And those who objected to the “kneelers” did not advocate they be arrested or imprisoned, only that they realize the full significance of their protests and reflect on the positive side of America rather than on the negative. The claim that America is oppressive is disproven every time someone protests the flag and experiences no legal penalties – or even fears none. Try to protest a national symbol in one of the many nations in the world that truly is oppressive and one will quickly learn how “un-oppressive” America is. Our objections to the objectors do not aim to coerce or demand, but to persuade or explain: we want the protestors fully to understand the freedom that they possess, and to show to our national symbols the proper respect – if not out of patriotism, then out of simple courtesy to the massive majority who devotes a scant minute or two of their time to honoring America. Remember, this is what the stadium announcers say: “And now, to honor America, please rise and join in the national anthem.” The announcers do not say, “and now, to honor our president,” or to support a policy, but to “honor America.” The protestors know this full
Among those developments: the National Basketball Association has declared that its players must stand for the anthem; the National Football League, finally, has decided to promote a policy of standing; and the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League enthusiastically visited the White House. It was scant weeks ago that the NBA champion Golden State Warriors debated whether or not they would and promptly were disinvited by President Trump. Another big development was that Vice President Mike Pence left the game in Indianapolis in reaction to several members of the San Francisco 49ers kneeling during the anthem. The progressive left went berserk over the Vice President’s actions, but, if the people who protest are allowed to make a point, so too are those who disagree with them; and that point is not limited to standing respectfully for the anthem. Oh sure, the Vice President might have stayed and said “I am not going to let six or seven players protesting against America spoil an event where about 70,000 are supporting it.” Or he might have said, “the protestors are doing this to make a point. The most effective response would be to ignore them – to deny them the attention they crave, and not to let them disrupt our enjoyment or to assail our patriotism.”
Yes, he could have ignored them, but sometimes it is important to take a stand – a belief the kneelers apparently share – and the Vice President did indeed make his point, and it is this: in our free country, we do not arrest those who peacefully protest or who disagree with the majority or who express unpopular opinions, but just as they have the right to say we are wrong, so we have the right to say they are wrong; and sometimes that is the best course of action. The kneeling phenomenon has inspired a lot of comment and opinion and drawn up many historical comparisons. The one we think is among the most heart-warming took place in April of 1976, when two men tried to burn an American flag in left field at Dodger Stadium during a baseball game. Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday ran from his position, snatched the flag before it could be burned, thus thwarting the protests. He truly stood up for America. Rick Monday realized that our flag is not “just a piece of cloth” but is a representation of America, and of all those who have contributed to its greatness. America, and what it stands for, deserves to be respected. Rick Monday did not stand idly by when our flag was being defaced. He did not slam into the protestors or pummel them with his fists – he simply whisked the flag to safety. Rick Monday says “what they were doing was wrong,” and he did something about it. Vice President Pence’s action can be seen as the appropriate equivalent – what the protestors are doing is wrong, and he did something about it. And, coincidentally or not, the NFL reformulated its “flag ceremony policy” only after the Vice President walked out of that stadium.