On Thursday hundreds of people protested outside of the Michigan state capital building in Lansing while the Legislature was debating an extension of the state’s emergency response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. In other other words, folks were upset with the stay-at-home order that’s still in place. They want the state opened NOW.
They weren’t just upset, they were pushing and shoving inside of the building and folks were outside carry guns. Protesting is purely American but it should be done in peace according to the First Amendment right?
However, I recall during a preseason NFL game against the Green Bay Packers on August 26, 2016 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did not stand for the national anthem in protest. After the game he said this to the media, “I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed.”
Colin made it very clear that he was protesting against police brutality, racial and social injustice. However, most so-called patriotic Americans said that he was being disrespectful to America. Our president and even some of our best college football coaches like Clemson head coach, Dabo Swinney, jumped out of the birthday cake butt naked foaming at the mouth saying that if he didn’t like America he should leave.
NFL fans were screaming that he and others should protest on their own time and that they were ruining the fan’s Sundays. Kaepernick was later blackballed from the league and hasn’t worked since the 2016 season ended.
Everyone and their cousin Dan and Uncle Bob was up in arms because he was protesting in America which is purely American to do. The First Amendment specifically says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.“
So if the First Amendment says that we as Americans have the right to peaceably protest our grievances. Then why was everyone upset with Kaepernick for protesting against police brutality, racial and social injustice by simply taking a knee during the national anthem and no one is upset with folks across the country for storming state capitol buildings and stopping traffic with fire arms?
That’s not peaceably protesting. That’s called being an angry mob and none of that is what the First Amendment says we have the right to do. Is it because Kaepernick was standing up for equally for all people in an America that most folks don’t believe in? Is it because he was standing up for the very people that most folks look at as being inferior and undeserving of equal rights?
How can people be upset with a man for peaceably protesting and doing no harm to others and be completely comfortable with folks storming a government building pushing and shoving folks and their homies are outside with fire arms? The hypocrisy of it all. Stop me when I start lyin’!
