Colin Kaepernick Is Righter Than You Know: The National Anthem Is a Celebration of Slavery

itsbob

itsbob

I bowl overhand
nhboy said:
"Before a preseason game on Friday, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” When he explained why, he only spoke about the present: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Twitter then went predictably nuts, with at least one 49ers fan burning Kaepernick’s jersey.
Almost no one seems to be aware that even if the U.S. were a perfect country today, it would be bizarre to expect African-American players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Why? Because it literally celebrates the murder of African-Americans.

Few people know this because we only ever sing the first verse. But read the end of the third verse and you’ll see why “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not just a musical atrocity, it’s an intellectual and moral one, too:

No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.


​
“The Star-Spangled Banner,” Americans hazily remember, was written by Francis Scott Key about the Battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. But we don’t ever talk about how the War of 1812 was a war of aggression that began with an attempt by the U.S. to grab Canada from the British Empire."

More here: https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28/colin-kaepernick-is-righter-than-you-know-the-national-anthem-is-a-celebration-of-slavery/
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I will say he was spot on about Hillary, but I find it interesting that you chose to leave out any mention of what he said about her.

Care to elaborate??
 
W

WWOFFD

New Member
An Open Letter to Athletes, Musicians & Entertainers,

You are, of course, free to express whatever thoughts and feelings you may have on any topic you feel compelled to support, defend, demean, or bemoan. This is America, after all, and even a cursory look at history will show you that your right to do so has been fought for and defended by men and women of all races, colors, creeds, sexual orientations & religions dating all the way back to our Declaration of Independence and the subsequent war for same. Is the United States perfect and without fault? Of course it isn’t, but it’s still the best thing going by a long shot. Don’t believe me? Go try to “earn” $19M playing football, or better yet being a backup, anywhere else.

All I ask is that you realize the platform you’re standing on that allows you to reach so many millions is a result of those very same freedoms. I would also ask that you do a little research and actually propose a solution, or at least a path to a solution before you go off on some ignorant, misguided, hypocritical media-hyped tirade. By failing to do so, your message is generally diluted and ignored.

Yes, I’m talking to you, Mr. Kaepernick. Because you chose to “take action” based on a few horrible sounding and looking sound bites, videos and headlines and then believed all of the associated rhetoric because you haven’t bothered to look at any facts, you have indeed stirred up conversation and controversy… for ALL THE WRONG REASONS! That’s what happens when you don’t have all the correct information. Don’t feel bad, you’re not the first knucklehead to do it and you won’t be the last. It worked – you got attention. No doubt there. There are literally millions of people out there discussing your selfish act – but very few of them are discussing real solutions for the problem that you seem to think exists. And that’s the real problem with your approach.

If you truly wanna make a difference, then I commend you and I would certainly support you. But to truly make a difference you’re going to have to take real action and get involved instead of doing something as selfish, ignorant and misguided as sitting during the playing of our nation’s anthem. I suggest standing and supporting this nation’s anthem and flag while being thankful for all this country has given you. Then, go out and seek other people who are willing to help you in your cause, and get educated, knowledgeable and dirty while fixing the problem. That would impress me and gain my full attention and support.

Please tell me what you accomplished by sitting down? Look at social media. Look at the news. Look everywhere around you. Nothing has changed and nothing will – folks have taken sides either for or against your right to do what you did, but nobody is suddenly seeking answers to the problem… and they won’t. If you wanna make a difference in the lives of the folks you claim you care about, then get off the bench and get in the game. Make a difference – a real difference – and be a hero for all eternity. But keep sitting during the national anthem while taking no real action to right this nation’s wrongs and you’re just going to be another in a long line of useless sound bites, forgotten by tomorrow.

The choice is yours.
 
vraiblonde

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
WWOFFD said:
An Open Letter to Athletes, Musicians & Entertainers,

You are, of course, free to express whatever thoughts and feelings you may have on any topic you feel compelled to support, defend, demean, or bemoan. This is America, after all, and even a cursory look at history will show you that your right to do so has been fought for and defended by men and women of all races, colors, creeds, sexual orientations & religions dating all the way back to our Declaration of Independence and the subsequent war for same. Is the United States perfect and without fault? Of course it isn’t, but it’s still the best thing going by a long shot. Don’t believe me? Go try to “earn” $19M playing football, or better yet being a backup, anywhere else.

