Lets Have OUR OWN PROTEST
 

Im over the Anti-Americanism going on now. There is nobody playing in the NFL who is "oppressed." And if you dont love this country, please get on a boat and get the **** OUT.

If the Saints sit down during the Anthem, then I quit football.

I am PAYING CUSTOMER. you are a PAYING CUSTOMER. We pay these whiny ass ******* millions of dollars to play a game.

ENOUGH! The NFL is not the government. It is a BUSINESS. It has the right to tell its employees how to act. WE pay them. They work for US, if we will just exercise that right.

Bring a little AMERICAN FLAG to the game Sunday, and lets all show them who we support. Im tight on time, because i have a business, but please pass this along to all the other boards... I dont know if this has a chance, but Lets wave our flags in the Stands Sunday, just to show them a little glimpse of who we are....

I cant do anymore than this... The rest is you.

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And any player who sacks Kaepernick, should stand at attention and salute.

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I love what Brees said when Kap first did the protest thing.

Literally calling him a hypocrite;

“Not that he wants to speak out about a very important issue. No, he can speak out about a very important issue. But there’s plenty of other ways that you can do that in a peaceful manner that doesn’t involve being disrespectful to the American flag.”

“The great thing about this country is that we have the freedoms that allow you to speak out openly about any issue. So I’m not commenting on the issue itself because any person has the right to speak out on any issue they want. That’s the great thing about being an American. But the American flag is what represents those freedoms.”

“Like, it’s an oxymoron that you’re sitting down, disrespecting that flag that has given you the freedom to speak out.”

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Hell yeah! That's a great idea! Obviously I live in BFE, but if I was going to the game I'd bring a flag! Good hell, they should start giving them away at the door. That'd be badass!!

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I don't understand how RG does not suspend these idiots for "conduct detrimental to the game", the same excuse he uses for other stuff. This is truly conduct that is unbecoming.

https://www.gettysburgflag.com/media...rican-flag.gif

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or piss on his grave when he kills him. Of course that's after the salute!

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I agree with Sky. If you don't like what the flag represents which is giving you freedom when you came here or continued freedom if you were born here GET THE f**K OUT and see how many other countries would let you do that without chopping your head off!

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He wouldn't get away with it with most countries without some type of punishment ,some being severe. My dad was in WWII, my brother Vietnam, my son in Afganistan, I have no respect for anyone that desicrates the US. Freedom comes with a price. Brave people lost their lives. This puke might as well pissed on their graves in my eyes, totally unacceptable.

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Why not play the anthem while the players are in the locker room? That way nobody sees him kneeling or sitting.

Or count standing as a participation grade, if a player does not participate, he can't dress out, if a player does not dress out, he cannot be on the sideline before the game begins. Simple as that.

So in effect, no rights are "violated" and no cameras see him acting the fool. He'd have to find another, less stupid way to protest.

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In about 10 years, we will lucky if they play the national anthem at all because OMG we will be afraid of offending all the anarchist clowns like Kaepernick out there. America needs to grow a pair and ditch this PC crap.

P.S. - that is a great idea SkyMike, everyone pulling out there flag on a stick and waving it at the end of the anthem would be cool.

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Step up WHO DAT NATION! I would help if I could be at the game.... loving this from our fan base!

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Somebody has to do this - I don’t really want to...

Sky Mike I respect you - and really come here for a love of the game, and a life long love affair with the Saints. One of the many great things about this great game played in this great country is that it brings together many demographics... divers and often in-congruent points of view gathered for our national pass-time.

so, that said... Line by line...

“Im over the Anti-Americanism going on now. There is nobody playing in the NFL who is "oppressed."

It is not Anti- American, in fact it is very pro American... it is exercising rights and privileges afforded to us by the founding of the country. sometimes protected for us by a military, sometimes we have them in-spite of our military might. No offense to the troops but sometime the leaders they have to follow are well simply wrong.

To not exercise those rights would be anti-American.

