San Francisco 49er backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick justified his refusal to stand for the national anthem as “I will stand with the oppressed” referring to alleged injustices to minorities in America. Like most spoiled, overpaid, professional athletes who failed to learn rhetoric in college to find the truth, Kaepernick’s low intelligence (like many in professional sports) makes him susceptible to an anti-American political agenda promoted by the national media machine. In an industry whose byword is “if it bleeds, it leads” and sensationalism trumps the journalists’ creed, we are seeing the flames of racism being fanned by professional anger mongers on both sides of the political and electronic spectrum. The majority of the blame however lies with minority professional, political and clerical race baiters who continue to lie about isolated incidents despite irrefutable statistics to the contrary (see The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe by Heather MacDonald). These are the people who earn their living as anger mongers. The truth is not profitable to them. Those who believe their lying swill are called “Useful Idiots” by Lenin.
“Standing with the oppressed” is a strange phrase for a person earning millions expressing his outrage sitting on his gluteus maximus. Yes, the putz has the constitutional right to express his opinion. Yet increasingly it is only the anti-American opinion that is protected by the press, politically appointed federal judges, the Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme Court while those preserving America’s moral code and patriotism are persecuted.
Kaepernick is not the only person to disrespect the national anthem or the American flag. Some young people consciously ignore the national anthem and continue texting or talking to their friends. Some Hispanic students recite the pledge of allegiance to Mexico at the beginning of the school day, fly the Mexican flag at public schools and burn it at Trump rallies. Some African-Americans –even in military uniform- stand with hands clasped behind their backs rather than over their hearts in silent protest. I don’t believe their grandparents who fought and sacrificed to be citizens of this country would approve. At each of my three sons’ graduation from Marine boot camp I marveled at the number of young Americans of all ethnicities who still volunteer for the toughest branch of the military. Not one of them would think of disrespecting the flag or the national anthem.
The American flag is a symbol of unity. From the fifty stars on a collective field of blue to the red and white stripes sewn together it symbolizes not only our history of sacrifice for the freedoms we now enjoy but the unity of the country –and its’ citizens- as a whole. The colors of the American flag (and those of most other nations’) stand for universal principles like truth, freedom and sacrifice – not any particular ethnicity. The increased sales of Kaepernick’s football jersey is just one indicator of how far from this concept we’ve gone..
If Kaepernick is sincere in his devotion to the oppressed I have the perfect venue for expressing his amgst: U.S. Army Special Forces – the Green Berets- whose motto is “De Oppresso Liber” (To Free the Oppressed). Let him put his muscle where his mouth is and try to earn that badge of honor like Buena High School graduate and Green Beret Ryan Savaard did. Or let him give up his multi-million dollar contract to earn the coveted Ranger tab and run to the sound of hostile gunfire like Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman did. Let him deploy to countries who personify oppression and see how he feels when he returns. ….if he returns.
No, Kaepernick won’t risk his comfy lifestyle for real principled sacrifice. He won’t be The Man in the Arena because when it comes right down to it he’s just another member of a vocal but cowardly mob – one of the millions of Useful Idiots.
(L to R) Ranger Pat Tillman, Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman, Green Beret SFC Ryan Savaard RIP