All I ask is that you realize the platform you’re standing on that allows you to reach so many millions is a result of those very same freedoms. I would also ask that you do a little research and actually propose a solution, or at least a path to a solution before you go off on some ignorant, misguided, hypocritical media-hyped tirade. By failing to do so, your message is generally diluted and ignored.

Yes, I’m talking to you, Mr. Kaepernick. Because you chose to “take action” based on a few horrible sounding and looking sound bites, videos and headlines and then believed all of the associated rhetoric because you haven’t bothered to look at any facts, you have indeed stirred up conversation and controversy… for ALL THE WRONG REASONS! That’s what happens when you don’t have all the correct information. Don’t feel bad, you’re not the first knucklehead to do it and you won’t be the last. It worked – you got attention. No doubt there. There are literally millions of people out there discussing your selfish act – but very few of them are discussing real solutions for the problem that you seem to think exists. And that’s the real problem with your approach.

If you truly wanna make a difference, then I commend you and I would certainly support you. But to truly make a difference you’re going to have to take real action and get involved instead of doing something as selfish, ignorant and misguided as sitting during the playing of our nation’s anthem. I suggest standing and supporting this nation’s anthem and flag while being thankful for all this country has given you. Then, go out and seek other people who are willing to help you in your cause, and get educated, knowledgeable and dirty while fixing the problem. That would impress me and gain my full attention and support.

Please tell me what you accomplished by sitting down? Look at social media. Look at the news. Look everywhere around you. Nothing has changed and nothing will – folks have taken sides either for or against your right to do what you did, but nobody is suddenly seeking answers to the problem… and they won’t. If you wanna make a difference in the lives of the folks you claim you care about, then get off the bench and get in the game. Make a difference – a real difference – and be a hero for all eternity. But keep sitting during the national anthem while taking no real action to right this nation’s wrongs and you’re just going to be another in a long line of useless sound bites, forgotten by tomorrow.

The choice is yours.
Click to expand...

:clap:
 
luvmygdaughters

luvmygdaughters

Well-Known Member
WWOFFD said:
An Open Letter to Athletes, Musicians & Entertainers,

You are, of course, free to express whatever thoughts and feelings you may have on any topic you feel compelled to support, defend, demean, or bemoan. This is America, after all, and even a cursory look at history will show you that your right to do so has been fought for and defended by men and women of all races, colors, creeds, sexual orientations & religions dating all the way back to our Declaration of Independence and the subsequent war for same. Is the United States perfect and without fault? Of course it isn’t, but it’s still the best thing going by a long shot. Don’t believe me? Go try to “earn” $19M playing football, or better yet being a backup, anywhere else.

All I ask is that you realize the platform you’re standing on that allows you to reach so many millions is a result of those very same freedoms. I would also ask that you do a little research and actually propose a solution, or at least a path to a solution before you go off on some ignorant, misguided, hypocritical media-hyped tirade. By failing to do so, your message is generally diluted and ignored.

Yes, I’m talking to you, Mr. Kaepernick. Because you chose to “take action” based on a few horrible sounding and looking sound bites, videos and headlines and then believed all of the associated rhetoric because you haven’t bothered to look at any facts, you have indeed stirred up conversation and controversy… for ALL THE WRONG REASONS! That’s what happens when you don’t have all the correct information. Don’t feel bad, you’re not the first knucklehead to do it and you won’t be the last. It worked – you got attention. No doubt there. There are literally millions of people out there discussing your selfish act – but very few of them are discussing real solutions for the problem that you seem to think exists. And that’s the real problem with your approach.

