Protest a profound miscalculation?

Re: Taking a knee dishonours U.S. military, Matthew says — Sept. 26

Sitting north of the 49th parallel, I’m of the view that we are watching the fabric of America unravel. The slow progress of desegregation began to open new avenues for people of colour and with it came the desire to level the playing field that Dr. King spoke about. However, culture and social mindsets dampened the historical passage from a caste system to an all-encompassing society. The Watts riots, the torching of Detroit, the rise of the Black Panthers, the BLM movement to protest against selective law enforcement, the NRA, the Antifa and pro-white movement have fostered a media feeding frenzy that fans the fire by sensationalizing the events.

The First Amendment allows one to urinate on, or defecate on or burn the American flag as a sign of protest as was done over the involvement in Vietnam. So not to stand for the national anthem in today’s world has become a new political statement of untold proportions. Primarily endorsed by athletes of colour, the dynamics of political protest and the counterprotest has, in my view, brought about a division within the country. Disrespect of flag and anthem to promote social injustice may be a profound miscalculation, Donald Trump notwithstanding. Will members of the military question the value of putting their lives are on the line when flag and country they are asked to defend is not respected by their countrymen? Paul Alexander Waterloo