“And if you don’t love this country, please get on a boat and get the **** OUT.”

This statement is far more Anti-American than any demonstration on the field or elsewhere. I would have more respect for you if you retracted that statement and apologized. ‘nuff said.

“If the Saints sit down during the Anthem, then I quit football.” Your right. I will be sorry to see you go, in-spite of our difference of opinion.

“I am PAYING CUSTOMER. you are a PAYING CUSTOMER. We pay these whiny ass ******* millions of dollars to play a game.”

True, and is any one NOT playing the game? and frankly, it takes a great deal of guts to “stand up” against an overwhelming public opinion. So, I can hardly call that “whiny.” I would call “whiny” saying, “If I don’t get my way I’m just gonna take my tickets and go home.” That (at least from my perspective) is “whiny.”

“ENOUGH! The NFL is not the government. It is a BUSINESS. It has the right to tell its employees how to act. WE pay them. They work for US, if we will just exercise that right.”

No, it does not.

The players have contracts.

It is not in their contract to stand for the national anthem.

You could argue that it should be in there, but it is not, and if you made such an argument you would: one) loose and two) make matters worse. To demand they stand so would be far more UN-American than allowing them to kneel.

I think the classier thing to do would be to not play the Anthem at all (and loose the damn war planes while you’re at it.) Instead, play the state song of the opposing team, so when the Raiders come to town - play “I Love You, California.” Salute the visitor, your guest.

That is what I think, but I don’t feel a need to impose by use of threat or intimidation (ie firing the player who does not stand) to get my way. Those kind of bullying tactics are the very ideas that are being protested.

It is important to remember that when the league started there was no National Anthem and Colin Kaepernick couldn't just not stand for the Anthem - he wouldn’t have been allowed to play because of the color of his skin. But I digress...

“Bring a little AMERICAN FLAG to the game Sunday, and lets all show them who we support. Im tight on time, because i have a business, but please pass this along to all the other boards... I don’t know if this has a chance, but Lets wave our flags in the Stands Sunday, just to show them a little glimpse of who we are....

I cant do anymore than this... The rest is you.”

A terrific idea. Sincerely, if that is your desired expression do so with gusto - wave your Made in China flags all you want..but please don’t tell me to leave the country... the country I live in, was born in and whose flag you are waving. It is my flag too.

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I'll do it too, they are not exercising their right as an American, let me be the first to explain that to you, Exile. People have been fired from jobs for "so called" freedom of speech. So I guess let me change my original statement, you're absolutely right that he is exercising his right as an American, and you know what the NFL should be exercising their right as an employer and providing consequences for his BS actions. Guess what, it is also our right as fans and the people who,in part, fund the NFL to ask for such actions to be taken. What a little dirtball he is with his 19 million. BTW- where was he when Amy Inita Joyner-Frances was murdered? BTW- make sure you go look up who she is because you have no idea. Where was his protest then? Hypocritical little punk that he is. F-him and every other hypocrite protesting who do nothing about the inner city violence that is destroying black men and women, families, every single day.

The NFL should immediately suspend anyone disrespecting the Flag of this country, and if they won't then it is well within our purview to ask for such actions.

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The owners should hand out flags at the game free of charge. Show America that at least they care about our flag.

Also, if you don't like our flag you shouldn't enjoy our civil liberties.

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“People have been fired from jobs for "so called" freedom of speech.”

True, if you do not have a contract you can be fired for just about anything. You have very few Federally protected rights any more as a non contracted employee. ie Race, Sexual Orientation, gender and disabilities. After that, you can be fired because the Boss does not like the fact your car is blue. You have no recourse.

That is a shame, but true. You are right.
HOWEVER, if you have a contract, and the contract does not state that such an action is part of your job description you are not in-breach of contract. Players do not have to stand but they do have to wear pink on Breast Cancer awareness Week(s.)

The real crime is that the strongest unions are for people that make the most money... Athletes and Pilots.

