Take a Knee My A$$

[baymule]

Neal McCoy is from Jacksonville, not far from here. @seedcorn

http://new-country-songs.com/neal-mccoy-new-song

 

[dickiebird]

Thanks for posting this link!!!!!

THANX RICH

 

[Nyboy]

Forwarded to friends

 

[baymule]

Neal McCoy Facebook. He is one of those genuine nice guys that fame and fortune didn't go to his head. Rare these days.

https://www.facebook.com/nealmccoymusic/

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

brought tears to my eyes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’m going to demonstrate why talking politics is not a good thing on this forum. Pretty sure I’m about to get some people really mad. There are different threads I could post this on right now but I’ll choose this one.

I’m a veteran and no, I am not insulted by these demonstrations. When I was in the Army in the very early 1970’s I understood the concept of “I may not agree with anything Jane Fonda has to say but I’ll fight to protect her right to say it.” I still understand that concept. I do think she committed treason when she sat on that antiaircraft gun in Hanoi but that does not alter the concept of free speech. There are limits to anything and I think she exceeded them.

I do not believe the flag represents a piece of ground or whoever was elected to political office. I think the flag stands for the principles our country stands for. If people feel our country is not living up to those standards then they have a right to be upset about that and let others know they are upset. Would I fail to stand for the anthem at a public venue like that? No, but I’ll normally stand at parade rest, not at attention with my hand over my heart. And my hat will be in my hand behind my back. If I am home watching it on TV, I do not stand during the anthem.

I do not get upset at people that choose to not stand or don’t stand a certain way. To me that is their business. If someone in Iran did not show proper respect to their God they would be in serious trouble. In Russia you can go to jail for singing a song that disrespects the ruler, Putin. People have. A lot of reporters that oppose Putin have died sudden deaths and those cases are never solved. In North Korea not just you but your entire family can disappear into a prison camp if you show disrespect to the leader or the country, but there the leader and country are the same. I don’t want my country to become like them, where you are afraid for good reason to speak your mind or express your displeasure with something about the country. I think our freedoms would be on a very slippery slope if we start dictating to people how they have to perform in public.

Some people equate supporting a war with supporting our troops. Our troops are going to go fight if they are ordered to, whether or not they support the war or whether the war is justified. They signed up to defend our country and do not have the pay grade to decide what their mission will be. It might be an interesting mental exercise to think how you can support our troops while opposing the war they are fighting in. Our country did a horrible job with that with Vietnam but I think we are getting better at it. We still have a ways to go though. To me, supporting a war and supporting our troops are different things.

People absolutely have a right to think the kneelers are wrong. Nobody should try to tell you how to think, think for yourself. I think a boycott of the games or the advertisers is a great way to demonstrate your displeasure. Let them know you why you are boycotting them. That is certainly within your rights. If you think they are disrespecting the country or the soldiers by what they are doing you have every right to be upset. If some people think you are opposing the kneeling because you are OK with blacks being shot down even when they are doing nothing wrong, they can think that even if that is not even close to why you oppose it. They don’t have to be right to think something.

Just because they are entertainers does not take away their constitutional rights. If I do something like that no one will notice. Whether they are right or wrong, they have the stage to get people to notice.

Do I support what they are doing? No, I do not think it is effective. I think it gets people so mad at what they are doing they the message they are trying to get across is lost. I kind of like what the Cowboys did. Go out and kneel together before the anthem, then stand for the anthem. But maybe that is a cop-out.

I’ve said this before on this forum and I don’t think it is much appreciated by many folks here. Our constitutional rights don’t mean anything when it is the popular or easy thing to do. It’s when we have to hold our nose to allow someone to exercise their constitutional rights that they are working the way our founding fathers meant them to work.

As a vet I’m not insulted by what they are doing, that’s part of the reason I wore the green, so they’d have the right to do that. That’s not the only reason I wore a uniform, a low draft number, running out of money for college, and other things played a part, but duty to country was one of them. I thought our constitution was worth fighting for. I still do. I think part of that is speaking up even when it’s not popular when I see others’ constitutional rights being attacked.

 

[seedcorn]

@Ridgerunner Agree, it is their right to kneel. It is also my right to not support them or their sport. I’m not mad, I just refuse to support their pampered ways. Just like I don’t support drug infested nba or “slaves”in baseball. I respect their abilities, support their freedom of speech, support their ability to think differently, but will not support them financially.

 

[catjac1975]

I’m going to demonstrate why talking politics is not a good thing on this forum. Pretty sure I’m about to get some people really mad. There are different threads I could post this on right now but I’ll choose this one.

I’m a veteran and no, I am not insulted by these demonstrations. When I was in the Army in the very early 1970’s I understood the concept of “I may not agree with anything Jane Fonda has to say but I’ll fight to protect her right to say it.” I still understand that concept. I do think she committed treason when she sat on that antiaircraft gun in Hanoi but that does not alter the concept of free speech. There are limits to anything and I think she exceeded them.

I do not believe the flag represents a piece of ground or whoever was elected to political office. I think the flag stands for the principles our country stands for. If people feel our country is not living up to those standards then they have a right to be upset about that and let others know they are upset. Would I fail to stand for the anthem at a public venue like that? No, but I’ll normally stand at parade rest, not at attention with my hand over my heart. And my hat will be in my hand behind my back. If I am home watching it on TV, I do not stand during the anthem.

