By John Shaffer Colin Kaepernick, quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, told an interviewer that he had twice refused to stand for the National Anthem prior to football games. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color…There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” Mr. Kaepernick said. Until two weeks ago Mr. Kaepernick seemed perfectly fine with the anthem, so his position makes one wonder if something took place very recently that provoked his response. Another point – is it accurate to claim that a nation “oppresses black people” when it twice has elected a black President? For that matter, how oppressed does Mr. Kaepernick feel in a society where he has earned millions to play football? As to the bodies lying in the streets – there are hundreds more black bodies killed by other blacks than there are killed by policemen. Mr. Kaepernick ignores those hundreds (thousands, actually) and instead sees only the handful of shootings by police – and jumps to the conclusion that all those are murders by racist cops. Even worse, Mr. Kaepernick ignores the hundreds of millions of Americans who treat people of all races with respect, and he ignores the hundreds of laws intended to prevent or to punish illegal racial discrimination. A country that “oppresses black people” would hardly make it illegal to oppress black people. Furthermore, Mr. Kaepernick’s use of the word “oppress” reflects an ignorance of what true oppression is, and there are dozens of countries in the world where he could find examples. He also ignores the millions of black people who, along with white, brown, red, yellow and other people are protected by police, and also fails to note that most of those high-profile police shootings were not in fact racial murders, but were line of duty shootings, usually involving criminals behaving in a criminal or threatening manner. We are not sure if Voltaire actually said “I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it,” but most Americans believe in that principle, including those who harshly condemn Mr. Kaepernick’s views. He has been called “brave” and “principled,” and of course he is – but do not forget that those who support the flag and the National Anthem and America are every bit as brave and principled. Let us not fall into the trap that the progressive left sets, usually when a Republican is in office. They claim the “highest patriotism” is to defy one’s government and disagree with it. When their people are in the corridors of power, of course, disagreement is rooted out, ridiculed and treated with contempt. Candidate Barack Obama, for instance, loudly proclaimed his refusal to wear the American Flag pin. He stopped wearing it during the Iraq War, because, he said, “that became a substitute for true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security…I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism.” This means he believed the country wasn’t “great” then, but at least that it could be made so – and later during the 2008 campaign, he began to wear the pin again and continues to do so. Similarly, First Lady Michelle Obama said in Feb. 2008, “For the first time in my adult life, I’m really proud of my country...not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.” Odd reason, isn’t it, for one to show pride in one’s country for the first time? Guess it’s OK to show patriotism for a country her husband governs (or was about to), even as the IRS in that country investigates groups with “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their titles. The progressive left has a fluid definition of patriotism. Mr. Kaepernick may profess to believe that he is acting for some high principle, but we think he is being highly disrespectful of our nation, of the freedoms he has, and of those who have given their lives for our nation or to keep our people safe. He is, just as did Barack Obama and his wife, allowing current events to interfere with love of country. Johnny Cash said he wore black “for the poor and beaten down...those who never read, or listened to the words that Jesus said... for the sick and lonely old...for the thousands who have died, believing that the Lord was on their side” etc. Powerful sentiments, yes; but Johnny Cash never stopped standing for the flag or singing the National Anthem, and patriotic, flag-waving middle America made his Man In Black a big hit. Colin Kaepernick could benefit from his example
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