Most US Vets Don't Get What's Really Sacred

[Seraphina]

Freedom of speech for all, not just those we agree with or in the manner we like.

So far, I haven't heard any compelling argument why Kaepernick shouldn't sit down if he chooses. It's just spittle-flecked tirades with "He's just a punk and he should leave the country if he doesn't like it here!!" Not a convincing argument for telling him to stand up.

What's interesting is that he's doubling down on his protests now. He's wrecked his pro football career but I suppose there are bigger things at stake here.
The local news is counting down until the start of the next game tonight - will he sit down again tonight? We'll find out in 35 minutes!

Protest as entertainment for the masses.

[Thumpalumpacus]

When I served, most people wouldn't be caught dead outside during colors to avoid standing at attention and saluting the flag for a couple moments.

Yeah, we made sure we weren't out and about, even on days off, on base during Retreat. You had to stop and literally face the music, had to do the rigamarole ... Jeez, I swore my ass, wasn't that good enough?

[AFTT47]

When I served, most people wouldn't be caught dead outside during colors to avoid standing at attention and saluting the flag for a couple moments.

Yeah, we made sure we weren't out and about, even on days off, on base during Retreat. You had to stop and literally face the music, had to do the rigamarole ... Jeez, I swore my ass, wasn't that good enough?

Yeah, that was funny! Look around about 10 minutes before Retreat and you see a bustling mob. Look around 1 minute before retreat and it's a ghost town. Everyone has ducked into whatever edifice they can find - even if it's a porta-john - to avoid the ritual of standing at attention and saluting the flag. I always found that funny as hell!

I guess I underestimated how many good vets are out there though as Min's post indicated. At least some vets do get it and are vocal.

I salute the people who use free speech to help make a difference. That's what I'm proud to have served to protect.

[Thumpalumpacus]

It is a little odd to see people get riled up over protesting regarding the flag or national anthem, when one of the first things those things are supposed to stand for is the freedom to protest.

From my perspective using national symbols as a means of protest is the clumsy use of a blunt instrument. A national symbol represents the nation as a whole, i.e. everything for which it stands. Even if someone has a legitimate gripe with a specific policy issue it doesn't make sense to disrespect the symbol that also stands for more important and fundamental things. Does it really make sense to express yourself by reviling the very symbol of free expression?

What if the policy they are protesting marches under that flag? What if the government they're protesting appeals to that flag even as it behaves contradictory to its symbolized principles? You can fetishize a symbol all you want. Me, I'll cotton to the proverb I heard in Iran -- the finger pointing at the Moon is not the Moon.

I think using national symbols as tools of protest is a natural way of saying "I disagree with what this country is doing", or "I disagree with the direction this country is headed". What symbols would you suggest in such cases?

[Minimalist]

From my perspective using national symbols as a means of protest is the clumsy use of a blunt instrument.

Dense people don't do nuance very well.  Sometimes you need to smack them in the face.