The news of late is about NFL football players kneeling during the National Anthem. They are taking a knee in protest of the Trump-led government. It isn’t an act of disrespect for the nation nor is it being disrespectful to military service members and those in the law enforcement, emergency, and homeland protection services.
Trump, his followers, and the Republican Party are in denial that the majority of Americans are taking a knee on this government. The reason being that the government is undermining the US Constitution and rule of law. It is illegitimate and when proven in a court of law, it is likely that Trump and his associates will be found guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.
The visible evidence that is circumstantial has mounted since his tenure. Trump’s behavior in office has further undermined his status.
Don’t be fooled for a minute that the NFL players in protest are insulting Americans. They are speaking out for most of us.
ABC News Image
The National Football League and other sports leagues went on the offense against President Trump on Sunday after a weekend of the president attacking sports players over what he said is a lack of respect for the country.
ReplyDeleteBy Sunday, Trump was subject to high-profile protests from coaches and players of professional football, basketball, hockey and baseball.
The feud spread overseas—with players taking a knee during the national anthem in London—and the league announced it will re-air a televised advertisement promoting franchise unity on Sunday in the wake of the president's attacks."
The Hill.
Freedom, respect and dignity must be afforded to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about all of this. I think people are letting emotions get in the way of looking objectively at the issues that underlie what is going on.
A circulating video expresses the outrage of a a Marine over the actions of sports figures in the kneeling demonstrations. In the letter the Marine criticizes their motivations and accuses them of being privileged. First I would never argue against what a brave Marine wrote about how this makes him or her feel. There is nothing that should be said about how distressing this is to a person who has sacrificed so much for their country.
However, I must also say that for anyone, including a patriot and Marine and even war hero, to make blanket and demeaning observations about people that are expressing deep emotional issues is also not fair. I for one cannot begin to identify with a player who spent the first 18 years of his life dodging bullets in a ghetto before he was able to get out by playing a sport. And I cannot begin to understand the feelings of someone who lost their brother or sister or close friend to drive by shootings or gang warfare. The innocent children and young people who lost their lives in this manner had no flag draped on their coffins but they were still American heroes. This is not true of all players, but the underlying issue is that none of us know what hardships someone else has lived through.
None of these participants, whether brave soldiers or brave citizens of race, deserve to be treated with disrespect or have their deep emotional reasons for their actions be disrespected and insulted.
Each must strive to understand the motivations and convictions of the other and find common grounds to be supportive of the other. All people in this country with deep emotional and noble ideals should have a place in the honest and fair judgement in the court of public opinion.