When Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee during the national anthem, it was not a protest against the principles or ideals of our nation’s founding fathers. His intention was to protest the continuation of racism in America. It begins at the top with Trump, and has been supported by present and past owners and coaches including Jerry Jones, and Mike Ditka.

Like their illegitimate president, NFL owners will do anything to protect themselves and their vast fortunes, including violating the first amendment rights of the men who actually play the game. They will now fine any player who refuses to stand for a song which glorifies war. If they choose to, they are allowed to stay in the dressing room until it is over. This was your illegitimate president’s response.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired!’,” Trump said. “You know, some owner is gonna do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it. They don’t know it. They’re friends of mine, many of them. They don’t know it. They’ll be the most popular person, for a week. They’ll be the most popular person in this country.”

Now think about it. These words came from a man who has no respect for the country of our founding fathers and continues to violate or attempt to violate the Constitution. This is a man who is openly a white supremacist, a narcissist, a xenophobe, a homophobe, and a sexual predator.

I don’t care which side of this argument you may be on, the players must not be denounced or punished for using their first amendment rights. This is not 1930’s Nazi Germany, yet. Trump may admire Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin, but for now we have a Constitution.

Finally; as a young man I was proud to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or to sing the Star Spangled Banner. But things have changed. The last part of the Pledge of Allegiance no longer applies; “with liberty and justice for all.” Under Trump’s administration virtually anyone who is not white and claims to be Christian has been eliminated from representation in Washington. As for the national anthem, I have always believed that “America the Beautiful” should be our nation’s song. For far too long the song we use has glorified war. Apparently it worked. America is the most warlike nation in the world.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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