Colour me surprised

[Long Run]

Be interesting to see what the reaction is if the Seahawks follows through on their reported team decision to sit this week (more so, it being 9/11).

http://usuncut.com/resistance/entire-se ... hem-sunda/

[rubato]

Per a different article in today's Chronicle Kaeperncks jersey was the best seller this week per the NFL. Kaepernck has said he will donate all proceeds from the sale of his jerseys to charity.

A class act.


Yrs,
Rubato

[Joe Guy]

Unless Kaepernick sells his own jerseys, what kind of profit would he make from the sale of a jersey with his name on it?

[Bicycle Bill]

Unless Kaepernick sells his own jerseys, what kind of profit would he make from the sale of a jersey with his name on it?

No doubt he gets a payment from the NFL for letting them license his name.

-"BB"-

[Long Run]

I believe the amount going to the individual player for his jersey sales was recently increased, so Kapernick's charity offer will likely be a significant amount. His jersey sales have gone from #20 on his team to #1 in the league, this says a lot. Either people admire him or they despise him for disrespecting the anthem/flag; one of the better discussions I saw on this noted he has not really started "a discussion", he has exacerbated a division in how people see the issue.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/07/news/co ... ersey-nfl/

[rubato]

For people capable of discussion he has started one. Those who are incapable will make any excuse, however implausible, to ignore it.

There are still those in the south who blame MLK for the violent attacks on civil rights workers.


Yrs,
Rubato

[Joe Guy]

The only discussion Kaepernick started is whether or not he has the right to do what he did and whether or not he is stupid and/or officially an asshole. The Black Lives Matter movement started a while ago. He's brought more attention to himself than the movement.

[Lord Jim]

The only discussion Kaepernick started is whether or not he has the right to do what he did and whether or not he is stupid and/or officially an asshole. The Black Lives Matter movement started a while ago. He's brought more attention to himself than the movement.

Yeah, thank God for Colin Kaepernick...

Until he pulled this stunt, there was absolutely no national discussion or focus on the issue of police relations with minority communities...

Actually it could be argued, (oh what the hell, I'll just go ahead and make the argument) that by Kaepernick making his behavior the focus, he has actually taken media focus away from the issue that was already getting a tremendous amount of attention...

Over the past two years, (with the exception of course of that hardy perennial, gun control) I can't think of a single issue that has gotten more media attention...

[rubato]

Meanwhile, those able to understand the debate continue to illustrate its importance:

http://nypost.com/2016/09/10/kaepernick ... -of-unity/

The Seahawks are sending a message as a team for the national anthem on Sunday, Sept. 11, in a message bent on unity instead of protest.

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin posted a video Saturday afternoon announcing the team would link arms and stand in light of Colin Kaepernick’s growing movement of athletes sitting or taking a knee during the playing of the song celebrating America. Kaepernick cited oppression of blacks and minorities in choosing to make a stand, while the Seahawks — apparently including cornerback Jeremy Lane, who sat during the anthem in their final preseason game — will stand as one.

In the video, which quotes Martin Luther King Jr., the players are joined together, predominantly alternating white and black players.

Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”#BuildABridge pic.twitter.com/n1qP5c2RGM

— Doug Baldwin Jr (@DougBaldwinJr) September 10, 2016

“We are a team comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds,” Baldwin said in the video, unveiling a motion honoring the nation and flag in what some previously believed would be a team-wide protest. “And as a team, we have chosen to stand and interlock arms in unity. We honor those who have fought for the freedom we cherish. And we stand to ensure that the riches of freedom, and the security of justice for all people. Progress can and will be made only if we stand together.”

Kaepernick has been retweeting athletes who adopt his national anthem stance, along with messages from other athletes who support him. The 49ers quarterback hasn’t made any mention of the Seahawks’ plans, though.

“I’m extremely proud,” Baldwin told reporters Friday about what the Seahawks had in mind. “I’m excited. Extremely proud. Like I said, it makes me want to cry almost, just how our team has handled this and the discussions we’ve had and how we’ve come together. It’s been absolutely amazing.”

The national dialogue continues for those who can debate rather than hate.

yrs,
rubato

[oldr_n_wsr]

I hear more "dialog" about having a dialog than any actual dialog taking place.
Protesting may spur dialog, but usually it's just protesting and not talking.
but I may have missed these meeting where actual dialog has taken place.

