Colin Kaepernick refuses “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people”...

[xxCivicxx]

In my viewpoint, the difference between the American flag, and the Confederate flag is the colors.

The symbolic underpinnings still represent white supremacy.

Now they trotting out Jerry Rice on some #AllLivesMatter coon shit.

White folks will always find some kneegrow; some boot-licking, dancing with the devils, yassa-bossing, talk some brotherman talk to the brother's ass nigga!!

We out here getting blasted by the police, and here he comes with this conciliatory nonsense.

Shut your trick ass up. Jerry rice is a coon now because of a difference of opinion? You sound stupid as fuck.

You should probably join the KKK. They'd love your self hating ass. You guys can call black men coons together.

Spoiler

You sir, are an absolutely awful poster. Whatever hole you crawled out of, it would be great if you crawled back into it. And please, save your long-winded rebuttal post, Thrasymachus.

Smh. Every time we get rid of one annoying muthafucka, another one climbs his ass up outta the muck.

If by annoying you mean informed and unbiased, while actually agreeing with many posters here, but in a more articulate way, while informing them that their counter prejudice and racism is equally as stupid and wrong, then yes, im annoying.

The fact that you fear length in words shows me how lazy, and likely stupid you are. The fact that you interject yourself in a conversation that has nothing to do with you, just to throw in your two useless cents shows me how insecure you are.

Have you ever read before? You can read and understand a page in a book in a couple minutes tops, and thats a lot of paragraphs depending on the font size. How youre offended by my post that actually agree with posters, while correcting inaccuracies, or just putting up a different point of view is beyond me.

But again, your insecure. So i guess thats something you have to fix.

No you're legitimately a bad poster

You think because you type a lot that people will think you're smart but most of your post are absolutely worthless and very ignorant

 

[stringer bell]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/oped-colin-kaepernick-racist-history-our-national-anthem-n642636

OpEd: Colin Kaepernick and the Racist History of Our National Anthem

Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit in protest of police brutality during "The Star-Spangled Banner" urges a closer look at our national anthem, its author and the realities of police brutality.

It also begs the question, will we be a country that idolizes symbols or wakes up each day attempting to solidify our substance?

Written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key and adopted in 1931 as America's national anthem, its creator would be considered evil and immoral by today's standards.

After successfully attacking Washington, D.C. and burning down the White House in 1812, the British, among other things, offered freedom to any enslaved African who would join them in their fight against the United States.

By September of 1814, the British turned their attention to the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. Those very bombs bursting in the air, the rockets with red glare, and the defeat of the British led Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," in which he pronounced in the rarely sung third stanza:

"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"

Colin Kaepernick has chosen to use his power and influence to draw attention to a systemic issue that plagues Americans and to which there seems to be little compromise on the part of lawmakers and police unions: police brutality and extrajudicial murder, particularly of unarmed black women and men.

Although he wasn't a football player, Francis Scott Key was no stranger to power and influence either. Key's wealth and power were rooted in being a slaveholder, and as Washington D.C.'s District Attorney from 1833-1840 he used his office and its influence to vehemently defend slavery.

As the movement to abolish slavery grew in America its agenda and members were faced with numerous attacks, both legal and physical. There was blood in the streets.

In a high-profile case that drew national attention, Key prosecuted a doctor who lived in Georgetown for possessing abolitionist pamphlets. In the case of U.S. v. Reuben Crandall, Key sought to have the defendant hanged, asserting the property rights of those who owned Africans, and the quality of life having a second class of citizens the institution afforded them held more weight than the free speech rights of those arguing to abolish slavery. Key was not alone, he was in league with pro-slavery Congressmen who in 1836 passed a series of "gag rules" to quash all anti-slavery petitions and prevent them from being read or discussed.

180 years later attempts are being made to do the same. This time, a team of modern-day Francis Scott Keys has taken the field in an attempt to "gag" or "hang" Kaepernick by discrediting him, rather than looking at the substance of his comments and actions.

The first play they called was to paint him as unpatriotic for not standing during the national anthem.

