Colin Kaepernick

[Omega]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-black-lives-matter_us_57c1a1bde4b085c1ff299efd

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

~Colin Kaepernick~

Apparently this overpaid has-been (my Broncos made a good choice)has decided to insult what the flag stands for.  And I guess there are a few who would agree.  As for me, I'll pay for a few one-way tickets out of the US for these people.

https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28/colin-kaepernick-is-righter-than-you-know-the-national-anthem-is-a-celebration-of-slavery/

As for the Star Spangled Banner, here is a better explanation of the lyrics http://m.american-historama.org/1801-1828-evolution/star-spangled-banner-lyrics.htm

[xsubsailor]

 I imagine these folks are getting overwhelmed with e-mails and tweets, twits or whatever they are.

http://media.49ers.com/pr-contacts/

[Ted S.]

This is a gofundme opportunity.  Send them to Europe.

[NextExit]

Has made over $100 million..... so much for being oppressed   And of course I wouldn't expect the Huffington Post to give some background on Colin.... such as, he was given up for adoption and raised by a white couple with their children.  Maybe he would've been better off in the orphanage.   Could send him to Canada.... maybe their national anthem isn't offensive. 

[ReeferMac]

Send him back to Africa, and see if he learns what 'oppressed' means.

Hope the scumbag gets shot, frankly. Preferably before he has a chance to pollute the gene pool.

[Grand Torino]

It offends me that people like that are defended by the brave men and women in the military. Hopefully when the zombie apocalypse happens sooner rather than later dipsticks like this will be the first ones eaten.

[xsubsailor]

Allen West on the subject.

http://www.allenbwest.com/allen/message-non-oppressed-black-man-colin-kaepernick

BTW Colin, this is what an American hero does.

 

image hosting over 10mb

 

[Scorpion Equalizer]

I believe he has seen the last of his NFL career. He's not that good of a passer anyway, and his running days will be over too when the defenders put an extra whupa## on him.

[Patton]

I really want to say he is a POS, but that I respect his decision to exercise a right that I and others fought for him to have. However, I often wonder if the NFL isn't behind these stunts just to get in the news and to be the topic of every discussion. It seems like every year there is one or two NFL scandals or events making people tune in. 

[MacGyver]

We only sing the first verse of Key's anthem, but the third is pretty offensive.  It  celebrates the death of slaves and free blacks.  

There's some specific history from the War of 1812 that had Francis Scott Key in such a sour mood, but there would be a lot more folks not standing if they realized the lyrics. 

From Wikipedia's entry: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Standing for an anthem is an act of worship.  When you refuse to stand, you're offending the faithful who rise to that deity.   

I believe America has more promise than any country on this earth.  But civil religion is dangerous.  You only need to look at some of the comments in this thread wishing for violence to see why.

[ReeferMac]

It's not about civil religion, it's about a lack of respect and insulting generations of men and women that defended this country.

Whether the premise is even justified is up for debate, regardless, get your a$$ off the bench and show some respect for the country that made your life even possible. As suggested, he wouldn't be educated enough to express his opinion if he wasn't raised in this nation. If you want to raise awareness about a particular topic, find some other way to do it. It's all grand-standing for continued victim-hood, which frankly, is the real root of the issue.

 

- K

[analog_kidd]

He refuses to stand to so as not to show support for a country that oppresses Blacks? This country does not oppress blacks. There may be people in the country that do, but the country does not. Hell, we have a black president, Attourney General, SCOTUS member, and many Congress persons. Do you really think these people would allow America to oppress blacks? Do you think the majority of Americans would now allow the oppression of Blacks?

A hundred years ago, I would have said that was true, what with having their own water fountains, or having to sit on the back of the bus. When Blacks couldn't vote, that was American oppression. Those were horrible times for Blacks, and the leaders back then were absolutely wrong, but the fact of the matter is, today's Blacks benefit from the sacrifices and suffering that their ancestors paid. Those folks took a real stand and made a difference that today's Black generation enjoy.

What has CK done to help with his perceived oppression of Blacks? As far as I know, the only thing I've heard him do is literally "Sit on his ass". Here is a guy with the financial means and public's attention that he could really be a vehicle to bring legitimate Black issues to the public conversation. But what does he choose to do? He pisses off the majority of red blooded Americans. Sure, he'll have a few people who praise him, but these are the people that are already burning flags, and setting police cars on fire. All he really did was make things worse.

I hope his career is over. I hope he gets booed every single time he takes the field. I hope he get's laid out by the defense every play. I hope his line doesn't protect him. You want to see what oppression feels like? How about we oppress football stars that hate America?

[btq96r]

8 hours ago, Patton said:

I really want to say he is a POS, but that I respect his decision to exercise a right that I and others fought for him to have.

Same line of thought.  His protest was form of speech, and he's allowed to do so freely of his own volition.  I'm secure enough in that what he did doesn't detract from what the anthem means to me, or why I always stand when it's played.

