Focus on other things

The president is quick to respond to NFL and NBA players kneeling, but hesitates to address more current controversial situations. Recently, NFL players and other athletes are kneeling during the national anthem. The president quickly responded to these athletes by calling them derogatory names and saying they should be fired.

This has been a particularly hard year for many people in the United States. There was hurricane damage in Texas and Florida, there was a hanging of a biracial 8-year-old in New Hampshire, the DACA students (the Dreamers) who worry about their future, police brutality against minorities, all while the president focuses on the athletes instead of finding solutions to these problems so that they don’t have a reason to kneel.

I understand those who will say that these athletes are being disrespectful to the flag and those who have served the country. However, it comes down to whether we want to preserve the feelings of patriots, or we want to preserve equality and the lives and livelihoods of everyone in the country.

The president needs to focus on more important things rather than athletes kneeling at football games. The code of conduct of the president in general is obnoxiously shocking, and should not be tolerated.

ISIAH THOMAS

Jacksonville