Protests

Protests

Last week, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the National Anthem, and he has no intention of doing so anytime soon.  “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick (who’s biracial) said in an interview with NFL Media.  “To me this is more important than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.  There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Kaepernick has the right to sit; there’s no law that says we have to stand at attention for the National Anthem or that the anthem be played at sporting events.  Of course, Kaerpernick opens himself up to a ton of criticism and questions.  I hope he can avoid the hate-filled stuff to comment on such related issues as gun violence that doesn’t involve the police; the lookalike appearance of many football players and street criminals; and the role of pro athletes in trying to solve the problem.  No matter how bad the booing might get for Kaepernick, sitting down is the easy part.  Will he be putting his money where his mouth is?

Truth be told, I have my own problems with this kind of stuff at the ballpark.  Not the National Anthem.  That’s a tradition I revere and will try to pass on to my grandchildren.  But it would be nice if we weren’t expected to sing “God Bless America” every Sunday or applaud military personnel returned from unnecessary deployments abroad.  For my money, one patriotic song is enough, and one bad war is one too many.  The White Sox have a cash drawing every game, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.  What better way to honor veterans than giving the pot to the Veterans’ Administration or a legitimate veterans’ organization?  Then we’d be cooking with gas at least.

Lest you think I tilting to Trump here, read on.  I also dislike the POW/MIA flag that flies at the Cell.  POWs still in Vietnam?  Really?  And how come virtually all of the MIAs went missing when their aircraft were shot down?  The POW/MIA movement was the granddaddy of the Tea Party folks, and I never want to be next to them at a ballgame, singing or not.