This I Believe..... [View all]

[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.