SO, did Kaepernick have a legit point?

[CharlesDavenport]

I am also ashamed of our country's mass murdering of Native Americans, the aggressive pursuit of chaining blacks into slavery, and the current day wars of Imperialism, no better than the Nazis. I am ashamed.

You're dead to me *******.

Officially ignored fucknut.

 

[Superman]

Anyone who compares this country to Nazi Germany has zero credibility going forward.

POP, this means you.

 

[Buster]

Pop is smarter and wealthier than any of us here...just ask him and he will tell you. To have the audacity to question him is racist!

 

[IndySteel]

Hines Ward:

Hines Ward
1 hr ·
I'm not down on Kaepernick promoting his cause or the timing of it. I respect that. But I don't agree with the method he chose. Our national anthem stands for our freedom for all Americans regardless of color. It symbolizes the very reason Kaepernick is able to speak his mind and exercise his first amendment rights. If you want to make a point or take a stand, go straight after the root of that cause. Don't disrespect the whole country or the organization that's paying you millions of dollars to play football. Hines

 

[IndySteel]

Drew Brees:

“Not that he wants to speak out about a very important issue. No, he can speak out about a very important issue. But there’s plenty of other ways that you can do that in a peaceful manner that doesn’t involve being disrespectful to the American flag. I think the important point to make here is that flag symbolizes, represents the freedoms that you have the chance as an American to exercise. So sitting down for that, that is a blatant disrespect of the freedoms that that gives you. Like it’s an oxymoron that you’re sitting down, disrespecting that flag that has given you the freedom to speak out.”

 

[Stewey]

Can you cite an example?

I'm still looking.

 

[Spike]

Colin Kaepernick’s Mother: He’s Brought Shame To Family

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s birth mother had some harsh words for her son on Twitter.

“There’s ways to make change w/o disrespecting & bringing shame to the very country & family who afforded you so many blessings"

http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/30/c...ainpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social

 

[IndySteel]

***** slapped by his own mom. That's gotta hurt.

 

[Coach]

I support his right to say what he wants. He has to face the consequences of his words though. He is wrong about what he said and rude for not rising and rendering honors to the flag.

DBS,

I thought about your comment and came up with an idea. Since Kaepernick wants to protest the flag, he might as well go all in. You see each NFL helmet has an American flag on hit. I suggest Kaepernick plays the rest of his mediocre career without a helmet. Maybe someone can knock some sense into him.

 

[Superman]

Colin Kaepernick’s Mother: He’s Brought Shame To Family

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s birth mother had some harsh words for her son on Twitter.

“There’s ways to make change w/o disrespecting & bringing shame to the very country & family who afforded you so many blessings"

http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/30/c...ainpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social

he's never met his birth mother, so her opinion doesnt mean **** to him.

 

[POP]

http://www.espn.com/blog/san-franci...comments-about-sitting-during-national-anthem

I find it funny that some of you think the first amendment shouldn't apply to this dude. Why is that?

He has the right to have his own opinions. If you don't like them, too ******* bad.

If you think the flag/anthem stands for those who fought for this country, good for you, but YOUR opinion is just that, YOURS.

You have no right to tell anyone else what they feel the flag stands for. You have no ******* right to decide that.

If you were a Native American, what do you think the flag would represent? Millions of your people killed is what.

 

[BAS]

http://www.espn.com/blog/san-franci...comments-about-sitting-during-national-anthem

I find it funny that some of you think the first amendment shouldn't apply to this dude. Why is that?

He has the right to have his own opinions. If you don't like them, too ******* bad.

If you think the flag/anthem stands for those who fought for this country, good for you, but YOUR opinion is just that, YOURS.

You have no right to tell anyone else what they feel the flag stands for. You have no ******* right to decide that.

If you were a Native American, what do you think the flag would represent? Millions of your people killed is what.

He has every right to his opinion and his actions based on those opinions, so long as they don't infringe upon the rights of others.

At the same time, his right to speak as he does does not mean that he is free from whatever criticism he may face from his behavior. It's the critics right to have their opinions too.

I don't think there's any cause for him to be demonized for his position, though.

Also -- as a representative of his organization, he does have to adhere to the policies set forth by the NFL, the 49ers and the NFLPA too. As long as he's on an NFL field in his team's uniform, he's beholden to their rules.

