NFL National Anthem Controversy

[Maddy]

If they had any sense at all, they'd be protesting the transnational corporate elites and their whores in Congress and the Pentagon who, by the way, just got caught with their pants down while engaged in a signature economic raid of the African continent. These elites have no allegiance to the United States and have nothing to do with American culture, with the Constitution, or with free enterprise--or with America at all up until a few decades ago. They clearly aren't acting in the interest of the American people.

So when these 250-pound children start grandstanding around the National Anthem, they simply show the world how really stupid they are.

[farjean2]

So when these 250-pound children start grandstanding around the National Anthem, they simply show the world how really stupid they are.

Exactly.

And isn't that big Afro that Colin Kaepernick (who started it all) wears really cool? What I want to know is how the heck you stuff all that hair inside a football helmet. They probably had to make him a special one to accommodate it. And did you ever see anyone with so many tattoos? Haven't seen anything like it since I was in the Navy and one of my shipmates got a tattoo in every port we visited. At least he can chalk it up to being drunk. I've heard that all of Kaepernick's tattoos are Bible verses because he's a devout Christian.

I'm hearing that Roger Goodell is trying to figure out a way to solve the problem by letting the players make their protests in another forum. Maybe it will be something like when they have all the players wear pink shoes to raise awareness for breast cancer, or maybe we'll be treated to commercials that give the players time to express their views which is something else they are talking about. I'm sure that will go over big. They'll just have to hope the viewers return to the broadcast after changing the channel.

[Maddy]

And if you dug into it a bit, I bet you'd find that the same multinational corporations whose vast array of subsidiaries own everything else in the western hemisphere own the NFL players as well. But you aren't hearing anybody protesting about being bought and sold by the elites when those multi-million-dollar contracts are being signed.

So the odd takeaway is this: It's okay to be a slave so long as you're a rich and famous one.

[farjean2]

And if you dug into it a bit, I bet you'd find that the same multinational corporations whose vast array of subsidiaries own everything else in the western hemisphere own the NFL players as well. But you aren't hearing anybody protesting about being bought and sold by the elites when those multi-million-dollar contracts are being signed.

So the odd takeaway is this: It's okay to be a slave so long as you're a rich and famous one.

Just returned from a vacation in Australia and one observation I have to make about the country is that I have never been in a country where the ubiquitous presence of McDonald's was so overwhelming. In almost every small town we passed through on a driving tour from Sydney to see the Great Barrier reef, the only local cuisine they had to offer was McDonald's. Occasionally we found "Hungry Jack's" which is actually Burger King and, if it was a bigger town, there might be a KFC. My brother in law told me that the reason for this was because they came into the country years ago and put the local restaurants out of business by offering lowering prices and then raised them when they had accomplished their goal. I didn't want to get into a big discussion with him about it but I did suggest that maybe raising the country-wide minimum wage to $15 an hour might have had something to do with it.

I really don't like seeing this but all I can say is that at least the empires of McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC don't have weapons of war to take each other out.

[farjean2]

Well, there you go.....

https://pagesix.com/2017/10/24/colin-ka ... book-deal/

Mr. Kaepernick is going to be given a forum to finally tell us all how he really feels.

Only in America, the land of opportunity.

[geaux saints]

As long as the Saints keep winning all is right in the world.

Green Bay aint so good without their QB. WhoDat.

You're telling me! Still way closer of a game than it should've been. WhoDat.

On topic:

I guess I've never really had a problem with the anthem protests, in large part because I find the playing of the national anthem to be creepy. As long as they don't use violence to get their message across, who cares? What would Harry Browne say about the protests?

[farjean2]

P.S. - for the record, when I first saw Colin Kaepernick break onto the scene I thought he was a unique talent. During the playoffs that year I think he set a record in one game for the most yards ever gained rushing by a quarterback and not just in the playoffs but in any game ever. When the 49'ers made the Super Bowl I was rooting for him and was disappointed when the final play of the game, in which he could have won it, didn't turn out so well.

Now that he's decided to channel his uniqueness in another direction I wish him well. Apparently he's decided it has nothing to do with football any more.

