Kaepernick not standing for National Anthem

[masterfins]

Big news this morning on the talk shows is about Kaepernick not wanting to stand for the Nation Anthem; in protest of some peoples' unfair treatment by police.  While I'm alright with him expressing his freedom of speech, I'm not alright with the manner he is doing it.  HE IS AT HIS JOB, that is not the place to be exercising your free speech rights.  Most Americans would be fired on the spot if we wanted to spout off our opinions while we were at work.  To me it's a laziness on his part.  If he wants to get his opinion out there then go walk a picket line, give an offsite interview, or get involved with community discussions to help the matter.  What he is doing is just calling attention to himself, creating a distraction for his teammates, and IMO hurting the cause which he says he is supporting.  Add this to his poor play and I predict he will be done in the NFL within a year.

[Phishfan]

This has been around for days and is a non-issue to me. The guy was already on his way out of the NFL.

[Spider-Dan]

"His poor play" is the most relevant part of your statement.

LeBron James can call attention to himself and create a distraction for his teammates because he's the best player in the league.  Kaepernick... is not.

[Tenshot13]

Probably a bad move for Kaep professionally due his poor play.  He has every right to not stand for the National Anthem, even if it causes more discourse instead of a solution.

SIDE NOTE:  Is Kaep actually making a statement, or is he using this as a way our of SF?  Be non-compliant under the guise of oppression (even though he was raised by a rich white family) and they'll let you play someplace else (i.e. SF doesn't want to deal with the headache from their backup QB, so they cut or trade him)?  He really could be making a stand, or he really could be using this situation for personal benefit, or both.  I honestly don't know what his true motives are, but I think it's pretty shitty either way.

[Phishfan]

^^^ Seeing as how they are not making a big deal out of it and have even released a statement saying they will allow him to continue, it isn't a very effective way of forcing his way out.

[DaLittle B]

Please note,I heard there was hub bub about something Colin Kaepernick,I didn't see it. I've not read about it,just saw tweets,other players responses,and such about it.

My feelings on it are...I'm fine with bringing attention to an issue that is important,wrong approach,wrong person in a sense.I feel the people that might get really pissed about this,are probably part of the problem,and dismiss the message he's trying to send out.

I think if he'd gotten a bunch of teammates with him,or called players from other teams to all do it week 1.Would have sent a better,more effective message.

[Dave Gray]

I have no problem with this one way or another.  Sports has long been a sounding board for political protest and I think it would be out of line for a company or school to MAKE you pledge your allegiance to a flag or honor an entity against your will.  Doing so would be making a political statement of their own.

It's a small gesture, but unlike him at a picket line, this will get much more media play and get people talking about the issue, which is the point.

[CF DolFan]

I think anyone who dishonors the national anthem or flag for any reason is directly pissing on those who give them right to do it. It's their right but it's not right. Personally I think it's his last claim to fame because he knows he is almost done. He's lost a bunch of weight, hasn't trained and doesn't look to be wanting to play.

That aside I still don't get why racist BLM is even a topic any longer. All of their lies have proven to be false.  Why is the "issue" white cops kill blacks and not blacks are significantly more in danger by being killed by other blacks?

-Cops killed nearly twice as many whites as blacks in 2015 According to data compiled by The Washington Post

-Blacks are more likely to kill cops than be killed by cops. This is according to FBI data, which also found that 40 percent of cop killers are black. According to Mac Donald, the police officer is 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black than a cop killing an unarmed black person.

-From FBI statistics for 2013

Race of Victim/Total Victims/White /Black or African American/Other/Unknown
Black or African American/2,491/189/2,245/20/37

[Sunstroke]

Just to borrow one of my favorite quotes from the movie "The American President"

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free""

Apply that same philosophy to Kaep's sitting down for the national anthem...

[Spider-Dan]

That aside I still don't get why racist BLM is even a topic any longer. All of their lies have proven to be false.  Why is the "issue" white cops kill blacks and not blacks are significantly more in danger by being killed by other blacks?

