If you don't live in a log, you have surely heard of the NFL protesters who have been taking a knee during the national anthem before the football game begins.
This started with Colin Kaepernick, who, in 2016, took a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence against blacks.
Kaepernick made it clear what his motives were, he wasn't protesting the military's involvement in the world, the unjust U.S. wars that have killed a few million people the last 16 years.
He wasn't protesting the U.S. Empire.
He was protesting what he saw as injustice.
This to me, seems to be the most noble of protests that an individual could make. Keeping true to one's conscience. Which, according to the Founding Fathers of America, said was key to American Liberty, the Freedom of Conscience.
There are many quotes and writings about the Freedom of Conscience. It is where the 1st amendment stems from, while today it is talked about freedom of religion or speech, it boiled down to one person's conscience.
The Founders held that a man's conscience was the one thing that he must be free to pursue, as he would be and is accountable to God for his actions in regards to his conscience.
Obviously, the Donald Trump's comments disregarding the NFL players freedom to pursue their conscience, or at least suggesting, (I would say demanding) that a player be punished for expressing their conscience, stirred up a huge national debate towards this subject.
It turned into "they don't respect the military, or the flag the "brought them freedom".
It's odd to even say this, if the military, supposedly, fights for the freedom of Americans to express themselves, then the NFL players should be heralded as hero's of the cause.
I personally think, since when does the American flag belong strictly to the military? I thought it represented 'Merica? Since when does a piece of cloth demand so much loyalty?
Most soldiers I know, will tell you, they didn't fight for the ol red, white and blue, they fought for their comrades next to them who just wanted to get home alive.
This stigma towards the flag and anthem, is just nationalism at it's best. Don't you dare question the flag, for to do so, you question the State.
And that is the one thing the State cannot allow.
The State needs, even if it must compel, total loyalty, and consent.
I know it's hard for some dad or uncle who told his son or nephew how proud he was that he was going to war for Uncle Sam, (only to have his son obliterated, or mangled, just to find out the very State he was fighting for had anything in mind but the agenda it sold the young lad,) to admit he was wrong and maybe holds some fault for the outcome of his child, but sometimes the truth sucks.
So, instead of being a dolt and blindly following the State no matter what it tells you, and rather the opposite, support the ones who the State calls enemy, especially when it is your own countrymen.
Here is a link to the good men who stood against the State, even if it was a meager stance, and not totally with all the right intentions.
Stand with these folks, and BUY THEIR JERSY'S. Or any other trinkets that have their jersey numbers on it.
As Jefferson said so well, "
the spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not be exercised at all".
NFL Players who took a stand by taking a knee
I am happy to say, my favorite team, the New England Patriots, had 20 of the 53 man roster kneel.