Well, there you go.....

https://pagesix.com/2017/10/24/colin-ka ... book-deal/

Mr. Kaepernick is going to be given a forum to finally tell us all how he really feels.

Only in America, the land of opportunity.

[Kriegsspiel]

His afro is dope as fuck; truly a next level anti-concussion maneuver.

[farjean2]

I don't really get out much, but even *I* know that tattoos are a thing these days.

Yeah, but tattoos of Bible verses covering almost every inch of your upper body? I doubt that's a thing.

You probably don't see this one any where.....

"'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:28 New International Version)

So before flipping the finger to NFL fans, he even did it to Yahweh.

[Xan]

Most of those Levitical laws are considered to be ceremonial, that is, intended to set the Jewish people apart, preserving their culture and bloodlines until ultimately the Messiah arrived through them.

Christ fulfilled all the law, both moral and ceremonial, but the moral law still binds our sinful flesh. The ceremonial law, its purpose achieved, is no longer binding.

[Xan]

Is this anything other than a complete win for Trump?

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2358 ... hem-policy

[moda0306]

Is this anything other than a complete win for Trump?

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2358 ... hem-policy

Really scraping the bottom of the barrel now, aren't we...

[Mountaineer]

Is this anything other than a complete win for Trump?

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2358 ... hem-policy

Off the subject but both my ad blockers showed 288 ads blocked and 6 trackers on this ESPN webpage. That is a record by far of webpages I have visited.

Ad Block Plus and uBlock Origin on Chrome.

[moda0306]

Is this anything other than a complete win for Trump?

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2358 ... hem-policy

Really scraping the bottom of the barrel now, aren't we...

How is that not a win for Trump? He made that an almost personal agenda.

And how is that bottom of the barrel? Because you don't care about the NFL or you just won't allow Trump any credit for anything?

"A win for Trump" is a pretty vague term. It is a win for him, I suppose, to the degree his sheep will want to give him credit for this and that they believe it's a good thing and worthy of continued fawning praise, or that people on the fence might be pulled more his direction.

"Bottom of the barrel" refers to the unimportance of the issue.

I'm sorry to be such an @ss. I promise, when Kathy Griffin wins the Dem nomination and becomes President, I'll be equally critical.

[Xan]

I don't think the "bottom of the barrel" criticism applies here. This isn't the Trump thread, it's the NFL National Anthem Controversy thread. I didn't say "this happened, so Trump is the greatest ever".

But it is definitely a win for him. Maybe some are fawning, I don't know. But I do know that Trump was excoriated by the media and by seemingly most of the NFL for daring to say such an outrageous thing as get that guy who's kneeling off the field. And now that outrageous thing is the official policy. Because it isn't and wasn't outrageous in the first place.

[hardlawjockey]

I don't think the "bottom of the barrel" criticism applies here. This isn't the Trump thread, it's the NFL National Anthem Controversy thread. I didn't say "this happened, so Trump is the greatest ever".

But it is definitely a win for him. Maybe some are fawning, I don't know. But I do know that Trump was excoriated by the media and by seemingly most of the NFL for daring to say such an outrageous thing as get that guy who's kneeling off the field. And now that outrageous thing is the official policy. Because it isn't and wasn't outrageous in the first place.

I rank Colin Kapernick's actions right up there with the Buddhist monks in Vietnam who were setting themselves on fire in Saigon while I was in high school. An American eventually followed suit and torched himself right in front of the pentagon while his daughter was watching.

Okay, Mr. Kapernick, I can see that you want Americans to feel your pain even though you are a professional athlete with a multi-million dollar salary the rest of us can only dream of.

But I don't think those Buddhist monks or the idiot in front of the Pentagon did a damn thing to end the war. So the moral of the lesson, as far as I can see it, is stop being a f***ing idiot and figure out a better way to get your point across if you feel that strongly about it.

[moda0306]

I don't think the "bottom of the barrel" criticism applies here. This isn't the Trump thread, it's the NFL National Anthem Controversy thread. I didn't say "this happened, so Trump is the greatest ever".

