Brace yourself for two big surprises: 1) A majority of Californians oppose national anthem kneeling protests and 2) a prominent columnist for the Los Angeles Times rejects GQ magazine's selection of Colin Kaepernick as its "citizen of the year." LA Times columnist George Skelton says good citizens vote in elections and since Kaepernick admitted he doesn't vote, he's hardly qualified for citizenship awards.
Skelton has covered government and politics for the Times for more than 50 years and also served as White House correspondent. The Times' Capitol Journal reporter writes: "Colin Kaepernick is a decent quarterback whom no NFL team will hire. He’s a gutsy guy who stood up against racial injustice by kneeling. But 'citizen of the year'? Hardly."
In criticizing the controversial GQ decision to honor Kaepernick for citizenship, Skelton writes, "Good citizens vote. It's not only their right, it's their duty. Kaepernick, 30, has always rejected voting. That makes his past refusal to stand during the national anthem — he called it a protest against America's oppression of black people — seem hollow and hypocritical."
It's refreshing to find a senior columnist at a left-stream newspaper willing to voice respect for the ideals of democracy and opposition to disrespect for the national anthem. Here's more from Skelton. "In this country, public policy is decided through voting. The ballot box is where decision-makers are chosen or canned. It's called democracy, and we honor it by standing during the national anthem. Kaepernick knelt all last season, starting a divisive protest movement throughout the NFL."
It's also uplifting to know a majority of citizens in the "People's Republic of California" still favor similar sentiments. Skelton cited a poll showing people in that Left Coast state opposed to kneeling by 41-33 percent.
Standing apart from so many in the media, Skelton has opposed the NFL protests since they began last year. He writes, "I think refusing to stand for the anthem disrespects the core foundation of America and the Constitution. That's what guarantees us the right to peacefully protest against the nation's imperfections without being jailed. Protest the imperfections, but not all of America."
This veteran newspaper man respects the NBA for the fact that its players stand for the Star Spangled Banner. He was inspired by what he saw at baseball's 2017 World Series -- "a grand scene of both baseball teams standing along the first and third base lines, caps over their hearts, during the pre-game anthem." He's not through yet with his disgust for anthem protests:
Kneeling not only is disrespectful, it distracts from the intended message. Fans pay big bucks and click on their TVs to watch players perform athletically, not engage in culture protests.
Take it off the field. Sound off on your own time. Contribute money to causes, which Kaepernick has. Most of all: vote.
Not voting is what really upsets me about Kaepernick.
Last year Kaepernick told reporters he was not going to show support for an oppressive system by voting. Skelton wonders what this guy was doing in civics class in school and concludes the free agent is shirking his duty by staying home on Election Day. Now, due to his immense notoriety, and despite the media cheerleaders backing him, he's staying home on game day, too.