Next, they reached out to the NFL and San Francisco 49ers in writing, calling his comments ill-advised and suggesting the quarterback "could lend his commentary to the over 8,000 murders that African Americans inflicted on one another in 2015."

Their third play involved recruiting an African American sports analyst, who confidently asserted Kaepernick is in no position to question or discuss the depredations of police brutality because he isn't black. The sports analyst, though knowledgeable about football, advances an argument that assigns the responsibility of addressing civil and human rights violations exclusively upon color lines. This argument shows a lack of knowledge and intelligence when one considers the role people of all races and nationalities played in abolition as well as ending segregation.

The fourth, but far from final play has been to assert the NFL is responsible for his actions.

Each argument completely ignores the need to address the root cause of Kaepernick's decision not to stand by deflecting from and attempting to discredit the validity of the discussion about improving police-community relations.

These responses to Kaepernick's stand remind us that symbolism often outweighs substance in the political views of many Americans.

Twenty years ago former NBA player, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was suspended for a game for his refusal to stand for The Star-Spangled Banner before games. He called the flag a symbol of oppression and noted that America had a long history of tyranny that conflicted with his religious beliefs. Few came to his defense as he sat alone.

Twenty-eight years prior, Black Olympians, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists in the air as "The Star-Spangled Banner" played following their victories (gold and bronze respectively) in the 200-meter sprint event, in what Smith would later call a "human rights salute" to protest systematic racism and oppression. They were sent back home and subsequently ostracized for their role in calling attention to the hypocrisy of liberty and justice of all.

Colin Kaepernick has gained the support and company of his teammate, safety Eric Reid as well as Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane. His protest has gained support of many of the veterans who say they fought to ensure his right to protest and petition.

From Colin Kaepernick to Francis Scott Key certain realities remain true. On any given day throughout history, whether as athletes, citizens or benefactors of the rights paid for by the plundering of other human's freedom throughout time, in the contest toward true justice and freedom the game doesn't change, just the players.

With every waking day, each of us picks, plays for and knowingly, or unknowingly, improves the position of a respective side - hypocrisy or humanity.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

White supremacy isn't just the racist mistreatment of blacks

The US flag absolutely is a symbol of white imperialism, white manifest destiny and european domination of most global territories over the past 200+ years

It absolutely is a symbol of white supremacy. It might as well be the British imperialist flag part 2

And if you feel that way, that's cool. I have no problem with that. But you can't act like someone is wrong just because they don't see it that way. Maybe to them it stands for justice, opportunity, and the things that America is supposed to represent. Most of us don't see it that way, but there are plenty of people that do.

Yes it is

Every single human being that made their multi-billion dollar multi-generation fortune during the Industrial Age was a white male

Those families still control all industries to this day

If the US wasn't about white supremacy then poor whites and poor blacks would have overthrown the upper class centuries ago

That doesn't make any sense. Plenty of nonwhites have achieved high levels of success in America. Plenty of people have accomplished things in America that wouldn't have been possible most other places on earth. If America was such a shitty place for nonwhites, you wouldn't have nonwhites coming into the country by the score. Hell, a lot of nonwhite immigrants think that African Americans are stupid because we're so cynical because to them as bad as America is, the upside is better. I can't say they're right just like I can't say you're wrong, but I can say everyone is free to their own viewpoint.

 

[stringer bell]

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/kaepernick-jersey-sales-soar-amid-controversy/story?id=41861482

Kaepernick Jersey Sales Soar Amid Controversy

Sales of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick jerseys have skyrocketed in the wake of his refusal to stand for the national anthem, which he says is protest against America's treatment of "black people and people of color."

Kaepernick's decision not to stand during the playing of the anthem, which was first noticed by the media in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on August 26, has added to the debate in America over the subjects of race, patriotism, sports protest and violence by and against police.

News of Kaepernick's growing marketability, at least in terms of jersey sales, adds an additional layer of complexity to the story of his protest. San Jose Mercury News reporter Mike Rosenberg first noted on Twitter that sales of Kaepernick jerseys had jumped from 20th among 49ers players to first.

