On Friday, Donald Trump called Colin Kaepernick and any (black) football player kneeling during the National Anthem a “son of a bitch.” Trump said they should be fired from the NFL, and if the NFL refused to fire all of the black players with opinions, then his Deplorables should boycott the NFL. He wasn’t done. On Sunday, these were some of his tweets:
If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their National Anthem or their Country. NFL should change policy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Trump literally tweeted about the NFL all f–king weekend. There wasn’t one tweet about Puerto Rico and the thousands of American citizens in desperate situations. Because this is his priority. As you might have been able to tell from the increasingly unhinged vibe from the tweets, the reaction during all of Sunday’s football games were not what Trump was expecting. Some of the reactions (compiled by Deadspin): many of the Denver Broncos took a knee, at least 10 Saints sat during the anthem, a group of Miami Dolphins took a knee, most of the New England Patriots took a knee, with Tom Brady standing and locking arms with other players. Almost all of the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in their locker room for the anthem. Almost all of the Oakland Raiders stayed seated. At least two of singers performing the anthem at two different football games actually took a knee as they sang too.
So what did Bigly have to say about all of this? He spoke to reporters on Sunday and said this:
“We have great people representing our country, especially our soldiers, our first responders, and they should be treated with respect,” Trump said when asked about his comments by a group of reporters. “And when you get on your knee and you don’t respect the America flag or the anthem, that’s not being treated with respect.”
When a reporter asked asked the president if he is “inflaming racial tensions,” he replied: “This has nothing to do with race. I never said anything about race. This has nothing to do with race or anything else. This has to do with respect for our country and respect for our flag.”
The idea that people should just blindly have “respect” for the flag but not for the lives, the dreams, the hopes, the anger and the work of actual flesh-and-blood Americans is a bit rich. And of course this has everything to do with race. Neo-Nazi-in-Chief doth protest too much. If every football player in the NFL looked like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers and half of them were protesting some injustice or inequality, the conversation around all of this would be completely different. Jelani Cobb has an excellent piece on this for the New Yorker – “Ungrateful As the New Uppity.” The truth is that Trump is not alone – there are many people who are flabbergasted that successful black people have the audacity to, like, say that America isn’t a perfect country, and that there are still huge issues that we need to grapple with. Let’s not forget this too: Kaepernick’s protest was originally about police violence against communities of color. That’s what all of this has been about from the start.
Rico Lavelle sang the anthem AND took a knee pic.twitter.com/mgno4HCzZQ
— Jasmine (@JasmineLWatkins) September 24, 2017
Proudest & scariest moment as a yellow-jacket happened at the same time. Thank you @Kaepernick7 for inspiring to #TakeAKnee to take a stand pic.twitter.com/iJVqHEpWx0
— Issa Rai (@freeSPIRIT_5678) September 24, 2017
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Listen the anthem: racist
The constitution: never included my ancestors
So yea F the flag and anthem. I stopped standing for it after a great discussion we had about civil discourse in the 8th grade. Never stood in hs except on 9/11 for the moment of silence. Trump used coded racial language and all of the sudden owners are pretending to side with the players (when they gave to trump). We see you too.
And Kaep’s protest is not about the dump flag. People stop watering down the significance of what he kneeled for which is police brutality.
When one of those owners hires Kaepernick that would be more impressive.
Agreed
If the national anthem means so much to Trump, why didn’t he insist it be sung at the Women’s US Open, which was held at his club?
+1 Megan
And since when does the president of the US tell private companies who they should fire? Dictatorship much? Communism much? This man wants to start a race war just to distract from the Muller investigation, his incompetence at working on a health care bill or his inability to protect us from starting the next WWIII. As soon as Facebook turned in the evidence last week I knew he would have to change the subject. Here we go again.
This from the guy who had to have his illegal immigrant wife remind him to place his hand over his heart during the anthem. CNN encouraged his behavior by firing all those whom disagreed with him. If he can’t be bothered to respect the private citizen, I don’t see why the private citizen should be bothered to respect him. And don’t say it’s because he won the election through treason and tampering from another dictator.
This also from the guy who dodged the draft five times. Didn’t feel like defending it then.
“since when does the president of the US tell private companies who they should fire?”
This is so very, very important.
This is the part of this story that raises 1st amendment concerns, IMO. When an employer punishes an employee for public behavior, that is one thing. When the government acts to sanction citizens for speaking, that is another. Trump, as a representative of the government, is trying to silence political speech. If a football player would be terminated after Trump’s comments, I wonder if they would have grounds for a lawsuit.
