[hound dog]

Regarding the current outrage over athlete's kneeling during the national anthem, Colin Kaeperknick made it crystal clear what he was protesting. That is, what he saw to be the continued alarming, even escalating, rate of unarmed black men being killed during confrontations with law enforcement. He chose to kneel rather than sit, after meeting with a veteran and listening to his thoughts on CK's protest, wanting to demonstrate that it was NOT meant to denigrate those who served in the military defending our nation when called upon to do so, but point the spotlight on the many instances of abusive violence against people of color by a police officer in uniform, a patch of the U.S. flag on their sleeve. Actions that have almost no consequence for the involved officer themselves. These questionable instances usually result in paid leave for the officer followed by a return to duty.

It's not a political protest, it's a social protest. It's only target being the perceived social injustice. The politicization started with the president, and has since been enthusiastically adopted by his supporters. It's my opinion that this politicizing of a non-political issue has blown this very mild form of protest, based on a legitimate, valid concern, out of all proportion. It has changed the focus from CK's perceived social injustice to one of perceived patriotism in general, and has eclipsed the very real issue that was being protested in the first place. Appearances are more important than a concerning social issue. Very sad.