It's Can We All Behave Thing

Dear America,

so Colin (and a teammate Eric Reid) kneeled during the national anthem last night, here in San Diego; which is far better than sitting on the bench, right?  Either somebody got to him to straighten out a wee bit -- or -- something deep down inside him made him tweek his stance in order to meet America half way.  And this girl considers that, a good start. 

Not only did he kneel, but he also said this after the game:

 "I'm not anti-American. I love America," said Kaepernick, who stayed on the field long after the game to sign autographs for enthusiastic fans. "I love people. That's why I'm doing this. I want to help make America better, and I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from."

Speaking of the American Huddle of yesterday's blog, we can all appreciate that, right; for surely we didn't get this love of country message upon his first anthem protest.

So let's then continue the conversation.  It's what Colin is asking for and that's easy enough...to talk about it, right?

If we look to having "a better understanding of where everybody is coming from," then everybody is everybody.  So props to Colin for giving us all permission to discuss it.

And considering Colin voluntarily became a catalyst of this new found freedom of expression against oppression of our time  -- a time when  grassroots activism called "Black Lives Matter" has become all the rage, raising awareness of police brutality against people of color, highlighting how many in the black community consider this an illustration of the continued oppression against blacks in America -- leading many, like Colin, to outright disrespect the flag for which she stands until
such change comes.

And it makes me wonder -- what does that change really look like, how do we get there from here, given the facts surrounding the whole truth about this alleged oppression by police within the black community?  At what point will Colin believe we have reached resolution?

As Heather Mac Donald pointed out -- in the Hillsdale publication, Imprimis, April 2016  (See  my early summer blogs on this in particular....here and here; might I add, this issue of Imprimis is gaining alot of mileage on the old gthing...we can't seem to stop bringing it up....funny how a little truth goes far, but I digress.) --

"We have been here before.  In the 1960's and early 1970's, black and white radicals directed hatred and occasional violence against the police.  The difference today is that anti-cop ideology is embraced at the highest reaches of the establishment:  by the President, by his Attorney General, by college presidents, by foundation heads, and by the press."

As Heather illuminated with statistic after statistic, we have reached a new age for modern America, and it just so happens to take us backwards --  having reached a time where violence against the police has doubled during the first three months of 2016, and in it's more minute expression, an age of sitting during the national anthem on the sidelines of America's favorite past time.

More Heather:

"Given the history of racism in this country and the complicity of the police in that history, police shootings of black men are particularly and understandably fraught. That history informs how many people view the police. But however intolerable and inexcusable every act of police brutality is, and while we need to make sure that the police are properly trained in the Constitution and in courtesy, there is a larger reality behind the issue of policing, crime, and race that remains a taboo topic. The problem of black-on-black crime is an uncomfortable truth, but unless we acknowledge it, we won’t get very far in understanding patterns of policing."

You know, Colin -- if you care about understanding the larger reality of black on black crime -- you should consider reading what Heather Mac Donald has to say; matter of fact, I wish you had, back in April, perhaps then this whole phase might look a whole lot different by now, right?

And shocking! --  and surely, Colin,  you will concur -- is the truth of violent crime committed in America's 75 largest counties...From data compiled in 2009, Heather notes:  "blacks constituted 62 percent of all robbery defendants, 57 percent of all murder defendants, 45 percent of all assault defendants—but only 15 percent of the population."

and while this isn't a statistic anyone in the black community wants to talk about, the ugly truth of what's happening within the black community must also understand what the black community does to itself:

"Every year, approximately 6,000 blacks are murdered. This is a number greater than white and Hispanic homicide victims combined, even though blacks are only 13 percent of the national population. Blacks are killed at six times the rate of whites and Hispanics combined. In Los Angeles, blacks between the ages of 20 and 24 die at a rate 20 to 30 times the national mean. Who is killing them? Not the police, and not white civilians, but other blacks. The astronomical black death-by-homicide rate is a function of the black crime rate. Black males between the ages of 14 and 17 commit homicide at ten times the rate of white and Hispanic male teens combined. Blacks of all ages commit homicide at eight times the rate of whites and Hispanics combined, and at eleven times the rate of whites alone."

So when Colin wants to have this conversation, can we include this reality hiding in the shadows on the field?