If you truly wanna make a difference, then I commend you and I would certainly support you. But to truly make a difference you’re going to have to take real action and get involved instead of doing something as selfish, ignorant and misguided as sitting during the playing of our nation’s anthem. I suggest standing and supporting this nation’s anthem and flag while being thankful for all this country has given you. Then, go out and seek other people who are willing to help you in your cause, and get educated, knowledgeable and dirty while fixing the problem. That would impress me and gain my full attention and support.

Please tell me what you accomplished by sitting down? Look at social media. Look at the news. Look everywhere around you. Nothing has changed and nothing will – folks have taken sides either for or against your right to do what you did, but nobody is suddenly seeking answers to the problem… and they won’t. If you wanna make a difference in the lives of the folks you claim you care about, then get off the bench and get in the game. Make a difference – a real difference – and be a hero for all eternity. But keep sitting during the national anthem while taking no real action to right this nation’s wrongs and you’re just going to be another in a long line of useless sound bites, forgotten by tomorrow.

The choice is yours.
Click to expand...

:yay: Very Well Said!
 
M

Millburn

New Member
WWOFFD said:
An Open Letter to Athletes, Musicians & Entertainers,

You are, of course, free to express whatever thoughts and feelings you may have on any topic you feel compelled to support, defend, demean, or bemoan. This is America, after all, and even a cursory look at history will show you that your right to do so has been fought for and defended by men and women of all races, colors, creeds, sexual orientations & religions dating all the way back to our Declaration of Independence and the subsequent war for same. Is the United States perfect and without fault? Of course it isn’t, but it’s still the best thing going by a long shot. Don’t believe me? Go try to “earn” $19M playing football, or better yet being a backup, anywhere else.

All I ask is that you realize the platform you’re standing on that allows you to reach so many millions is a result of those very same freedoms. I would also ask that you do a little research and actually propose a solution, or at least a path to a solution before you go off on some ignorant, misguided, hypocritical media-hyped tirade. By failing to do so, your message is generally diluted and ignored.

Yes, I’m talking to you, Mr. Kaepernick. Because you chose to “take action” based on a few horrible sounding and looking sound bites, videos and headlines and then believed all of the associated rhetoric because you haven’t bothered to look at any facts, you have indeed stirred up conversation and controversy… for ALL THE WRONG REASONS! That’s what happens when you don’t have all the correct information. Don’t feel bad, you’re not the first knucklehead to do it and you won’t be the last. It worked – you got attention. No doubt there. There are literally millions of people out there discussing your selfish act – but very few of them are discussing real solutions for the problem that you seem to think exists. And that’s the real problem with your approach.

If you truly wanna make a difference, then I commend you and I would certainly support you. But to truly make a difference you’re going to have to take real action and get involved instead of doing something as selfish, ignorant and misguided as sitting during the playing of our nation’s anthem. I suggest standing and supporting this nation’s anthem and flag while being thankful for all this country has given you. Then, go out and seek other people who are willing to help you in your cause, and get educated, knowledgeable and dirty while fixing the problem. That would impress me and gain my full attention and support.

Please tell me what you accomplished by sitting down? Look at social media. Look at the news. Look everywhere around you. Nothing has changed and nothing will – folks have taken sides either for or against your right to do what you did, but nobody is suddenly seeking answers to the problem… and they won’t. If you wanna make a difference in the lives of the folks you claim you care about, then get off the bench and get in the game. Make a difference – a real difference – and be a hero for all eternity. But keep sitting during the national anthem while taking no real action to right this nation’s wrongs and you’re just going to be another in a long line of useless sound bites, forgotten by tomorrow.

The choice is yours.
Click to expand...

Again I think we all agree,well done!
 
black dog

black dog

Free America
If I were his boss;

Let's see, you are bi-racial, abandoned at birth, adopted by white parents, grew up in an all white community, went to college and now make a gazillion dollars a year. Not a bad way to spend the first 29 years of your life. Now a stick or something is in your ass and you want to protest against oppression. Specifically oppression against people of color. Really now. Okay, nothing wrong with a good protest but do it on your own time. Not on the teams time, the fans time, just your free time, which I believe you will have a lot of soon.