 

[Superman]

http://www.espn.com/blog/san-franci...comments-about-sitting-during-national-anthem

I find it funny that some of you think the first amendment shouldn't apply to this dude. Why is that?

No one is saying he shouldn't be allowed to voice his opinion. No one.

If you think the flag/anthem stands for those who fought for this country, good for you, but YOUR opinion is just that, YOURS.

The anthem, as a matter of ******* fact, was written by Francis Scott Key when he saw our flag still waving over Ft McHenry during the American Revolution after a night of British bombardment. So the FACT that this was written for those who fought for our country then is also analogous to the continued fighting for our country now. Only an obtuse ************ who compares this country to Nazi ******* Germany would be too goddamn ignorant to understand that correlation.

You have no right to tell anyone else what they feel the flag stands for. You have no ******* right to decide that.

I just told you precisely what the flag stands for. You can do with it what the rest of the board does with your ****** up opinions, if you want.

If you were a Native American, what do you think the flag would represent? Millions of your people killed is what.

Warriors42 covered this already. and no one is stating that this country is pristine and without fault. Many of us Americans have bloodlines tracing back to the American Indian. I do. Many of us have relatives who fought on both sides of the Civil War. Many of us have relatives who have served in one or more arms of the Armed Forces. Just so pieces of **** like Colin Kaepernick can sit on his ******* *** during the playing of the national anthem and so pieces of **** like you can compare this country to Nazi ******* Germany even though you must not have a realistic grasp on world history.

you are, by far, one of - if not THE - stupidest ************* to ever grace the bandwidth of this, or any, message board in the entire existence of the internet. For that, we curse Al Gore, Xenu and especially your parents for not exercising their rights to have an abortion.

 

[POP]

He has every right to his opinion and his actions based on those opinions, so long as they don't infringe upon the rights of others.

At the same time, his right to speak as he does does not mean that he is free from whatever criticism he may face from his behavior. It's the critics right to have their opinions too.

I don't think there's any cause for him to be demonized for his position, though.

Also -- as a representative of his organization, he does have to adhere to the policies set forth by the NFL, the 49ers and the NFLPA too. As long as he's on an NFL field in his team's uniform, he's beholden to their rules.

As long as those rules do not diss his constitutional rights. Does his contract specify that he has to stand for the national anthem?

No? Then he doesn't have to.

Our OWN "First Lady" has stated that this country embarrasses her. But you want to kill this brother for just choosing to not stand during the anthem? How on earth can that jive?

 

[Superman]

Our OWN "First Lady" has stated that this country embarrasses her.

that's her opinion and in my opinion, she's an embrarrassment herself.

 

[POP]

No one is saying he shouldn't be allowed to voice his opinion. No one.

No one? Are you high on crack? I got the TV on right now and a plethora of people are saying he should be forced to leave the country. How high are you?

The anthem, as a matter of ******* fact, was written by Francis Scott Key when he saw our flag still waving over Ft McHenry during the American Revolution after a night of British bombardment. So the FACT that this was written for those who fought for our country then is also analogous to the continued fighting for our country now. Only an obtuse ************ who compares this country to Nazi ******* Germany would be too goddamn ignorant to understand that correlation.

You're dumber than a box of rocks. Just because a song was written after a battle DOES NOT prove what the song means to each person. Do you think a Native American feels warm and fuzzy about a people who invaded their land, slaughtered them by the millions and stole their land? Go and tell them how they should feel about the flag and the anthem. They should be in awe of a military who slaughtered them and worship that military, right? You are ******* clueless. Wake the **** up, dummy.

I just told you precisely what the flag stands for. You can do with it what the rest of the board does with your ****** up opinions, if you want.

No, you told me what the FLAG MEANS TO YOU. Do you think blacks should treat a flag with reverence - the same flag that flew during the capture of their people, forcing them to be slaves in chains, taking a bullwhip to their back, and lynching them? Do you want to tell slave decendants how much they should hold the flag in reverence? Go down to a poor black section of a major city and get on your soapbox, telling them what they flag should mean to them. I'll show up and video it.

