OPINION:
Colin Kaepernick,
We understand you were, and still are, in need of attention.
Being benched midway through last season wasn’t ideal for your NFL career.
And, I’m sure the chatter about your lack of leadership and failure to adequately study film didn’t help much either.
So, naturally, you repeatedly decide to not take part in the national anthem, knowing this would give you the attention you had been so desperately missing.
You argue that you will not “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
You share posts on twitter degrading black athletes who openly support our brave troops and officers.
Your apparent hate for the very same country that has made it possible for you to make more money than the large majority of all people in this country is beyond comprehension.
Last year alone, you made more than most people make in their entire lifetimes.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is no doubt in my mind that racial issues exist in this country, along with religious liberty issues, constitutional issues, economic issues and so many more.
Nothing will ever be perfect and we need to continue to work together to make improvements in all of these areas.
I do not fault you for exercising your constitutional rights.
However, I do fault you for your ignorance and lack of knowledge of the facts.
You have not inspired productive discussion about the issues, but rather racial division and increased anger.
Last week, you wore a shirt to a press conference with photos of Fidel Castro and the slogan “Like Minds Think Alike”.
In America, you have the right to wear whatever shirt you want, but people who lived under Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba were not so lucky.
Maybe you skipped a few too many classes in school to remember that Fidel Castro was a malicious abuser of human rights who executed thousands of his political opponents and murdered women and children who tried to escape his oppressive regime.
You had a chance to do good here, Colin, and you failed miserably.
Your arguments are flawed and have taken attention away from the actual facts.
You have received the attention you were missing, but only at the offense of millions of Americans.
My prayer today Colin is that God blesses with the ability to see the truth and engage in better placed efforts to improve our communities and eliminate racial tensions nationwide.
Sincerely,
Your fellow American
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