qbit asked a good question in the NFL thread in the cafe, but it really belongs in politics so I decided to give it a place where it can get discussed.
qbit wrote:

How do you guys think about the "anthem protests" by Kaepernick and Marshall? And about Trumps comment that Kaepernick "should find a country that works better for him"?

Since edited

To start off with some background US Flag Code wrote:

It is Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code (4 U.S.C. § 1 et seq).
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When the national anthem is played or sung:
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all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart

however

This is a U.S. federal law, but the penalty described in Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 700) for failure to comply with it is not enforced. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Eichman that prohibiting burning of the U.S. flag conflicts with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and is therefore unconstitutional.

Because of this what they are doing is legal and they have the absolute right to do it and I would defend that free speech right.

I do know exercising rights can come with a cost. That is fine. Lose endorsement deals. Get uninvited to functions. Be treated as a pervert. That is life, people judge.

However, they are employees of the NFL. The NFL is a damn fool idiot for not requiring all* its employees from being bound by the flag code. When you are working your employer has that right and sports leagues and franchises should require respect. Tell me a ref wouldn't be fired PDQ?! I mean, they get a blackout rule, baseball gets a monopoly pass. Two way street.

Now is the time for those of you who are offended to write gentle nasty-grams to the advertisers in their stadium and on the TV broadcasts telling them of your displeasure and telling them as they support this disrespectful display, you aren't going to buy their products anymore. If enough of these get written the NFL may have enough financial pressure put on them to require their employees to respect the flag. (Like what brand of headphones a player can wear)




*except security and anyone else who has to work while it is played.

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I know, why not fix the problem that caused
that young man to protest in the first place.



edit:
You can't pass a law that forces people to accept the lie of equality in their nation.....

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I know, why not fix the problem that caused
that young man to protest in the first place.



edit:
You can't pass a law that forces people to accept the lie of equality in their nation.....

Wow, what an idea!!!

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I know, why not fix the problem that caused
that young man to protest in the first place.

I'm for the elimination of Hollywood, but there are people who like to watch Amos ‘n’ Andy, The Little Rascals, Tom & Jerry, Happy Days, The Mr. Magoo Show, South Park, The Cleveland Show, The Lone Ranger, Looney Tunes and Fox News! They set the standards the country follows. And they are entitled to broadcast this filth. People should not watch it, but they do and are brainwashed by it.

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I know, why not fix the problem that caused
that young man to protest in the first place.



edit:
You can't pass a law that forces people to accept the lie of equality in their nation.....

A simple observation shows our economy is too depressed to support the jobs needed for fixing the problem. Until that improves it's a crap shoot.

On a side note, up here in Washington. Big money wanted to build mega stadiums and the citizens voted no but the politicians over ruled the citizen and forced the tax payer subsidized private for profit stadiums down our throats. We quit going years ago. Now days it's 3 or 4 hundreds dollars to take the family to a game in grid locked Seattle. Har!

I and a lot of other folks are long tired of subsidizing these over paid premadonas and their handlers.

It is their right to protest but I think it will hurt their cause and selves more than do good.

I with many others will be prote$ting with no patronage and request sponsors to drop them or lose patronage. We can and do vote with our feet and pocketbooks.

Which takes us back to the economy and 320 million people and we got these three presidential contenders. The goose is terminal and there are no more golden eggs.

R0TFLMA0!


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edit: deleted

Resisted to post here. I'm proud of myself:-)

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It's not a lone American problem, it's worldwide.

Politics & Sport have become too intertwined & that is a sad reflection on all of us.

Interesting....how people like to talk about the protest(s) instead of the reason(s) for the protest(s).

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But aren't those reasons confirmation of my previous post?

And if Trump had not said anything the rest of the world would not know how stupid the whole thing is so what he protested and so what he didn't follow the flag B/S .

So much for America being a free country with stupid rules about a flag or anthem and then making a big thing out of it .