So, no you are neither the first, nor DID you explain anything.

“...the NFL should be exercising their right as an employer and providing consequences for his BS actions. Guess what, it is also our right as fans and the people who,in part, fund the NFL to ask for such actions to be taken.”

Sure, that is within your right to do... demand that the next round of rookies have in their contract that they MUST salute a flag... However, it is as un-American an idea as I can think of.

Use force and coercion to pledge your loyalty?... Isn’t that forced patriotism? Is that patriotism at all? It is not any form I recognize, nor indorse.

“...where was he when Amy Inita Joyner-Frances was murdered? BTW- make sure you go look up who she is because you have no idea. Where was his protest then? Hypocritical little punk that he is.”


First off, you loose credibility in your argument when you, one: demand forced patriotism; and two: tell me what ideas I have or don’t have. Those are not ideas that I wave a flag for... perhaps you do... it is what makes this country great...

Poor on poor violence is indeed tragic... I believe if he spoke out against poor on poor violence, or school bullies, or any of the other issues attached to the tragedy you site you would reprimand him for that too, and if so ...who is the hypocrite?

“F-him and every other hypocrite protesting who do nothing about the inner city violence that is destroying black men and women, families, every single day.”

He is calling attention to police discrimination... which is a problem in the inner city. It is. Period. I live in Oakland where only 30% of the population is black, however 80% of the deaths by police have been black. and he is calling attention to the issue. That is NOT nothing. So to say F-Him is well... hypocritical.

“The NFL should immediately suspend anyone disrespecting the Flag of this country, and if they won't then it is well within our purview to ask for such actions.”

It is certainly with in your rights to ask - but to live in a land where patriotism is demanded is not American at all.

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9/11 is this Sunday. You better stand up. For those who do not remember the the past you are condemed to repeat it.

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It's obvious that some people will never get it and will use freedom of speech as an excuse to do just about whatever they want.

The only way to violate a person's right to free speech/protest is by throwing that person in jail. Just because you have an opinion, doesn't mean you are right and that everyone has to agree with it. I understand that goes both ways. These people who are kneeling during the Anthem are getting their chance. But along with that comes the reaction that everyone else has the right to.

We've got people who are making a really phony attempt at "making a statement". None of them have facts to support this social injustice they claim to be standing, or kneeling, against.

If they were out there preaching to communities about respect and perspective, and talking about all of the senseless violence that is going on amongst the people, not just cops on blacks, then that would be a good faith effort.

Instead they are promoting a prejudiced cause that says cops are pigs, blacks are oppressed and have no civil liberties compared to whites, when nothing could be further from the truth. We ALL have those liberties because of all of the blood that has been shed for us.

If you can't see that and don't respect that, then you are, in fact, a whiner. If people want to know what is truly threatening our liberties (and i mean the liberties of all people) then you can turn your attention to Washington. The constitution is being over-written, bit by bit, and will continue until we are under a total dictatorship, unless we can stand up and do something about it.

But instead people are distracted by trumped up media driven narratives, while our elected officials are sneaking behind the lines and using all of the made up outrage as a smoke screen. It's exactly what they want. If we're turning against each other, they can start writing new laws to disarm the public. There have already been anti-gun campaigns going on for a long time.

I'll say what I've been saying for a while. If you want to take action, make sure you have just cause behind it, and make sure that what you do is actually making a difference. Sitting for the Anthem is only a distraction, and it's disrespectful.

To skymike, if I could be at the game I would definitely partake in the flag waving, buddy.

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All these ungrateful doofus sh*tbags that want to bring attention to themselves by disrespecting our county's flag, they're idiots. And if you think this is exercising "free speech" or it's some kind of "protected protest"... well, it's not exactly.

Let me explain in case you were sleeping in your 8th grade Civics class. Freedom of Speech in the US Constitution means you can speak-out and address grievances against your GOVERNMENT in public or private and the GOVERNMENT is forbidden to abridge that right.