It is interesting that Colin -- with tats of Bible verses up and down his hot bod -- wasn't so vocal until he met his new girl.  A year of indoctrination by dating later,  the influence of a beautiful Muslim activist upon this all American football heavyweight  heart is showing. Ahhh yes, love, that explains it -- for the love of pete; Colin's love of country is all asunder, dying a slow death under the fog of real love, impressing upon him a certain and rampant oppression undermining the general welfare of blacks in America...all for no reason at all and totally unwarranted, it would seem.

And let's veer another direction, shall we?  It's just popular to hate the flag altogether.  When did that start?   hummm

indeed

circa 2008.  What I see is the president (then, merely a senator) being the only one not crossing his heart.  Can we talk about that?

With regard to the popular email chain that depicts the President speaking to the press without a flag anywhere close by, let alone right behind him, as customary (circa 2010)-- Snopes gives cover like so:

"Although it is typical practice that U.S. flags are present as a backdrop whenever the President of the United States speaks to the press or engages in other types of public appearances, such displays are not always present. Due to other factors (e.g., an event's nature, or its being impromptu, its being held at an unusual location) an opportunity to set up U.S. flag backdrops may be missed or skipped, or flags may be present but simply not visible in the camera angles used by photographers, so it's not hard to turn up photographs of the other recent Presidents referenced above addressing the press with no U.S. flags visible anywhere..."

and then proceeds to show some pictures to back them up.

Only problem is, in this scenario -- and any other press conference inside the White House -- there really is no excuse not to have a flag stationed behind the President.  I mean, how hard is that?  Why would the flag ever have to move from behind such a podium?

And then we have, from more recent days, what happened in New York, in the small town of Poughkeepsie -- fire department told to take the flags down, until the public outcry!  How is this even possible in America today?

And here's a fascinating change of allegiance....see infowars on PS75.  OR how about this new Florida law...here.

Something is afoot, America.

And looking high and low, it seems to be the American flag.

If working from the premise that dissing/removing all flags, from all countries guilty of oppression and wrong doing against its people, and perhaps casting a wider net to include all countries fraught with government abuses, deception, corruption against the general welfare -- starting with America --  is not only appropriate, but a mandate for political and cultural retribution  especially on behalf have racial injustices and inequalities -- then what flag in all the world would be left flying?  What flag would be left worthy of any salute?

In light of what is actually happening on the streets in America, where is the logic behind allowing the current strife within desecrate the flag as if it stands for nothing good at all?  Isn't that extreme?

When it gets down to it, isn't Colin capable of having this conversation, while he says he "loves America" and still salute the flag?  Why does he opt to go all in with showing his disgust, his disrespect, rather than his love?   Especially now -- now that's it's done, now that he's made his point, now that the conversations are happening all over the world -- why does he continue to hold out until he sees the change?

And NOW, folks,  we are back to where we began.

The thing is, just how do we get to resolution when we begin with the actual truth, the facts and stats, clearly conflicting with personal bias?

What does the change that Colin so badly wants to see look like, act like, if it's not the outright demand that all Americans behave themselves, no matter the color of their skin or station in life, whether wearing a badge or not?  Behave!

Wouldn't that be the answer?

Forget about the meme contemplating can we all just get along -- how about we all behave ourselves and go about our days simply doing the right thing for the right reasons with the right attitude.

Is that asking too much?

....that all of us in America just follow the fricken law and stay out of trouble from the start....to go to school and get an education...to stay out of gang life....to honor our mother and our father...to honor our children and be good parents...to only use our guns for self-defense, and only at the last resort, and keep our guns under lock and key and away from our babies...
don't drink and drive...don't steal...don't kill...don't lie -- and that goes especially to yourself...

yeah, let's begin by looking at the whole truth --  for the fact remains, the whole duty and responsibility to behave lies upon each and every one of us, to God and to country, every single day.

When we tackle that, we all win.

And then there is this parting thought....
This girl would have to believe that if Colin had trouble at his million dollar home, he would call the police, right?  But would they hurry or take their time now that he wears pigs wearing police hats on his socks?  hummmm


Well well well we have talked and talked today.  And what a conversation, right?
Thank you, Colin -- for if not for your actions, this little snap chat would have been about something else this week.  spring up, oh well!

happy friday, everybody

Make it a Good Day, G