Even though he is only a backup quarterback, Kaepernick has now moved to fifth overall among NFL jersey sales, according to NFL.com, jumping from eighth a day ago.

Some fans reacted by burning his jersey and other memorabilia on social media in the wake of news breaking about his protest.

Among the quarterback's most vocal critics have been police officers. Kaepernick drew additional criticism after photos surfaced of him wearing socks that depicted police officers as cartoon pigs.

"I have two uncles and friends who are police officers and work to protect and serve ALL people," Kaepernick said on Instagram in defense of the pictures.

The union for Santa Clara, California, Police Department officers -- the police who work San Francisco home games -- said that its members would consider boycotting their duty to police the stadium if the 49ers don't discipline Kaepernick for his actions.

Santa Clara Police Chief Michael Sellers offered a rebuke of that position on Saturday, saying that "officers are here to protect the rights of every person, even if we disagree with their position," but also expressed sympathy for the union's sentiment.

Kaepernick was scheduled to speak at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco today in front of a largely black congregation that included members of the NAACP, but he cancelled, citing scheduling concerns.

The other speakers at Third Baptist church today addressed Kaepernick's stance with words of support, and voiced criticism over the police, and Donald Trump and his supporters, who one woman called "bigots."

49ers coach Chip Kelly announced this weekend that Kaepernick would be the team's backup quarterback, ahead of third-stringer Christian Ponder, and behind starter Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick is guaranteed $11.9 million in salary for this season and can earn another $2 million in roster bonuses depending on playing time, according to NFL.com.

Some analysts thought that Kaepernick could be cut by the team because of the attention he was receiving, but that has not turned out to be the case so far.

Dave Zirin, a sports editor for The Nation and a historian on sports protests, told ABC News in an interview last week that Kaepernick’s precarious spot on the 49ers roster only served to strengthen the power of his protest.

"He's really risking something by doing this," Zirin said. "It’s all the more admirable that he could be cut by the 49ers."

The 49ers are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Rams in a game on Monday, September 12. He is expected to continue to protest the anthem at that game.

"When there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed to represent in this country, I’ll stand,” Kaepernick told reporters one week ago.

 

[xxCivicxx]

White supremacy isn't just the racist mistreatment of blacks

The US flag absolutely is a symbol of white imperialism, white manifest destiny and european domination of most global territories over the past 200+ years

It absolutely is a symbol of white supremacy. It might as well be the British imperialist flag part 2

And if you feel that way, that's cool. I have no problem with that. But you can't act like someone is wrong just because they don't see it that way. Maybe to them it stands for justice, opportunity, and the things that America is supposed to represent. Most of us don't see it that way, but there are plenty of people that do.

Yes it is

Every single human being that made their multi-billion dollar multi-generation fortune during the Industrial Age was a white male

Those families still control all industries to this day

If the US wasn't about white supremacy then poor whites and poor blacks would have overthrown the upper class centuries ago

That doesn't make any sense. Plenty of nonwhites have achieved high levels of success in America. Plenty of people have accomplished things in America that wouldn't have been possible most other places on earth. If America was such a shitty place for nonwhites, you wouldn't have nonwhites coming into the country by the score. Hell, a lot of nonwhite immigrants think that African Americans are stupid because we're so cynical because to them as bad as America is, the upside is better. I can't say they're right just like I can't say you're wrong, but I can say everyone is free to their own viewpoint.

A billionaire is 1,000 millionaires

There's levels and you know this. Please stop being naive

Successful black people aren't setting interest rates and deciding which countries to invade and overthrow

The bold is how racist whites patronize black-skinned people

"Look at these 2000 successful black people" meanwhile 40 million+ live here

And anyone who thinks that the american flag stands for justice is a fool. Did native americans get justice when their land was snatched from under them? Did slaves get justice when they were stolen and brought over here to work for free?

 

[PanchoYoSancho]

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/megan-rapinoe-kneels-for-anthem-at-nwsl-match

Megan Rapinoe Kneels For Anthem at NWSL Match

The 31-year-old from Redding, Calif., displayed support for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick Sunday night, kneeling while the national anthem was played before a Seattle-Chicago match.

