It's been in the news a bit this week (just a bit) that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick doesn't stand for the Star-Spangled Banner before games, in protest of a nation that would seemingly ignore the fact that African-Americans are treated...let's just say for the sake of argument that they're treated "unfairly" (I honestly believe it's far worse than that but don't have the stomach to cite references).
Mr. Kaepernick is catching a lot of flak for this. The majority of that flak, based on what I've read online and witnessed in social media, is coming from the Far Right. I literally watched a dozens-messages-long thread on Facebook where a war vet was positing that Kaepernick be shot. I hadn't said shit about this until now. That definitely lit a spark in me.
How dare you. How dare you as a US soldier, arguably the most elite freedom fighters in the world, state such a thing. Do you have any idea how many American lives have been given in the name of our 1st Amendment? Do you have any idea how hard we fought to be able to stand against our own nation? To have a voice? If you wish to start shooting people for not standing for the national anthem, I have a suggestion: Defect to fucking Iran. You will LOVE IT there.
I served for Colin Kaerpernick's right to NOT stand for the national anthem. I served for Colin Kaepernick's right to salute the flag with a middle finger, if that's what he chooses to do, because I don't want to live in a country where people get shot for openly defying their government. I've been to those countries. They are nowhere I want to live, and I spent a very good amount of time trying to remove others from those countries so they didn't have to live there, either.
I don't like the way Kaepernick is protesting. I think it's disgraceful myself, but he has a right to do it and I'm glad he does. I don't like the Westboro Baptist Church protesting combat vet's funerals for fighting for gays, either, but I'm glad they have that right (kudos to the Hells Angels for mooting that effort with their freedom of speech...their motorcycles). I don't have to like these expressions of free speech. That's not what is important. What's important is that they're able to make these expressions without fear of retaliation.
If you can't abide by that, then I suggest you take your own advice and GET OUT OF THE LAND OF THE FREE.