I do not get upset at people that choose to not stand or don’t stand a certain way. To me that is their business. If someone in Iran did not show proper respect to their God they would be in serious trouble. In Russia you can go to jail for singing a song that disrespects the ruler, Putin. People have. A lot of reporters that oppose Putin have died sudden deaths and those cases are never solved. In North Korea not just you but your entire family can disappear into a prison camp if you show disrespect to the leader or the country, but there the leader and country are the same. I don’t want my country to become like them, where you are afraid for good reason to speak your mind or express your displeasure with something about the country. I think our freedoms would be on a very slippery slope if we start dictating to people how they have to perform in public.

Some people equate supporting a war with supporting our troops. Our troops are going to go fight if they are ordered to, whether or not they support the war or whether the war is justified. They signed up to defend our country and do not have the pay grade to decide what their mission will be. It might be an interesting mental exercise to think how you can support our troops while opposing the war they are fighting in. Our country did a horrible job with that with Vietnam but I think we are getting better at it. We still have a ways to go though. To me, supporting a war and supporting our troops are different things.

People absolutely have a right to think the kneelers are wrong. Nobody should try to tell you how to think, think for yourself. I think a boycott of the games or the advertisers is a great way to demonstrate your displeasure. Let them know you why you are boycotting them. That is certainly within your rights. If you think they are disrespecting the country or the soldiers by what they are doing you have every right to be upset. If some people think you are opposing the kneeling because you are OK with blacks being shot down even when they are doing nothing wrong, they can think that even if that is not even close to why you oppose it. They don’t have to be right to think something.

Just because they are entertainers does not take away their constitutional rights. If I do something like that no one will notice. Whether they are right or wrong, they have the stage to get people to notice.

Do I support what they are doing? No, I do not think it is effective. I think it gets people so mad at what they are doing they the message they are trying to get across is lost. I kind of like what the Cowboys did. Go out and kneel together before the anthem, then stand for the anthem. But maybe that is a cop-out.

I’ve said this before on this forum and I don’t think it is much appreciated by many folks here. Our constitutional rights don’t mean anything when it is the popular or easy thing to do. It’s when we have to hold our nose to allow someone to exercise their constitutional rights that they are working the way our founding fathers meant them to work.

As a vet I’m not insulted by what they are doing, that’s part of the reason I wore the green, so they’d have the right to do that. That’s not the only reason I wore a uniform, a low draft number, running out of money for college, and other things played a part, but duty to country was one of them. I thought our constitution was worth fighting for. I still do. I think part of that is speaking up even when it’s not popular when I see others’ constitutional rights being attacked.

The real disrespect for the flag and our veterans is when they come home and live under bridge. Nothing makes me more upset then the Wounded Warrior program. Of course I want to see them helped. I hate the idea that we go to these useless wars and all of their needs are not taken care of properly by the government that they fought for when they come home physically and mentally damaged. I like your open minded thinking Ridge.

 

[valley ranch]

Wo

brought tears to my eyes.

Me too```

Our Flag isn't politics any more than moma is~ there are some~ jist don't understand ~that/us``` makes it hard to understand them```

 

[valley ranch]

Hi Ridge~ I like you~ enjoy reading your post~ No one will get mad at you ~ nothing you’ve said will is offensive~ it’s what you think```

You’re a veteran~ thank you for that```

You’re not insulted~ nether are we~ or am I~ well~ it let us~ it let me know who they are~ and I have no respect for them now~ that’s fine with us both```

You don’t believe the flag represents a piece of ground or an elected official~ Our Flag doesn’t stand for a politician~ I think it represents our America ~ who we are and want to be and have been for a couple hundred years``` When I see some sasbowl spit on it or set it on fire~ I know it means the same to them~ that’s why they’re doing it```

Jane Fonda~ do your remember her speech~ when she said: Our Boys she wasn’t talking about GIs~ when she said They this and they that~ she was talking about us``` She wasn’t asking for you to fight for her right to say it~ she was spitting in your face/our face```


As far as these guy not standing~ I think it’s great we were able to see who they are~ what they think of us and our country our people~ we can think it right back~ we have already fought for that right~ they knew that when they gave it to you~ they think Our Flag represents our land. Our government , our people~ America~ That’s exactly why they refused to stand. I was pleased they showed who they were```

· When, at the Mexico Olympics~ many athletes came out giving the Communist Fist Salute~ and George Forman came out waving the American Flag ~ I loved him~ he was us and still is~ the other ships who showed their contempt got that in return```


Supporting a war and/or our troops~ we think the same there~ I hate we supply ISIS while pretending to fight them~ that we Bomb the Syrian and kill the Syrian people and give weapons to those who are killing them```

As far as these guys kneeling~ this is an offshoot of that one that refused to stand~ right ~ sure they have the right~ just as we have the right to think of them what we do```

Our Constitution~ yes it means every thing~ no one if forced to stand~ unless it becomes a condition of employment```

Thanks again you being a vet```

No one has to read every thread```

As far as thinking or hoping we haven’t or shouldn’t speak here~ Ridge you, I think, should not wish this forum to become a place where we can’t talk~ or express ~ that this place too becomes like a Communist style cell ~ legislating in the area of thought ~ so we dare not speak or be banned```

I like you Ridge~ I don’t read every post in a thread~ but I read yours because I have interest in what you have to say and the way you say it```