But it is definitely a win for him. Maybe some are fawning, I don't know. But I do know that Trump was excoriated by the media and by seemingly most of the NFL for daring to say such an outrageous thing as get that guy who's kneeling off the field. And now that outrageous thing is the official policy. Because it isn't and wasn't outrageous in the first place.

I rank Colin Kapernick's actions right up there with the Buddhist monks in Vietnam who were setting themselves on fire in Saigon while I was in high school. An American eventually followed suit and torched himself right in front of the pentagon while his daughter was watching.

Okay, Mr. Kapernick, I can see that you want Americans to feel your pain even though you are a professional athlete with a multi-million dollar salary the rest of us can only dream of.

But I don't think those Buddhist monks or the idiot in front of the Pentagon did a damn thing to end the war. So the moral of the lesson, as far as I can see it, is stop being a f***ing idiot and figure out a better way to get your point across if you feel that strongly about it.

What action could a Vietnamese monk take to have the maximum affect on public American awareness about the war? Or a poor American?

I think those were likely were actions that maximized their individual impact on the war. I find that sort of suicide repellent on a visceral level, but that's more out of fear of pain than anything... and they didn't light others on fire.

Were they stupid? Perhaps... if their desired outcome was personal comfort.

[Maddy]

A generation that has been schooled in nihilism goes to comical lengths to stand for something. Too bad they still don't get it.

[hardlawjockey]

I don't think the "bottom of the barrel" criticism applies here. This isn't the Trump thread, it's the NFL National Anthem Controversy thread. I didn't say "this happened, so Trump is the greatest ever".

But it is definitely a win for him. Maybe some are fawning, I don't know. But I do know that Trump was excoriated by the media and by seemingly most of the NFL for daring to say such an outrageous thing as get that guy who's kneeling off the field. And now that outrageous thing is the official policy. Because it isn't and wasn't outrageous in the first place.

I rank Colin Kapernick's actions right up there with the Buddhist monks in Vietnam who were setting themselves on fire in Saigon while I was in high school. An American eventually followed suit and torched himself right in front of the pentagon while his daughter was watching.

Okay, Mr. Kapernick, I can see that you want Americans to feel your pain even though you are a professional athlete with a multi-million dollar salary the rest of us can only dream of.

But I don't think those Buddhist monks or the idiot in front of the Pentagon did a damn thing to end the war. So the moral of the lesson, as far as I can see it, is stop being a f***ing idiot and figure out a better way to get your point across if you feel that strongly about it.

What action could a Vietnamese monk take to have the maximum affect on public American awareness about the war? Or a poor American?

I think those were likely were actions that maximized their individual impact on the war. I find that sort of suicide repellent on a visceral level, but that's more out of fear of pain than anything... and they didn't light others on fire.

Were they stupid? Perhaps... if their desired outcome was personal comfort.

The Buddhist monks weren't actually protesting the war, just the American puppet government in Saigon's preference for Catholicism and their discrimination against Buddhists. I suspect they didn't believe they would actually fare better under the communist regime, and how that eventually played out I don't really know.

The guy who torched himself in front of his daughter across from the Pentagon was a Christian.

I have no idea what was in their minds but I tend to chalk it up to the religious idea of redemptive sacrifice and suffering, though I wasn't aware that was so deeply embedded in Buddhism. As an atheist not expecting any kind of reward in an afterlife, the whole thing seems incomprehensible.

Maybe it's wrong to think of Mr. Kapernick's actions as the same type of self-immolation but he had to know there was going to be a price to pay for it, unless he really was stupid which it doesn't sound like he was. Despite the tattoos and hair he sounds like a very intelligent man. And those tattoos were all Bible verses so there may very well have been some kind of religious motivation involved.

He had one interview with another them that I know of but would not commit to standing during the national anthem so now he's suing the NFL for "collusion" among the owners to keep him unemployed. Try going on an interview and not being willing to commit to your boss that you won't do anything to embarrass the company and see how that works in the real world.

So maybe he is stupid, after all.