Sit, stand, kneel

Sit, stand, kneel is not a reference to Catholic Mass, surprisingly. It's football pre-season and I'm already seeing reports of kneeling players and the emotionally charged overreactions of spiteful boycotters. As far as I can remember, I stayed fairly quiet on the topic last year. This year, since this is still a thing, I'm going to get ahead of it and speak no further of the topic.

I see people (typically who sit on the right side of the aisle) claiming to boycott all NFL activities over the fact that players are kneeling during the national anthem.

First and foremost, you're only spiting yourself. The players don't care that you're boycotting because they're still getting paid and not enough of you are boycotting to make a dent in viewership or ticket sales. Their lives remain unchanged and you miss out on a whole season's worth of football over the first 1 minute and 40 seconds because some people do something you don't like. Spare me the pie in the sky rhetoric of how we'll all band together and shut down the NFL with this.

Second, whether you agree or not, it's not a crime. So all the people claiming these guys should be fired or arrested... that's just insane. The NFL is not government run. I can't fire you from your job if you do something I don't like, because I don't work there and it's a company with its own rules. So let's dispense with the inane calls for criminality over this.

If you are a boycotter, and you've read this far, I know your next argument. It's disrespectful to service members and you'll willingly interrupt your own entertainment for your cause. Commendable. As a former service member, it's nice to know the citizens have our backs. But here's an important question I bet many of you never asked the imaginary soldier (since most of you military zealots just assume every branch goes by soldier even though we don't, which is irony in and of itself). Have you asked any current or former military how they actually feel? Are any of us actually disrespected?

I'll speak for myself directly and my observations of military friends and colleagues, but this, in no way, is comprehensive of all military members. From my perspective, let them kneel. I'm not offended in the least. I don't love it. I'd like them to stand. I think the flag and anthem deserve that respect. That's just my opinion. The more objective part is what it all stands for. 

In my 9 years, 11 months, 15 days of active duty military service, I played a part in the holistic Global War On Terror, but specifically supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Joint Task Force for the Horn of Africa. I've put my boots on the ground in countries in that area of responsibility more than once. We went there because these countries had despotic tyrants as rulers who offered their people no freedoms, but often offered cruel and painful deaths to anyone who attempted to exercise freedom. In some form or fashion, these same people intended to threaten the freedoms and ways of life for other countries and their denizens. 17 Septembers ago they tried to interrupt our way of life and for some of us they certainly succeeded. 

Our country was built on the opportunity to speak your mind and live your life. We've had missteps along the way. We're in the middle of some now. There will be more. But we aren't imprisoned for speaking ill of the president (half of Facebook users would be behind bars if that were true). We aren't killed for trying to leave the country. We don't live in a police state. By all measures, we truly are a free people. 

I know that I donned the uniform almost every day for a decade. I did so in an effort to ensure that every American was free to make his or her choices. I want people to chase their dreams, marry who they love, express themselves, and overall be free to make any choice they so desire - as long as it's within the confines of the law and doesn't hurt someone else. By hurt someone else I don't mean gently poking your fragile egos, either. Your freedom extends to the point it impinges on my freedom. We need stasis among the 300 million people living here.

What I do not ever want as an American and the parent of one, is a country where we ever have to be afraid of feeling a certain way and showing it. I didn't fight for that. I never would. So while you're all boycotting the NFL to defend the offended soldiers, keep in mind that most of these same soldiers have offered to give their lives so the players live in a country where they can kneel. 

I don't think they should, but I'm damn glad they can. Boycotting them until they stop is censure when we should be celebrating a framework that allows it. The moment we remove their ability to kneel is the moment we assassinate important values. Value we built this country on and all service members have sworn to protect. Our oath of enlistment says "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." In that constitution, it is written that we have the right to free speech and the freedom of expression. Anyone who volunteers his or her own life to defend the constitution, would never act in favor of desecrating the same document. And we wouldn't want anyone we know to do it either. And certainly not over something as minuscule as standing or kneeling during the anthem. 

Overall, if you're boycotting because you don't like it, that's your right. If you're doing it to support veterans; you're doing something we never asked for and don't want and is contrary to our values and oath.