Marysville Appeal-Democrat

If you support HS coach who prayed after game, then you must back Colin Kaepernick

- Tribune News Service Fort Worth Start Telegram columnist

Given the nature of our third branch of government, the United States Supreme Court, the ruling is no surprise.

Before the court goes after the gay marriage, interracia­l marriage and a woman’s right to vote, on Monday morning it ruled in favor of the high school football coach who took a knee to pray.

As it should.

One of the details that makes America America is the right to take a knee, and peacefully express themselves for whatever the reason.

That includes taking a knee to protest the treatment of Black Americans by law enforcemen­t or taking a knee to pray to God after a football game.

If you support Joseph Kennedy, the high school football coach in Washington state who took a knee to pray after the game, then you must support Colin Kaepernick.

Their intentions are different, but the act is the same, and it cost both of them their jobs.

In 2015, Kennedy was an assistant coach at Bremerton High near Seattle, where he routinely led a post-game prayer in which players and coaches from both teams would participat­e.

According to those who participat­ed, the post-game routine was your convention­al Christian prayer.

The school district said Kennedy had to stop, because it violated the separation of church and state.

Kennedy, an ex-marine who served 20 years in the military, initially agreed and stopped. Then the First Liberty Institute reached out and wanted to fight for his cause.

The First Liberty Institute is in ... Plano, Texas, naturally.

The case took seven years, and went from Washington state to Washington, D.C., where the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Mondahy in favor of Kennedy.

In a stunning twist, the six conservati­ve judges voted in favor of Kennedy while the three liberal leaning judges did not.

The Kennedy decision is another example of Supreme Court judges interpreti­ng our constituti­on to fit own personal beliefs, and hiding behind expensive words to make you feel better about yours.

What a great gig.

Joseph Kennedy, or any coach, leading a post-game prayer is fine, provided no player is forced to participat­e.

No one forced Colin

Kaepnernic­k to take a knee and, like Kennedy, a lot of people joined him, too.

Their messages and intentions were different, but what they did is the same.

They took a knee at a football game. Their kneeling lasted anywhere between 15 seconds to 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

No one got hurt. No one was shot. No one contracted cancer. It didn’t cause inflation to rise.

One was a peaceful protest while the other is called a prayer.

For the truly cynical, one could argue what Kaepernick was doing is just as much of a prayer as Kennedy.

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