Why We Stand

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William Kristol:

I was exchanging emails the other day with a comrade-in-arms, and, the discussion of the matter at hand having been completed, she commented: “Thanks. We are all caught in the seventh circle of hell. I walk to the edge of my cliff here every morning and scream out over the river. The neighbors understand.”

I imagine an awful lot of us, an awful lot of you, feel this way about 2016, and about Clinton vs. Trump.

But. Surely all is not lost. Yes, there are plenty of things wrong with our society and our politics, with our elites and our people, with our institutions and our mores. Still, it’s really not the case that you always get the candidates you deserve. America had some bad luck this year, but it remains in many ways a great country. Consider this.

After San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem Friday night, the spontaneous reaction online was amazing. Kaepernick had said that he was

not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.

Here’s one response from Dorian Majied, an Army Ranger veteran who served in Iraq, in an article that acquired something like two million readers in less than two days:

To refuse to stand for the national anthem is his right as an American, and I support that right, however I do not agree with that action.

There are a myriad of other ways to conduct social protest for people of color, that don’t, whether by intent or otherwise, ignore the American principles that have given rise to extreme integration within a single American generation.

My father was born without the right to vote and in one generation I’ve been blessed to lead amongst the world’s greatest fighting force.

To disrespect the country that has afforded him the opportunities and fortunes he acquired is only made more offensive by the fact that his life is the personification of the ideals I see in the American flag and National Anthem: a biracial child, raised by white parents, and who has accomplished much despite his “oppression.” In how many more nations around the world can a story like that come to fruition?

He made valid points, I’m not ignoring that there are still issues with race in America. However, he is ignoring the positive ideals of America that every colored person who has ever served, fought–while some died–for, by refusing to stand. Proper action is exactly that, action, not the inaction of not standing because he couldn’t think of a better way to protest.”

Well said.

Meanwhile, this tweet by Johnny (Joey) Jones was retweeted about 50,000 times within a couple of days:

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Kaepernick is just aonther spoiled little snot bucket if he thinks america is so bad why dont this ungreatful little pinhead go back to africa he just should’nt expect them to be celebrating Kwanzaa becuase they never heard of it and frankly i hope he gets sacked a lot loses the football(Fumble)and loses a big game

He won’t finish the season in the NFL… it’s all downhill from here. I guess he really likes his pigs socks. Seems almost like a violation of NFL dress code for on the field. Maybe not.