Kneeling not unpatriotic

Comments condemning athletes for participation in a silent protest during the playing of our national anthem spur me to join the conversation. First, there is nothing unpatriotic, disrespectful to veterans, or detrimental to the development of our young people about a non-disruptive exercise of the very first amendment the founding fathers thought important to add to the constitution. Second, I do find unpatriotic, disrespectful and detrimental the daily stream of self-serving lies, attacks on the media, use of foul language, demeaning of women and people of color and just plain mean schoolyard name-calling behaviors of someone elected to the highest office in the land, a position that previously was thought of as the leader of the free world.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Kneeling not unpatriotic."