The coast-to-coast talk today is whether it was appropriate for NFL players to take a knee at the games yesterday or whether Prez Trump was right that it was disrespectful to our flag/anthem/country to do so. My opinion: Like beauty, appropriateness is in the eye of the beholder.
Of course NFL players, or anyone else for that matter, have the RIGHT to take a knee as our National Anthem is being played. And President Trump has the same First Amendment right to say anything he wants, short of "FIRE" in a crowded theater, regardless of how obnoxious it might be.
But, as the original purpose of Colin Kaepernick's statement was to bring to light the systemic injustice African Americans experience daily, it appears the "take a knee" protest is taking at least some attention away from the original issue. IMO many people who might have otherwise gotten on board with CK's message have been sidetracked, insulted even, because of their reverence for the anthem.
Isn't there a better way to make a statement for social justice for everyone that would not be as divisive? Here's an idea...find a time and a place in every city that has professional sports teams (football, basketball, baseball, hockey), and professional sport icons of all races, and have giant rallies, with all of them on stage at the same time along with maybe some big name musical groups. Wouldn't that make one helluva statement?
Wouldn't that be something any reasonable person could get behind? Wouldn't that make people think, and maybe bring about some real change....without squabbling over a song or a flag?
Now as for the POTUS, maybe we could just confine him to the Alabama While House that weekend.
S
