Patriotism the NFL and Racism, what are we even arguing about?

Our world is a crazy place right now. Deception is everywhere. Today I saw an NPR headline reading “Many Americans Side with President Trump on NFL Anthem protests” and I thought no way! This can’t be!
So when you get to the end of this long winded blog, if you agree or just want to share this perspective please do. Let’s educate our friends and families. It starts with us!
Our government lies to us, the media manipulates us and then we argue with each other. We are not as strong when we are divided. The rich and powerful have understood this for thousands of years. We need to be vigilant and make sure we don’t lose sight of the message.
The message is that not everyone is being treated equal. People are fighting everyday for their rights in this country, rights that they should already have with out question. To say something is not real because it doesn’t happen to you or affect you is called privilege.
Like my husband’s privilege of not having a period.
If he told me my period was not real because he doesn’t have one, that wouldn’t make sense would it? Then why do we accept the argument from the other side of the table swearing injustices are not happening?
Black Americans are being murdered! Their justice has been taken. Muslims are being murdered in their places of worship along with other non-white groups. Where is their life, liberty or justice? Where is their religious freedom? Oh it’s hidden behind white privilege and Christianity. But hey wait a sec, isn’t that how we tried to justify taking this land in the first place? Freedom from religious prosecution? that’s what we were spoon fed in school right?
Let’s take a look at the NFL. We now have the 99% white owned NFL trying to AGAIN hide the message of systemic racial injustice. We also have members of our communities starting to show their hate for these brave people and increasing their vocalization because Mr. Trump condones it. This is a snow ball of hate and we need to stop it now.
I admit I have become more and more outspoken and opinionated about injustices lately but damn! Come on! There is some major ignorance in the world and even if I write one post and get just one person to take a moment and get perspective, check their privilege and check in with their core values, I feel it is energy well spent.
So I’ll keep shouting, I’ll keep writing and sharing my perspective.
I’ve been called unpatriotic and told I’m searching for ghosts when I share my opinions. Oddly enough its only white men, arguing and harassing me in this way. Go figure.
Please someone tell me how this is unpatriotic?
This fire inside is what makes me American, that’s what makes me patriotic. My immigrant great grandparents, both of my grandfather’s involvement in WW2, my uncle and neighbor in Vietnam, my dear friends who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. That fire and passion is what makes everyone fighting for others with out a voice truly American patriots.
Fun facts. Lets level set!
We are a republic.
We don’t take and oath to the flag.
The flag is a symbol.
Current protests are about systemic racial injustice.
So why is everyone so absorbed with boycotting football, but not boycotting because of domestic violence issues like we should be?
That is because this is not about a flag. This is an agenda surrounding billions of dollars.
Remember, we don’t take an oath to the flag. Our brave soldiers don’t either.
The narrative about a conceived disrespect to the flag has bombarded our media outlets and boy has it been exploited.
If protesting during the national anthem is disrespectful to you, what did you feel before 2009, before the players participated at all?
How do you feel about the fact that the department of defense used the anthem ceremony as recruitment propaganda for your children to fight the trillion dollar wars that make people rich in the future? (but you won’t be rich, you’ll be a poor gold star parent)
We the people, the people who stare into the little light box in our living rooms and believe everything on it and let it influence everything in our lives…. Ok going off on a tangent of a tangent here so back to the uproar of the flag. AKA systemic racism and injustice in America and those with a Budweiser can plastered with an American flag in their hand while they burn a Kapernick jersey in their front yard over their rage of his disrespect.
How about we touch on the most disrespectful thing to the American flag, the confederate flag!
Ya know the flag that represented those ass holes who wanted slavery and caused a civil war? That is like being ok with Nazi flags and Hitler statues in Germany. Zero difference.
I mean how hypocritical can we get?
Don’t protest injustice football player of color, entertain me. Protest where I can’t see because I don’t believe you and I don’t want to hear your point of view. I will say you disrespect the flag, person of color, but I also have a confederate flag hanging out front that you can’t be mad at nor protest and old glory painted on the hood of my 2001 mustang. Pshhh please. You can’t pick and choose your side of the argument inside the same argument.
This way of thinking is absolutely ridiculous, but sadly it’s real. I hear it and I see it and the contradictions hurt my brain and my heart.
Racism is as American as apple pie, which from where I’m standing , is causing this ongoing contention. Racism has yet to be eradicated. People don’t like to be called out on their racism and privilege. But we must call it out! SHAME YOUR RACIST FRIENDS AND FAMILY! I’m not joking. Shame is a powerful thing, it can force people to reflect. Obviously try and educate first, but obliterate the hate if you must. (Suttle combinations of shame and guilt are very effective as well)
Don’t let people parade their racism as patriotism, like Mr.Trump does. If you disagree with the protests pretty sure you are a low key racist or just plain simple and can’t think for yourself. There is no in between. Sorry, not sorry. Educate yourself.
People have told me I’m unpatriotic because of the things I say about this anthem protest situation and that I openly oppose the sitting president. Wait What? How do you figure? When did the president have anything to do with patriotism? I did not vote for this man and always held a lower than low opinion of him.
Should I follow blindly and hope for the best? Ummm, no. That right there is unpatriotic. This is not a cult following. We question things when they are not right and demand change. Only WE can do that, and we have to do it together. This whole red/blue right/left thing is so old. Let’s think for our selves. I won’t make concessions on my beliefs just to fit into a category, you shouldn’t eather.
I would like to take a moment and quote the late great Theodore Roosevelt “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
Teddy knew what was up!
This is a republic with three branches of government….. Not one supreme leader. There is no source of truth. WE THE PEOPLE decide that! We need to set the expectation.
Our right of freedom of speech always comes up in this conversation, but we have to remember our words have consequences. So when we allow hate speech like Neo Nazis and the Aryan Nation and we don’t condemn it, and even go as far to excuse it we are going to continue to have problems. This shows protesting with hate speech is tolerated, but its not when you do it silently and peacefully?
Everyone has their right to free speech and are absolutely entitled to their opinions but when someone stands in the way of liberty and justice, equal human rights, woman’s rights and break treaties with the native Americans we stole this land from in the first place, our credibility vanishes. The trust is gone. The words are empty, full of fear and hate just like the words and tweets of Mr. Trump. This is not political. This is a demand for equal treatment.
Until people are treated equally we will always have grass roots uprisings AS WE SHOULD.
Give me liberty or give me death!
That is why we take a knee. Liberty is what our brave troops fight for and the good police work hard to protect.
Yesterday I visited the liberty bell and the building where the declaration of independence was signed.

