National Anthem Protests

I don't have any issue with people protesting whatever they want wherever they want, as long as it is peaceful and doesn't interfere with anyone else's rights. Sit out the National Anthem if you like. Cancel your subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket if you like.

Kaepernick's critical mistake was using the National Anthem to protest police brutality against black people. The National Anthem doesn't represent the police or a particular race (or the President, as many think these days). It is a symbol of the United States, a country made up of people of all races and beliefs. The police brutality issue is now lost in the chatter about anti-Americanism, which is the only logical beef one can assume when people are protesting the National Anthem.

The National Anthem and the flag are symbols of something that ties us all together. We are all citizens of the US, and in the end, we have each others' backs. We argue and take sides on individual issues, each of us trying to make the country better in our own ways, but the family stays together.

Many in the media are quoting some tweet which said that assuming football players are protesting the National Anthem is like assuming Rosa Parks was protesting public transportation. That's a cute sound bite, but such faulty logic and could not be further from the truth. Rosa Parks is the quintessential example of meaningful protest. She didn't kneel for the National Anthem and then explain over and over and over again that she was protesting mistreatment of black people. She resisted segregation by refusing to give up her bus seat. Her message was quite clear.

Protest with a sign in front of a police station. Wear a Black Lives Matter arm band or a button or a hat. There are a thousand ways to protest anti-black police brutality that would actually draw attention to that issue, and not be misunderstood, or hijacked by other people to protest other things. Also, had he chosen another target for his protest, he never would have lost the support of so many people who actually agree that police violence against black Americans is a pressing issue.

If you protest the National Anthem and/or the flag, expect people to assume you are protesting against the United States. If you want to do it, I completely support your right to do it. I'll be turning off the game though.