Warriors42 covered this already. and no one is stating that this country is pristine and without fault. Many of us Americans have bloodlines tracing back to the American Indian. I do. Many of us have relatives who fought on both sides of the Civil War. Many of us have relatives who have served in one or more arms of the Armed Forces. Just so pieces of **** like Colin Kaepernick can sit on his ******* *** during the playing of the national anthem and so pieces of **** like you can compare this country to Nazi ******* Germany even though you must not have a realistic grasp on world history.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahhahhahahhahahahahhahahahahhahaha. Yea, it's me who has no true understanding of what the true world history is. Not you.

you are, by far, one of - if not THE - stupidest ************* to ever grace the bandwidth of this, or any, message board in the entire existence of the internet. For that, we curse Al Gore, Xenu and especially your parents for not exercising their rights to have an abortion.

Your such a tough, tough, tough guy hiding behind your keyboard. You are just a duped patsy who can't see through the propaganda and lies. You are what they call an "easy mark." You are so easily controlled, brain washed and manipulated. I guess anyone stupid enough to live in that heaping pile of ****, Tampa, is stupid enough to buy all the lies. You are so ******* stupid that you buy the line about "serving" in the military. What a ******* joke. I bet you think invading Iraq and Afg. was about "keeping America free." Wow. This country is full of dumb *****. Go over to Ybor city and get so drunk you piss yourself.

 

[ark steel]

How people might feel about the anthem has nothing to do with what it actually means....things have meanings outside of your personal, itty, bitty feelings.

Everybody wanting things to mean something different is part of the reason the country is so ****** up now.

 

[Superman]

No one? Are you high on crack? I got the TV on right now and a plethora of people are saying he should be forced to leave the country. How high are you?


You're dumber than a box of rocks. Just because a song was written after a battle DOES NOT prove what the song means to each person. Do you think a Native American feels warm and fuzzy about a people who invaded their land, slaughtered them by the millions and stole their land? Go and tell them how they should feel about the flag and the anthem. They should be in awe of a military who slaughtered them and worship that military, right? You are ******* clueless. Wake the **** up, dummy.




No, you told me what the FLAG MEANS TO YOU. Do you think blacks should treat a flag with reverence - the same flag that flew during the capture of their people, forcing them to be slaves in chains, taking a bullwhip to their back, and lynching them? Do you want to tell slave decendants how much they should hold the flag in reverence? Go down to a poor black section of a major city and get on your soapbox, telling them what they flag should mean to them. I'll show up and video it.



Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahhahhahahhahahahahhahahahahhahaha. Yea, it's me who has no true understanding of what the true world history is. Not you.


Your such a tough, tough, tough guy hiding behind your keyboard. You are just a duped patsy who can't see through the propaganda and lies. You are what they call an "easy mark." You are so easily controlled, brain washed and manipulated. I guess anyone stupid enough to live in that heaping pile of ****, Tampa, is stupid enough to buy all the lies. You are so ******* stupid that you buy the line about "serving" in the military. What a ******* joke. I bet you think invading Iraq and Afg. was about "keeping America free." Wow. This country is full of dumb *****. Go over to Ybor city and get so drunk you piss yourself.

apparently reading comprehension is not your strong suit.

people are suggesting Colin leave the country since he apparently despises it. I suggest you do the ******* same, since you apparently despise it. Why live here, like you said about Tampa, if you can live somewhere else that is so much better? May I suggest Venezuela? Or Argentina?

I told you precisely the inspiration behind the penning of the national anthem. You chose to ignore it.

You don't have to agree with the political or military events to RESPECT the people who make up the armed forces and follow their orders. Just so pieces of **** like you can compare this country to Nazi ******* Germany. I had people in my extended family who escaped Nazi ******* Germany. "escaped" being key. You don't have to "escape" this country. Leave.

and take Colin Kaepernick with you.

 

[BAS]

As long as those rules do not diss his constitutional rights. Does his contract specify that he has to stand for the national anthem?

No? Then he doesn't have to.

Our OWN "First Lady" has stated that this country embarrasses her. But you want to kill this brother for just choosing to not stand during the anthem? How on earth can that jive?

There's no such clause in any athletes contract, so that's a pointless argument. But as a representative of the organization, it's his obligation to uphold the standards set forth by the owners of the organization. If they have policies in place that dictate that political speech/actions are not tolerated when wearing the uniform and representing the team -- he could easily be let go. It happens in business all the time -- and many companies have compliance training to ensure that their employees stick to company guidelines. Why should an NFL QB be treated any differently.