BY JOHN D. HALLORAN

POSTED

SEPTEMBER 04, 2016

6:20 PM

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BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.—United States women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe has joined a small but growing number of professional athletes refusing to stand during the national anthem.

The silent protest occurred on Sunday night as the Star Spangled Banner was played ahead of a National Women’s Soccer League match between the Chicago Red Stars and Rapinoe’s team, the Seattle Reign.

Speaking after the match, Rapinoe explained why she decided to kneel during the anthem.

“It was very intentional,” said Rapinoe. “It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now. I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.

“Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don’t need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that’s really powerful.”

San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the protest last month, electing to sit down as the anthem was played ahead of a series of pre-season games. He later told NFL.com, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Since then, other NFL players, including 49er teammate Eric Reid and the Seattle Seahawks’ Jeremy Lane, have joined the protest.

Rapinoe has also spoken out on the Black Lives Matter movement before. Last month, after the WBNA announced fines for players sporting Black Lives Matter t-shirts, Rapinoe told Excelle Sports, “I get sort of in theory where [the WNBA] is coming from, but it’s just so insensitive and so fucking stupid that they would fine players for a Black Lives Matter shirt.”

Rapinoe just became my favorite dyke (no homo?). Too bad she's doing it a mostly empty arena.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

White supremacy isn't just the racist mistreatment of blacks

The US flag absolutely is a symbol of white imperialism, white manifest destiny and european domination of most global territories over the past 200+ years

It absolutely is a symbol of white supremacy. It might as well be the British imperialist flag part 2

And if you feel that way, that's cool. I have no problem with that. But you can't act like someone is wrong just because they don't see it that way. Maybe to them it stands for justice, opportunity, and the things that America is supposed to represent. Most of us don't see it that way, but there are plenty of people that do.

Yes it is

Every single human being that made their multi-billion dollar multi-generation fortune during the Industrial Age was a white male

Those families still control all industries to this day

If the US wasn't about white supremacy then poor whites and poor blacks would have overthrown the upper class centuries ago

That doesn't make any sense. Plenty of nonwhites have achieved high levels of success in America. Plenty of people have accomplished things in America that wouldn't have been possible most other places on earth. If America was such a shitty place for nonwhites, you wouldn't have nonwhites coming into the country by the score. Hell, a lot of nonwhite immigrants think that African Americans are stupid because we're so cynical because to them as bad as America is, the upside is better. I can't say they're right just like I can't say you're wrong, but I can say everyone is free to their own viewpoint.

A billionaire is 1,000 millionaires

There's levels and you know this. Please stop being naive

Successful black people aren't setting interest rates and deciding which countries to invade and overthrow

The bold is how racist whites patronize black-skinned people

"Look at these 2000 successful black people" meanwhile 40 million+ live here

And anyone who thinks that the american flag stands for justice is a fool. Did native americans get justice when their land was snatched from under them? Did slaves get justice when they were stolen and brought over here to work for free?

What exactly is your point? You can make the same argument substituting "white" in for "black."

"Look at these 15,000 successful white people, meanwhile 220 million+ live here" So that whole line of reasoning pretty much falls flat. Yes, most of the rich elite in the country are white, but the vast majority don't benefit outside of some white privilege perks which ultimately have been used as a tool to keep poor white people from demanding more.

And no, not everyone that has been done wrong my America has received justice, but that doesn't mean that people can't look at the flag as a symbol for the principles that the country is supposed to stand for. To me the flag doesn't stand for anything. It's a meaningless symbol. To you it stands for white supremacy. To someone in a third world country trying to get into the country, it stands for opportunity. No one perception is any more right than another.

 

[xxCivicxx]

White supremacy isn't just the racist mistreatment of blacks

The US flag absolutely is a symbol of white imperialism, white manifest destiny and european domination of most global territories over the past 200+ years

It absolutely is a symbol of white supremacy. It might as well be the British imperialist flag part 2

And if you feel that way, that's cool. I have no problem with that. But you can't act like someone is wrong just because they don't see it that way. Maybe to them it stands for justice, opportunity, and the things that America is supposed to represent. Most of us don't see it that way, but there are plenty of people that do.

