You oldOriginally Posted by ths61
you
You old
The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot -
the guy who invented the second one... he was the genius!
http://theringfinders.com/blog/Larry.Royal/
I am in good company.You old
As a retired 25 year Army Vet, I am torn on this issue. Personally, I find their actions appalling. At the same time, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution - including their First Amendment right to do this very thing. So....part of me is proud that we live in a country where people have the right to do this, but disappointed they choose to do so.
Their issue probably has merit, but it is getting lost on how they are addressing it. There is no dialogue on why they are protesting, only on how they are protesting. Kind of self-defeating.
Unless you've served (except for patriotic folks like that are here on this board), it is hard to imagine what the flag and the anthem means to a Soldier. We salute it at the start of the day when it is raised, and salute it at the end of the day when it is lowered. That flag has covered the coffins of our brothers in arms. Many say it is just a piece of cloth - but to a veteran it so much more.
I cannot control the actions of others - but I am in complete charge of my own. Therefore, I am choosing to boycott NFL games - there are plenty of collage games to feed my interest. YMMV.
+1 from a U.S. Army 9th Infantry Division 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry. June. 1968 – Oct. 1970, MOS 11 Bravo.....a surviver!
The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot -
the guy who invented the second one... he was the genius!
http://theringfinders.com/blog/Larry.Royal/
The issue is pretty cut and dried for me. The overpaid employees are on company time and the taxpayer's and fan's dime. The NFL has a code of conduct specified for the National Anthem that they are violating. They can protest on their own time or the fans can pull their funding and show them how much their tantrums matter at the unemployment lines. The forced taxpayer funding should also be pulled. This is a private industry that should sink or swim on its own merit. The news reported that the average NFL salary was $2.44 MILLION/year. They have absolutely nothing to whine about.
No fan of overpaid spoiled brats but still I also hate how the NFL has added all the false paid patriotism to the game. Do you know that teams actually charge the services honor guards who appear at games? And the services justify paying for recruiting purposes? It's pathetic.All around corrupt.
That's a change!
When the Eagles wanted us for the big flag for pre-game, they sent a bus, gave us tickets to the game and of course while in uniform, we couldn't get past ANY tailgater without discussion and beverages.
To the NFL players who took a knee during the playing of the National Anthem.
So, you want to take a knee?
Take a trip to Valley Forge in January. Hold a musket ball in your fingers and imagine it piercing your flesh and breaking a bone or two. There won't be a doctor or trainer to assist you until after the battle. Wait your turn while listening to the screams of pain from the wounded.
Then take a knee.
Go to Normandy where man after American man stormed the beach, dodging dead bodies and withering machine gun fire,...the very sea stained with American blood. Imagine that your fellow players are your dead brothers in arms.
Then take a knee.
Take a knee in the sweat soaked jungles of Vietnam. Over 60,000 Americans died in those jungles.There was no playbook or million dollar contracts for doing your job, but they understood what our flag represented. When they came home, they were protested by their fellow Americans.
Then take a knee while they spit on you..
Take another knee in the blood drenched sands of Fallujah in 110 degree heat..Trade in your pads for a Kevlar helmet and battle dress...You'll have to stay hydrated, but there won't be anyone to squirt Gatorade into your mouth. And watch out for those IEDs when you take a knee.
There's a lot of places to take a knee. Americans have given their lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought as a source for your protest, you dishonor the memories of those who bled for the very freedoms you have. That's what the red stripes mean. It represents the blood of those who spilled it defending your liberty.
So while you're on your knee, pray for those that came before you, not on manicured fields striped and printed with numbers to announce every inch of game yardage...but on nameless hills and bloodied beaches and sweltering forests and bitter cold mountains...every inch marked by an American life lost serving that flag you protest.
No cheerleaders, no announcers, no coaches, no fans...just American men and women on the land, air, and sea, delivering the real fight against those who chose to harm us..so you would have the opportunity to dishonor their service by "taking a knee."
You have no clue what it took to get you where you are...but your "protest" is duly noted. Not only is it disgraceful to a nation, it points to your ingratitude for those who chose to defend you under that banner that will still wave long after your stats and game jersey are forgotten...
If you really feel the need to take a knee, come with me to church on Sunday and we'll both kneel before Almighty God. We'll thank Him for preserving this country for as long as He has. We'll beg forgiveness for both of our ingratitude for all He has provided us. We'll appeal to Him for understanding and wisdom. We'll pray for liberty and justice for all....because He is the one who provides those things.
But no protesting allowed. There will only be gratitude for His provision and a plea for His continued grace and mercy on the land of the free and the home of the brave.
If you are not part of the solution, YOU are the problem.
Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty.
Yes, they DO have the right to protest, but I also have the right to object and boycott their sorry, over paid asses.
If you are not part of the solution, YOU are the problem.
Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty.
Larry...
You are Awesome
That is inspiring, my friend!
Kudos and thanks to you!
Cheers,
Steve
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