And I have never stated anywhere that I want 'this brother killed'.

 

[Tibs]

I agree with this sentiment...

Colin Kaepernick’s brave statement: His national anthem protest exemplifies the values America must stand for
http://www.salon.com/2016/08/30/col...xemplifies-the-values-america-must-stand-for/

The public conversations about Colin Kaepernick’s decision reflect a moment of particularly acute anxiety in post civil rights era America. Barack Obama, the country’s first black president is soon ending his tenure in office. Ethnic and racial demographics are in flux as white Americans will supposedly no longer be the “majority” racial group in the near future. White racial resentment and overt bigotry are resurgent and assertive. Young people, liberals, progressives, and people of color resist and struggle to make a more inclusive, fair, cosmopolitan, and truly democratic society while conservatives pursue a revanchist dead-end white identity politics that is focused on “taking back our country” and “making America great again.”

 

[BAS]

I agree with this sentiment...

Colin Kaepernick’s brave statement: His national anthem protest exemplifies the values America must stand for
http://www.salon.com/2016/08/30/col...xemplifies-the-values-america-must-stand-for/

Yeah... an article on Salon, that bastion of liberal ideology, is going to be completely even in coverage.

 

[Tibs]

Yeah... an article on Salon, that bastion of liberal ideology, is going to be completely even in coverage.

Of course not, but it does provide a different perspective here on this board, the bastion of Trump nut-hugging, far-right ideology.

 

[Tibs]

Kareem nails it.

Abdul-Jabbar: Insulting Colin Kaepernick says more about our patriotism than his
https://www.washingtonpost.com/post...r-patriotism-than-his/?utm_term=.9a6520bdc767

During the Olympics in Rio a couple of weeks ago, Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Sam Kendricks was sprinting intently in the middle of his pole vaulting attempt when he heard the national anthem playing. He immediately dropped his pole and stood at attention, a spontaneous expression of heartfelt patriotism that elicited more praise than his eventual bronze medal. Last Friday, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose not to stand with his teammates during the national anthem. To some, Kendricks embodies traditional all-American Forrest Gump values of patriotism, while Kaepernick represents the entitled brattish behavior of a wealthy athlete ungrateful to a country that has given him so much.

In truth, both men, in their own ways, behaved in a highly patriotic manner that should make all Americans proud.

The discussion of the nuances of patriotism is especially important right now, with Trump and Clinton supporters each righteously claiming ownership of the “most patriotic” label. Patriotism isn’t just getting teary-eyed on the Fourth of July or choked up at war memorials. It’s supporting what the Fourth of July celebrates and what those war memorials commemorate: the U.S. Constitution’s insistence that all people should have the same rights and opportunities and that it is the obligation of the government to make that happen. When the government fails in those obligations, it is the responsibility of patriots to speak up and remind them of their duty.

One of the ironies of the way some people express their patriotism is to brag about our freedoms, especially freedom of speech, but then brand as unpatriotic those who exercise this freedom to express dissatisfaction with the government’s record in upholding the Constitution. Colin Kaepernick explained why he will not stand during the national anthem: “There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust [that] people aren’t being held accountable for. And that’s something that needs to change. That’s something that this country stands for — freedom, liberty, justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now.”

What makes an act truly patriotic and not just lip-service is when it involves personal risk or sacrifice. Both Kendricks and Kaepernick chose to express their patriotism publicly because they felt that inspiring others was more important than the personal cost. Yes, Kendricks is a national champion pole-vaulter, but every athlete knows that breaking focus and concentration during a high-pressure competition can be devastating to the athlete’s performance. The Olympics was filled with favorites who faltered because of loss of focus. Halting his run in order to honor the national anthem could have cost Kendricks his medal. He was willing to take that chance.

Likewise, Kaepernick’s choice not to stand during the national anthem could create a public backlash that might cost him millions in future endorsements and affect his value as a player on his team, reducing salary earnings or even jeopardizing his job. If team ticket sales seriously dipped as a result, he would pay for his stance.

We should admire those who risk personal gain in the service of promoting the values of their country. Both athletes are in fine company of others who have shown their patriotism in unconventional ways. In 1989, when a federal law prohibiting flag desecration went into effect, Vietnam Veterans burned the American flag as a protest to a law curbing the First Amendment. Their argument was that they fought for the freedoms in the Constitution, not a piece of cloth, and to curtail those freedoms was an insult to their sacrifice. Ironically, the original purpose of flag desecration laws between 1897 and 1932 wasn’t to prevent political dissent, but to prevent the use of flag imagery for political campaigns and in advertising.