Yes it is

Every single human being that made their multi-billion dollar multi-generation fortune during the Industrial Age was a white male

Those families still control all industries to this day

If the US wasn't about white supremacy then poor whites and poor blacks would have overthrown the upper class centuries ago

That doesn't make any sense. Plenty of nonwhites have achieved high levels of success in America. Plenty of people have accomplished things in America that wouldn't have been possible most other places on earth. If America was such a shitty place for nonwhites, you wouldn't have nonwhites coming into the country by the score. Hell, a lot of nonwhite immigrants think that African Americans are stupid because we're so cynical because to them as bad as America is, the upside is better. I can't say they're right just like I can't say you're wrong, but I can say everyone is free to their own viewpoint.

A billionaire is 1,000 millionaires

There's levels and you know this. Please stop being naive

Successful black people aren't setting interest rates and deciding which countries to invade and overthrow

The bold is how racist whites patronize black-skinned people

"Look at these 2000 successful black people" meanwhile 40 million+ live here

And anyone who thinks that the american flag stands for justice is a fool. Did native americans get justice when their land was snatched from under them? Did slaves get justice when they were stolen and brought over here to work for free?

What exactly is your point? You can make the same argument substituting "white" in for "black."

"Look at these 15,000 successful white people, meanwhile 220 million+ live here" So that whole line of reasoning pretty much falls flat. Yes, most of the rich elite in the country are white, but the vast majority don't benefit outside of some white privilege perks which ultimately have been used as a tool to keep poor white people from demanding more.

And no, not everyone that has been done wrong my America has received justice, but that doesn't mean that people can't look at the flag as a symbol for the principles that the country is supposed to stand for. To me the flag doesn't stand for anything. It's a meaningless symbol. To you it stands for white supremacy. To someone in a third world country trying to get into the country, it stands for opportunity. No one perception is any more right than another.

Ok you got it

 

[stringer bell]

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/6048861-181/49ers-should-have-cut-colin

49ers should have cut Colin Kaepernick

The 49ers made a football decision to keep Colin Kaepernick, strictly speaking. They made the wrong football decision, strictly speaking.

First, let’s get things straight. Kaepernick made his status on the team complicated when he didn’t stand for the national anthem at the third and fourth exhibition games and, it turns out, at the two previous games — almost no one knew about the first two games. Just about everyone defends his prerogative not to stand, and just about everyone agrees it’s good to call attention to the plight of minorities, notably the killings of young black men by some police officers.

Those are crucial issues in our society, but they are not football issues. For Kaepernick, football issues come first. As trivial as this may sound, Kaepernick is a football player on a football team and, until the 49ers retained him on Saturday, his football future was up for grabs. It still may be.

Please see his “case” in the context of football, where it belongs. He was not a social activist until quite recently. But he has been a football player a long time, a member of 49ers since 2011.

This is a football story only. This story is at the heart of football. The 49ers should have cut him for the good of the team.

As a football player, he is causing strife. A player is never supposed to cause strife even for the noblest reasons, and it’s not entirely clear what Kaepernick’s deep-down reasons are. They may not be clear to him.

The other day, the Santa Clara police said they may not provide security at 49ers games if the Niners don’t discipline Kaepernick. They are offended by Kaepernick’s statements about police, by Kaepernick’s generalizing about police brutality. Making it seem all police are bad people, even though Kaepernick says he did not mean that.

And the police are offended Kaepernick wore socks with pictures of police as pigs. When I went to Stanford in the socially impassioned ’60s, radical students called police “pigs of the power structure.” Kaepernick’s socks call police that name even if Kaepernick doesn’t understand that. The police have every right to be angry at him.

Kaepernick is causing the 49ers strife in their community.

Then there’s the issue of the team, the football issue, the most important issue, the only issue.