The feeling of being there was almost indescribable. Truly humbling and inspiring.
I felt this warm patriotic pride wash over me as I read about the British taking Philadelphia and everything the town did to ensure it saved its resources and the liberty bell.
The liberty bell was a beacon of hope for all Americans. Liberty is what they fought for, and why the people of this country put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms.
The idea of liberty and justice for all is so powerful when you really let it sink in.
This is why people are protesting!
This is why black lives matter!
This is why immigrant lives matter!
This is why veterans lives matter!
This is why the Dakota access pipeline was protested.
I could go on for days trying to list out oppressed groups in this country.
The point here is, we are not allowing liberty and justice for all.
This is what our soldiers fight for. Liberty and justice, not a cloth flag and a song at a football game.
Liberty is what we are losing site of…. And for that we should all be ashamed.
Like ungrateful little children we bicker about assumptions and fake news narratives.
And our perceptions of patriotism are based on what the media feeds us.
Think about it my friends… life liberty and justice for all, anything less is unacceptable and this is why we protest! This is why we HAVE TO COME TOGETHER and do what’s right for the greater good and the pursuit of happiness for ALL. We have people problems to solve, not political agendas and pockets to fill.
We need love and understanding.
We need Liberty and justice for all.
Depriving anyone of these truths we hold to be self evident is anti-American and unpatriotic, it goes against everything we claim to stand for. Bigotry can not be tolerated, bullies can not be tolerated, hate can not be tolerated.
Seek the truth.
Seek to understand.
Avoid the distraction and remember that its about the human condition! The human family.
Love fierce and fight for what is right.
Liberty and justice for ALL!
Source for info on the DOD and NFL: Answering-nfl-national-anthem-questions

2024 edit**there are many problematic statements in this blog see my 2024 commentary here