One sign of the maturation of American society is the willingness of those in the public eye, especially athletes, to openly take a political stand, even if it could harm their careers. The modern era of athletes speaking out began in 1967 with Muhammad Ali refusing to be drafted to fight other people of color. That year, I joined with football great Jim Brown, basketball legend Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali and other prominent athletes for what was dubbed “The Cleveland Summit.” Together we tried to find ways to help Ali fight for his right of political expression. I don’t know how much we were able to accomplish on a practical level, but seeing black athletes in support of Ali inspired others to speak out. The following year at the 1968 Olympics, African Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists during the medal ceremony as a protest to the treatment of people of color in the United States. In 2014, NBA players LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack, Alan Anderson, Deron Williams and Kevin Garnett and NFL players from the Rams and Browns wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts during warm-ups for a game to protest police killings of unarmed blacks.

What should horrify Americans is not Kaepernick’s choice to remain seated during the national anthem, but that nearly 50 years after Ali was banned from boxing for his stance and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s raised fists caused public ostracization and numerous death threats, we still need to call attention to the same racial inequities. Failure to fix this problem is what’s really un-American here.

 

[Stewey]

Poor black folks...ask anyone of them if they wished slavery never happened and they'd tell you hell yeah...cause today they'd be in Africa chucking spears and living in grass huts.

Those black ******* who never felt the sting of the lash should be thanking their ancestors for what they have had to go through so that they could live in America...instead of blaming the evil white man for slavery

Blaming slavery for their failures is a convenient cop out.

 

[Tibs]

And btw, if you weren't aware of this...

Colin Kaepernick Is Righter Than You Know: The National Anthem Is a Celebration of Slavery
https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28...-national-anthem-is-a-celebration-of-slavery/

Almost no one seems to be aware that even if the U.S. were a perfect country today, it would be bizarre to expect African-American players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Why? Because it literally celebrates the murder of African-Americans.

Few people know this because we only ever sing the first verse. But read the end of the third verse and you’ll see why “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not just a musical atrocity, it’s an intellectual and moral one, too:

No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

“The Star-Spangled Banner,” Americans hazily remember, was written by Francis Scott Key about the Battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. But we don’t ever talk about how the War of 1812 was a war of aggression that began with an attempt by the U.S. to grab Canada from the British Empire.

However, we’d wildly overestimated the strength of the U.S. military. By the time of the Battle of Fort McHenry in 1814, the British had counterattacked and overrun Washington, D.C., setting fire to the White House.

And one of the key tactics behind the British military’s success was its active recruitment of American slaves. As a detailed 2014 article in Harper’s explains, the orders given to the Royal Navy’s Admiral Sir George Cockburn read:

Let the landings you make be more for the protection of the desertion of the Black Population than with a view to any other advantage. … The great point to be attained is the cordial Support of the Black population. With them properly armed & backed with 20,000 British Troops, Mr. Madison will be hurled from his throne.

Whole families found their way to the ships of the British, who accepted everyone and pledged no one would be given back to their “owners.” Adult men were trained to create a regiment called the Colonial Marines, who participated in many of the most important battles, including the August 1814 raid on Washington.

Then on the night of September 13, 1814, the British bombarded Fort McHenry. Key, seeing the fort’s flag the next morning, was inspired to write the lyrics for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

So when Key penned “No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,” he was taking great satisfaction in the death of slaves who’d freed themselves. His perspective may have been affected by the fact he owned several slaves himself.

With that in mind, think again about the next two lines: “And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave / O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

The reality is that there were human beings fighting for freedom with incredible bravery during the War of 1812. However, “The Star-Spangled Banner” glorifies America’s “triumph” over them — and then turns that reality completely upside down, transforming their killers into the courageous freedom fighters.

After the U.S. and the British signed a peace treaty at the end of 1814, the U.S. government demanded the return of American “property,” which by that point numbered about 6,000 people. The British refused. Most of the 6,000 eventually settled in Canada, with some going to Trinidad, where their descendants are still known as “Merikins.”