To be precise, it’s the issue of team unity. The relation between races is the most intense, most troubling, most divisive concern in our country. You can bet it’s serious on the 49ers. When Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem at the fourth exhibition game in San Diego — when people knew in advance he wouldn’t stand — Eric Reid kneeled with him. But other 49ers stood at attention, some with hand over heart. When the singer was done, some players applauded.

What does that mean?

It means two camps are forming — have formed already. These are not casual camps. These are not camps debating how to tie shoelaces or discussing the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin. These camps feel passionately about the anthem and police actions toward African-Americans. Players are on one side or the other, no middle ground, no easy compromises. This is the San Andreas Fault running down the middle of the team.

When things go bad this season — and brother will they — an earthquake is coming.

The 49ers never should have allowed this fault to develop. They had a choice. They should have headed off Kaepernick long ago. Or released him on cut-down day.

Here’s what my friend Ira Miller wrote for The Sports Xchange about Kaepernick and the Niners:

“Football is the ultimate team game, and no matter what you think of a play, a player, a plan or a gesture, success in football requires everybody on a team sacrificing their individuality for the team’s goals. Players rarely are allowed to do what they want if it impacts the team. Simple as that. And there is no question Kaepernick’s sit-down impacts the 49ers. In a game so strongly focused on ‘team,’ players frequently subjugate their own thoughts and beliefs for the team’s benefit.”

Coaches go to extremes to create team unity. Bill Walsh told me he would be happy for the players to dislike him — as long as they disliked him together. That way they would bond as a team, spit in Walsh’s eye as a team. Walsh told me some coaches intentionally make players hate them as a bonding mechanism for them.

It is said Jim Harbaugh portrayed 49ers management as the enemy, whether or not he believed that. He needed an enemy for a players’ rallying point. A good football team fights together as a unit, does not fight internally.

Chip Kelly has not shown he understands this. He never should have allowed Kaepernick to take such a prominent role in the team’s narrative, should not have allowed Kaepernick to write the narrative. The tail wagging the dog. Kelly has been criticized for lacking a sense of human relations, for not understanding what keeps a team together. This episode does not improve his reputation.

Kelly spoke to the media by phone on Saturday. I asked if he’s concerned Kaepernick will be divisive.

“When he’s here at 4949, he’s all about football and all about work,” Kelly said. That statement is demonstrably untrue.

Another reporter asked if Kelly is concerned about the bad national attention Kaepernick and the 49ers will get every week.

“How he’s been with us,” Kelly said, “I have no issues with Kap at all.”

He should.

After Ira Miller sent me his article, we spoke on the phone.

“Would Bill let this happen?” he asked me. He meant would Bill Walsh allow the whole Kaepernick thing to occur.

“No,” I said with absolute conviction.

“Bill never would have let it come to this,” Ira said. “He didn’t let things fester. Chip Kelly said Kaepernick can do whatever he wants. What’s up with that?”

Indeed. What exactly is up with that?

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

https://twitter.com/lowellcohn/status/772593501410238464
https://twitter.com/lowellcohn/status/772598048664891392
https://twitter.com/sweendogg_/status/772598591625961472

The saltine sportswriter perspective..

 

[stringer bell]

http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/sep/04/column-kaepernicks-misguided-stance-biggest-fumble/

COLUMN: Kaepernick’s misguided stance is biggest fumble in NFL history

Colin Kaepernick’s controversial refusal to stand during the playing of the national anthem in a few NFL preseason games for the San Francisco 49ers has dominated the national sports news scene in recent weeks.

Mixed reactions by those in the sports community have given Kaepernick a bigger platform to stand on, and stand he does, just not during the national anthem.

Former all-pro safety and two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison was the first person to insert the proverbial foot in his mouth by saying Kaepernick is “not black.”

Yes, he is biracial, with a black biological father and white biological mother, but for Harrison to say, “He cannot understand what I face and what other young black men and black people face, or people of color face, on a every single day basis,” is strangely confusing.

Harrison, a current NBC analyst, continued: “When you walk in a grocery store, and you might have $2,000 or $3,000 in your pocket and you go up in to a Foot Locker and they’re looking at you like you about to steal something. … You know, I don’t think he faces those type of things that we face on a daily basis.”

