Running Interference: Paid Patriotism

Running Interference

Copyright © 2021 by Irene Petteice. All rights reserved.

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Published in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021908431

ISBN 978-1-64753-782-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64753-783-8 (Hardback)

ISBN 978-1-64753-784-5 (Digital)

07.04.21

Contents

I. The Star-Spangled Banner

II. Colin Kaepernick

III. Black Lives Matter

IV. Democrats and Black Lives Matter

V. Statistics

VI. What About Your Nikes?

VII. Is Football Finished?

VIII. Is Kaepernick Employable?

IX. National Anthem

X. Paid Patriotism

XI. Two Christian Football Players

XII. Racial Injustice

XIII. A Different Way Of Life

XIV. The Military

XV. Sponsors

XVI. NFL and CIA

XVII. NFL and President Trump

XVIII. NFL and The Fbi

XIX. NFL Players and Wives, Girlfriends, Criminal Records, and Domestic Abuse

XX. What Did The NFL Do For The Players?

XXI. Are They Heroes, Pawns, or Criminals?

XXII. United States Constitution and Amendments

XXIII. Declaration of Independence

I

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

It was during the War of 1812, but the battle was September 12-14, 1814 at Baltimore, Maryland when the British raided for twenty-five hours. The British had already occupied and burned Washington, D.C. Baltimore was the third-largest city and a ship building port. The British expected the harbor to fall quickly. But Baltimore had been working on the defense of the city for several years.

The Baltimore harbor entrance was blocked by a large chain in order to scuttle ships that dared to enter the bay. Sixteen British ships had sailed up Chesapeake Bay to reach Fort McHenry that morning.

On September 12, 1814 the British landed 3,000 troops at North Point to march North and West to attack the City.

They reached Hampstead Hill where 12,000 Americans were ready and waiting to block their path. The British troops were waiting for their Navy to sail into the harbor and shell the city.

On September 13, 1814, as it thundered and lightning flashed and torrents of rain fell, the British attacked the fort with rockets, fire-bombs and cannon balls. They fired between 1,500-1,800 rounds, but were only able to cause 4 deaths and 24 wounded.

Realizing their attack had failed, the British sailed back to North Point and picked up their retreating troops and the battle was over.

Francis Scott Key, who had been held on the British Ship Tonnant until the battle was over, observed the campaign from the British side. Seeing the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry at the end of the battle, Key wrote the poem Defence of Fort M’Henry. The poem was meant to be sang to the British tune of To Anacreon in Heaven.

First of all, whether you like it or not, and whether you think it infringes on your First Amendment rights to protest it, there is a law, U.S. Code 301, that governs your behavior when the Star-Spangled Banner – our National Anthem – is played.

U.S. Code 301 States: "During a rendition of the National Anthem—

(1) when the flag is displayed—

(A) individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the Anthem and maintain that position until the last note;

(B) members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform; and

(C) all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and

(2) when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed."

Although this has been ruled many times by different states as being unconstitutional, it is still a law and still our National Anthem, and it is still our Flag

While the first verse of The Star-Spangled Banner is widely known by the American public, the last three verses are generally omitted in performances. Here are all the four verses, as they were written over 200 years ago by Francis Scott Key:

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight

O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep

Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,

‘Tis the star-spangled banner—O long may it wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,

That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion

A home and a Country should leave us no more?

Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!

Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land

Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto – In God is our trust,

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.¹

During the war of 1812, Francis Scott Key witnessed the attacks on Baltimore. Being an amateur poet, Key wrote the poem called ‘Defense of Fort M’Henry that was published in local newspapers. Key was not a songwriter but intended that his poem should be sang to the tune of an existing song, Anacreon in Heaven."

What you might not know about Key is that Key, a Washington lawyer, and a colleague, John Stuart Skinner, were sent to Baltimore by President James Madison to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, a prominent surgeon captured at the Battle of Bladensburg. When they boarded the British Ship, Tonnant they were able to negotiate the release of Beanes, but they were not allowed to leave the ship until after the British attacked Baltimore.

Another misconception is that the flag Key hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming did not fly through the perilous fight.

