re: Eric Reid takes a knee....on Veterans Day weekend

How hard is it to obey the law?

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If some guy decides to not stand for the anthem, or burns a flag, or does any number of things which I personally do not agree with but neither pick my pocket nor break my leg, then I generally pass them by and let them do their thing. Their behavior, whether I agree with it or not, does me no direct harm.

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The old just think about me shite and frick everything else.

Why are people so pissed off about someone taking a knee?

Do you want to take a knee and offend someone? Please do. Taking a knee has always been considered a sign of subjugation. Robert E. Lee could have taken a knee to surrender his arms. That was deemed disrespectful to the soldier. When you curtsey before the queen, its a subtle - take your knee. When someone kisses the ring or bows their head, it another form of 'take a knee'. Taking a knee has never been a sign of disrespect.

This umbrage expressed towards taking a knee is not about the act, rather it is towards the person. People have been wrapping themselves in the flag and using the respect and gratitude people have towards veterans to couch their specious arguments. Talk about why it is a disrespectful to take a knee. What's the precedent for your argument?

This country allows you to burn the flag. Wear it as a bra/bikini, shorts, or T-shirt. You get to setup July 4 party with an old glory table cloth and paper napkins that you can soil and throw in a trash can. Many countries have relaxed their attitudes about the way people use their countries colors - thanks to the way Americans freely, jingoistically use the colors and the flag. Anyone trying to set boundaries about how the flag can be used, does not fully fathom the impact of the way the flag has been used over the last 50 years.

If you argue that a private work place has its own rules. Damn right they do. However, they have different rules for different employees. Third stringer might get kicked away faster than a starter. If someone on the practice squad had taken a knee, we might have never heard about it and the team may have kicked them off. Why is everyone hell bent on imposing their morality on others for every trivial instance. Media Matters is asking companies to boycott Hannity. Now Hannity's fans want to boycott companies that pulled ads. We need to get a grip and use this boycott for serious issues. If you do not agree with Hannity's interview with Roy Moore, what did you expect Sean to do. Call someone from a party he supports a pedophile? Why are people breaking their Keurig coffee makers?

Look at the issue that Kaepernick professed to highlight. If it is meritless, by all means criticize. However, police do not get blanket immunity just because they wear the badge. This country has investigated and prosecuted crimes by its veterans and police. There were many opportunities over the last 150 years to be a colonial power, instead we chose to espouse our principles. It should not be that hard to investigate if a segment of population says that they are discriminated against. Our principle should be to eliminate discrimination in our midst. Trying to sweep the issue under the carpet in the name of the flag or veterans is immoral and unprincipled.

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The old just think about me shite and frick everything else.

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No...it's the allow others to do what they want so long as it does me no harm bit. Actual harm...not perceived harm.

Or are you equating Jefferon with some 1960's "if it feels good do it" bullshite?

You either like the notion of freedom or liberty, or you don't. Actual liberty sometimes means having people behave in a way that you do not agree with and allowing them to continue, because then YOU get the right to do your thing without them stopping you.

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I'm paying to see a football game....not your right to demonstrate liberty or freedom.

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Honest question...why would you even notice?

Thinking back to the game on Saturday, I basically looked at the flag in the north endzone and glanced around a bit at the rest of the stadium while I happily sang. Even had I been down on field level, I'm not sure I'd have noticed if a handful of players (if college players were even in the stadium for the anthem, which they are not) were kneeling. I'd have to basically stop my own enjoyment of the moment to go look for something I almost certainly would not have seen without being prompted to notice.

Kind of reminds me of Chris Jackson in the NBA. Most people either never knew it or forgot, but he wasn't making some Kaepernick public stand at first. Rauf was a quiet guy and when he converted to Islam he decided he didn't want to stand anymore. Never told anyone. So be it. So for weeks he did some stretches or whatever while the anthem played and literally no one noticed or cared. Then some media guy happened to notice and asked him about it and it became a story because he explained why. Then...camera were on him for his "protest." After that, when people suddenly lost their shite because someone was doing something they didn't agree with (see this thread) he got indignant about it and it became a big fricking deal.

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I'm paying to see a football game....

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Then why do you give a shite about what goes on during the pre-game?

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You either like the notion of freedom or liberty, or you don't. Actual liberty sometimes means having people behave in a way that you do not agree with and allowing them to continue, because then YOU get the right to do your thing without them stopping you.

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look, I'm basically a libertarian, so your general concept is fine. But there's a time and place for political statements.

I don't want my server at a restaurant to be wearing a Trump or Hillary hat. I don't want my cashier at Kroger to be wearing a pro-life or pro-choice shirt. I don't want the singer at a concert to promote a political or social issue. I don't want my doctor to have posters on his walls about his personal political beliefs.

And I don't want athletes to protest the national anthem -- at a football game.

Freedom? Of course. All these people can promote political/social/religious issues as much as they want -- but do it on their own time. Not when I'm a paying customer.

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Actually it isn't that cut and dry. Standing for the national anthem is considered by the courts to be a political act. If the government is unable to make you stand for the anthem, then it is unlikely that your employer is able to do so. McDonald's can't make you wear a Trump shirt (or Hillary shirt) if you don't want to.

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absolutely false.

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Oh...so you can't talk about it if you haven't served

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you're free to talk about it...it simply has no validity.

You're ok with attention whores....I get it.

I'm not....sorry

The autopsy proved he was trying to take the gun from the cop because of the bullet hole through the door of the Tahoe, and the gun powder on Michael browns shirt. He reached in and tried to grab the gun from the officer. To prevent the thug from getting the gun the officer shot, and through his door no less.