THE RIGHT TO NOT STAND

There is a news story going around, that quite a few of my internet friends have posted.

How upsetting it is that a young man refused to stand for the national anthem.

"San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has willingly immersed himself into controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States."

Comments like "Funny, he doesn't feel strongly enough to refuse to play in this country and accept his multi-million dollar paychecks. I guess it's selective"

"He is an idiot who doesn't even know the facts of what he claims to be in protest of."

"YOU THINK YOUR BEING BRAVE, WELL HERE WE PUT UP WITH THIS KIND OF THING, SORT OF GIVE YOU A PASS (NO PUN INTENDED ) YOU WANT TO PROVE HOW BAD YOU ARE, GO TO IRAN OR SOME OTHER COUNTRY THAT HATES YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE AMERICAN AND DISRESPECT THIER FLAG, I DON"T THINK THEY WILL BE SO KIND, PLEASE GO, GO NOW , BEFORE YOU LOOSE ANOTHER GAME. BIL"

(I especially enjoy the misspellings in this last one)

Gosh.

Maybe I look at this all wrong - but isn't one of the most important things in our United States of America culture FREEDOM OF SPEECH?

The right of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?

And THE RIGHT TO DISAGREE WITH... well, whatever you want to disagree with.

We have the right, and, dare I say it, the RESPONSIBILITY to speak out.

And if not standing for the National Anthem, or not saying the Pledge of Allegiance, or flipping off the Statue of Liberty, is something you do or do not do to DRAW ATTENTION TO YOUR POSITION....

.... that's the most American thing I can think of.