I am a business owner. If one of my employees shows up to work and says "Capitalism sucks! We need Socialism!" I can fire that person on the spot (if I wanted to), because their freedom of speech is not protected in the workplace. Their freedom of speech is only protected against the GOVERNMENT taking action against them for their comments. Capiche?

In other words, Freedom of Speech does not guarantee that you're exempt from the consequences of what you say. It only means that the Federal Government can not pass a law or enforce a law to shut-you-up if you speak out against the Government. That is why the Founders included Freedom of Speech in the 1st Amendment. It's not a pass to say whatever you wanta say, whenever you wanta say it, to whomever you wanta say it to.

SkyMike, you rock!

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I am still puzzled by this... as a Veteran I find it offensive.

Secondly, the sitting / kneeling thing is bring attention to him and not his cause... the whole thing is misguided and no media attention given to the cause and all on the idiots who think they are doing something good.

Part of me says ignore all of them and part of me says boo our asses off at them.

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American or Anti-American, this whole thing is doing nothing positive for the game. Goodell and the owners should grow a pair of balls and tell their players that if they want to make a protest, DO IT ON THEIR OWN TIME! These players are employees, and whether they're wrong or right, what they're really doing is distracting from what the NFL is all about - Football. This is an opportunity for Goodell to step up and for once do something that's good for the game - quit the distractions. But he's too stupid and too much of a
pu$$y to figure that out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

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I assume your employees are non union and do not have a contract. So, yes, you can fire them. NFL players have in their contracts what they can or can not wear. Which is why CK can not write "Cops Suck" on his uniform.

He is not however required to stand. It is his right. No, I was not sleeping in my 8th grade civics class... how did you phrase it? capiche?

speaking of civics...

When a judge walks into a court room and the court clerk says, "All rise for the honorable Judge Barbra Jones." You are required to stand (if you are able) or could be held in contempt of court. The judge is sovereign over his or her court room. You are also required to take off your hat when instructed to do so. You could be held in contempt of court, if you don't.

HOWEVER, we say in this country (that I happen to love) "Please Rise for the National Anthem." It is a request - one that does not have to be honored. If it were required - either through a law or through threat of loosing your job, it would no longer be a country worth standing up for.

Yes, SaintsFan4Ever, you could take your employees to the game and if they did not stand for the National Anthem you could fire them, and with out a contract they would have no recourse.

and it is too bad that they do not. I don't know what 8th grade civics class you took but it was not me that was sleeping through mine... capiche?

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BORING

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What makes you assume that there is anything in their contracts that protects them? Simply having a contract doesn't give you the freedom to say or act as you please. Players get suspended for a little something called "conduct detrimental to the team".

If a team decides that a player is causing a distraction by his actions they reserve the right to consider that detrimental conduct.

Or they could cut the player. You've never seen a guy get released? Did his contract protect him? A contract simply means you are entitled to a certain amount of pay for a certain period of time, so long as you have not been released from that contract. In which case, you collect whatever guaranteed money you were entitled to and that's it. Unless there is explicit language in the contract preventing the team from releasing or suspended a player for any reason, then it doesn't protect them. And what owner would sign off on a contract that allows the player to run amuck?

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"What makes you assume that there is anything in their contracts that protects them? Simply having a contract doesn't give you the freedom to say or act as you please. Players get suspended for a little something called 'conduct detrimental to the team'.

If a team decides that a player is causing a distraction by his actions they reserve the right to consider that detrimental conduct." - Burning Metal

Because the NFL says, '“Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem.” You can not sign a contract to an organization with a policy like that and then say his actions are detrimental. and Johnnyrotten, you are right this is boring.

I love that sports attracts people with different views but I hate that it brings out some of our basest passions.

You are encouraged to eat your vegitables but not required. Sure, not doing so is stupid, unhealthy, but you are not required.

