The entire Seattle Seahawks team will protest the national anthem at opening game

a reply to: Nucleardoom

With all due respect to our Veterans... the national anthem doesn't represent just them. Our anthem and flag represent everything that this nation is supposed to be about. That includes justice. In our country justice is supposed to be blind, and people are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, we are supposed to have Amendments that protect us from warrant less search and seizure and ensure due process. In this country we are supposed to understand that it is a far greater injustice that an innocent person be punished than for a thousand guilty men to go free.

Justice is under threat in this country and if you can't stand that's more unjust for people of color than for white people, well there's plenty of injustice happening to white people too.

It is our duty as citizens to let our government know that we are the boss. Symbolic gestures such as flying the flag upside down or burning it, refusing to pledge allegiance or sing our anthem is a way to convey that we are veering off course and you can't celebrate America again until it's going in the right direction again.

In my opinion it's act of patriotism.

Call them what you want. Question their motive but it isn't easy to stand up for what you believe in, especially in a large communal event. I was a JW until 23 and not stand always got derision and sometimes pokes. Say what you want, at least they have the balls to do something like this.

originally posted by: marg6043
Sitting down for protest to the flag and anthem of our country is a sign of denouncing been an American, that is my opinion...

Really?

... it doesn't help fix any type of problems...

Neither does standing.

...the flag and the anthem protest will no do a darn thing to help.

But it certainly has brought increased public awareness to those issues, which brings more ideas and more involvement to the table and hopefully that leads to better solutions. So it definitely serves a purpose.

So what protesting the flag and the anthem does, is just showing that as an America you don't give two rats arses about your nations real problems.

It proves nothing of the kind. Exactly the opposite. It's those who would try to stop others from doing what they can that worry me.

People are barking at the wrong tree, or perhaps flag and anthem.

Indeed.

originally posted by: neformore
Wow. It seems I'm more American than some so-called Americans.

These people have the right to protest, and a right to free speech.

Suggesting that they are slurring the military, or the nation and being "unpatriotic" is complete bull#. How daft is that claim when they are protesting against the deaths of, and ongoing poor treatment of fellow US citizens in their own country?

If a piece of cloth and a song is so important to some people, why don't they go and live somewhere where you can be severely punished/executed for not displaying proper patriotism at the right time - North Korea is nice at this time of year, apparently.

(See, what I did there was use the right wing straw-man method to make a point. Think about it.)

Because it has all been politicized beyond all recognition....


Maybe "the fault" of the left for selling an American issue as if it was a black only issue. Though it doesn't hurt much the inherent blowback from those on the right is always crazy.


The BLM movement pisses me off because they have inadvertently fouled the whole issue.

Police brutality and bad cops is every Americans issue, pretending like it is a black only issue is easily debunked and discredits the point you are making....

a reply to: Vector99

Why?

They are still working. They just aren't singing a song and standing up.

Do you not believe in freedom of speech and expression?

Bunch of millionaires protesting and thinking they are making a difference by not standing? How about donating or starting an organization that will make a difference.

I love first world problems.

The stupidity is spreading...
Then again these professional athlete's were never known for having a very high mental capacity. How on earth do these over payed fool make the correlation between sitting out the national anthem to protesting the rampant violence in black communities?... Oops I meant to say the "rampant unchecked police violence against innocent black school children".
(Sorry wrong narrative.)

Am I the only one seeing how stupid and ignorant it is to protest the anthem of the nation that enabled you to be a millionaire from playing a stupid sport? It's a show of respect and admiration to the ones that came before and the ones to follow. Clear these people have no respect. If they did they would be protesting against BLM not the other way around...

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
They're doing so because everyone is making a big deal out of not standing. Public displays of protest like this are nothing but self-seeking vanity, posey and posturing. The quicker everyone ignores them, the quicker they will stand.

I'm impressed when a bunch of Multi Millionaires all do something for the poor and downtrodden. Oh, wait, they're just sitting on their asses.

a reply to: JAY1980

Am I the only one seeing how stupid and ignorant it is to protest the anthem of the nation that enabled you to be a millionaire from playing a stupid sport?

Nope, I think it's stupid also. But they can do what they want to do. We'll see what their fan base thinks down the road.

originally posted by: SLAYER69

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
They're doing so because everyone is making a big deal out of not standing. Public displays of protest like this are nothing but self-seeking vanity, posey and posturing. The quicker everyone ignores them, the quicker they will stand.

I'm impressed when a bunch of Multi Millionaires all do something for the poor and downtrodden. Oh, wait, they're just sitting on their asses.

I guess you are unfamiliar with all the community work that they do. Time and money. They even have an award for it. Walter Payton Man of the Year.

How so very un pc of them!
Maybe people should just choose to not be offended!


I love how this act has to be anit police as a whole or has to be against the troops.
Can't just be a protest about how they feel some issues are going ignored.

Good on em.

Always felt that the anthem and pledge were a bit cultish for my taste.

Plus I can't help but grin at all the patriots gnashing their teeth over such a small gesture.

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
Here goes some more "rational protesting" for ya's:
H eckling and gunfire as police investigate shooting

That's their civic duty, right?

originally posted by: intrepid
a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

And that has what to do with this type of protest? NOTHING! Nice attempt at deflection and discrediting though.

Gun shots & thug life heckling (INTIMIDATION TACTICS) against police, police who were responding to a shooting on their street... That's perfectly justifiable "protesting"?????

You didn't even play it and you're going to tell me I'm the one "deflecting"?

I wasn't deflecting. I'm not arguing against anyones right to free speech or protest.

The "protest" these football players are doing is not unlike what those kids there were. Both cases I guarantee have everything to do with the state of race relations and mental backwardness that the BLM (specifically) have brought things down to. Protests which are only directed at 'the patrirachy', instead of an actual obtainable objective (POLICY). Which makes the foot players protest as absurd as those punk thug life kids "protest" as well as the BLM mantra in general.

It's no different than when Dubya declared war on "terrorism", as if it's some specific thing that can ever be defeated by attacking "it" directly. It'd be like for Obama to declare "war" on criminal gangsterism, without actually going after what causes it.



All of this, actually pick a POLICY to go after and I'll join you there, like I did for years on end side by side with the "Democrat's" against the Neocons and their policies. This stuff here is absurd, which I can almost just ignore whatever let them be stupid, but to see what they're doing revert the United States back into a state of racial meltdown like the 50's I cant stand silent. That I will protest.

Here are your targets:
The White House
The 2 Party System (that's BOTH the Republicans & Democrat's)
The Corporate News Media
*all centered around:
THE WAR ON DRUGS

Anything less at this point is just just pure subversion of the cohesion of our society and it ever having any hope of coming together to end the things that hurt us all together.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Which has nothing to do with this protest. Are you equating all "protesters"?

It's good to see the NFL support free expression.

Except. . .

The Dallas Cowboys weren't allowed to have visible display of support for thee Dallas police killed by someone.

So yay for free expression, but boo for the inconsistent support.

BLM thinks every cop on black shooting is unjustified regardless of the circumstances. Misguided approach.

a reply to: intrepid

Way to articulate an argument. I'll be sure to be impressed from here on.

a reply to: intrepid

Did you know that Kaepernick has a garage full of pairs of shoes?

a reply to: corvuscorrax

Always felt that the anthem and pledge were a bit cultish for my taste.

Cultish, or a sign of ultra-nationalism.

Very dangerous.

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
a reply to: intrepid

Way to articulate an argument. I'll be sure to be impressed from here on.

You never answer a question. Are you equating all "protesters"?