In addition to a thunderstorm of bombs, a torrent of rain fell on Fort McHenry throughout the night of the Battle of Baltimore. The fort’s 30-by-42-foot garrison flag was so massive that it required eleven men to hoist when dry, and if waterlogged the woolen banner could have weighed upwards of 500 pounds and snapped the flagpole. So as the rain poured down, a smaller storm flag that measured 17-by-25 feet flew in its place. In the morning they most likely took down the rain-soaked storm flag and hoisted the bigger one, Leepson says, and that’s the flag Key saw in the morning.

The Star-Spangled Banner was the Anthem for Union Troops and increased in popularity after that. At the time other songs such as Yankee Doodle and Hail Columbia were also popular.

In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson signed an Executive Order declaring the Star-Spangled Banner as our National Anthem for all military ceremonies. After 40 previous attempts failed, a bill passed Congress and was signed into law that formally designated The Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem of the United States.

Although Key loathed politics, he was a prominent figure in Washington, D.C. He was an important player in the early republic. He was a very successful and influential lawyer at the highest levels in Washington. Key ran a thriving law practice, served as a trusted advisor in Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet and was appointed a United States Attorney in 1833. He prosecuted hundreds of cases, including that of Richard Lawrence for the attempted assassination of Jackson, and argued over 100 cases before the United States Supreme Court.²

Troy Schroeder, on Quora, said Choosing not to stand for the National Anthem is not a sign of disrespect for the country or those who have served in the military. It is only interpreted as a sign of disrespect by individual people.

II

COLIN KAEPERNICK

What, or who is behind Colin Kaepernick’s sudden change from just a football player to a black activist? Most say it is Kaepernick’s Muslim girlfriend, DJ Nessa Diab, and an unconfirmed report of his conversion to Islam in June of 2016.

It certainly was not his white conservative parents. It was not the same Colin Kaepernick everyone knew five years earlier. And it was not the friends with which he played football.

Kaepernick began dating Nessa Diab in 2015. According to a Fox News Sports Report his social media before that time was all about football. When he began dating Diab his social media changed and he frequently spoke about racial injustice. His media became increasingly reflective of the Black Lives Matter Movement, Black Panthers, and the Muslim Activism of Diab. He often featured quotes from the radical Nation of Islam leader, Malcolm X, Black Panthers founder, Huey Newton, and cop killer, Assata Shakur.

Republican Representative from Iowa, Steve King, blames Kaepernick’s Muslim girlfriend for Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem and denounces his relationship with the girl who King said, this is activism that is sympathetic to ISIS. King said that Kaepernick’s actions should disqualify him from football. He further stated "Until you take a knee and beg forgiveness from the American people, you’re not going to set a foot on this field again.³"

Does anyone else see a pattern here? Every time you see a social injustice movement pop up, behind the race card is all of this hatred and deep-seated resentment for whitey and the American way of life, and guess who? Black Lives Matter, Black Panthers, Islam, Obama and George Soros. Oh, and – the Rev. Al and Jesse race baiting everyone.

The 49ers were getting ready to play their third pre-season game when it was noticed that Colin Kaepernick was sitting down during the Star-Spangled Banner instead of traditionally standing.

Kaepernick said, I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder, referencing a series of events that led to the Black Lives Matter Movement and adding that he would continue to protest until he feels like the American flag represents what it’s supposed to represent.

The 49ers coach issued a statement which said: The National Anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the National Anthem.

Coach Kelly told reporters that it was Kaepernick’s right as a citizen not to stand during the Anthem and it was not his right to tell him not to do something.

The NFL also released a statement which said that Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem.

Kaepernick said he is aware of what he is doing and knows it will not sit well with a lot of people, including the 49ers. He also said he did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intention to protest the National Anthem.⁴

We know that was not true because Kaepernick told another reporter that he had asked his team mates to join him in kneeling, but didn’t believe they would. And he apparently talked to Eric Reid, because Reid joined him when he knelt. Obviously, the fans expected Kaepernick to kneel because the fans booed Kaepernick about 50 minutes before the Anthem was sung… They booed him again when he trotted off the field. ⁵

Kaepernick’s decision to go public came about after he had some problems with 49ers management. Kaepernick requested a trade which never happened. He had also spent most of his off-season time recuperating from surgeries to his hand, knee, and left shoulder. He had lost his starting job and it didn’t look like he was going to re-claim it.

Barack Obama said, … that Kaepernick’s decision to sit out the National Anthem before games was messy, but it was the way democracy works."

I’d rather have young people who are engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines not paying attention at all.

Has anyone asked Kaepernick what he believes the American flag is supposed to represent?

