Friday, October 20, 2017

The protest of decency

Governor Rick Snyder’s office said it will not ask the Michigan State Police director to resign after she shared a meme on Facebook critical of NFL protests, calling protesters degenerates.

Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, the highest ranking official at the MSP, posted the following on her private Facebook account late last month:

"Dear NFL: We will not support millionaire ingrates who hate America and disrespect our Armed Forces and Veterans. Who wins a football game has ZERO impact on our lives. Who fights for and defends our nation has every impact on our lives. We stand with the Heroes, not a bunch of rich, entitled, arrogant, ungrateful, anti-American, degenerates. Signed, We the people."

She apologized for it shortly thereafter following an outcry from those who can dish it out, but cannot take it. Said Etue, "It was a mistake to share this message on Facebook and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended."

Still, calls for her to resign were loud and clear. As state Rep. Sheldon Neeley, D-Flint, put it, "It is clear that Col. Etue does not understand the nature of the protests, nor respect the constitutional rights of citizens to peacefully protest."

But what exactly is being protested? The protests are springing from the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which was founded on a false premise. Protesters claim that Michael Brown of Ferguson, MO, was shot to death by police as he held his hands up in surrender, yelling, “Don’t shoot!” Not true. According to black witnesses who testified under oath, Brown was leaning in the open window of the police car pummeling an officer, who then shot him in self defense. Another white police officer in a separate case shot to death a black man in the back as the victim was running away. That police officer, rightly so, is in jail. Every case is different, and when a police officer does something deliberately wrong he should be dealt with to the full extent of the law. When thugs deliberately threaten the very lives of police, they should be stopped.

Yes, there is individual racism in our country, there are some bad cops, and there are jerks in general. But let’s look at the double standards here. Very financially well-off and coddled athletes want to kneel to protest non-systemic grievances, and expect support and applause in the name of freedom of speech - while men and women much less wealthy are dying to protect their freedoms. But when a police official exercises that same right on her personal social network, she is excoriated and expected to resign. When a high school coach kneels on the football field, not in protest, but in praise of God, he is fired. But to kneel in protest of false premises? That’s supposed to garner worldwide support.

It's funny how NFL athletes don't want to protest the violence against police, or the domestic violence and other deviance committed by members of the NFL themselves, or Hollywood moguls, for that matter. But maybe they think they're above actual degenerate behavior. So instead of fighting real evil, they need to find some other cause to embrace. 

Unfortunately, the only thing the anthem protesters are accomplishing is further division, and the stripping of one more piece of Americana from America, one more bit of innocent tradition, one more chance at unity. The national anthem stands for all of us and is a way for all of us to acknowledge the freedoms that few others in the world enjoy. But like the rest of the left, if it's something patriotic and decent, then it is something that should be protested.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Julie,

    You hit on so many great points regarding this so-called NFL protest movement including the complete hypocrisy of it all. Quite frankly I agree with the meme that Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue posted on her Facebook page. Never mind that the First Amendment does not even apply to these players while they are working as employees, but I digress. As far as I am concerned if these athletes want to “take a knee” then they should try going to Arlington National Cemetery first. Better yet if they ever get their unpatriotic & ignorant selves there then they need to get on both knees and say a prayer for all those Americans buried in that hallowed ground who died for all the freedoms we enjoy (including living in a country where they have the opportunity to play a game making millions of dollars). As far as I know the graves there in Arlington National Cemetery are composed of black, white, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity and creed you can think of. They are all Americans that lost their precious lives for our freedoms. If these players cannot grasp such a basic principle as respecting our flag & understanding what our flag represents then perhaps they are all suffering from CTE. As a side note I wanted to say I was sorry to hear that your father had to go thru open-heart surgery, but I am so glad to hear he is on the mend. I have been keeping him in my prayers since you mentioned his ordeal in your earlier post. I also hope everything is good with you as well. As you know the stress and anxiety of seeing a loved one going thru an ordeal like that is not easy. Take care and God bless.

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    1. Hi Ed, thank you for this. You put it so well! (it's funny how you say you digress when making the point about work/First AMendment. I had a whole paragraph on that originally and thought to myself that I was digressing, so took it out:-) Wish I would have left it in! I love your reference to Arlington Cemetery here. I can't imagine not being moved by seeing that unless I were really, really spoiled and egotistical. Unfortunately, I suspect that may be a lot of the case here. It's just so sad. Did you see the video of the high school football team where every player carried a flag onto the field before the game? It was awesome. Thanks so much for your prayers for my dad - I really appreciate that. It was extremely stressful, but he is pretty much back to normal now from that surgery, thank God. Thank you, also, by the way, for helping out with the Rosary last week!:-) I hope all is going well with you. God bless you as well. Thanks again.

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