Colin Kaepernick is going to make almost $12 million this year.
He profits from a league that routinely disregards the health and safety of its majority black player base--so, to me, he comes off as a bit hypocritical in his public protest.
And yeah, it bugs me when a guy who has never served in the military won't respect our flag and anthem in front of the veterans who project our freedom. Our country might not be perfect, but these things are symbols of what we aspire to, and value. In my mind, they're goals, not a status check--and those goals are admirable.
But he still has every right to do it, just as I have a right to be a bit skeptical about him.
That's the very definition of freedom of speech. A lot of people don't seem to understand that letting someone disrespect the flag or the anthem is more patriotic than forcing everyone to act a certain way around it.
And on the anniversary of September 11th, it also makes me sad that we seem to have lost a lot of the ideals that represent why this country got started in the first place. In the wake of a terrorist attack, our country that was founded by immigrants seeking religious freedom has succumbed to the most ignorant and hateful forms of Islamophobia.
Instead of welcoming those yearning to be free, we've embraced a political candidate trying to shut us off from the world by promoting hate and division.
It's as un-American as you can get.
When immigrants come to this country, they have to learn about what America is all about and how it works.
Maybe we could all use a lesson ourselves.
America is making room for the person next to you whether you agree with them or not.