WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

Over the last year the NFL has been thrust into the unfortunate position of being made to choose between pure patriotism and patriotic liberties guaranteed by our constitution. As a child I was introduced into patriotic practices which included total respect for the flag of our great nation and to respect the Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem of the United States of America. There was no underlying reason and no political correctness attached to this; it is only the right thing to do.

I have stood on the athletic field prior to kickoff or the first pitch. No it was not in a professional stadium but regardless if it was on the home field at Farmerville, LA. the football field at Navy Memphis or the softball fields across the Middle East the feeling was the same. Standing out there with the stands rising and the playing of the National Anthem brought a lump to the throat that could not be explained. It just happened; the same feeling that I felt when I saw the American flag flying over the American consulate in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It was a feeling of pride and a sense of protection from everything bad.

I personally felt extremely proud of my country, its' flag and what it represented. During Viet Nam, a very unpopular war, a college student was given a deferment from the draft as long as the student remained in school. Also, deferments were granted if a person had a medical condition that would not allow the individual to perform duties in the military. These deferments were cherished by many during the Viet Nam war. I had both so I was a "pampered child" of the 60s so I did what anyone would do doing a war, I turned in my pads, dropped out of school and begged my way into the United States Navy. I spent a tour off Viet Nam on the USS Saratoga and later became a Navy Seabee,

I have little patience with a man making multi-millions of dollars disgracing the flag and the country that is providing the man the opportunity to make this money due to being provided by God with a body that provides superhuman abilities. Even under the guise of protesting social injustice due to racial inequality, protesting the banner of this great nation does not belong in out society.

If these pampered athletes had spent time in the classrooms under the tutelage of a history professor they would have realized what took place under the fluttering flag of the United States. Many are taught that the war between the states, the civil war, was fought due to states sovereignty. Others say it was fought due to slavery. In fact the two are the same. The States wanted to say that slavery was to be decided by the states and the federal government did not have that authority. The Civil War went forward, the Union Forces were victorious and Slavery was abolished. The cost was high and more people died than in any other conflict in the history of our nation. 320,000 white men gave their lives under the stars and stripes to turn the United States into a completely free nation free from slavery.

So if a person feels they must protest then do so but lets not disgrace the symbol of our great nation, the same symbol that shrouds the coffins of our nations fallen heroes when returning home from foreign wars.