I've seen many today (including our POTUS) going on and on and on about how disrespectful it is for NFL players to kneel during the national anthem. Remember, they are doing this, not because they do not respect the sacrifice of our soldiers and veterans for fighting for our freedoms, but because they are against the injustices in our own country that are contrary to exactly what those men and women fought for! Our military puts their lives on the line for freedom and equality...FOR EVERYONE! Unfortunately, we have seen a lot of backwards movement in this regard in the last several months. How is kneeling disrespectful? Don't we kneel when we pray? Don't players kneel out of respect when a fellow player is down on the field injured? Doesn't a man drop to one knee when he proposes to a woman? All these players are saying by taking a knee is that they cannot stand up for what is going on today in this country...much of which is being condoned by our own government! Racism is alive and well!! Hate is alive and well!!!
I will admit...there have been many violent protests, and these things I condemn. Violence for the sake of violence fixes nothing. But yet, when people protest peacefully, they are still persecuted! Our very Constitution allows for "peaceful assembly". As long as it is peaceful, our right to speak out against things that we see as injustices is protected. These people are not burning flags, they are not wiping their butts with or stomping on flags. No!!! They are taking a simple knee during the anthem to say, "We believe America in it's current state could use some work!" It is not anti-American to say that...to say, "You know what, we have some problems here, and something really needs to be done about it!" It isn't anti-American for us to point out that here we are sending in troops to other countries to help them overthrow regimes who try to force their beliefs on the people, while at the same time, our own administration is over here trying to force beliefs on us!
Just think about how people described Saddam Hussein when he was in power, and then take a close look at what is starting to happen here. Remember the stories about how no one was allowed to disagree with him. Think about reports of people going to jail, simply for not watching the presidential addresses on TV. Recall how he took over the media..only allowing them to report the things he wanted them to report...things that made him look good! I'm seriously worried about our current situation, and if you aren't, then you have some serious blinders on!! I've studied history, and read all the accounts from Holocaust survivors to survivors of the Hussein regime....and I have some real concerns for this country right now!! This man...our POTUS...right now finds himself more concerned with whether or not a bunch of NFL players are standing for the the national anthem...calling for their suspensions and firings...while we have a literal madman on the other side of the ocean pointing a very big gun at us and threatening to pull the trigger!! I don't know...I may be crazy...but I think our POTUS should be paying more attention to the madman with a gun!