06-03-2020, 05:32 PM
I am a retired African American vet who did my time in Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Iraqi Freedom, Bosnia, Afghanistan and whatever other God awful hell hole I was sent too. I saw first hand some of my comrades fall. I fought for the so-called freedom of others, foreign and domestic. I fought to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States. I am going to say this with all sincerity. Colin Kaepernick DID NOT in my opinion disrespect the flag, military personnel or the United States of America. I fought and served for Kaepernick and others to be able to protest including the KKK, Neo-Nazi's and any other anti-black organizations. Everyone has a right to protest. There is no law that says it is unlawful to kneel during the National Anthem. He DID NOT kneel to show disrespect to anyone or anything. He kneeled to bring attention to police brutality towards people of color. It's a shame that I have more anxiety for a police cruiser coming up behind me, here in the states, than I had for an IED potentially exploding under my vehicle in Iraq. If you have more of a problem with Kaep taking a knee during the National Anthem than you do Neo-Nazi's, KKK or any white racists going into a State Capital building fully armed with military gear, then the United States of American has a serious relations problem!
Kaepernick was black-balled from playing in the NFL. He won a lawsuit against the NFL for that reason. (settled out of court)
I served all them years and I now do not stand for the National Anthem myself. The 3rd verse of the poem has racial overtones in it. When Francis Scott Key wrote it he owned slaves. When he wrote it, it was not about "O'er Land of the Free", because he had slaves. He wrote that Hirelings and Slaves would not find refuge in the 3rd verse. Hirelings were very low-paid, menial working, whites and free blacks. He later released them almost 2 decades later but he never denounced slavery. "America the Beautiful" should be the National Anthem in my opinion.
I applaud Burrow for speaking up. I applaud Kaepernick for taking his knee. And I don't condone looting and destruction or injuring a person during a protest.
Kaepernick was black-balled from playing in the NFL. He won a lawsuit against the NFL for that reason. (settled out of court)
I served all them years and I now do not stand for the National Anthem myself. The 3rd verse of the poem has racial overtones in it. When Francis Scott Key wrote it he owned slaves. When he wrote it, it was not about "O'er Land of the Free", because he had slaves. He wrote that Hirelings and Slaves would not find refuge in the 3rd verse. Hirelings were very low-paid, menial working, whites and free blacks. He later released them almost 2 decades later but he never denounced slavery. "America the Beautiful" should be the National Anthem in my opinion.
I applaud Burrow for speaking up. I applaud Kaepernick for taking his knee. And I don't condone looting and destruction or injuring a person during a protest.
