Started writing this a while ago, then things settled down a little on this issue. But...they're flaring up again, and I put time into writing it, so here you have it.
This whole Colin Kaepernick thing is bogus. Just one more thing for people to hate each other over (and yes, I realize that this is a theme of my blogs lately...it's all you see anymore is people hating each other, so it's on my mind). So at the risk of being hated, I'm going to address it. Because I don't care how people feel about me. The important people love me either way, and if you don't like me, that's ok :~)
1. Rights
In this whole thing, the complaint has been the "disrespect" Colin has been showing toward the men and women who fought for and died for his right to do what he feels is the right thing.
Well guess what...they fought for that right. As such, he has the right to not stand for the anthem. You can't pick and choose what rights you're fighting for. You can't say, "Well...I believe that we should have the right to carry guns around, but I don't believe that a man has the right to marry another man, so gay marriage is disrespecting me." Those who fight for the rights that we have fight for all of them, whether they like that or not.
2. What's wrong with the country...?
This was the comment on a picture saying that the people who approved of Kaepernick's stance (or lack of standing) are what's wrong with the country (spelling and punctuation have been left as they were when it was posted...):
"Amen brother! Id like to see him not stand up if he was in a room full of Marines!!!!! Good old fashioned high school locker room beat down would cure this punk! And also dont buy anything from company's that sponsor him!!!! just my two cents!!!!"
If marines are going to "beat down" this punk for doing what he believes in, then they are themselves taking away those rights that they've supposedly been fighting for. You don't fight for someone's rights, and then not let them use them while yapping about how you've provided those rights that you won't let them use. Those aren't rights and freedoms. Those are the signs of a dictatorship.
3. Law?
According to Title 36 (section 171) of the United States Code, “During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in (military) uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should render the military salute at the first note of the anthem and retain this position until the last note. When the flag is not displayed, those present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed there.”
How many people actually follow these exactly? Not very many. If we're going to whine about one person not standing, you should be equally offended by anyone who does not have their hand over their heart, or their hat held just right. Doesn't work so well to take one small part of the code and act like it is the only one that matters. If it matters, all of it has to be followed. If the other things aren't required, then sitting down should be allowed.
Different people show respect differently. Personally, I would prefer someone sit during the anthem to all of the people who hoot and holler during said song. Sitting affects me not at all. Yelling and drowning out the song makes it so that I cannot hear the anthem, and is incredibly distracting. But heck, if they want to yell and act disrespectful, that's their dang right.
4. Moooo...
How many people that you know actually stand, put their hand over their heart, remove their hat, etc, etc, because they feel so passionate about the flag/anthem/country? I would bet that if you are at a sporting event or whatever, and the announcer comes on and says, "Please stand and remove all hats for the national anthem of the United States of America", a large percentage of the people around you are standing simply because it's the thing to do. It's a herd mentality. We do what everyone else is doing, because it's what we're supposed to do. You won't get in trouble if you go along with what all of the others cows are doing. So we accept that we have to stand at this time or that, and sing/say the right things. We submit to having our bags and ourselves searched, and having guns banned in places where they should be legal, because that's what we've been told to do, so it's what we have to do. But most cows wind up in the same place in the end anyway.
I'll end with this quote. I came across it today, and thought it was a good one. And pretty darn accurate.
"If free people have fainting spells every time off-putting rhetoric wafts into their ears, soon enough organizations that work to stifle speech will be dictating what acceptable discourse looks like."
This whole Colin Kaepernick thing is bogus. Just one more thing for people to hate each other over (and yes, I realize that this is a theme of my blogs lately...it's all you see anymore is people hating each other, so it's on my mind). So at the risk of being hated, I'm going to address it. Because I don't care how people feel about me. The important people love me either way, and if you don't like me, that's ok :~)
1. Rights
In this whole thing, the complaint has been the "disrespect" Colin has been showing toward the men and women who fought for and died for his right to do what he feels is the right thing.
Well guess what...they fought for that right. As such, he has the right to not stand for the anthem. You can't pick and choose what rights you're fighting for. You can't say, "Well...I believe that we should have the right to carry guns around, but I don't believe that a man has the right to marry another man, so gay marriage is disrespecting me." Those who fight for the rights that we have fight for all of them, whether they like that or not.
2. What's wrong with the country...?
This was the comment on a picture saying that the people who approved of Kaepernick's stance (or lack of standing) are what's wrong with the country (spelling and punctuation have been left as they were when it was posted...):
"Amen brother! Id like to see him not stand up if he was in a room full of Marines!!!!! Good old fashioned high school locker room beat down would cure this punk! And also dont buy anything from company's that sponsor him!!!! just my two cents!!!!"
If marines are going to "beat down" this punk for doing what he believes in, then they are themselves taking away those rights that they've supposedly been fighting for. You don't fight for someone's rights, and then not let them use them while yapping about how you've provided those rights that you won't let them use. Those aren't rights and freedoms. Those are the signs of a dictatorship.
3. Law?
According to Title 36 (section 171) of the United States Code, “During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in (military) uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should render the military salute at the first note of the anthem and retain this position until the last note. When the flag is not displayed, those present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed there.”
How many people actually follow these exactly? Not very many. If we're going to whine about one person not standing, you should be equally offended by anyone who does not have their hand over their heart, or their hat held just right. Doesn't work so well to take one small part of the code and act like it is the only one that matters. If it matters, all of it has to be followed. If the other things aren't required, then sitting down should be allowed.
Different people show respect differently. Personally, I would prefer someone sit during the anthem to all of the people who hoot and holler during said song. Sitting affects me not at all. Yelling and drowning out the song makes it so that I cannot hear the anthem, and is incredibly distracting. But heck, if they want to yell and act disrespectful, that's their dang right.
4. Moooo...
How many people that you know actually stand, put their hand over their heart, remove their hat, etc, etc, because they feel so passionate about the flag/anthem/country? I would bet that if you are at a sporting event or whatever, and the announcer comes on and says, "Please stand and remove all hats for the national anthem of the United States of America", a large percentage of the people around you are standing simply because it's the thing to do. It's a herd mentality. We do what everyone else is doing, because it's what we're supposed to do. You won't get in trouble if you go along with what all of the others cows are doing. So we accept that we have to stand at this time or that, and sing/say the right things. We submit to having our bags and ourselves searched, and having guns banned in places where they should be legal, because that's what we've been told to do, so it's what we have to do. But most cows wind up in the same place in the end anyway.
I'll end with this quote. I came across it today, and thought it was a good one. And pretty darn accurate.
"If free people have fainting spells every time off-putting rhetoric wafts into their ears, soon enough organizations that work to stifle speech will be dictating what acceptable discourse looks like."
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