I still believe that, by the way, but that's about as far as I'd thought about it, until today.
After researching the whole thing much further, and reading countless others' thoughts and posts, and watching several more media wonks give their thoughts, I feel as though I have more to offer on the whole situation.
Until my friend asked me what I thought, I figured there probably wasn't a whole lot more to write about it that hadn't already been written, but as I dug a little deeper, I realized there's probably much more to offer.
First, the facts. Yes, Kaepernick has every right to do what he did, and will continue to do, so he says. Like burning a flag, and other un-patriotic acts that make the American in all of us very unhappy, it is behavior that is indeed protected under 1st Amendment freedom of speech. As I heard a comedian say once, "Every moron has the right to be stupid and wrong."
And second, to be fair, Kaepernick had been doing this for several games (as well as posting quite a bit of un-patriotic propaganda on his social media sites for the last year or so.) He had been doing so quietly. He didn't call a press conference to announce his feelings. Some media hack finally noticed and asked him about it, and that's when he broke his silence. So it doesn't appear he was trying to make a scene, at least initially, or seeking any significant publicity by his actions.
With all that said, however, as the Apostle Paul says in the Bible in his first letter to the Corinthians, "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify." Suffice to say, just because some behavior is protected by the Constitution, it doesn't necessarily mean its a smart or beneficial way to act. I posted yesterday that just because his decision not to stand for the National Anthem is Constitutionally protected, it doesn't mean it's not stupid or hypocritical.
And that's especially true in this instance.
He's dumb because he thinks this is actually gonna accomplish anything. The truth is, all it does is piss most people off, and does little but further divide the very factions he claims he wants to draw closer together. We can give all kinds of lip service that this type of thing props up a social and national conversation about race, and so forth and so on, but the reality is that is simply polarizes people further. We've had plenty of conversations over the past 50 years. What we need is for someone to actually do something constructive for once. For example, the only thing the Black Lives Matter people have done is burn down their home cities. Nothing positive at all. Kaepernick has done little more.
Which brings us to Kaepernick's gargantuan hypocrisy. First, here's a guy of mixed race, who's black father abandoned him, was taken in by white adoptive parents and given a great education and every opportunity any man of any race could ever ask for. He succeeded in his field and reaped a fortune-building contract, north of $100 million. There's not another country on the planet where a man of his talent -- and his race -- could gain the accolades and earn the type of money he bagged. Not one where he would even have been give the chance!
Not one.
But its worse than that. With all the very real poverty, oppression and injustice this country does have, how does a man of Kaepernick's means choose to help?
By sitting down during a song.
That's it. Just sitting. Not one donation of his enormous fortune to any decent cause. Not one offer to volunteer to an advocacy group. Not a run at a public office where he could effect legislation to change. Not even open his mansion to a few homeless people. Nothing. Nothing at all of any substance whatsoever to actually make a difference.
I don't make much money. But I like seeing kids have a better life. So I volunteer at Kiwanis and the Special Olympics. It's not much, but its something. Something that actually does something tangible.
Every Black Lives Matter constituent actually ought to be offended every time this nutbar takes their hard-earned money. Because that's what he does every time one of them watches one of his games, either on TV or in person. Every beer they drink at the game, or from an advertiser on the broadcast is the very money that pays Kaepernick's contract. He's taking the money (LOTS of it) from the very people he claims are so oppressed and repaying the fight by sitting on his butt.
Now there's a hero.
But here's the real problem: When you burn our flag, or deny respectively standing for the National Anthem, you're not simply protesting what you believe to be an oppressive government. No, what you're actually doing is disrespecting every man or woman who has ever put their life on the line to protect the freedoms under which you live. You might believe our government is jacked up (and it is, in many ways,) and you might believe we have a long way to go regarding basic human dignity. But what you cannot deny is the sacrifice so many have made, and still make on a daily basis, to allow us to live as freely as we do.
When you refuse to stand for the National Anthem, you are thumbing your nose at the very people who risk their lives to protect the Constitution that covers your moronic behavior! Maybe you believe police officers are out of line sometimes. But you can at least be thankful to them when they catch the burglar that broke into your home, or bring down the drug pusher that sold drugs to your kids, or nail the guy that tried to rape your wife.
Not cool. Not cool at all.
Of course, you have many bloggers and media dopes making the situation even worse. I read an article today that claimed we should all refuse to stand for the Star Spangled Banner because it was written as a celebration of the murder of slaves. The article was so dumb, I'm not even gonna link it here. But if you search, you'll find it.
I've read many others who lauded it as heroic, and others that stated we should all be thankful he did what he did because it means we all have the freedom to stand up (or sit) for whatever it is we believe in. Yada, yada, yada.
All, of course, that totally miss the point of why this so upsets so many people.
And in the irony of ironies, many of the same, liberal, media hacks who've hailed Kaepernick as a hero for exercising his 1st Amendment rights are the same dopes who not only decry others for saying anything derogatory about blacks, or Latinos, or gays, but claim we're not even allowed to think such things. As though some dumb behavior is protected by the Constitution, but another is not. Unfortunately, ALL dumb behavior is protected by the Constitution. All morons are equal in the eyes of the law. But it just lends credence to the idea liberals are OK with whatever you do, as long as what you do is something they agree with. They're tolerant of your behavior, as long as your behavior falls in line with what they believe.
Kaepernick is no hero. He's a misguided, entitled brat. There's even reason to believe that he might just be motivated by good action in the sack, as his behavior has turned for the worse ever since he started dating a very good looking female DJ who just happens to have Islamic sympathies and kinda hates America herself.
He's a hypocrite of the highest order, and is ultimately gonna reap what he's currently sewing.
Plus, he's a 49er. So there's that. But maybe not for long.
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