Comments

1
In non-vitue signally non bullshit stories Gene Wilder is dead today.
2
I totally support Colin's right to stand or not stand or what ever he wants.

But we don't sing the verse in question and most people are totally unaware that exists at all (which is kind of cool Kaepernick has kick started some knowledge) and the verses we DO sing don't celebrate slavery. Sooooo.... it's kind of a tempest in teapot either way.

While Lt. Francis Scoot Key himself, a product of his obscenely racist times, was no doubt a white supremacist as we'd define it, his verse was in reference the Colonial Marines — freed slaves who fought for the British. And I'd imagine, since the Colonial Marines were kicking Lt. Key's ass regularly, he'd probably have strong feelings about them since they were the enemy at the time, right?
3
I support him completely. This is the truest exercise of free speech. Civil Disobedience. All these 'true patriot' pundits suddenly become idol worshipers, worshiping a piece of dyed cloth over the true values of our constitution. Flag worship is at best paganism, at worst a cover for oppression.
4
@3

It's weak sauce to say that someone is simply a product of their racist times, as if they had no choice in the matter. The abolitionists were also products of their racist times and they made different choices.

Learned quite a bit about the War of 1812 and the Star-spangled banner and Key this morning. The War was actually an act of aggression by the U.S. to seize Canada, figuring victory would be easy, with Britain fighting Napoleon. It also sounds like it would be erroneous to call the Colonial Marines freed slaves--they were runaways who joined the British. After the War, American slave owners demanded the slaves back--but the British refused.

As for Key, he became district attorney in DC and indicted a newspaper for criticizing the local police department for robbing and killing black people. (Key was also brother-in-law to Roger Taney, the Dred Scott Justice.

Anyway, take a look at this, which is my main source. Go to the Harper's article it links to, also.
https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28/coli…
5
There's more than one verse to the national anthem? Who knew?

Just another reason to change that dumb song out to something else. How about "America The Beautiful"? Wasn't that written by a woman?
6
@3

Those "true patriots" who accuse Kaepernick of dishonoring the military when he said nothing about them probably do nothing when Republican Senators and Congresspersons block funding for military veterans. Rather than burning a football jersey, they should go protest at their congressional representatives' offices.
7
I had never seen the third verse, so I learned something today.

Obviously his point would be stronger if he were not-standing *for* the third verse, but I don't think it's unreasonable of him to claim the whole thing is of a piece.

And I generally don't believe in "opportunity-cost trolling" somebody who's doing a fine thing but not what I think the optimal thing.
8
Who knew there was a 3rd verse? No wonder they leave it out.

Kaepernick's lucky he's pulling this in SF, which the rest of Merica already thinks is a den of Flag-burning homosexual latte-sippers. SF won't give a fuck. Dallas, Cincy? He'd be traded.
9
If you find yourself burning anything in effigy you might want to take a long, hard look at your life.
11
Is he doing anything besides not standing?
12
Kaepernick's value to me is solely proportionate to how good a football player he is. Since he sucks, I couldn't care less if he rode a unicycle with a grizzly bear during the anthem.

Same was true when Michael Sam got drafted. I don't care about your sexual orientation, race, religion, hair color - anything. Just be a good football player.
13
@5: Authored by Katherine Lee Bates and immortalized by Kate Smith.
14
Man, I must be really old now. When I was a kid, there were tons of Americans who knew the words to all four verses of the national anthem... and forgot them as soon as they left the Boy Scouts.
15
@8: The only reason he is even still in San Francisco is because no one wants to take on his bloated contract for how terrible he is at football, and the only other option is Blaine Gabbert, who seems to be beating him out for the job.

No one really gives a shit about what Kaepernick does or not except those who need to fill column space or minutes on the air.
16
Please. Colin Kapernick was on the verge of being cut and now he can claim he's a social justice martyr when he gets released. This is great publicity for a man on the verge of football irrelevance- get some context Stranger. What did he sacrifice again? He's like the 50th best QB in football.
17
Is it just me, or does it look like Colin's eyes, nose, and mouth were installed at 75% of the scale they should've been, with respect to the rest of his head? The dude's face is just funny lookin'.
18
Sorry, but I have a hard time listening to someone complaining about "oppression" while making $11 million a year (not really) playing FOOTBALL.
21
Actually, his nose is fine, but those eyes are too small and too close together.
22
@15: come on now, all he needs is a change of venue, like RG3 going to the Browns. he'll stop being a dumb butt right away...
23
@15

The ridiculous amount of attention that this has drawn from journalists and non-journalists alike suggests that your pronouncement that no one gives a shit what Kaepernick does was extracted by you from your own ass.
24
@15, evidently he is not so irrelevant. You and the rest of the racist fuckwits here came to write your drivel. Do play again.
25
Big fucking deal. Forced oaths are for Nazis.
26
It's his right to make his statement of protest. It's the right of others to criticize him for it. A lively and open debate ensues from his action; what's more American than this example of free expression?
I personally disagree with his stance. Because America is imperfect, those given the short end of the stick are to reject the American ideal? Unless they intend to go all Marcus Garvey, black people in America have a vested interest in the success of our bold egalitarian experiment. Let's build up America. Let's ensure that our nation lives up to its valiant principles.

@2: I'm with you on that.
27
@23: Lets see how important this seems and how much people still care in a couple weeks, shall we?

The 24 hour news cycle is a hungry, demanding beast, you know.

No one is even talking about Ryan Lochte anymore, you think anyone is going to give a crap about this goober not standing for the anthem outside of their initial outrage requirements for the day?
28
How about This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie, it's a great song, easy to sing, celebrates our nation, Plus for a while Woody Guthrie was a Merchant Seafarer and member of the National Maritime Union.
29
At the end of the year, Kaepernick will have been 'oppressed' to the tune of 19 million dollars.

#thestruggleisreal
30
The British did actually deliver freedom for slaves, in 1834. Defending America meant defending another 30 years of slavery. We were the bad guys from 1776 through 1854, at least.
31
It's one of the worst National Anthems in the Western World. You have to be an opera singer to do it justice, but most people can't even mumble through it. The poetic 18th-century-style lyrics don't help much, either. Every other nation's anthem I've heard sung at a sporting event or medal ceremony had their people singing along happily and heartily if not always musically.

We definitely need a better anthem.
32
This was a section in "January" of HST's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.

I fucking hate reruns.
33
@27

Thank you for the brilliant insight about the speed of the news cycle. I guess you live outside of Washington state, but here on the west coast, we use a form of English where saying no one gives a shit is not synonymous with a prediction about something several weeks into the future.
34
@28 I'm with you for all the reasons stated. Additionally, it doesn't bring God into the mix.
35
Mrs duRay - I recall hearing a bit of flap over that one's unsung verse as well.

I'm reminded of how I recently heard some anti-feminists who know very little about literature claiming that Miss Austen was undeserving of appearing on the ten pound note and was only chosen because they were looking for a woman - any woman, and she was the best known.
36
@33: You do understand that things like this fade away because after the initial manufactured outrage/virtue signaling cycle, no one has anything else to say, as no one actually cares, because it does not matter a toss, right?

People sit for the anthem all the time, and no one seemed to even care when he sat for the first two games. Now why do you think that was? How influential to our society do you think crappy QBs actually are?

Maybe we can talk to Ryan Leaf about the Chinese economy, or maybe Case Keenum can weigh in on the TPP.
37
Just stand. You don't even have to sing. Do something substantial if you truly want change. Donate your salary to a worthy cause. Start a foundation for at-risk teens or something. Sitting down is just a passive aggressive, lazy protest by a shit QB making more money than he's worth.

Please wait...

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