The events of the last few days have bothered me as a Husband, Father, & Jewish American. Donald Trump's agenda is to clearly divide America & he is doing it with the #1 controversial topic in the history of our great Country: race & inequality. People have different opinions as to whether or not Trump is a racist, a chauvinist, & an egomaniac. I think he is based on his statements regarding the Birther issue, Charlottesville, Pardoning Arpaio, Access Hollywood tape, Megan Kelly comments, & the list goes on. Trump is the "Great Divider" and he has instigated the latest debate around our Flag & National Anthem (most likely to detract attention from Mueller's investigation).
I am personally against kneeling during our Anthem. The American Flag represents ALL Americans, from the soldiers serving overseas, the school teacher on Long Island, the cop in Iowa, the farmer in California, & the football player on the Steelers. The conversations we need to be having with our children, friends, & co-workers is the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We can live wherever we want to live, pick whatever career we choose, freedom to worship at any church, temple, or mosque, love & marry without restriction, & peacefully demonstrate when change to our Democracy is needed.
Instead of debating whether or not the NFL players are disrespecting the flag, there needs to be the discussion as to why they are protesting. There is no law against kneeling during the National Anthem, just as there was no law broken by the white supremacists who chanted "Jews will not replace us" in Charlottesville, and there were no "fine people"marching with the white supremacists. Most pro athletes donate their time and millions of dollars to charities & other worthwhile causes. This is done a majority of the time when there is no press around.
It is up to us as parents to be the role models for our children and to teach them that hate mongering against people of different backgrounds is wrong. People should be judged based on their achievements & how they treat their family, friends, & neighbors. Most of all, we should not judge people based on the color of their skin, religion, or sexual orientation.
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" - Paul McCartney
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