[MajGenl.Meade]

the team would link arms and stand in light of Colin Kaepernick’s growing movement of athletes sitting or taking a knee during the playing of the song celebrating America. Kaepernick cited oppression of blacks and minorities in choosing to make a stand, while the Seahawks — apparently including cornerback Jeremy Lane, who sat during the anthem in their final preseason game — will stand as one

rube, you do get that they are STANDING to show that they are not SITTING in protest? It's a nice gesture but since they are all supposed to stand anyway, how is that advancing any dialog? Granted, there has obviously been dialog on the Seattle team but evidently it has nothing to do with protesting anything at all. Except perhaps not standing

[rubato]

the team would link arms and stand in light of Colin Kaepernick’s growing movement of athletes sitting or taking a knee during the playing of the song celebrating America. Kaepernick cited oppression of blacks and minorities in choosing to make a stand, while the Seahawks — apparently including cornerback Jeremy Lane, who sat during the anthem in their final preseason game — will stand as one

rube, you do get that they are STANDING to show that they are not SITTING in protest? It's a nice gesture but since they are all supposed to stand anyway, how is that advancing any dialog? Granted, there has obviously been dialog on the Seattle team but evidently it has nothing to do with protesting anything at all. Except perhaps not standing

You got that they were standing alternating between black and white players? Very directly addressing the subject which Kaepernick brought up. Further, their gesture only has meaning by reference to his gesture.


yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

http://usatodayhss.com/2016/colin-kaepe ... nal-anthem

High school players taking knee for national anthem across country

Colin Kaepernick’s gesture to kneel for the national anthem was repeated by high school players in a number of places before games Friday night.

Kaepernick retweeted a number of posts on Twitter with photos or news stories.

MORE: Mass. HS denies player suspended for kneeling for anthem day after player says he was

MORE: Ala. prep announcer: If you don’t stand for anthem, you should be shot

MORE: HS player protests anthem after hearing teammates use racial slurs

Here is a sampling:

At Lincoln Southeast in Nebraska, two players — one white, one African-American took a knee as a silent protest. (see the video above).

RELATED: NJ coach kneels with players, district says it supports players’ choice

At Waggener High in Louisville, a player took a knee as his teammates stood alongside him. A number of players had taken a knee as the team line up but eventually rose as the music starting playing. Coach Jordan Johnson said the team will take steps before next week’s game to “to ensure our young men can make a stand for social injustice, while at the same time not showing, what is perceived as, disrespect.” (Click here for more of Waggener’s response.)

Following Colin Kaepernick's lead a Waggener player takes a knee during the national anthem @WHAS11 @WHAS11Sports pic.twitter.com/y7QI32v3qo

— Holden Kurwicki (@WHAS11Holden) September 9, 2016

Many players at Maury High in Norfolk, Va., took a knee behind the end zone when the anthem was played. Others stood at attention as did the coaches. “Our school system has said, we’re of the belief, we let our guys do what they believe in,” Coach Chris Fraser told the Virginian Pilot. “And so we didn’t make an issue of it, and if they believe in a cause, that’s fine. I stand behind what they believe in, but I’m going to do what I believe in.”

Before tonight's game, most of Maury High football team took a knee during the National Anthem. (Submitted photo) pic.twitter.com/PwEdD23EFg

— Jami Frankenberry (@JamiVP) September 10, 2016

At Auburn High in Rockford, Ill., a number of players took a knee during the anthem while their teammates stood with their hands over their hearts.

Young men from Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois take a knee for injustice in America. pic.twitter.com/MZfKYOwjqz

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 10, 2016


Here is another photo at school in Minneapolis.

Young brothers in Minneapolis took a knee for injustice last night during the National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/CMMsxMSVEB

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 10, 2016

Players at Watkins Hills High in Montgomery, Md., also took a knee during the anthem, according to a photo provided to USA TODAY High School Sports. The team captains decided to kneel and one of them asked coach Mike Brown for permission. “I said, ‘Think about what you’re doing. Understand why you’re doing it,’” Brown, who stood with the coaching staff as the players kneeled, told The Washington Post. The captains intend to take a knee next week as well.
Here is an image from Detroit Edison, with a number of players kneeling down:

Young men from Detroit Edison at Hamtramck took a knee for injustice in America on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/k5Vj9MAPNg

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 11, 2016

yrs,
rubato

[Sue U]

Couldn't be prouder of the way my hometown is handling this issue; from a USA Today link in rubato's post above:

N.J. coach kneels with players during anthem, school district says it respects students' choice

By USA TODAY High School Sports September 11, 2016

***

In New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson (Camden) coach Preston Brown and his assistants took a knee with their players. Brown might be the only coach who joined his players in kneeling.

