Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Honoring Heroes at the Indianapolis 500!

Every year for the past 30+ years, I have been attending the Indianapolis 500 with my wife's family. It is a family tradition for them, and I have been swept up in it since we started dating back in 1987. We go every year, and I absolutely love it.

If you've never attended the 500 race, you should. There simply is nothing more exciting and exhilarating in all of sports than the green flag start of that race! Especially if you sit in Turn 1. Until you see it for yourself, you will never truly understand how 33 cars, traveling at the speed of some jets in flight, can fit into a corner that is really no bigger than one side of 278 in Bluffton or I-465 on the south side of Indy. You could fight the crowds to get there, watch the green flag start, and then leave, and it would still have been worth the price you paid for the ticket. It's that exciting. (And the green-flag restarts the rest of the race -- especially those near the end -- can but just as exciting as well.)

But I'm not writing this to tell you about the race. I'm writing this to tell you about what happens before the race.

There's something else the folks at the Indy 500 do well, too. And that's honoring the men and women of our armed forces, especially those who have given their lives on behalf of our country. As you know, the Indy 500 is held Memorial Day weekend every year. Has been forever, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it's entire staff, goes out of its way to honor our military heroes.

It's not cheesy. It's not patronizing. And it's not over-the-top. They do it very well, and they do it right. A top-brass military official typically kicks off the festivities, saying a few words on behalf of our armed forces, and then introducing the parade of military personnel, representing all branches of the military, who hop aboard official Indy 500 track trucks and make a parade lap around the Speedway. I don't know how many there are for sure, but there's several dozen, maybe close to 100, who circle the track to the standing ovation of the fans.

That's followed by the invocation, which is followed by a moment of silence, which is in turn followed by a 21-gun solute from military personnel, capped off by an always-moving rendition of "Taps" by a lone military bugler. It's stirring, and played before 300-400 thousand silent patrons.

More festivities follow, which includes a performance of "God Bless America," traditionally sung by the late Florence Henderson, but in the past few years by an Indy-local musical artist.

All of that is then followed by the National Anthem, performed this year by Kelly Clarkson, which culminates with a military flyover, which was done this year by a lone stealth bomber, but has, in the past, featured in various years a squadron of fighter jets, a Harrier Jump Jet, a B-12 Bomber, and a squadron of Blackhawk helicopters.

There's various other nods to the military during other pre-race festivities as well, and it's all very moving. The only thing left after it all is to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana," start the engines, and watch the most exciting moment in all of sports.

I tell you all that to say this: They do it right because it's the right thing to do.

In light of recent events in the news, I made sure this year to look around during most of the festivities. I watched to see who was paying reverence to the ceremonies, and who wasn't. Without fail -- and with the exception of some who clearly had imbibed a bit too much to that point in the day -- everyone was standing and showing their respect. Everyone was honoring those who deserved that respect.

In the effort of full disclosure, I will freely admit that the Indianapolis 500 does not -- at least to the extent that I could see -- attract a large faction of minority fans. There simply is not, at least where we were sitting, a significant number of racial minorities in attendance. Some, but not a lot. Certainly any minorities were in the minority, if you catch my drift. It is a mostly Caucasian crowd. I have no control over that, and I really don't know why. It simply seems that watching cars turn left for three hours at 230 MPH seems to appeal more to white people than to other races. Make of that what you will.

But when it came time to honor the military, they all stood, they all removed their hats, and they showed respect where it was due.

All of them.

Why? Does every white person who attends the Indy 500 have a perfect life? Have none of them had a rough go of it in life? Have none of them been beaten down, unfairly treated, faced discrimination in some form or another, or otherwise been given the short end of the stick?

Did none of them have nothing to protest?

By now you've most likely heard of the NFL's new policy requiring their players to stand and show respect during the playing of the National Anthem before games, all in response to the ongoing saga surrounding Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the Anthem and now no longer has a job. Several NFL players followed suit. The players' reasoning for doing so, they claim, is to shed light on injustices they perceive other minorities face in our country on a daily basis.

Here's the problem: There is a right time and a wrong time to protest. Just because we have the right to protest doesn't mean the timing is always right. And often, the protest can be held in such a way as to ultimately be counterproductive to the cause.

Each year, on the way into the Speedway, there is always someone from a local Indy church standing on one of the corners near the track screaming into a little sound system about how everyone entering the track is going to Hell unless they turn their lives over to God. It's a fire and brimstone message that cannot be missed if you're walking by. It happens every year. It's almost become tradition.

He's right, of course. We are going to Hell if we don't turn our lives over to God. And he has every right to stand out there and scream his message. But the delivery of the message is more annoying than it is encouraging. Screaming at a bunch of people who intend to get drunk is not an effective way to tell them about Jesus. So the message gets lost in the delivery. If he runs more people off than he saves, what's the point? (The Bible is very clear, by the way, on the perils of causing others to turn away from God.)

No right thinking American believes Colin Kaepernick, or any other person or NFL player, doesn't have a right to protest. Whether we agree with the reason behind the protest or not is irrelevant. I wouldn't want my right to protest taken away, and I don't want anybody else's right removed either. Despite what the media wants you to believe, we, as Conservatives don't want the right to protest silenced, and we don't think Kaepernick's right should be either.

What we think is simple: The place and timing of his protest is all wrong. The message is getting lost in the delivery because it's aimed at the wrong target. If you believe minorities are getting the shaft in this country, you might be right, but it certainly isn't the fault of the brave men and women who fight every day, and who have given their lives so the rest of us can live freely every day and play a game or watch a race. The National Anthem isn't solely about celebrating America. It was specifically penned, and tied to the significance of a waving flag, because of a brave fight our military was waging. The National Anthem isn't just a song. It is specifically performed to remind us of those who fought for our rights to do whatever it is we might be doing at the moment.

It is not a time to protest. It is a time to celebrate our right to protest, and all the other rights we have as free Americans, given to us by those who paid the price of their lives to attain those rights.

The NFL, as a private organization, is well within their authority to create this rule. I've had many debates with many liberal friends who like to remind me that our "rights" don't always translate to private businesses and organizations. This is no different. The NFL pays its players to do a job, and they have every right to require certain things of their employees, as does any other business. Requiring employees to honor something that gives them the very right to become millionaires by playing a game seems like a reasonable request. This is not discrimination, nor is it a violation of anyone's rights.

Regardless, it is impossible to watch what happens during pre-race ceremonies at the Indianapolis 500, and pay attention to what it means and what it stands for, and not support the NFL's policy. If you cannot see that demanding people to stand and give respect where it is absolutely due is not a violation of rights, but simply the good and right thing to do, then you are very likely a part of the problem.

If Colin Kaepernick, or anyone else, can't honor the very men and women who gave their lives so they can have the types of jobs they have and live the kind of lives they live, then they simply do not deserve the job. Period.

And if you want to see the proper way to honor those brave men and women, get your tickets to next year's Indy 500. But hurry... they can sell out fast.

And get your seats in Turn 1 if you can. You don't want to miss the green flag drop!

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