Someone told me about a year or so ago they didn't understand why I fly the American flag on my front porch when everything in DC and with the politicians is in such disarray and the country is going to hell. They equated the flag with what goes on in DC and the politicians and how messed up the whole system is. I told him he must have forgotten what the flag really stands for because it sure as hell isn't about politics and the hot mess our nation's capital has turned into.

 

I think a lot of folks have forgotten what the flag stands for (this perfectly and beautifully describes what the flag is about). It represents the principles of liberty, justice and humanity. It has no opinion on who is right or wrong and is not influenced by society's fickle nature. It doesn't care about the race, religion, skin tone, gender, etc., of anyone. It is an inanimate object that represents truth, justice and the American Way, but is used and abused by people who have agendas and ulterior motives and THAT is where the discontent comes from. Not the flag itself but the attitude and motivations of the people.

 

To put blame on the flag or the national anthem for anything, but in this case the oppression of the black community makes about as much sense as someone blaming the employees of a company for how the CEO runs that company. The employees have no say just as the flag and the national anthem have no say. 

 

I am a veteran, come from a family of peacetime and war veterans, have friends that still serve, have lost friends who laid down their lives. None of us ever want to think that what we sacrificed to serve this country will be made ugly or mocked by the (sometimes) innocent ignorance, willful ignorance, or plain stupidity, hate, indifference, etc., of the people of this nation, but it happens and when it does we have to remember that we served for them too. We served so they have the right to express their opinions, though the consequence of their actions is all on them. It's extremely difficult to hold my tongue when I see or hear about something like this or other actions of disrespect, and I don't always succeed, but I try to remember the Why of why I served. It wasn't for college money or because I had nothing better to do. I served because I wanted to preserve the ideals and freedoms of this nation and to somehow give back to those who came before me in their service to our nation. 

 

What Kaepernick did was rude and disrespectful IMO. But in our country it is his right to voice his opinion however he deems fit as long as it isn't immoral, unethical, or illegal. And whether we like it or not we have to respect that. It's not to say we can't have our own opinions on him or his actions, we just have to remember that he has a right to express his opinion. 

---