United we stand… Even if we choose not to!
I’m sorry…
But I have had about as much as I can stand of this…
Nonsense!
Once again, the hate and the intolerance of an excessive portion of this great country of ours rears its ugly head!!
It seems to me that some people are so wrapped up in their own opinions that they forget that we are supposed to be in a country where we have the right to have our own opinions, even if they are unpopular and annoying.
And all over a simple act like kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance.
One of the comments that have been in some cases shouted and screamed at this person kneeling was: “…I was told I urinated on the graves of dead soldiers.”
…WOW… Really!
OK, let’s consider that statement for a moment. Yes, many people in uniform died in the act of defending this country. But was it JUST defending the country, or was it also defending the ideals and values of this county?
I cannot and will not speak for those forever silent voices. But I will ask any veterans who might read this to chime in and tell me your thoughts: What did you fight for? Why did you expose yourself to such violence and hate on the field of battle?
Unfortunately for some, this American believes that if you are willing to fight for the flag and the country that it represents, then you also need to accept the fact that in that “Free Country”, some people are going to disagree and will have a different opinion Additionally, in expressing that opinion they just might do something that could be considered disrespectful to the very flag and ideals that were being defended.
That, my fellow Americans, is one of the caveats of living in a “So Called” free country: that people will disagree with you AND, they have a right to do so.
Let’s further consider the following:
An obscure little document I read once begins as follows:
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
(The Deceleration of Independence, Then, the 13 colonies, July 4th, 1776).
Imagine that…
Our for-fathers BEGAN, this groundbreaking document in defense of what many people today are inclined to do: To make their dissatisfaction clear, and to express that dissatisfaction. These “Kneelers”, are not burning the flag. They are not inhibiting others of their rights. All they are doing is expressing their dissatisfaction with specific people and situations in the country we all hold dear. To be clear: As you care enough to stand, they care enough to make a statement and to go against what is popular and expected.
This same little document continues on to say:
“…That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Wow…
Those same founders of this great country also wanted us to have the right to disagree with the very government that was established to protect its people, even if it means replacing that government with something else.
These “Kneelers” are not even suggesting we go that far.
Let’s consider another quote that might just hit home for those that are opposed to this type of expression:
“The organization of our press has truly been a success. Our law concerning the press is such that
divergences of opinion between members of the government are no longer an occasion for public
exhibitions… We’ve eliminated that conception of political freedom which holds that everybody has the right to say whatever comes into his head.”
(Adolf Hitler).
I know… How politically incorrect of me to use such a comparison.
But we have been here before people! We have faced this before, when simple freedoms were being threatened we were willing to go to war and die to protect them. We have already seen in history, a people ruled and brainwashed into believing that “The People”, had no rights other than what the ruling party and the general overruling masses dictated was correct.
How many time must we walk down that road towards discord and potential disaster before we remember that it is our diversity in opinion and belief, and our freedom to express and pursue those ideals that makes this country great?
If it weren’t for a few brave people who choose to stand against a then oppressive nation in expressing their disagreement, These United States would never have been founded.
These same radical ideas and actions kept this country together during the civil war.
It allowed us to stand united against Hitler’s idea of the perfect world in World War II
These same radical ideals and actions, along with his God-given authority, is what propelled Jesus Christ through this world, and make a far-reaching stand against the status quo of the time, laying the foundation for the Christian Faith we so often take for granted today.
“You have to stand proudly for the national anthem. Or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.”
(President Donald Trump on football players NOT standing during the National Anthem)
No Mr. President, and all due respects, but if you really think that, as Americans, we do not have the right to express our opinions, than possibly YOU, are the one that should not be here.
