The only real disgrace

Watching Colin Kaepernick kneel in protest of our country’s recent injustices has given me a newfound sense of American patriotism.

But how does Kaepernick’s gesture of American indignation make me feel more patriotic? Simple: It’s the idea that America is so free that we—as American citizens—have the freedom to protest during one of our nation’s greatest symbols of freedom, the national anthem. It’s both beautiful irony and a comforting reminder that we’re far better off than the Russias and North Koreas of the world, where any dissent can get a protester locked up, beaten, and even killed. And we can all agree that we don’t want to be more like North Korea.

Still, with every new NFL game and every new instance of the anthem kneel, “patriotic” commentators continue to blabber on about how disgraceful this is to our veterans and our flag.

Really? Are you kidding me? The United States of America was founded by the ultimate dissenters and protesters and rebels who were fed up with injustice. Yes, our founders had a lot of faults, but sought to create a work-in-progress country that implored its citizens to fight injustice. Kaepernick, the entire Dallas Cowboys team, and everyone else kneeling are simply continuing that legacy in their own modern-day way. And for that, I call them actual patriots, not the faux, watered-down, flag-waving types that seem to be working against real progress.

At the core of this entire debate, I believe the only real disgrace to veterans and the flag is the people who’ve been floating the idea of banning anthem kneeling. For what could be a bigger disgrace to our veterans and our founders than eroding the freedoms for which they fought?

JUSTIN JONES

Bigelow