Greedy Donny doesn’t like free speech. He doesn’t like anything unless somebody has to pay him for it.
Make America Greedy Again.
i am nodding and clapping….thank you
Martin Luther King also took a knee.
MLK’s Daughter: People Didn’t Like How ‘My Father Protested Injustice Either’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernice-king-protests_us_59c885e0e4b0cdc773322542
Packers CEO realeased a sstatement supporting players for protesting. http://m.packers.com/news/article/statement-from-packers-president-ceo-mark-murphy-77a7005c-17a9-4a30-88af-bf2c19d5cb39
This is the remark that means something to me especially – Martin Luther King took a knee?! Logic is difficult – but put MLK on the cover, and there will be listeners.
On the other hand, this is simply “doublespeak”. I had to read George Orwell’s, “1984” in 1971 – I remember. We were required to cut out newspaper articles to illustrate this trend in society. I’ve never recorded such an Orwellian years as Donald Trump’s America. Such a story can never be covered in a medium such as a film. Children should be required to read this book and digest its unpleasant truths about human society and those who use power.
For that matter, why don’t we use anthropology to teach mathematics, science, and algebra? Even better, let’s also teach religion in this way!
I don’t agree with Trump at all. I’m genuinely curious: what is the coded racial language?
Trump stood before a predominantly white Alabama crowd and said:
“When people like yourselves turn on television and you see those people taking the knee when they’re playing our great national anthem,” Trump said. “
The use of the term “those people” has been used to refer to people of color for years as a way of singling them out.
Trump also talked about “them disrespecting our heritage” which is more coded language alluding to people of color not honoring and respecting white folks power and authority.
From CNN:
Trump insisted on Sunday night that “this has nothing to do with race.” But that simply doesn’t fly. The vast majority of the players in the NFL are black. Ditto the players in the NBA, whom Trump also went after over the weekend. Trump knows that. And he also knows that when he uses phrases such as “our heritage” to describe what’s allegedly under assault in the anthem protests, many of his supporters see that in racial terms. You don’t simply get to repeatedly flick at racial animus — in the campaign and as President — and then plead total innocence when those code words trigger a reaction
@I’mscaredashell. I cannot believe that! How could he say such loaded things? Absolutely terrible. Thank you for showing this and explaining. I am gobsmacked! Sickened
Also since slavery whenever Black people stand up for their right to be treated equally in this country, the racist put it as a choice between Black People and something else. One or the other not both. End slavery vs support honorary slave owners just trying to make a living. Allow Black children to go to public school vs. support our state police. Civil rights for non-Whites vs. support our troops. Stop the murder of unarmed Blackmen Vs. support the troops/police.
Yet, you never have allow big business to run the country vs. support the troops. Freedom to carry guns vs. support the troops (who usually don’t want civilians to go armed). Equal pay for equal work vs. support the troops.
It’s a slide of hands, a false equivalency. Your right to life, liberty, shopping and justice etc. has nothing to do with support the troops. But this is the trick that tacisys and some Republicans use to deny POC the same rights as Whites.
Sorry I’ve been running around today but I knew my fellow CBers would drop the knowledge.
And yes he’s been using this coded language since forever.
To be honest, that language is hardly coded. Unless someone’s REALLY not paying attention.
dear Americans
can you please tranquilize, gag and/or otherwise incapacitate your presidente in some way?
sincerely
the rest of the world
We wish.
Lying sack of sh*t. It had everything to do with race.
I hate him.
I do too. Deeply and neverending.
It sometimes has bothered me how much I hate him…not anymore. Lying, living, piece of sh*t.
I hate him so much I feel like my head is going to explode sometimes.
Me too. Have for almost three decades. He’s a turd.
Of course it is about race!! It all started with race and is still about race!!
We need to get this lunatic out of here – the 25th Amendment is way past due!
Sorry is this the same flag someone will be pulling out of their butt on a bikini bottom? Or someone will be cleaning the dishes with? Seriously I get the sentiment but is this insane obsession with respect for the flag peculiar to the US?
There is an image of a white red neck at a Trump rally wearing a flag she cut holes into in order to drap it around her. But she’s white so desecrating the flag is A ok to the Nazis.
The United States Flag Code prohibits a lot of things.
Including:
– The flag should not be used as “wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery”, or for covering a speaker’s desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general (exception for coffins). Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes.
