Patriotism

Bravo to Colin Kaepernick for his very visible protest and to Chip Kelly for his tolerance. I honor Colin’s action as I did Tommy Smith and John Carlos’s in Mexico City, 1968.

I am fortunate to be a citizen of a country where I am not compelled to show patriotism.

I am very happy to honor the flag and my country at national celebrations such as Independence Day, Veterans’ Day, etc., but the issue goes beyond America’s racism.

We are currently in a culture of hyper-patriotism, which has intensified since 9/11. In my opinion, the patriotic demonstrations at sporting and entertainment events are inappropriate and serve only to cheapen and weaken our patriotism.

As for the anthem, it’s a lousy song written by a slave owner and is more about battle than American beauty.