost faith in American or wish to protest them believe me. While Colin Kaepernick begin taking a knee a year ago and from that time forward the trend has continued to grow all Trump had did was empowered others to follow in his footsteps.
We have thousands of innocent black men in America being shot by police officers who were unarmed and did not commit any crime. While most of the white privileged folks in America do not find this to be a major issue how long will it take before you or even me becomes a victim of police brutality only to find out that the president and the rest of our government has not done a single thing to resolve this issue. Rather then for most of you to find it disrespectful try to understand another man’s pain once you understand that then you can finally understand why some have chosen to take a knee or lost faith in the system. It must pain many of those players to take a knee rather then stand because they are left without a choice because our government in America is failing those who spent their entire life idolizing America only for that America in the end to fail them.
Many of these NFL players are involved with charitable organizations, providing for the needy, working with children and putting there asses on the line so every American can enjoy a good game of football on a Sunday afternoon. Yet Trumps base would rather condemn these players instead of condemning a government who has spent years ignoring bigger issues at hand. Proof of that is 3 million people are suffering in Puerto Rico right now yet America wants to discuss who takes a knee and who stands. Does this mean that if I take a knee that I do not care about my friends who served in the military? That I am not patriotic? That I am a bad person? That I am a coward? The only man who is a fool is the man who failed to do nothing at all but the real treasure is the man who can protest his loyalty in order to convey a cause.
I refuse to live in a country where I am told how to act, what to do, when to stand, when to kneel or how to protest. If the NFL wishes to protest by taking a knee they have every right to do so just as much as Trump has every right to say it is disrespectful. Either and or is a really a matter of opinion so let us agree to disagree then move on to the much more serious issues at hand. If these issues did not exist then their would be no war, disease, famine, violence or hate in America period! Yet social media would rather focus on who stands or kneels rather then more relevant issues. It is easy to see people calling one another names over standing and kneeling but what I fail to see is discussing those who sacrificed their lives due to Washington’s failed policies and inability to help those who have fallen unjustly.
What prompted me to write this article is I sat down for about two hours going through my time lines on twitter, facebook and google. I could not believe the rhetoric I was reading friends arguing with friends, men saying they are real men because they stand, others protesting the NFL and people calling fellow Americans disrespectful. If I was dead I would have utterly turned over in my grave I could not believe what I was reading. You mean to tell me the world is having a major crisis when were on the brink of WWIII and all people can discuss is NFL players taking a knee the same players who stood for that anthem for many years which nobody ever fails to mention. Are we supposed to continue to be divided or hate on the sport we have grown to love all over what a businessman says who said POW Senator John McCain was not a hero who spent three years being tortured by the Vietmanese? You never hear anything about how disrespectful Trump was when he stated that to the people.
Americans should be ashamed of themselves because people are failing to look at the bigger picture. Most see it being disrespectful rather then sitting down and trying to find out what problems have led to this very moment. It is not like the NFL woke up one day and decided to protest think about it. So if your president says jump off a bridge would you do it? People forget that before these protest these men in the NFL placed there hands on there hearts long before Trump ever took office but the moment they kneel automatically gives others the right to place judgement and show hatred towards a sport that brings all of us together. If you place judgement on a man who knees in the NFL then surely you must place judgement on the government for doing nothing about the issues that are currently being protested and led to those kneeling.
We live in America the land of the free but it also is the land of the brave. It takes bravery to take a knee and protests a cause; in this case the cause is the innocent killing of black men in America. Because we live in a country that feeds off drama, violence and failed policy many of us have lost faith in idolizing our flag. Only the brave will be remembered for taking a knee against tyranny and hate. Meanwhile most of you will rant and rave about how those doing it are disrespectful. Cops that kill fellow unarmed black Americans are disrespectful. Presidents that lie are disrespectful. Politicians that take away our democratic freedoms are disrespectful. Enforcing god onto us is disrespectful! How can we as Americans deny any of this by comparing that with someone who takes a knee?
The moment a man no longer stands up for what is right because of what one man with power says is the moment we no longer are a democracy but rather a dictatorship. No matter how disrespectful it may seem for someone who kneels during the national anthem it would be a greater loss for that man not to do so if he feels that our government is being unjust. It is our goddamn American right to take a stand even if YOU do not approve. If taking a knee to protest hate is disrespectful then America is truly sicker then I thought considering the much larger issues at hand!