Clearly, Harrison has been wronged, or someone close to him has received ill treatment in the past for him to think this. That’s sad, and I feel for him. Do I deny Harrison’s comments and call them completely false based on merit? No. These stereotypes are real and happen every day.

Kaepernick explained publicly about his protest after the 49ers finished a preseason game against Green Bay on Aug. 27, saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

I assume those “people getting paid leave” he’s talking about are police officers, or am I wrong? The recent police shootings not only in Ferguson, Missouri, but in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Kaepernick’s hometown), and other areas of the country have sparked widespread protest, including the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

In July, the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001, claimed the lives of five officers by a sniper ambush during a peaceful protest in Dallas.

By sitting during the national anthem, Kaepernick is dishonoring those officers who gave their lives to protect the very people protesting against them. I wonder if he’s thought about his “protest” from that perspective.

On Saturday, just hours before Chip Kelly announced Blaine Gabbert will be the No. 1 quarterback entering Week 1 for the 49ers, and Kaepernick as the primary backup, the Santa Clara Police Officers’ Association threatened to not patrol home games at Levi’s Stadium if the NFL doesn’t take action against Kaepernick.

The 49ers are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football as part of a national television doubleheader to kickoff the NFL season Monday, Sept. 12.

Adding fuel to the fire, Kaepernick was photographed earlier this week wearing socks that displayed cartoon pigs wearing police hats at practice.

That didn’t go over well with members of the SCPOA after the pictures of Kaepernick’s socks were broadcast nationally.

San Francisco’s statement about the Kaepernick situation said: “The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.”

That statement oozes political correctness, but what are the 49ers to do, cut him? Yeah, that wouldn’t go over well.

FINAL TAKE

In the world we live in today, everything is scrutinized publicly thanks to the social media era. There’s nothing wrong with Kaepernick standing up for what he believes in, but I have a big problem with how he’s doing it.

Refusing to stand for the national anthem is like spitting on the very graves of those who gave their lives for this country. And those who fought so a 6-foot-4 football player could take his talents to the University of Nevada, get drafted into the NFL for gobs of money and then throw a tantrum because the world has problems, are turning in their graves.

Kaepernick’s reaction to the people of San Diego booing him relentlessly Thursday night included a statement from him saying it is a “misunderstanding.” Really? I don’t think so.

After the game Thursday, Kaepernick announced he would donate $1 million to groups that help people affected by the issues he is trying to spotlight, such as racial inequality and police brutality.

That’s a good step in the right direction, Mr. Kaepernick, but not “stepping up” to honor the country that has given you everything and asked for nothing is the biggest fumble in NFL history.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. is a sports writer and columnist for The Daily Courier. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Periscope and SoundCloud at @ SportsWriter52, or on Facebook at @ SportsAboveTheFold.

Another saltine sportswriter.. According this saltine the pigs are the protectors of everybody's freedoms now...

 

[The Lonious Monk]

The funniest thing about all those last two articles is that the media is the one responsible for blowing this all up, but then they want to bash him for what it's become. All he did was sit down. No one even had to ask him why he was sitting.

 

[King Ghidorah]

The funniest thing about all those last two articles is that the media is the one responsible for blowing this all up, but then they want to bash him for what it's become. All he did was sit down. No one even had to ask him why he was sitting.

There’s nothing wrong with Kaepernick standing up for what he believes in, but I have a big problem with how he’s doing it.

I like how this is a recurring theme in these articles, but nobody ever makes a suggestion on how he should protest. They really just wanna say "shut up nigga"

 

[MallyG]

At this point only way ima give a fuck about the national anthem is if they play the Whitney Houston version

Or Marvin Gaye

He bodied that shit while he was high out of his mind. That version should be official

You said that shit like that man was singin' while he had some powder residue on his nose. lol

 

[The Lonious Monk]

The funniest thing about all those last two articles is that the media is the one responsible for blowing this all up, but then they want to bash him for what it's become. All he did was sit down. No one even had to ask him why he was sitting.

