Blackballed because he kneeled

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ronx: Last year, Colin Kaepernick decided not to honor the national anthem. The reason was that America wasn’t honoring the lives of its black citizens. Kaepernick kneeled so that good people of all colors would stand up to racism. Because we all watched police officers commit crimes with impunity. Because parents were losing sons and daughters were witnessing their parents being murdered.

We as Americans have a longstanding tradition of aspiring to be a society that the world should emulate. Kaepernick put into action lessons that Americans of all colors teach their children: Stand up for those who are weak. Speak out against bullying. Do the right thing even when your peers are not.

Instead of celebrating these actions, which are fundamentally American, we are condemning them. The NFL’s blackballing of Kaepernick sends a chilling message to all athletes and entertainers. America has told them that they cannot take speak freely about racism. You can speak up for feminism, the LGBT community and definitely against Donald Trump. However, if you take a stand against systematic racism, you will suffer consequences.

No American, regardless of race or religion, should watch a National Football League game or support the NFL in any fashion this year. There are players in this league who have said and done far worse. I remember a player being accused of murder, and witnesses testified against him. He came back into football and won a Super Bowl.

Kaepernick was forced into retirement even though he committed no crime. He was afforded no due process. Let’s stand for him because he kneeled for all of us. Hawk Newsome

Money talks

Randolph, N.J.: The NFL is a business. NFL owners are successful businessmen. Colin Kaepernick is bad for business, so no job. They don’t care about his politics. They care if fans care. Fans care. Michael Vick fought dogs. Deplorable but not disrespectful. Kaepernick is worse. Stephen Kraft

Race to the bottom

Columbia, Mo.: If it quacks like a duck, it is a duck: racism. The NFL has always had a plantation mentality. White Americans need to get their DNA tested. You will find that you have African blood pulsating though your veins, so what do I call you?

Brenda Wilkerson

A taxing history

Painted Post, N.Y.: Herbert Hoover was a successful businessman who had no idea how to govern. His response to stave off the Depression was to enact a huge tax cut that did nothing to solve the problem. Instead, his legacy was to create Hoovervilles and to use the Army to evict the vets demanding payment for bonuses already approved by Congress. Later on, the Teflon President (aka the Great Communicator, schooled in B-movies) enacted tax cuts that in his opinion would create a tide to lift all boats. The problem is: What happens to those who do not have a boat? Since about 46% of the people do not pay income taxes, how did those cuts benefit these people? What would help is to increase taxes on the rich and to eliminate or decrease sales taxes. Our new President admits he does not read, and he has no idea how to govern. Are we going to see a repeat of the tax fiascos we experienced before? Joe Vikin

Judge not, lest ye be judged

Brooklyn: We have two gods: the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus, and the self-proclaimed god, Richard Cohen (“Trump and Pence: Which one’s worse?” column, Aug. 8). The real and only God is the first One, who is Creator and All Truth, the God who knows the heart and mind of His human creatures because He created them. The second god thinks he is truth and believes that he knows the inner workings of the mind, heart and soul of the President and vice-president. Because Cohen is not the Creator of all that lives, because he is not all-Truth, he cannot judge President Trump and his vice-president. He should not use language such as “menace,” “ignorant,” “chaotic,” “liar” and “politically insane” to describe Trump. He should not describe Pence as “hypocritical” and judge him “worse than the man he serves.”

Sister Dorothea Jurkowski

History isn’t black and white

Waukegan, Ill.: As an AfricanAmerican Army veteran whose father and brothers and uncles have also served, I’d like to say: Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were great officers before and during the Civil War (“U.S. Army refuses to take Confederate general names off Fort Hamilton streets,” Aug. 7). These men fought for what they believed and are a part of American history. If you hold these generals accountable for those actions, then you should hold Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, J.P. Morgan and a host of other rich and famous Americans accountable for their actions toward people of color. There are more important issues that need addressing than the removal of statues and names from streets. Stephen Boyd

Radioactive lie

Staten Island: This is for Kellyanne Conway saying that Hillary Clinton sold 20% of the United States’ uranium to Russia: I have fact-checked this and found it never happened. Not even the President has the power to sell U.S. uranium without the approval of 10 other government officials. Besides, Russia has its own uranium, as do most countries around the world. Jean C. Daum

Oh black water

Brooklyn: On Sunday, I was in a good mood, on my way to a class, when I looked down from the subway platform at Smith and Ninth Sts. to see the Gowanus Canal covered in oil, with soot thrown in. The sand from the bank next to it looked to be sliding into the canal. I have never seen it so filthy and feared for any wildlife (or people) around it. What is going on? We thought it was going to get better. Mary Pat Kane

Basic fareness

Nantucket, Mass.: Mayor de Blasio proposes taxing the rich to fix a deteriorating subway system. An estimated 32,000 New York city taxpayers will pay an extra 0.5% income tax to collect $800 million so that each day 5 million straphangers, including thousands of reduced-fare residents, can ride without the smell of urine and stale beer wafting in their nostrils. And Andrew Cuomo wants to run for President? Good luck. Elizabeth Warren is looking better every day. Michael Velsmid

Health care for all

Bellport, L.I.: Obamacare failed me as well (“Obamacare failed my family,” Op-Ed, Aug. 6). As a single parent, I desperately needed health care for myself and my teenage son. My employer at the time fixed me at part-time hours, so I wasn’t eligible for health care. I too investigated the New York health marketplace and found exactly what you did: exorbitant premiums, ridiculous deductibles and lousy coverage. I made too much money to qualify for any subsidies. I just could not justify, or afford, paying a minimum of $10,000 a year for insurance that would have cost me another $4,000 (deductible!). Subsequently I did without. Thankfully, my son and I remained healthy! I now how health care through my employer. I, too, am an advocate for socialized medicine. Lee Forsythe

For shame

Brooklyn: I haven’t bought the Daily News in a while. I bought it the other day and saw you are still printing half-naked pictures. My father must look down in shame to see what has become of the AP newspaper he worked at for almost 40 years. Of course you won’t print this.

Cathy Sheehan-Wilson

One bad cast

Putnam Valley, N.Y.: To Voicer Janet Rose: Are you for real? You are defending Anthony Scaramucci’s foul language on the basis that we hear the same and worse language in the movies? You actually believe that we should hold our politicians to the same standards as characters in movies? Furthermore, what elected Democrats, in such high positions, have used similar language? It is no surprise that Trump chose such a character as Scaramucci as his communications director, as it fits in with his other appalling choices. We need to be able to respect people chosen to high positions in politics. Emilia Montalto

Who are you?

Brooklyn: State Sen. Tony Avella is the most honest and upright politician in office today. He is 100% right to seek the requirement of guests’ photo IDs when they stay at Airbnbs. In this day and age of terrorism, we can never be too safe. Karen Nolan

Send the Bill back

Brooklyn: Bill de Blasio is a progressive mayor; he’s progressively getting worse. He betrayed my vote. I am a victim of NYPD crimes. How many victims of the NYPD feel like me? We aren’t de Blasio’s son. We won’t vote for him again. Suzannah Troy