Anthem

by: Eric J Gomez 9-24-17 10:41 ct

The Star Spangled-Banner which to us Americans is the Anthem we grew up standing for throughout our lives. It was created in 1814 but was officially recognized as our American song in 1931. It goes very well into what our values and beliefs mean to us and connects with our pledge of allegiance.

Now I know we know the history of the anthem and the pledge. We know how connected it is to the military and I don't believe in having any disrespect to our history and for the men and woman who have died for our freedom. Yet throughout the years the pledge and anthem are usually combined in a sense that the military put their lives on the line for our freedom, our rights, and for the values that being an American mean. The home of the brave was a powerful line to signify the people who fought to upheld the pledge. Which is to have a One Nation under God, liberty and justice for all.

Last year we saw Colin Kaeperick take a knee to bring up a civil rights issue that we have been dealing with since the early American days. The backlash and support was amazing in the sense that it got people talking whether you agreed or not. Don't get me wrong personally I have been treated unfairly by some officers of the law through my life but I always believe that everywhere there's always bad apples but for the most part I still know there's good people out there. Yet there is a problem in America going on that we can't just ignore. I also respect the fact though that everyone deserves the opportunity to express their beliefs in a peaceful way. What I admired though about Colin was the fact once he heard that the soldiers felt disrespected, he apologized and changed up his protest from a sit to a knee. We went through the year with other participants and we know the rest of the story.

Now after all the disasters going on in the world, North Korea, and bills like healthcare repeal going on our President decided to bring up issues with players kneeling and protesting calling them SOB’s after some time ago he called white supremacists chanting “Jews will not replace us” “very fine people” who were exercising their first amendment right in protesting. Many of us had a problem with the lack of condemnation the Alt-Right received by many Americans and our President who is the leader of the free world. The double standard that the protests from the Alt-right group was just as violent as the Alt-left protests that go on is remarkable. I don’t condone violence regardless of which side is protesting and people are forgetting the issues that they are protesting for when the violence becomes the headline. Yet there’s no room in 2017 or any age for racism and Nazi principles to exist.

Right now, we are in a fragile state as American people in a very divisive world. Yet our leader doesn’t recognize the fact that he was put into the job to unite not divide. He called for players, who no matter how much they make or what they do still have every right to exercise their first amendment right, to lose their employment for kneeling. He insulted their mothers which remind us how the lack of respect he gives to women. Also, what got lost is that we have learn way more about the seriousness of CTE and how concussions have an effect on these athletes lives in their future. He called the league to stop trying to change the game to make it safer and bring back the days where the suicide rate and other effects of brain damage have on the retired players. I’m sorry I don’t care how much money they make as a decent human being it is wrong to wish ill upon a person’s future for your sake of entertainment.

Now remember that this is the President of the United States that spoke all these things even with everything else that is going on. Now if anyone used that language in their job to address people would have a serious talk from their superiors and this is coming from someone who has had that talk about having respect no matter how frustrated I felt at the moment. I guess he always was allowed to get away with a lack of respect he gives to people since he is very hypocritical when he demands respect right back. Now if any man spoke about a woman that way whether privately or publicly would be ridiculed and put to shame by his peers for again that big thing called lack of Respect he has shown. Yet our President has continued to be greeted with applause for his words as if they were words to be revered.

This is the problem in society as a whole that brought upon all these issues. We have allowed this man to get away with these views and beliefs that have shown to light outcomes of the situations that led to these protests. Now going back, I do respect most police but know there are problems in this world with civil rights. The pledge says justice for all but where is the justice for Martin, Gray, and for many other victims. Minorities and officers have both sides that unfortunately experienced losses which I wish never happened. We are talking though about though is the lack of justice one side receives when they are the victims of a crime. It doesn’t matter who commits it whether they wear street clothes or a uniform. A crime is a crime and there should be justice.

Justice for all, and being one nation in equality is what the protests strive for. It has nothing to do with having a lack of respect for the flag or the military but to show that as Americans we have lost our way and forgotten our values. We have forgotten the dream Martin Luther King Jr had in a nation that is one. We have forgotten President Lincolns values when he had lead the free world against slavery. As humans, we aren’t perfect and we are prone to mistakes. Just like in family though we should love each other for our differences whether its personality, attitude, and ethnicity.

Now I know there are going to be a lot of people saying it is the wrong platform and for them it just sports. The problem with that is that it isn’t just about sports, because it’s about the problem as a whole and we can no longer avoid it regardless of the platform.

This is the time that we need to come together because Houston, Florida, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Caribbean islands, and many others going through disasters whether small or big needs us to be. We need to dig deep and remember what made us Americans because its true what our President says when we need to Make America Great Again but not that way. Love, unity, and our values are what need to come out to shine for America to be great again for people to be proud to stand in unity to honor our flag and country. Whether you like it or not sports have shown us Sunday what they have shown us since we were young and that is unity.