There’s nothing wrong with Kaepernick standing up for what he believes in, but I have a big problem with how he’s doing it.

I like how this is a recurring theme in these articles, but nobody ever makes a suggestion on how he should protest. They really just wanna say "shut up nigga"

Exactly.

When black people just gather for peaceful protests, they are largely ignored.

When black people engage in nonviolent disruption, the white people bitch about being inconvenienced, bt don't seek to solve the problem.

When black people get frustrated and riot, the white people call them savage and bash them for it saying there has to be another way.

When a black athlete does it another way, he gets bashed for doing it the wrong way.

lol Niggas can't win for shit with these people.

 

[Turfaholic]

J. Cole in Vegas

 

[spit_fiya]

*duplicate

 

[blackamerica]

White supremacy isn't just the racist mistreatment of blacks

The US flag absolutely is a symbol of white imperialism, white manifest destiny and european domination of most global territories over the past 200+ years

It absolutely is a symbol of white supremacy. It might as well be the British imperialist flag part 2

And if you feel that way, that's cool. I have no problem with that. But you can't act like someone is wrong just because they don't see it that way. Maybe to them it stands for justice, opportunity, and the things that America is supposed to represent. Most of us don't see it that way, but there are plenty of people that do.

Yes it is

Every single human being that made their multi-billion dollar multi-generation fortune during the Industrial Age was a white male

Those families still control all industries to this day

If the US wasn't about white supremacy then poor whites and poor blacks would have overthrown the upper class centuries ago

That doesn't make any sense. Plenty of nonwhites have achieved high levels of success in America. Plenty of people have accomplished things in America that wouldn't have been possible most other places on earth. If America was such a shitty place for nonwhites, you wouldn't have nonwhites coming into the country by the score. Hell, a lot of nonwhite immigrants think that African Americans are stupid because we're so cynical because to them as bad as America is, the upside is better. I can't say they're right just like I can't say you're wrong, but I can say everyone is free to their own viewpoint.

A billionaire is 1,000 millionaires

There's levels and you know this. Please stop being naive

Successful black people aren't setting interest rates and deciding which countries to invade and overthrow

The bold is how racist whites patronize black-skinned people

"Look at these 2000 successful black people" meanwhile 40 million+ live here

And anyone who thinks that the american flag stands for justice is a fool. Did native americans get justice when their land was snatched from under them? Did slaves get justice when they were stolen and brought over here to work for free?

What exactly is your point? You can make the same argument substituting "white" in for "black."

"Look at these 15,000 successful white people, meanwhile 220 million+ live here" So that whole line of reasoning pretty much falls flat. Yes, most of the rich elite in the country are white, but the vast majority don't benefit outside of some white privilege perks which ultimately have been used as a tool to keep poor white people from demanding more.

And no, not everyone that has been done wrong my America has received justice, but that doesn't mean that people can't look at the flag as a symbol for the principles that the country is supposed to stand for. To me the flag doesn't stand for anything. It's a meaningless symbol. To you it stands for white supremacy. To someone in a third world country trying to get into the country, it stands for opportunity. No one perception is any more right than another.

No. It IS a symbol of white supremacy, given the guy who wrote it was a WHITE SUPREMACIST and active slave owner who openly talked about it on the 3rd verse of the song we're referring too.

White supremacy has set the stage for how this country works. A few millionaire niggaz ain't shit when there's billionaire white families controlling banks, laws, tv programming & radio. I'm not sure how you can act like we aren't oppressed when the evidence is everywhere

 

[Maximus Rex]

 

[Already Home_17]

Ima need to see receipts for this shit

 

[Kai]

The lonious monk is one of the dumbest posters on here, seriously. He's second only to s2j when it comes to his consistently contrarian ass cooning. I would not be surprised if he was a pale demon trying to insidiously undermine us under the guise of being black

That or he really believes in white superiority, and his "please don't make massa mad" ass is like this irl. Get it thru your heads coons, no amount of white ass kissing and capitulation will make these mfs respect you

Matter of fact they see y'all turncoat ass for what you are, traitors to your race. Go swallow a razor, fucking loser