Show pride in a flag for a country? Did Colin Kaepernick choose the correct forum for his protest? Oh, yes, he has gotten the attention of every American, but he could not have chosen a more disrespectful forum. True patriots are upset. The Socialists have this thrill running up their leg. True Americans see Kaepernick as unpatriotic and un-American. He is heralded as a hero by the Socialists and Arabs. Here it is a few years later, and like Tim Tebow, Kaepernick is without a team. But Kaepernick is a man on his knee in protest of his country and Tebow is a man on his knee in prayer.

The Black Lives Matter Movement is a Socialist Movement. True Americans and Conservatives are aware of Kaepernick’s First Amendment rights to speak out and no one is pushing the issue because of the fact that so many of the different states have argued that US Code Section 301 is unconstitutional. True patriots and Americans want to keep our Anthem and our flag.

Kaepernick decided to kneel during the rendition of the National Anthem instead of sitting after discussing the matter with former NFL player and military veteran Nate Boyer. Kaepernick explained his decision to switch was an attempt to show more respect to former and current U.S. military members while still protesting during the Anthem.

When Boyer talked to the other NFL players, he was told by them that they were just protesting the National Anthem.

It was not until July 4, 2020 that Kaepernick admitted in a tweet that he was always a leftist and that his national anthem stunt was about deliberately dishonoring our flag and country.

Opinion Colin Kaepernick said it himself — his kneeling was meant to disrespect our nation itself - by Quin Hillyer, Commentary Writer | July 07, 2020 06:02 AM

Ex-quarterback Colin Kaepernick tweeted an Independence Day message reminding us that he always was a radical leftist, America-hating agitator. His national anthem stunt always was about deliberately dishonoring the flag and country.

Oh, and NFL superstar Drew Brees merits an apology from all those who criticized his original, thoughtful statement about why he would always stand for the anthem.

We reject your celebration of white supremacy and look forward to liberation for all, tweeted Kaepernick about the Fourth of July, because, he said, black people have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized and terrorized by America for centuries and are expected to join your commemoration of independence, while you enslaved our ancestors.

This precisely echoes the original reason he gave for beginning his protests at NFL games in 2016.

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, he said then. This was not a protest against police violence and racism that just happened to occur during the anthem; it was specifically targeted at the anthem and flag so as to blame the country as such for the ills Kaepernick was protesting.

The message was not that the nation per se had a flawed past and that vestiges remained in some people’s hearts and minds in a way that even well-intentioned laws and institutions had not yet eradicated. No, the message was that the institutions themselves were deliberately racist and oppressive and that the nation itself was unworthy of pride.

So, yes, all of this kneeling during the anthem stuff was and is about disrespecting the flag of the United States of America. Everybody knows it. It is precisely and intentionally about that. If it were just about protesting racism and police misconduct, Kaepernick wouldn’t say things like that. Also, there would be plenty of other ways to make that point without intruding on what always had been an aspirationally unifying civic ritual. As longtime sports columnist Jason Whitlock (who is black) wrote this week in disgust at Kaepernick, It’s a divisive hot take packaged as righteous indignation.

Since then, Kaepernick has kept up a steady drumbeat of anti-American and even pro-communist statements and actions. He particularly likes radical-tinged clothing, such as socks depicting cops as pigs and a shirt proudly portraying Malcolm X meeting with Cuban mass murderer Fidel Castro, whom he complimented because of Cuba’s supposedly enlightened policies supporting education. He is likewise prone to sporting paraphernalia of the equally brutal and repressive Che Guevara.

Four years ago, after the brief reign of players kneeling during the national anthem, most teams and players came to a worthy compromise: kneeling before the anthem but standing during it. That way, they emphasized the distinction between protesting racism and misconduct, on one hand, and insulting the nation itself, on the other. The clear recognition was that kneeling during the anthem itself would mean the latter.

It was that understanding to which Brees, who had worthily joined the pre-anthem kneelers, was referring when he said he would never disrespect the flag or nation by refusing to stand at attention during the anthem. He then went on to express solidarity with those demanding fuller realization of civil rights. It was a reasonable stance then, completely unworthy of the abuse he suffered for it.

