John and Tommie would have no problem with Kap. Unlike Brent Musberger who called them “Black skinned stormtroopers” and the US Olympic committee that threw them out of the Olympic village right after they left the podium.

Stan should have gone deeper because clearly you missed the part where he said his father served and was discriminated IN THE SERVICE and when he got home from WW2. My grandfather and father also served and faced incredible discrimination as well. So when people like yank this flag shit out it falls on more deaf ears…

I think it’s a lot more disrespectful that we, as a society, don’t take care of our vets when they get back home. I also think it’s asinine and distracting to give half a shit about a flag; and if we stopped worshiping symbolism we, as a society, would take better care of our vets.

I think it’s disrespectful for countless Americans who have come before us and have given their lives for this country.

You are correct about flag-folding at funerals. My dad was a veteran and that was very emotional for us at his service.

“many people of color have also died for that symbol”

His protest has quite literally nothing to do with the military. It’s not an anti-war or anti-soldier protest. People need to stop acting like what he is doing is in any way disrespectful them. It’s not. To pretend that’s the case is to deny that a US citizen can have a voice of his/her own.

I don’t agree with what Kaepernick did. I think it’s disrespectful for countless Americans who have come before us and have given their lives for this country.

But the national anthem is not a hymn to the Military itself. I don’t need wikipedia for that, my friend. And it’s not talking about how awesome the military is, or are the source of America’s greatness, or the sacrifices of veterans.

So since it’s not about any of those things, but rather the semi-miraculous survival…

...those belong to us all...

It’s not disrespectful. Every person who ever died to protect our rights did so to precisely to protect his ability to do this. The first amendment want to allow us to pop off on kinda or faceboook. Central in that was a desire to allow for people to speak out against government without repercussion. The flag is not…

You need to read Shaun King’s piece in the NYDNews about the history of the anthem. It’s a pro-slavery ode penned 100+ years before virulent racist Woodrow Wilson advocated its adoption as the national anthem.

FYI: Just saw Tommie Smith on CNN strongly supporting Kaepernick’s actions.

But it isn’t though. He hasn’t called out anyone specifically. And we’re getting to a point where you can’t say “America is doing something wrong,” in any way, shape, or form without someone hiding behind the U.S. military.

It’s not a paradox. You’re too hung up on the flag. He’s not protesting the symbols (which represent much more than military service and the freedom of speech). He’s asking if the cultural and legal values that define those symbols are actually practiced in the United States. The people who are doing what you suggest…

My only response is this: No one has ever died for just a flag. They’ve died for what the flag represents, which in my opinion, is better represented by the constitution than it is by a bit of cloth. Say what you will about what it meant when it was written vs. present day, but the “All men are created equal” part is…

The American Flag is NOT about the military. Or rather wasn’t intended to be about the military. And if it’s become that, we should ask ourselves why we want the rest of the world to think “strongest, scariest, military,” when they see our flag.

You do realize that when John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fist in the air, they were accused of desecrating the National Anthem.

I get this view, but do you (or are you willing to) understand that to huge portions of this country the flag and the anthem have wholly different meanings?

This is a 100% empty and uncritical response that does not address what he is protesting.