Five graphically designed people are displayed above the headline, "On Flag Day, the Most Patriotic Among us Should be Kneeling", all taking a knee. Each is dressed in clothing that bears the stars and stripes. This fake "patriotism" is the "proper" way to honor America on Flag Day, writes The Undefeated blog's Jeff Rivers.
In Rivers' social justice world, the greatest patriots are athletes who kneel when the national anthem is played. They "have stood tall for freedom and justice in this great land for you and me. Ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and those who have followed him have been among the standard-bearers for the nation’s highest and most enduring ideals. Some, even those who will proudly display the flag during our most patriotic holidays, forget how important protests, especially those of the dispossessed, have been in making and keeping America great."
In Rivers' world, he's found "the nation’s most fervent and meaningful flag-wavers fighting for social justice, in the streets, the courts and the voting booths." His world has no use for "The Star Spangled Banner."
This fall, in your world and his, there will be no kneeling and disrespecting the flag, national anthem and veterans at NFL stadiums. Amazingly, Rivers views the anti-kneeling rule, in light of the NFL forking over $89 million to social justice warrior players for their pet causes, as a modern-day version of an 1820 law that maintained the balance of slave and free states:
"The two league actions form a latter-day Missouri Compromise aimed at maintaining the balance of power between team owners and players, just as the original Missouri Compromise sought to balance political power between Southern and Northern states during the long run-up to the Civil War."
This is more of the same 19th century tripe we've heard from NFL radical Michael Bennett, a $15 million man who last year compared himself to Dred Scott, a slave denied his freedom by the Supreme Court in 1857.
Rivers is curious if NFL players will find new forums for protest this coming season. He writes "when they present ways to wave the flag for justice in America, whether it’s kneeling on the sidelines or standing tall in their communities, let’s stand ready to salute them. Happy Flag Day."
The judgmental Rivers isn't just at odds with Americans who proudly stand out of respect for the flag, anthem and vets. He is at odds with his late grandfather, a real patriot who "loved his country. And he was willing to forgive our great nation its many transgressions without question, again and again. And he had little patience for those who’d sought to change or debate the status quo: 'What are you,” he’d thunder, 'some kind of red?':
"My grandfather, like those who would choose the sensibilities of some over equality for others, like those who would choose decorum and protocol over justice, like those who would drape their prejudices and privilege with Old Glory, would be wrong."
Rivers also prefers we replace "The Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem. His preference is "This Land is Your Land" — fittingly just enough land for him to park his disrespectful knee on come June 14th.