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I am in a union and I will be the first to tell you that the employers are smart too. They will put everything under a 360 degree all encompassing rule, like "professionalism". They'll leave it vague intentionally. I can guarantee that if the employers want to find a way to make it go away or find a consequence, they can. At worst that if they can't do it for this they will simply crawl all up in your ass and find something they don't generally look for and start hitting you for it. You know how the game is played boss and (I never used to be) but I am a huge union supporter now. Even when I was in a different union back in the day I wasn't about it, but learned a lesson or two along the way.

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I am not demanding his patriotism, but I am asking while he is at work that he act accordingly and when he is not at work to protest to his hearts content.

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I plan to boycott their sponsors, and e-mail them to let them know it.

Unless its Popeye's, then I dunno what the hell I'm gonna do.

I'm already losing interest in non-Saint NFL games. Last night, it seemed that all game long and even most of the commercials were constant in your face smack talk and chest pounding look at me celebrations.

I turned the game off in the 3rd quarter. I just couldn't stand it anymore.

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You are not required by law. No one can throw you in prison. Not standing for the flag is disrespectful enough. Making a divisive protest about it, with no legitimate grounds causes negative attention, and is a distraction to the team.

No you aren't required to stand. Neither is the individual organization required to be tolerant of it. The league can't dictate to it's teams what they consider detrimental. It doesn't really matter what they (the league office) says about it.

Personally, while I wouldn't cry for any of these people if they got suspended, I don't really care what their teams do to them. I'm more about holding these guys accountable for their actions. I want to see the media use coherent thought, for once, and call them out on the fallacies of everything these players think they stand for. Instead everyone just wants to defend their right to do whatever.

Well they also have the right to run out into the streets and yell a bunch of random obscenities. Does having the right make it any less idiotic?

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Odd he's got no problem taking those checks to the bank that he gets for being able to play a game but he doesn't have the backbone to stand up for 3 minutes for the anthem. I'm tired of hearing about this topic but as long as this *** clown keeps it up then the media will keep talking about it

To all veterans and active duty, thanks for your service

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Yep Danno. It would appear that the only thing in TEAM these days is ME! I too grow tired of all the "Look at ME!" players. What was that old expression? Oh yes "Act like you've been there before!" Not these days!

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How many of these dumbasses HAVE been there before? (ie. NFL Champion)

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I realize that I've become that old guy now.

I just can't stand pro athletes today. I wonder if its just my age or are there actually younger folks (30's and under) that find it offensive or repulsive as well.

I also wonder if the same folks that are OK with athletes disrespecting the flag would also be OK with some racist moron exercising his rights to hate Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Jews etc...

It's a F'ed up world we're living in now. I just pray we all eventually come together.

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http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/C...qSJJXEJQfl.jpg

OMG I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I don't see how "you" paying millions has anything at all to do with them not kneeling. Personally I think it's a dumb way to make a statement but it's their right.

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I'm 32 and I feel much the same as you. And it's not just athletes, it's younger people in general. I look at people only 8-10 years younger than me and I realize I have very little in common with the overwhelming majority of them. I often wonder where all the sense has gone and I feel like I am one of the few reasonable people I know. Which isn't saying much because I have my fair share of unreasonable behavior myself. I agree though, messed up world and hopefully people wake up and realize God is trying to get our attention.

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The point is that no one is protected by Freedom of Speech rights for actions at the workplace. If the NFL says CK doesn't have to stand, he doesn't have to stand. But, if the NFL did require that NFL players stand for the National Anthem, no NFL player would be protected from the NFL by 1st Amendment Freedom of Speech rights.
People keep throwing this phrase around "He has a right..."... well, maybe, but it's not a 1st Amendment right in this case. The NFL is only allowing it. Which I think is a very poor decision.

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He's allowed to do it because the NFL (Goddell) doesn't have any balls to tell him to knock it off. If Keap was so serious about this cause then why won't he put his money where his mouth is: quit playing, quit getting paid millions and actually get out there and do something. Until he does that stand up and stfu

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