I admire CK for supporting charites. Good man. Using TV and the NFL to push his agenda while at his place of work, bad form.

I do think that African-Americans often don't get a fair shot, and are treated poorly by police officers more often than whites. They are more likely to be convicted, more likely to serve longer jail sentences, and more likely to get the death penalty versus whites accused of the same crimes.

So it probably shouldn't surprise anybody that they are gunned down unnecessarily more frequently than are white people. This is something that needs to stop.

When he first started all this ruckus I wasn't sure of his motivations and thought it was somewhat disrespectful of the flag and the anthem. As time has passed and I've had time to think about it, I think it accomplished the goal of getting people talking about a problem that needed attention.

If the end result of all this is that steps are taken to actually prevent racial disparities in law enforcement, then in the long run it was obviously a good idea. If all that comes out of it is a series of Nike commercials and a bunch of guys arguing on internet forums, then it was a waste.

    Our son, a combat veteran with almost 15 years in the U.S. Army, has posted the 'Oath of Enlistment'. His comment is very simple. He is sworn to support and defend the Constitution, not a piece of cloth or a song. That Constitution guarantees certain freedoms and liberties. He is prepared to sacrifice all for the ability of Americans to peacefully protest and/or dissent without fear of reprisal. He and his wife both take issue with those who suggest CK's kneeling is disrespectful to our active duty military and veterans. Personally, I believe a meme that depicts CK with our soldiers as they are exiting a landing craft... and attempting to show it as him disrespecting our military... is significantly more disrespectful than CK exercising the rights those soldiers are willing to die for.

    "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

      Spuzz SF 49ers need a QB now.
      LOL

      I was just going to post that when I heard Jimmy Garoppolo is probably out for the season. Kaepernick did not burn any bridges when he opted out of his last year of his contract and the liberal slanted city would love it.

        limpalong I don't know your son, doubt his sincerity or begrudge his opinion, but I know dozens of veterans and active military and not a single one of them shares the view that your son has in this matter. In funerals they don't present the family with a copy of the constitution.

            johnnydoom
            I understand both sides. We have three veterans' casket flags in our home. All three are in the triangular wooden boxes. One is a 48-star flag that adorned the casket of my wife's uncle lost in WWII. I play golf with two retired veterans who won't speak the name of CK or ever purchase/wear another item of Nike supply. Two others in our "geezer group" are also retired military and are fully supportive of CK. The issue is certainly divisive, with each person seeming to have strong opinions one way or the other. I would hope we could all somehow find the means to respect those opinions, even if they disagree with our own.

                johnnydoom

                Although I generally tend to agree with you, you need to check yourself here.

                I served 10 years for a lot of reasons. And part of those reasons was to protect our freedoms, as Americans... freedoms that if you take the time to study don't necessarily pertain to those who serve. For instance... as an American soldier - I wasn't at liberty to protest or campaign politically for a presidential candidate (while serving). That policy still remains, all these years later. There are certain instances when the civilian rule of law doesn't pertain to those serving, which is why they're held to the military code of justice. It's generally held under court-martial trials, which is the judge advocate general (JAG).

                I might not appreciate CK's manner in which he has decided to promote his cause, but that doesn't mean I think he's not within his rights to do so. Nor, for that matter, do I think he's exempt from the consequences of choosing to use his employment platform to further his cause, just like Ack pointed out above.

                I do not feel sorry for CK. He could've furthered his cause to a much larger degree by being a successful starting QB in the NFL and doing his thing outside of the NFL. He could've reached many more people that way, been a much bigger voice instead of becoming a divisive figure that he's become, which has shifted the focus of this issue from one of inequality to one of the perception of being disrespectful to our military.

                Again, I don't like it. I'm not a fan. But part of the reason I served was so that people who do feel something is going seriously wrong within our society and our country are free to voice their opinions/concerns without government persecution.

                That's also part of our Constitution, which I also made a vow to serve and protect at all costs.

                Do I feel sorry for CK? No, I do not. I feel that he has wasted a great opportunity for social change because of his stubbornness and selfishness.

                He's not taken a snap in two years. Has turned down several offers to show up for workouts with potential teams since then. He is a has-been, and it's painfully obvious that this is what he wants his legacy to be. There's a reason why he keeps turning his back on these opportunities. He's no longer capable of playing in the NFL, and he's playing the only card he has left as an activist. Which he has every right as an American to do so, even if we don't agree with him, or perhaps we do agree with him but disagree with the manner in which he's chosen to do so.

                So be it.
                This is just my opinion.

                Peace.


                  Dufferman I don't think you are reading things correctly. But yes, there are those that will look into their ancestry for no other reason than hoping to find they are part 'minority'. Then they will play out that 1/4 ancestry to the hilt. What happens to the other 3/4?

