• strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_argument::init() should be compatible with views_handler::init(&$view, $options) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/handlers/views_handler_argument.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_filter::options_validate() should be compatible with views_handler::options_validate($form, &$form_state) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/handlers/views_handler_filter.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_filter::options_submit() should be compatible with views_handler::options_submit($form, &$form_state) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/handlers/views_handler_filter.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_filter_node_status::operator_form() should be compatible with views_handler_filter::operator_form(&$form, &$form_state) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/modules/node/views_handler_filter_node_status.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.

NFL players were within their rights

Even if one’s preference Sunday afternoon was to turn off the TV and enjoy one of the last truly hot and steamy days of 2017, one still could not avoid being bombarded by the publicity of the NFL players show of solidarity by locking arms, kneeling or hiding in a tunnel during the playing of the National Anthem.
Of course, this all started weeks ago when an NFL player knelt during the National Anthem in protest of what he felt was unfair treatment of police officers toward people of color.
The issue was exacerbated when President Donald Trump “tweeted” that players who engage in such behavior should be fired by team owners.
As members of the press we, of course, staunchly defend the freedom of speech and of the press, two of the predicating factors on which our country was founded. And we defend that right even when the speaker or the message is personally offensive to us.
Many will recall that a couple of decades ago, the Ku Klux Klan came to the forefront of media exposure when it requested a parade permit to allow it to march through the streets of Skokie, Illinois, a neighborhood predominantly populated with people of Hebrew descent.
Although many found, and still find, the politics of the Klan to be repugnant, many vigorously defended its right to peacefully assemble.
Many also find the actions of the NFL players who took to their knees to be offensive, but it is their right to do so. It’s what those emblems of America — the National Anthem and the American Flag — represent.
That doesn’t mean we have to feel good about it. And maybe that’s the point, to goad us out of our comfort zone and consider their issues with our country.
The gestures and Trump’s Tweet sparked a flurry of reaction, which was the desired effect.
But gestures are meaningless without actions to back them up. The flag and the National Anthem were born with this country’s early beginnings. They represent those early settlers who, fed up with England’s taxation without representation government, fled to a new country. They represent those who shed blood to establish this country’s independence and those who shed blood to defend it, and the rights and freedoms of those abroad. They represent those lawmakers, politicians, philosophers, and patriots who drafted our consitution and crafted our representative form of government.
Those on-field gestures would be best served by actions off the field. While the national media jumped on who knelt and who didn’t, who said what about it, and social media was flooded with comments, memes and even more gestures, we were left wondering — what is being done off the field?
Are these athletes putting time and effort into changing lives in their communities, trying to ease racial tensions or giving their neighbor a helping hand up? Or are they making their gesture, then returning home to laze in their lounger or the hot tub and watch the ensuing media storm.
Gestures without actions are meaningless. If you want to change the world, get up on your feet and do something.