This I Believe.....

[Laxman]

The United States as a country, stands for something. We don't always achieve it, but the concepts that are embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution stand for something. People have died and sacrificed for those concepts as long as the country has been around. We don't honor those concepts and sacrifices by waving the flag or standing for the National Anthem or saying the Pledge of Allegiance. We honor them by living those principles.

One of the highest honors we can give to our nation is to stand up for what you believe in. To fight against injustice. To really seek equality for all Americans. It's not some slavish nationalistic ritual. Stand up and speak out, even if it costs you- especially if it costs you something. I love my country. But if it fails my fellow Americans in its promise to treat them equally, it fails me. And I have a right, and they have a right, to demand better. I'd say it rises to an obligation to do so. Anyone who is offended by someone speaking out for those principles has lost sight of the goals of this nation. If it takes a group of football players kneeling during your sacred song to remind you of what is really important, it's a small price to pay.

Standing for the National Anthem is not how we honor America. Standing for the principles this country was founded upon is how you do it. Living those principles is how you do it. I kneel with my fellow Americans who know that we can do better. Professional athletes are in a position where they can visibly make a difference. It would be irresponsible for them to shirk the opportunity to bring a bright light on the problems we are facing as a country, problems that threaten to tear us apart. So I salute them for having the courage to kneel as a way of standing up. I honor them for honoring the ideals that are the backbone and strength of this country. It is especially important when we have a President who seeks to use the thing that is the core of our democracy, the diversity of this nation, as a wedge to promote himself and divide our country.

So remember what America is really about. Its not a song. Its not a flag. Its not bowing before the military or proving we have better bombs than anyone else. Its the idea, however imperfectly carried out, that all of us are created equally with common inalienable rights. So yes, if you fail my fellow Americans in this promise, no matter their race, creed, color, ethnicity or national origin, you fail me, you fail all of us. I'm proud to live in a country with people who will take a stand, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular, to live those ideals and I kneel with you.

[Fresh_Start]

1. excellent..thank you for sharing nt

nt

[Laxman]

6. There's A Mentality That Comes From Team Sports.....

maybe football more than others, but after years of playing, I can't shake it. If you come after one of my guys, you're coming after all of us. I think we've lost that concept as a nation. We're in this together. If you don't think we have an issue with how we treat people of color in this country, you've been living under a rock. If you don't understand that this is an attack on our fellow Americans, then you just don't understand what it means to be an American.

I really believe that the Russians viewed our diversity as our Achilles Heel. They knew that a guy like Trump would amplify our differences instead of drawing us together and thereby weaken our country. And guess what's happening before our very eyes. If we want to remain strong, we need to stand with these players and stand up for what our country really stands for. We ARE all in this together and these are dangerous times.

[Fresh_Start]

9. Russians view democracy as our Achilles Heel too.

and they see the reactionary right as a tool to exploit to destroy america

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

2. You've got that right!

I was at my nephew's football game yesterday and the guy next to me commented how nice it was that nobody was kneeling during the anthem. I told him these are college kids, they should be smart enough to know its time to kneel.

[MLAA]

5. Perfect response!

[Laxman]

7. It Would Be Interesting To See....

a wave of protests joining in. Especially at the small college level. A lot of academically strong schools with smart kids playing just because they like the game. Would be a real "educational" experience.

[KPN]

3. Hear! Hear!

[MLAA]

4. Very well said. Excellent post.

[Wounded Bear]

8. K & R ......well stated...nt

[Laxman]

10. I'd Just Like To Add One More Thing....

after hearing all of the reactions about NFL demonstrations yesterday, the repeated drum beat that this is disrespectful to the military was a common point. First, the singing of the anthem is not a tribute to the military. This is a nation founded on a civilian controlled armed forces and this growing military fetish is alarming. Second, you don't get to define the protest of another. There is a point to these protests and it isn't disrespect. People want to define it by their own standards, especially people who are not on the wrong side of the conditions that are being highlighted. The inability to listen to anyone who disagrees with you is going to be the end of us. Choosing to interpret the actions of people you don't understand or want to understand to satisfy your own preconceptions is a very sad place to be intellectually. That kind of blockhead thinking may be our nation's greatest weakness.