Rights as citizens
Disrespect in eye of the beholder
Recently, a former Arkansas governor (and probably soon-to-be first father) had a few critical words to say to a friendly audience in our state about athletes disrespecting the U.S. flag by kneeling in protest during the national anthem. Then he picked up his lecture fee and moved on to his next paid gig.
However, like most Republicans these days, Mike Huckabee apparently had nothing to say about at least one insurrectionist at the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted coup d’état at the U.S. Capitol Building. The one seen using a pole with an American flag attached to bludgeon one of the members of the Capitol Police attempting to keep some members of the mob from accomplishing their stated goal of—among other things—lynching the first two individuals in the line of presidential succession.
Disrespect is in the eye of the beholder, evidently.
Even Condoleezza Rice, who I used to respect, says it’s time to “move on” from something as mundane as a presidentially inspired attempt to reverse the certified results of a free and fair election. Most in the GOP just say, “No comment.” The ones that aren’t invoking the Fifth Amendment, that is.
A good 20 years or so before anyone had ever heard of Colin Kaepernick, much less his kneeling during the national anthem to call attention to what he considers persistent, systematic racial injustice in the United States (which cost him his lucrative job in the NFL), a friend told me a much different tale regarding the playing of the anthem in public.
He was attending a Razorback football game at War Memorial Stadium, and as the band launched into “The Star-Spangled Banner,” everyone rose to their feet, as was the custom in those days. Everyone, that is, except one scrawny teenager who quietly kept his seat.
After a few seconds, a burly middle-aged man directly behind him ordered him to stand. The youth ignored him. After a few more seconds, the man again demanded that the teen stand, grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him to his feet. The kid promptly sat back down without saying a word.
This process repeated itself several more times, with each episode resulting in more and more manhandling of the teenager, and punctuated by an increase in both the number and volume of curse words and threats of even more physical violence from the “adult” if the youth refused to remain standing. The teen never uttered a syllable during any of this, or offered any resistance, other than sitting back down each time.
Finally—mercifully—the words “and the home of the brave” rang out. Everybody sat down, and the business of football was ready to be transacted. If any police officers, stadium security, or ushers witnessed the ongoing assault and battery in the stands, none chose to intervene, allowing the criminal acts to continue unabated. Neither did any spectators in the vicinity try to stop the attack.
Personally, I still stand when the anthem is played, but I have no problem with anyone who opts not to. I respect the right of others—whether they are famous and highly paid professional athletes or celebrities, or just ordinary private citizens—who choose to kneel or remain seated in silent protest against whatever grievances they may have with our country and/or its government. Our Constitution permits them to do that. At least it’s supposed to.
Kaepernick was not the first person to use a silent act of protest during the national anthem to raise awareness of a social issue, and he won’t be the last. He’s just more or less become the poster child representing other citizens exercising their right to take such actions.
Whether that teenager who got roughed up at War Memorial Stadium years ago was engaging in such a silent protest, whether he was stoned or just tired from staying up too late partying the night before, or whether—for no specific reason—he simply didn’t feel like standing up at that particular moment, the fact remains he had an absolute right to stay quietly seated, and do it without being physically and verbally assaulted by a bully who used his advantage of size and strength to impose his will on another person.
One of the two actors in that brief scene exemplified the spirit of individualism demonstrated by the founding fathers of our country and upheld for more than two centuries by citizens who believe in freedom of expression. One of them was emulating King George III. Thanks to those who fought to secure and maintain that freedom over the years, we’re all allowed to decide for ourselves which was which.