I’m a little steamed.
I am a very patriotic person. I am patriotic because I believe in the Christian principles that this
country was formed on. Maybe a lot of those have been whittled away over
the years, but I still believe in them.
And I believe in the freedoms we
have. I have been abroad, and you can’t fully understand how free we are,
until you’ve been abroad. And… I’ve been all over the US. It is a diverse and
gorgeous country.
So, I see this football player refuse to stand while the
national anthem is being played. And, initially, it irritated me. But then he
did it again, and I guess some other players joined him.
And now I hear of a soccer player doing the same.
Excuse me? What
happened to RESPECT?
I realize we have freedom of speech. And I want to keep our
freedom of speech. But freedom of speech should be used very intentionally and
carefully.
If you don’t like our
country – please leave.
If you don’t respect our country, then don’t publicly play
football or soccer for it.
And if you don’t like what we stand for? Then don’t accept
our COUNTRY paying you thousands of dollars so you can make a living playing a
sport.
THAT is standing for something.
You will not go to a
country in the world – where there isn’t injustice. Where there isn’t
corruption somewhere. Where there isn’t something that is unfair going on. It’s
called sin. Fight for that person. Fight for that situation. But don’t continue
to let that country pay you so that you can spill your negative thoughts onto
it as a whole.
I have friends who fight for the freedom of this country.
They leave their families for months at a time so that someone can exercise
their freedom of speech. You can
bet, they’ve seen injustice.
People need to unite for
what is GOOD – not for what is bad. Encourage one another and motivate one
another to be better. YOU be the example
of what is moral, honorable, and valuable.
So, just as a public figure has the right to refuse to
respect our national anthem, I have the right to say that I think he shouldn’t
be allowed to continue to play on behalf of “said” national anthem and country.
If you don’t believe
in something, don’t continue to be a part of it. But don’t poison the rest
of us in the process.
I, for one, believe in my country. Despite the bad. Despite
the corruption. Because I believe in the ONE who established this country. And
I believe in the hearts of the good people who are still out there.
I WILL stand for my national anthem. I WILL put my hand across my chest. Because I believe in my country, and because I am thankful for its freedoms. Because I live somewhere where I am free to read the Bible. I am free to send my children to whatever school they want to go to, I am free to dress how I want to dress, and I am free…… to use my words and speak my mind.
I remember a football player who took a knee to pray before
every game. If only he would have been
given the same applause. Freedom
goes both ways – people. Use it
carefully.
1 comment:
Dionna: Until 9/11, we didn't see very many U.S. flags, but now we do.I mean the small individual ones and the medium sized ones. My husband and I decorate the front edge of our rock garden with them on Memorial Day and July 4th. We have one on our old-fashioned water pump in the side yard. We keep one on a stand in the center of our rock garden all year long.
I, too, am concerned about the lack of respect displayed by our people who are chosen to represent us in any venue, sports, movies, even some in the government.
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