                  And yes, I know his 'Mother' supports his stand on this.

                  rsvman They are more likely to be convicted, more likely to serve longer jail sentences, and more likely to get the death penalty versus whites accused of the same crimes.

                  I'd have to question this statement. If true, why were there not discrimination suits filed? If it could be proven.

                  rsvman it probably shouldn't surprise anybody that they are gunned down unnecessarily more frequently than are white people

                  It does not surprise me at all. They should learn to obey orders. Shut up! Put your hands where the police tell you to put them, not in your pockets! Stand still, or get down if told!
                  It's all very simple to do, when told to do it by authorities. Unless you are a martyr, or want to be one.

                  The Constitution gives me the right to these opinions.

                  So I've read.

                          limpalong I was not disparaging your son’s viewpoint, just sharing that the vets I know don’t regard the flag or the anthem as just a cloth and a song. I also have three of those flags on my mantle. I have not served.

                          Freedom gives Kaepernick the right to protest how he wishes. It also gives anyone else the right to disagree, to counterprotest, and even to place his image into a context that doesn’t match the one that Nike would like to present. The right to free speech is not a right to do so without contention, it is a right to do so without repression by the government. To that end I respect your freedom to see the issue as you do, but I have chosen not to support this particular means of protest.

                              Par4QC https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/17/opinion/sunday/unequal-sentences-for-blacks-and-whites.html

                              This is just one example of the disparity in one county and in one state. There are many others. It's systematic, and the people being abused probably don't even know it. That's why they don't file discrimination suits. This may come as a surprise to you, but the average drug dealer or burglar probably doesn't have the data on what kind of time his/her white counterparts are serving. They are told their crime is worth X amount of time, and they have no reason to disbelieve it. Are you trying to suggest that there is no such thing as institutionalized racism? If so, are you serious?

                              As far as "doing what they are told" is concerned, how do you explain the situations in which the cops shoot somebody who is walking away or who is driving away? The other thing that you might not understand is that in some people there is a deep distrust of law enforcement, and sometimes for good reason. They may be experiencing a kind of panic that makes it more difficult for them to think rationally at that exact moment in time. Personally, I don't think it's for me to judge.

                              And yes, you are entitled to your opinion and have a constitutional right to express it, as do I.

                                  If people can walk or run away from law enforcement at will, then there is no law enforcement. You can’t logically argue that law enforcement cannot act on someone that is willfully disobeying their instructions just because they’re going in the other direction. Otherwise everyone will just head the other way. I don’t trust much of our government either, but laws either need to be followed or they don’t. Either you have order, or you have anarchy. I’m fine either way, just let me know which it is.

                                  There have also been mandatory sentencing laws to create some sense consistency in sentencing. Paradoxically, It seems they are also deemed to be discriminatory by The NY Times.

                                    The value of a father figure who is there in the backdrop to provide support, encourage and disciipline cannot be overlooked. And this doesn't just apply to one ethnicity group in particular.

                                    Family's with a father figure teaching their kids right from wrong tends to alleviate a lot of issues.

                                    johnnydoom The issue is whether the officers have any valid reason to stop somebody or to ask somebody to do something. They have no right to stop people for no reason, or to tell people to do this or that when if said people are minding their own business, either.

                                        rsvman Is there a statistic that shows how often, by race, that law enforcement hassles people? I’ve had police ask me what I was up to when wandering about before, and even to show I.D. I didn’t take it personally, just told them what I was doing and showed them I.D. Even got handcuffed one time when I was hiking in a park where some crime had been committed. They detained me until confirming I wasn’t the suspect they were looking for. I wasn’t happy in that circumstance, but I did what they told me to because I was taught that from birth.

                                            I’ll stop. I enjoy argumentative discussion as long as it doesn’t get personal, but I know many on here don’t like it if it’s not golf related. I apologize for drifting off.

                                            johnnydoom unlikely to be a stat about being hassled by police. I don't question racial disparity, it's across the board, arressts, sentencing, child welfare, etc. Quite frankly it.gets old even talking about it, I'm more interested in what can be done about it!
                                            I can't imagine being an officer in today's climate, they have a rediculously tough job to do, yet seem to have little of any positive news in the press. Overwhelmingly it's.about who f'ed up today. Once law enforcement has to get involved, likely outcome = not good, and that is not to suggest the police have done anything wrong, but once anyone enters the system, the chance of being a stat goes up! So when I say what can be done about racial disparity, I mean before the police even get involved, that's a more interesting discussion, IMO....and I don't see folks getting personal so carry on!

                                                rsvman

                                                You've got people saying they don't understand how someone can call themselves black when they aren't 100 percent black. And you expect these same people to understand what institutionalized racism even means?

                                                Like I said we've got a long way to go. I choose to believe every generation gets a little better as far as race is concerned, even though it seems very incremental at times. Sometimes I do believe there aren't enough ignorant racist old white guys dying off fast enough though.