You will not be allowed to express your opinion (s) in a public stadium where people pay hundreds of dollars to see a football game, not you sitting. The people in the stands and watching on TV want a break from the daily BS in their lives. Football gives them that break. They have worked 40, 50, 60, or more hours providing for themselves and their families. They want to be entertained have a few drinks and relax before the Monday grind begins once again. As my employee you are an entertainer. For 60 minutes you play football, people yell, scream, wave, laugh and generally have a good time watching the entertainer (s) play football. For 20 million or so a year you are among the few chosen to play this game. You are not chosen to protest whatever you are upset about this week or next week. Protest on your own time, not mine nor the fans.

I would encourage you to go on radio or television shows such as the View or Face the Nation and present whatever you are upset about to the American people. Though I doubt you could match wits with Whoopie and her gang. Refusing to stand for the National Anthem is your right under the First Amendment. It is not your right to sit when I am paying you to stand.

To sit costs nothing, it's free and easy. Reporters will ask you why you don't stand, you get free air time. So far your "protest" has cost you nothing. Instead of using your employers time and money to protest, why don't you get your wallet out, cruise around the decimated inner cities and elsewhere and write checks directly to the people you believe are oppressed. I doubt you will ever do that. Why do I believe this, paraphrasing a song lyric, "You are a fake, run back to your mansion."
 
Hijinx

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
black dog said:
If I were his boss;

Let's see, you are bi-racial, abandoned at birth, adopted by white parents, grew up in an all white community, went to college and now make a gazillion dollars a year. Not a bad way to spend the first 29 years of your life. Now a stick or something is in your ass and you want to protest against oppression. Specifically oppression against people of color. Really now. Okay, nothing wrong with a good protest but do it on your own time. Not on the teams time, the fans time, just your free time, which I believe you will have a lot of soon.

You will not be allowed to express your opinion (s) in a public stadium where people pay hundreds of dollars to see a football game, not you sitting. The people in the stands and watching on TV want a break from the daily BS in their lives. Football gives them that break. They have worked 40, 50, 60, or more hours providing for themselves and their families. They want to be entertained have a few drinks and relax before the Monday grind begins once again. As my employee you are an entertainer. For 60 minutes you play football, people yell, scream, wave, laugh and generally have a good time watching the entertainer (s) play football. For 20 million or so a year you are among the few chosen to play this game. You are not chosen to protest whatever you are upset about this week or next week. Protest on your own time, not mine nor the fans.

I would encourage you to go on radio or television shows such as the View or Face the Nation and present whatever you are upset about to the American people. Though I doubt you could match wits with Whoopie and her gang. Refusing to stand for the National Anthem is your right under the First Amendment. It is not your right to sit when I am paying you to stand.

To sit costs nothing, it's free and easy. Reporters will ask you why you don't stand, you get free air time. So far your "protest" has cost you nothing. Instead of using your employers time and money to protest, why don't you get your wallet out, cruise around the decimated inner cities and elsewhere and write checks directly to the people you believe are oppressed. I doubt you will ever do that. Why do I believe this, paraphrasing a song lyric, "You are a fake, run back to your mansion."
Click to expand...

I went to the new Steak in a Sack the other day. They have two big screen TV's and they had "The View" on.
I kept my back to it so I could eat.

They need to turn on another program.
 
Lurk

Lurk

Happy Creepy Ass Cracka
Larry Gude said:
Not to give Kaerpnick any credit because I have zero impression that he knows a damn thing about the Anthem nor could give a reasoned argument for his views but, not to put too fine a point on it, Key was writing about the land of the free...for some people. I know everyone prefers their country, right or wrong, that, for some reason, to take into account historical facts is pee pee in the punch bowl rather than knowledge and context for the brain and moving forward, but the twit has a point whether he can make it or not. We chose to use it as the national anthem after the civil war. Woodrow Wilson, an undisputed white supremacist, was indispensable in it's elevation as our national anthem.
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OFF ON A SHORT TANGENT: Boy! You have mastered the arcane art of crafting exceedingly complex sentences.
 
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