Haven't you got bigger problems than that to worry about .

Oh our workers do not have to do the flag thing when they work for the NRL and I think the NRL would get sued if they tried to sack someone for not singing or standing to attention when ever the anthem or flag is put up . Talk about trivial things to talk about !!!

Oh right I forgot no Industrial Relations courts in America or fair work commission . And it's fine to pay slave wages in America

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Interesting....how people like to talk about the protest(s) instead of the reason(s) for the protest(s).

Correct ...
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=76199
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=78148
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=76211
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=78312
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=77499
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=75960
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=75112

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http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c981dd83088d41b6857e6e8398b55449/chiefs-peters-raises-fist-during-national-anthem

Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters raised a black-gloved fist during the national anthem before the NFL opener against San Diego, backing up his promise to show support for protests started by Colin Kaepernick.

Ah is that black power?

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I know things aren't perfect in the USA when it comes to race relations but where else do these athletes think they could live and get paid millions to play a game. Do they think about where their families might be if they had never been forced to leave africa. Probably in the stew pot of the tribe that captured them in the first place. Even today in africa rival tribes go into weaker tribe's villages and massacre men women and children on a regular basis. Why don't they spend their time and money helping the truly oppressed in africa.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I know things aren't perfect in the USA when it comes to race relations but where else do these athletes think they could live and get paid millions to play a game. Do they think about where their families might be if they had never been forced to leave africa. Probably in the stew pot of the tribe that captured them in the first place. Even today in africa rival tribes go into weaker tribe's villages and massacre men women and children on a regular basis. Why don't they spend their time and money helping the truly oppressed in africa.

Do YOU have any idea how Demented your Rationalization is?
Were you born yesterday?

I know things aren't perfect in the USA when it comes to race relations but where else do these athletes think they could live and get paid millions to play a game. Do they think about where their families might be if they had never been forced to leave africa. Probably in the stew pot of the tribe that captured them in the first place. Even today in africa rival tribes go into weaker tribe's villages and massacre men women and children on a regular basis. Why don't they spend their time and money helping the truly oppressed in africa.

Do YOU have any idea how Demented your Rationalization is?
Were you born yesterday?

No, but I am disabled and have been all my life. So I do know a little bit about how prejudice works, like not being able to get a job (teaching) because of the way I look. But those are individuals and not the government. I also realise that had I been born in 1949 in many countries around the world I would not have lived more than a week. I am proud of being an American despite the lack of equality, I just overcame it by switching to civil engineering and having a decent life.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

So empathy is not your strong suit?
Because you have been discriminated against,
you're with djt, and want to heap discrimination on others.
Good Luck with that.

All this talk over a player raising his fist as a salute to Black power .

I wonder what sort of Circus would happen if something like this happened on the playing field .

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-indigenous-chief-jason-mifsud-says-everyone-should-do-the-adam-goodes-war-dance-20150727-gilm7z.html

Oh just so you all know those that said he did the wrong ting have been drowned out buy the rest of us that did not find anything wrong with what he did as he has brought a lot of issues to the top of the political list and now there is a public debate over weather our constitution should be changed to acknowledge the real first people of Australia

maybe you Americans should learn from us and correct the past injustices against African Americans and the real first people of America

Oh the story in the link was a few days or about a week after he did what he did but there are plenty of other links you can read about what happened after and how people have changed there views towards the first Australians

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-zJL9JuOLQ

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maybe you Americans should learn from us and correct the past injustices against African Americans and the real first people of America

Are you kidding me. Do as I say not as I do. Har!

Aboriginal people face 'systemic' racial discrimination: report

Racial vilification against Aborigines remains all too common more than 40 years after landmark legislation was passed outlawing discrimination against a person due to race, a damning new report shows.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/aborigines-face-systemic-racial-discrimination-report-20151104-gkqlii.html

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So like nothing can be done then?
Like if they did it then any thing we do is their fault?

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