[TNWNGR]

His actions are annoying and offend my sense of propriety but he has every right to be as offensive an a-hole as he desires to be. It's unfortunate when professional athletes, musicians and actors consider themselves more knowledgeable about social issues and engage in public theatrics.   

[leroy]

http://legalinsurrection.com/2016/08/branco-cartoon-san-francisco-forty-whiner/

[E4 No More]

He's exercising his right to be an idiot. Who's he hurting?

[KaNaPaPi]

He is executing his first amendment right.  He is also executing his brand.  

We support the 2nd amendment here.  We need to support the 1st amendment as well.  He has a right to be an idiot.

[gun sane]

Tim Tebow would be proud to stand for the anthem....if the team owners can just get passed that pesky Christian image thing.

[crossfire]

6 minutes ago, gun sane said:

Tim Tebow would be proud to stand for the anthem....if the team owners can just get passed that pesky Christian image thing.

and the fact that he cant throw a pass either.

[bersaguy]

I am an American 100% and even when setting by myself in my living room watching a sporting event and the National Anthem begins I stand and put my hand on my heart. Back when I was in uniform I would salute when ever it was played or sang. Now with all that said, I don't agree with Kaepernicks decision but as a vet and an American I did and again would fight with my life his right to say it. This is America and we as Americans are a free country with a Constitution that gives us all the same rights. We don't have to like how some people may abuse those rights but they are there for all Americans. Like I said, I don't agree with him but it is his right. I would imagine it will end up destroying his career. If San Francisco releases him I doubt any other team will sign him. He has made a decision and now he must live by it.......................jmho

[Chucktshoes]

"If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what's right." - Colin Kaepernick  

How many of you are willing to risk your livelihood, take an unpopular stance for liberty, speak out against injustice, and stand up for what's right?

 

This gentleman also makes a very solid point. 

[Glenn]

He has a right to say and do what he did. I also have the right to not like what he did

[crossfire]

34 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

"If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what's right." - Colin Kaepernick  

How many of you are willing to risk your livelihood, take an unpopular stance for liberty, speak out against injustice, and stand up for what's right?

 

This gentleman also makes a very solid point. 

You know what they say about opinions, their like A**holes everyone has one.

[MacGyver]

The national anthem is a bit of a shibboleth - it's a who's in/who's out test.  By refusing to stand, Kaepernick offended a lot of people - and that's okay.

When it comes to the national anthem, which do we value more - the adherence to the tradition itself, or the values that the tradition supposedly represent?  Because if it's the later, more of us should take issue.

That anthem doesn't mean the same thing to everyone.  By asking everyone to stand, we're essentially asking people to pay tribute to a vision of how we perceive things to be.  But, for many blacks, American history is deeply troubled, and continues to be.

I grew up in Decatur, Georgia.  My grandfather worked as a superintendent of Atlanta schools during integration.  I count myself as fortunate to have grown up in a multicultural community.  While I saw racist statements and actions against friends from time to time, I would have argued that those were exceptions rather than normative actions.  Historically I've argued that people of my generation - maybe with some naive hope - who were born 10 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act ought to think of the the effects of slavery and reconstruction and racism as historical artifacts as opposed to modern realities.

But, that's simply not true.  Look below the surface just a bit and you'll see that the byproducts of our racist past still account for communities being held back.  And, that affects everyone in the community.  I had coffee with some black friends yesterday.  On the surface, they look like successful professionals.  But, I know them.  Every one of them has had to work harder and longer than I have, and without as much to show for it.  

I was disciplined as a chid, but never once did I hear, "I'm going to beat you so the police won't."  

Their experience is different.  And, when you look at communities like Ferguson where the government is profiting off of the citizens it's supposed to be serving, it's not hard to see why people are protesting.

I know that a lot of people are dismissive of groups like Black Lives Matter.  But, while protest isn't a solution, maybe it creates room to talk about finding one.  Reread Letter from Birmingham Jail and you'll find that people disagreeing with how groups go about protesting is nothing new.

Everyone's experience is different.  I'm certain my perspective is different than many of y'all's.  But, if America is going to truly be great again - it has to be because everyone gets to come along for the ride.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Statistically speaking a person would be struck by lightening 81 times before being killed by LE and that includes justified shoots. I imagine the statistics of being both black AND wrongfully killed by LE is astronomical. The second a family member reports "My son, brother, father... didn't do nothing" I know that they WERE doing something and that what they were doing is probably the reason why they died, not because the officer suddenly became a bad officer.

I spent a lot of my adulthood in LE and there are bad cops out there. But there are far more bad guys than bad cops and every now and again one of those bad guys meets a good cop and justice is done. I feel sorry for the officer who has to live with the fact he has killed a person. I refuse to have ANY remorse for any person who happens to die while committing criminal acts. 

And I do have one good piece of advice to those who don't want to die at the hands of police. Don't engage in criminal activity and you won't come into contact with LE but if you do come into contact with LE while committing those crimes COMPLY. The life you save could be your own but if you don't want to then you have no one to blame but yourself.