As for me - I will stand.

     These words should sound familiar:

 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

                   -Declaration of Independence

 And while I am at it – how about these words:

  

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And an unknown verse of a very well known song –

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause 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!

                 -The Star Spangled Banner

And again, even more familiar words – 

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

How do I feel about the whole kneeling thing? Well, let me just start by looking back at the true intentions of our country. We were founded by men and woman that were escaping the entrapments of a King. They wanted to have more freedom to be the people they wanted to be by the simple rights of being a human being. Those truths were self evident that all men (people) are equal. All people have the right to pursue a life, liberty, and happiness.

     Do people have the right to kneel at the base of our flag. Sure. Do they have the right to forego singing our anthem and pledging allegiance to our flag? Absolutely. Do people have the right to burn the flag in protest? Yes.

     Will I do that? Absolutely not.

     We all know that our country is free and we will sing our patriotism from one shore to another. Of course, there are many that will also take freedom to a point where they challenge any and all to just, by God, try and take away their freedom. Is this just a test of what freedom really is or is it just people feeling their licensed defiant inner child? Looking at the news, it is hard to tell.

What I feel is true though, is kneeling before the flag and anthem in order to protest the hate crimes in our society is a sign that you do not agree with the symbolism of what they represent or what they signify. I mean, when I see the our flag, Old Glory, I see a symbol of what it represents. It is not just some stars and stripes that are randomly sewn together. It is a purposely thought out and deliberate symbol.

Here is all the symbolism of our flag:

 

Stars are a symbol of the heavens and the goals to which humankind aspires; stripes are symbolic of rays of light from the sun. Thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies that declared independence from England; fifty stars symbolize the current 50 United States. White signifies purity and innocence, red signifies valor and bravery; and blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

So. . . if you kneel before the flag, you are protesting the perseverance, valor, and justice of what America was founded on? Am I missing your meaning?

How about the Pledge of Allegiance? Is it the fact that our country is a republic that you are disagree with? Maybe the whole liberty and justice for all is the problem?

How about the anthem? You do not feel that it is important to honor those who “provide for the common defense” of the liberty of this nation?

I just don’t see how kneeling before the anthem and flag or refusing to pledge to the ideals of our country makes any sense. They want to declare the injustice of innocent minorities being killed. They want to bring to our attention the increase in violence. They want to get the quickest response and the most bang for their buck. They chose to turn their backs on the symbols of liberty and justice while wanting to receive that very liberty and justice.

It seems too easy to me. Why not start promoting something that will make a difference in our nation. You know because it is our right and it will actually make a difference. How about voting. How about flooding our representatives with letters and phone calls. Our country is a republic. That means we the people are running this gig. Let’s flex our muscle in our voices and how we treat and teach our people to make our country better. It was what this country was founded on. It is found all throughout our historic documents. You can see them, words like – liberty, freedom, for all, equal, union, and most important – we. Can you imagine what it would be like for all of those athletes and politicians proclaiming to participate in our government? Can you imagine what it would do for our nation to promote knowing the candidates and making educated votes? Can you imagine people raising their voices through votes to their congressmen instead of the reporter or camera?

I will believe and practice being free in a Republic State. It may not get attention on T.V. or newspapers but that is not my goal. I pledge Allegiance to our flag every morning. And, I mean what I say. As for me, I will stand. I will pledge. I will sing. I will vote. I will write letters. I will serve in court. I will teach my kids.