-Cops killed nearly twice as many whites as blacks in 2015 According to data compiled by The Washington Post

-Blacks are more likely to kill cops than be killed by cops. This is according to FBI data, which also found that 40 percent of cop killers are black. According to Mac Donald, the police officer is 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black than a cop killing an unarmed black person.

Because black people killing other people (black, white, cops, whatever) is treated as a crime, while cops killing unarmed black people is treated like a normal, uneventful occurrence.

Cops kill unarmed black people on video and don't even go to trial.
Zimmerman (a private citizen) openly admitted to killing an unarmed black kid and originally wasn't even arrested for it.
This is why black people feel compelled to point out that their lives DO matter.  Because society is clearly saying that their lives do not.

P.S. On a side note, this "racist BLM" stuff is absurd.  Was MLK a racist for insisting on equal rights for blacks?

[Tenshot13]

I think anyone who dishonors the national anthem or flag for any reason is directly pissing on those who give them right to do it. It's their right but it's not right. Personally I think it's his last claim to fame because he knows he is almost done. He's lost a bunch of weight, hasn't trained and doesn't look to be wanting to play.

That aside I still don't get why racist BLM is even a topic any longer. All of their lies have proven to be false.  Why is the "issue" white cops kill blacks and not blacks are significantly more in danger by being killed by other blacks?

-Cops killed nearly twice as many whites as blacks in 2015 According to data compiled by The Washington Post

-Blacks are more likely to kill cops than be killed by cops. This is according to FBI data, which also found that 40 percent of cop killers are black. According to Mac Donald, the police officer is 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black than a cop killing an unarmed black person.

-From FBI statistics for 2013

Race of Victim/Total Victims/White /Black or African American/Other/Unknown
Black or African American/2,491/189/2,245/20/37

Because black people killing other people (black, white, cops, whatever) is treated as a crime, while cops killing unarmed black people is treated like a normal, uneventful occurrence.

Cops kill unarmed black people on video and don't even go to trial.
Zimmerman (a private citizen) openly admitted to killing an unarmed black kid and originally wasn't even arrested for it.
This is why black people feel compelled to point out that their lives DO matter.  Because society is clearly saying that their lives do not.

P.S. On a side note, this "racist BLM" stuff is absurd.  Was MLK a racist for insisting on equal rights for blacks?

I see this going down a predictable path...

[Spider-Dan]

It's precisely the subject that Kaepernick was sitting down over, so it's not like we're changing the topic.

[Tenshot13]

It's precisely the subject that Kaepernick was sitting down over, so it's not like we're changing the topic.

I know, but it's starting to to look like another thread that's in the off topic section.  Thus the discussion path being predictable.

[CF DolFan]

Because black people killing other people (black, white, cops, whatever) is treated as a crime, while cops killing unarmed black people is treated like a normal, uneventful occurrence.

Cops kill unarmed black people on video and don't even go to trial.

Cops who kill an unarmed person, black or white, and evidence points to them being justified and they do not go on trial. If evidence points to them being unjustified they go on trial.

Zimmerman (a private citizen) openly admitted to killing an unarmed black kid and originally wasn't even arrested for it.

Again ... when evidence points to the fact he followed the law he does not get charged. Race isn't a consideration for whether he followed the law. Don't like the law then change it but, as was proven, charging him when he hadn't appear to have broken the law only wasted a tons of money .. and it also looks like it has cost the State Attorney who brought those "just because" charges her job. Today's election will tell.

This is why black people feel compelled to point out that their lives DO matter.  Because society is clearly saying that their lives do not.

I think society is saying "all lives matter" and are being called racist for saying it.

P.S. On a side note, this "racist BLM" stuff is absurd.  Was MLK a racist for insisting on equal rights for blacks?

I love MLK. In fact ... at this moment I can't think of a single think he did that I disagree with. I think that the biggest problem affecting the black community today. They want Malcolm X and not MLK.

[Dave Gray]

"Black Lives Matter" has an implicit "too" at the end of it.

Saying "All Lives Matter" is being dismissive of the problem.