Now comes Kaepernick with his new tweet asserting that Independence Day itself is a celebration of white supremacy. He is wrong now, and he was wrong in 2016. Anyone who joins his movement to kneel during the national anthem will continue to acquiesce in the fiction that this good nation is inherently unjust.⁶

On September 1, 2016 the teams were preparing to begin play. It was the Chargers and the 49ers playing at San Diego.

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid stood together as a Naval Officer was preparing to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. As the Officer began to sing the first words, Kaepernick and Reid dropped one knee to the dirt.

Kaepernick said he had invited teammates to sit with him during the Anthem but didn’t expect any of them to join him. Reid has been publicly supportive of him. Kaepernick was not being disrespectful alone; he was encouraging his team mates and others to join him in disrespecting our National Anthem and the American flag, as well as disrespecting the men and women that serve(d) and gave their lives in our military.

Kaepernick received boos when he went on the knee and received heavier boos when he went on the field to start the game for the 49ers.

One sign in the crowd read You’re an American. Act like one.

Colin Kaepernick told reporters he went on his knee in protest of American racial injustice and minority oppression.

The truth is if you walk into any City Hall, County Building, or Federal Building in the country, the white man is the minority. You turn on any television and show me who is the minority. Yet if a white man wins an Oscar all the blacks present start complaining it should have gone to a black person.

Why wasn’t Kaepernick protesting during the Presidential term of President Obama. Obama did more to further damage race relations in 8 years than any other person or group. Dr. Martin Luther King made great strides for the black man and Obama had the optimum chance of continuing that platform, but couldn’t seem to manage more than the race card. Instead of inspiring the black man he forever attempted to pull the white man down to the level of the poor black people.

"Kaepernick’s protest inspired other players. His teammate, Eric Reid, soon knelt beside him. Other teammates joined, including Antoine Bethea, Eli Harold, Jaquiski Tartt and Rashard Robinson.

‘Players who sat or knelt during the 2016 season included: Jeremy Lane of the Seattle Seahawks, Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins’ Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Kenny Stills and Jelani Jenkins. Other players, including the Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins, raised fists." ⁷

A twenty-year Navy veteran in a military-green Chargers jersey with quarterback Philip Rivers’ No. 17 in camouflage numbering, Leo Uzcategui, greeted Colin Kaepernick as he was leaving the field following pregame warmups with profanity and obscene gestures. Leo said, I was in the Navy and I saw men and women bleed and die for this flag, Uzcategui said. If he wants to do something, go to some outreach program where he can do some good. And I get it, his First Amendment right. But you don’t sit during the presenting of the colors, and you don’t sit during the National Anthem. That is not the way to do it.

Jim Brown became active in the Civil Rights movement even before his retirement, although the Cleveland Browns legend said he’d never desecrate the flag or The Star-Spangled Banner as he claims Colin Kaepernick did last season.

In an interview with The Post Game, Brown said he understands Kaepernick fighting for a cause but doesn’t approve of his approach.

I want to be in his corner, and I do think, ‘God bless him,’ Brown said. I’m going to give you the real deal: I’m an American. I don’t desecrate my flag and my National Anthem. I’m not gonna do anything against the flag and National Anthem. I’m going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I’ll work out the problems, but I’ll do it in an intelligent manner.

Although Kaepernick’s visit to San Diego fell on the Chargers’ 28th annual Salute to the Military, a night designed to pay tribute to the tens of thousands of active and retired military personnel who live in the area. The festivities included pregame music from the Marine Band San Diego, halftime recognition of Vietnam War veterans, and a crowd filled with numerous injured soldiers invited as special guests.

Kaepernick has said he doesn’t intend his stance to be a criticism of the military, claiming he has great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country.

Kaepernick’s kneeling provoked both negative and positive responses from the public. The negative responses included recommendations that NFL players who protest our National Anthem should be fired; some otherwise fans showed their discontentment of Kaepernick’s protests by leaving the stadium immediately after the protests or refusing to watch games at all.

Kaepernick’s behavior led to a mass departure of viewership of the NFL games.

Some positive responses were when additional athletes in the NFL joined Kaepernick in his protests and other sports leagues protested in various ways during the Anthem.

In November 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners, accusing them of colluding to not hire him.

Two Miami Dolphins’ players became the first in the National Football League to take a knee during the US Anthem in the 2018 season; prompting furious fans to wonder when the NFL will officially crackdown on player protests.

Miami Dolphins wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson opted to kneel as the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ played throughout the stadium before taking on the Tennessee Titans.

Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn also raised a fist during the song, as did San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin before his team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and linebacker Brandon Marshall both stayed in the locker room, writes USA Today.⁸

Although Kaepernick was selected by the 49ers in the second round in 2011, he did not begin his quest to aid the impoverished until 2016. At that time, he announced that he would donate one million dollars to organizations working in oppressed communities in the form of $10,000 donations to be matched by celebrities. Some of the money has been donated in $10,000 increments when it has been matched by another celebrity.

Has Kaepernick ever given back personally to the neighborhood where he grew up? Has he worked with impoverished children and helped them and encouraged them to get an education? We know he did not grow up in an impoverished neighborhood? He was raised by white parents and learned of the plight of the victims of his cause through watching videos after he met his Muslim Black Lives Matter Movement girlfriend.

If Kaepernick is serious about making changes in this country, he is going to have to do more than protest and making people angry with the way he is going about it. Why doesn’t he meet with those that can bring about real change instead of pissing everyone off with what he is doing and not his cause. He is not bringing attention to his cause. He is bringing attention to the disrespect he is displaying towards our National Anthem. Maybe 1 out of 5 Americans even knows what he is protesting.

Colin Kaepernick, when you chose the Anthem as your platform, and by kneeling during its performance, you became a blight on patriotism. Football and Baseball are America’s sporting pastimes.

Colin Kaepernick was adopted by white-parents when he was just a few weeks old. Kaepernick said, You have a family that you love, but you know you don’t look like. And at a young age, I understood that I was different; I didn’t understand what that meant. So, as I got older it was something that developed. As my identity developed and my place in society and my understanding of that developed, my parents and my family had developed as well. He said it has been a constant journey for his family but it’s been one that [they’ve] worked through and [they’ve] always been really loving in the process. At the end of the day, he says, I wouldn’t do it with anybody else. ⁹

Kaepernick said he never felt he was supposed to be white or black. His parents just wanted him to be what he was supposed to be.

He said he wants to dress in a way that represents the African community. He said, I want black kids to see me and say ‘okay, he’s carrying himself as a black man, and that’s how a black man should carry himself.’ ¹⁰

Why isn’t he just carrying himself as a gentleman, a man that is proud of who he is, a man that is proud of what he does, a man that is proud of his name and has respect for himself because in the end when we stand before God that is what we answer for?

Did his parents know he was going to kneel? When Colin first ‘took a knee’, his family was as surprised as anyone. We did not understand why he was doing this and were overwhelmed with the public reaction and hate. Colin not only received terrible racist tweets, but also received letters directly to our home similar to that recently received by [Denver Broncos linebacker] Brandon Marshall, the family’s statement read.¹¹

I’ve never seen a NFL player, team, or owner protest domestic violence, child abuse, animal abuse, rape, or murder, have you? Ray Rice knocked his girlfriend out cold in a elevator, remember that? No one protested his return to the league after a two-game suspension. Two games! Everyone knows about Mike Vick. Multimillionaire who fought dogs to their deaths in his backyard…to make a little extra cash? He owned 70 dogs. I never remember a team, owner, manager, or player protesting that. Do you? What about Adrian Peterson? Remember when he beat his child so badly it broke the skin on the back of his legs? He was arrested for reckless or negligent injury to a child. I don’t remember Kaepernick sitting down for that one, do you?

What about O.J. Simpson? He killed two people, nearly decapitating his ex-wife, but the NFL still shows highlights of The Juice running his way into their hall of fame. Funny how this works, isn’t it? Remember L.T.? Yeah, if you were an 80s kid like me you probably remember Lawrence Taylor. He was a crackhead who liked to party with 16-year-old girls. I don’t remember anyone protesting his behavior, do you? How many people out there remember Lawrence Phillips? He could not stay out of trouble. Google him. It will blow your mind. He ended up taking his own life.¹² Anyone remember Mark Gastineau? Notorious wife-beater piece of garbage. No protests against him that I can remember. But all of the sudden, NFL players are the moral compass for our country? Do ya think?

NFL ARREST DATABASE - Team Number of Arrests Since 2000

Minnesota Vikings 42 arrests

Cincinnati Bengals 40 arrests

Denver Broncos 36 arrests

Tennessee Titans 33 arrests

Miami Dolphins 28 arrests

Kansas City Chiefs 28 arrests

Jacksonville Jaguars 27 arrests

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 arrests