As a veteran, even when I was military, I was often faced with orders that I didn't necessarily agree with. I'm not a big fan of the kneeling, which will come to a big surprise to most of the people that know me. It's not that I am a fan of what they are doing or that I agree with it. It's that I swore to protect the Constitution. She states that anyone in this country can peacefully protest. She provides all the freedom of speech. And until Jerry Jones and the Cowboys showed solidarity and kneeled prior to the Flag being unfurled, I saw no more peaceful way than taking a knee as if in prayer while the Anthem played. The Cowboys action was a gesture that should have united people. It didn't. It caused even more ruckus. That's when I realized that it wasn't about a flag or song, but what it was about was way more nefarious.
First, it was disrespecting a flag. No one really cares in this country. Walk into a bar while the anthem plays on the TV. No one is standing. Sure, that might change for a short time, but it will fade. Human nature. So people have been disrespecting the flag for eons. Even the people that are super heroes right now defending the idea that we have to stand. Let's call it what it is--hypocrisy.
Next, the flag represents veterans and active military. I thought about it. Yes, I have had friends that I have lost and the flag was draped over their casket. It is because it is a sign of our country paying her respect to our service, not the other way around. The flag is representing our Constitution, our way of life, our Rights and all American citizens, not just the veterans and military members. In fact, she's a symbol of what we swore to protect in our oath. The only time the flag is supposed to be laid down even, is upon our caskets or other public service people like police, firefighters, Presidents, Senators, etc. Those that have entered service to this country are honored by the only exception of how the flag may be laid. The rest of the time she is supposed to flap freely in the wind. At no other time should she be draped upon something. So, even if we stick with this argument that it somehow is disrespecting those of us that served, well, maybe, maybe not. If it's disrespect to veterans and military, then it's disrespecting Congress, Justices, Presidents.... The same people making these arguments disrespected Obama like it was going out of style. I didn't like him either, but technically, by this argument, they are disrespecting Reagan, Obama, Trump, Clinton...basically everyone that has ever served this country in any and every capacity.
So I had to think why am I willing to defend their Right to kneel, but not willing to kneel myself. My country has been really good to me. I live in what I view as the greatest Nation in the world and I have seen several other countries. Some of them are beautiful and majestic. Some of them have some really neat things about them. But no country is like mine. She allows you to disagree peacefully. She allows freedom of speech unlike any other. She prevents illegal search and seizures and she promises that these Rights are inalienable. No other country promises as much as ours does, and that's because no other country has our Constitution. I stand because my country has loved me as much as I have loved her.
Has my country loved them the same as it has loved me? Has our country loved everyone as equals? We are human, and it is human nature to try to be better. Unfortunately for some, being better means holding others down rather than being better themselves. We don't want to admit that, because most of us genuinely try to not put other people down. But it really wasn't the majority that were screaming. Hell, no one ever paid attention until a bunch of twitters. The pre-season and first couple weeks went by quietly and it was no big deal. The whole concept had lost its momentum, and to be honest, I would've been perfectly happy with that. But right now, with all the bullshit, I had to think about it. Really think about it. We want to be a fair country, but we're not. It's just that simple. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that some people are going to protest somehow.
So, when this all started, it was about police brutality against anyone, and mainly against black men. But statistically, it is more black men. They make up less than 1/3 of the population, but make up the mass majority of people in prisons. That's not because black people are more likely to commit crime. Anyone that knows anything about population distribution knows this is an impossiblity. Then, I end up in this conversation with this old guy who graduated high school in 1965. Years before I was even born. He thinks he has the lockdown on "right". He looks white, but he knows all about racism, even though his parents look white too. Why? Because he's part Native. Did he get treated differently? No. He didn't. That was a fallacy he claimed. And that's when it hit me. He's the epitome of why all this is happening.
Why? If people hadn't thought he was white, then he would've been treated differently. He's only a little younger than my parents were. My father looked very Native American. He and my mother were attacked in Pennsylvania while this guy was in high school. So he's full of crap. He looked white enough (assuming he's even telling the truth about being part Native) and therefore he was never treated different. He knows this both consciously and subconsciously. But he's blowing smoke anyway. Then he insulted me multiple times and finally when I got mad, he turned it on me. That's what the game is. And anyone that has had a conversation with a jerk like this knows exactly what I'm talking about. That's the real root problem. He's going to say anything to make sure he gets you and I to agree with him. He's an old racist jerk and he will say or do anything to make we sure that we agree with him, we concede or he goads us into anger. When I started laughing at him because it was just too pathetic once he whipped out how he was never actually treated any different, he was pissed. No shit. Then he wanted to talk nice again. Bye bye.
But that old dude is exactly why all of us are arguing over this. Most of us know there's inequality still in this Nation. Most of us are younger than his ass and wouldn't normally permit him to disrespect another American. Even if we did, we would turn around and apologize for his piss poor behavior in embarrassment, and he would stew in his juices that we felt it necessary to apologize for him. He is mad because his racism is no longer valid. He's just a mad old white dude. And, he wants GenX and the Millenials to share his point of view. That's it in a nutshell, and many of us are buying it hook, line and sinker.
Why do I think this? Well, here was the priceless part. He admitted that he swore, both he and I swore to protect the Constitution. Only it didn't apply to "them". Who's them? The people kneeling. Kaepernick. What about Jerry Jones? He joined "them". He lost all respect for him, because he joined "them". That's right them. So in his mind, our Constitution applies to him and anyone that agrees with him, but not "them". And anyone that defends them, well, he's lost all respect for "them". Well, okay, then. I swore an Oath to protect the Constitution for all that are here in the USA. She is the Law of this Land and she applies to anyone here, even if they are not citizens. The "them" he was referring to? They are USA citizens, and unlike him, I know that she applies to "them" as much as she applies to him. But because he was raised that "them" are not afforded those Rights, he wants the rest of us to join him in putting "them" in their place. At that moment, I felt ashamed. I stand because I love my country and she has been really good to me. He reminded me that there are "them" that love her and she hasn't loved them back because of people like him.
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