Two senior players chose to stand during the anthem.

***

On Sunday, a district spokesmen for the Camden City Schools, Brendan Lowe, released a statement: “The District supports standing for the flag, but this is a personal issue, and we strongly respect our students’ experiences and their exercising our country’s First Amendment rights. Whether our students choose to stand, kneel, or otherwise, we’re proud of their engagement with what is more broadly a very important social justice issue.”

[Lord Jim]

Very directly addressing the subject which Kaepernick brought up.

The only "subject" that Kaepernick has "brought up" is whether or not athletes are behaving like disrespectful jackasses when they choose to make the national anthem the object for the protest of their social causes...

A "dialogue" over the issue of poor police relations with minority communities has been roaring along non-stop in this country for at least two years, infused with massive and continuous media attention...

It's puzzling to me how anyone who has been paying even the slightest attention to what has been going on could possibly have missed that...

Neither Kaepernick nor the Kaepernick wannabes have done anything at all to advance it. All they've done is create an attention grabbing distraction from the issues they say they care about...

[Joe Guy]

I have a better idea. Why not just burn the American flag once per week to remind everyone how black lives matter?

[Lord Jim]

Oh wait a minute, I forgot...

There actually is one other subject that Kaepernick has brought to national attention...something no one was talking about before...

The burning question of whether or not in a country that has seen multiple innocent police officers gunned down just for being police officers, (and where the phrase "pigs in a blanket" is chanted by those calling for more cop murders) it is appropriate for a celebrity to be sporting socks with pictures of cartoon pigs in police uniforms...

In the case of that "subject" it would certainly be fair to say the Colin deserves all the credit for starting the discussion...

[Burning Petard]

The freedom to speak freely, to announce and support one's opinion on a political or religious topic or detail, exists only to the extent one is permitted to speak an opinion that is grossly offensive to the majority.

snailgate.

[Sue U]

Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham makes a good point:

***
Anybody who has stood for the anthem at Fenway beside someone whose right hand is on his Bud Lite and his left on his cellphone can relate. Still, we’re invited to rise and face the flag, not just at every baseball game, but at just about every other game, too. We do it because we’re patriotic, and also — as a legion of car ads and country songs demonstrates — because patriotism sells.

Most of us go through the motions without really thinking, until a Colin Kaepernick comes along. The 49ers player now takes a knee during the anthem to protest racial inequality, including the unjustified killings of black men by police officers in several cities. Other athletes have started doing the same thing — or raising fists or locking arms.

And a world of condemnation has descended, calling the protests disrespectful and un-American. Let’s go straight to the orange oligarch on this one.

“I think it’s a terrible thing,” Donald Trump said of Kaepernick’s protest. “Maybe he should find a country that works better for him, let him try.”

Love it or leave it, right? You don’t criticize this country. Not unless you’re Trump himself, who has spent more than a year conjuring a dystopia, arguing over and over that America has gone down the commode, a fact with which millions of his followers — almost all of them white — seem to agree.

Somehow, saying the lives of white Americans are bad — because of Mexican immigrants (rapists and drug smugglers), Muslims (terrorists), or the president (possibly a Muslim immigrant) — makes you a patriot. But let the people who are suffering, personally or in sympathy with others, be black, and suddenly, criticizing the way things are in this country becomes an act of treason.

Kaepernick and other players have done a vital thing, shining more light on the dearth of consequences for black deaths in custody. The NYPD officer who put Eric Garner in the chokehold that killed him was never indicted. And none of the officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray was convicted: Apparently he broke his own neck in that Baltimore police van.

Faced with that infuriating pattern, silently taking a knee during the anthem is the picture of respectful dissent. It isn’t a rejection of America; it is a wish for a better America. Calling out the harm done to black men by some police officers isn’t a condemnation of every uniform. It’s a wish for better policing.

***

Source.

[Big RR]

Sue--great post.