This country is not going to hell in a hand basket because a few NFL players took a knee and locked arms to stand in unity against hatred in America so wake up. This country is going to hell because everyone thinks it is their god given choice to judge what is right or wrong instead of solving the issues that led up to this. Until issues such as hate, racism, crime, violence and government corruption get resolved their will never be no peace. Those taking knees during the anthem will become more frequent until America is heard so everyone of you who is enraged by this better get use to it because even some politicians are now taking a knee.
Trump has never served in the US Military nor has he ever suffered from police brutality. I can assure you that any man who has felt pain is feeling the pain right now because our government is not doing enough to squelch it. Therefore, the final result is a loss in patriotism, faith and Americans who are burdened with pain in their hearts. Therefore, is it the presidents job to put those down who are suffering because our government has done so very little to help our fellow brothers and sisters? Is it worth going on social media to debate who stands and takes a knee because our current president says what is right and wrong? Does it even mean because you stand that you are even loyal to this country? Some Americans stand during the anthem and still carry hatred towards America. Is it worth throwing a hissy fit and further becoming divided over a stance during an anthem? Are we supposed to shun our brothers, sisters, moms, dads, grandparents and friends because one may take a knee and another might stand?
I do not believe that the NFL players should NOT be punished for protesting nor is it right that Trump called their moms bitches which that rhetoric in itself is far more disrespectful. Those sons of a bitches voted for Trump and they pay taxes. Without those SOB’s as Trump puts it their would be no protest therefore issues such as racism and hatred in America would go completely unnoticed. The president does not have a right to tell any business who they can hire or fire as a matter in fact this is a serious ethics violation sorry I do not write the laws. If the owner of any NFL team feels that a player does not wish to stand for the anthem it is his god given right. The moment we begin to tell someone what they can or cannot do is a violation of the US Constitution so now who is being disrespectful? It certainly is not those kneeling!
You may or you may not agree with me but chances are if you do not agree with what I have stated then your ignoring the bigger problem. Not everything is in black and white we as Americans must not blame those taking a knee but those that turned a blind eye which led up to the protest. If Trump did not want NFL players taking a knee then he should be implicating executive orders to help protect black men from becoming victims of police brutality. He should be condemning hate and racism from white supremacist groups and helping restore faith in those taking a knee by solving the issue which has been ignored for so long. Calling others names does not solve the issue it just adds fuel to the flame nor firing someone will ever make the problem just go away the real problem remains with men who have to much power and do not take the time to help those in need. Maybe if we helped those in American we could grow patriotism and restore faith in America again!
With that being said you can bet on more and more Americans taking a knee. This trend will continue to grow until faith is restored for those Americans currently doing it. Right now we live in a time of crisis perhaps their is a right and a wrong time to even have this discussion. Their is no right or wrong time to protest however since it is our given right and no man not the president or even you can take that away from the NFL players or anyone who feels what they are doing is just within their hearts and souls. Fighting on social media, mocking others, defending Trumps rhetoric, banning the NFL, firing players or boasting that you stand is going to solve the issue or lack of patriotism in America. The only thing that will solve these issues are those taking a hard line stance for what is right just like during the American Civil War when Abraham Lincoln put a stop to slavery and just like Martin Luther King who fought for black rights! Many men died taking a knee and today we honor them for doing so! Many men died taking a knee to fulfill an American dream and that my friends is equality in this great nation.
Those that take a knee are not disrespectful they are heroes because they are willing to risk their careers so they can be heard. They are willing to be mocked, ridiculed and put down because in their hearts they feeling that this is a worthy cause. I feel that stopping hate, violence, racism and police brutality is a worthy cause even if you the reader does not. No man should ever pledge his allegiance if his heart is clouded by the wrongs of a failed country. It is okay to take a knee it is okay to lose faith in America and it is okay to love your country as well. It is not okay to turn a blind eye to the bigger problem in America which is not who stands or kneels but the killing of innocent Americans by cops who feel they are above the law. It is not okay to ignore these protest or mock those protesting for a justly cause. Otherwise if we do not do something America will be facing a second Civil War perhaps even a race war because politicians failed to act and were more concerned with how those protested instead of why!
Lord Rick Rowe
Editor & Chief