– The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed, or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
So how many of those rednecks complaining about “ungrateful black millionaires” not supporting the flag have American flags hung as curtains in their houses? Or use stars and stripes paper plates at cook outs? I don’t recall an uproar when Kid Rock wore an American flag poncho. I see plenty of hicks at these games with their ballcaps on during the anthem.
Let’s not pretend this is about respecting the flag. Let’s acknowledge this is coded language for “those uppity blacks better behave themselves”.
Except they wouldn’t use the word ” blacks”.
Brunswickstoval: it can’t just be an American thing. We have the same thing here in Australia. The rules for flag use here are pretty much the same as GiBee stated. Yet, we have the bikinis, singlets, t-shirts, hats, board shorts, towels, disposable drink cups, serviettes, paper plates, stickers, temporary tattoos…and they’re not just trotted out for Australia Day. So is there some sign of reverence I should show to the racist coffee guy who comes to my work because his shirt and coffee van are emblazoned with the Aussie flag and he has a big Southern Cross tattoo on his arm, right next to the tattoo of the Eureka flag (mm-hm. Work that one out)?
What Goon45 needs to remember is that there is no “country” without its people – ALL its people. Without its people, it’s just a lump of land. GRRRRR! I hate him.
@AnnaKist, is there any chance you could explain the significance of an Aussie flag, Southern Cross, and Eureka flag together that would be shocking? Google tells me that the Eureka flag represents anti-establishment, and non-conformists, and also democracy and unity, Is the problem due to White Nationalists appropriating the flag?
Oh, sure, Donald. The same way sunrise has nothing to do with daybreak.
…and the same way Trump’s Birther plot wasn’t about Obama’s race.
I think that kneeling for the anthem in response to police brutality is a somewhat confusing protest symbol, simply because most people see that as a sign of respect to the veterans and those who have fought for the country. However, I also understand that the goal is protesting against America in general and our inability to recognize that racism and police brutality are huge issue, and that he was protesting in the most visible way his platform allowed. At this point, I wish that every player would kneel especially the white players to show true solidarity. Standing with locked arms is great and all, but it sends a different message.
So many veterans have come forward with support because they understand that they fought for rights not for flag.
The flag and the anthem do not just represent veterans.
THANK YOU!!!!!!! Love you lightpurple
I didn’t say that it only represents veterans. Nor did I say that veterans are the ones upset about people standing. I said that most people, at least the ones I’ve heard complaining, are upset because they view it as disrespectful to our veterans and current soldiers. I didn’t even say that that’s MY personal opinion, guys! which, FYI, it isn’t.
# 45 tweeted in February 28, 2011 @ 8:14 pm – that “Burning the flag is a peaceful and respectful way for a citizen to voice their displeasure, very powerful”. Now he’s saying kneeling is “disrespectful”, but burning is “respectful”. The man is 😜.
BNA- that’s a fake Trump tweet.
Hope you’re right Rapunzel, thank you. Howard stern released 15 hours of his tapes today, bet we are going to hear him contradicts himself a hundred times.
the national anthem is not an ode to the military and the flag is not a symbol of the armed forces. the goal isn’t to protest america “in general” it is specifically to protest police brutality against people of color and unjust racial discrimination by law enforcement. i do agree though that locking arms is conflating the purpose of the protest and is usurping the spotlight to simply protest trump’s words. white players should have taken a knee to stand in solidarity.
I agree that the locking arms is confusing, it struck me as sort of a “half measure,” not fully committing out of fear of blowback, maybe.
Not only that, but Trump sees locking arms as supporting the flag and anthem. At least that is what I get out of this tweet: “Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. “
I literally mentioned racism and police brutality. it is also a protest against a country that allows these issues to occur – ie. America, in general.
On my FB feed today, players standing and locking arms is definitely being interpreted as “anti-kneeling.” Tons of hearts and flags for the Panthers who didn’t kneel and are seen as pro-Trump by their FB fans. Ugh. Also lots of pro-NASCAR posts after NASCAR came out against kneeling. NASCAR fans are still okay with confederate flags though.
This is a really great sentiment from someone who watched, listened, and cared to learn about the protest. I wish more people would stop yelling about “unity” and start actually listening to what others are trying to say.
No one fights for a piece of material or a song. Even if you do buy into the fighting for our freedom stuff (hard to back up in reality) they definitely didn’t fight for the flag or anthem.
The anthem is a specifically racist one. It is played (at competitions where everyone is American which is just weird) to drum up nationalistic fervour for a specifically racist country which, coast to coast, refuses to punish police brutality and frankly terrorism. Refusing stand for it is a very clear symbol.
So much about our patriotism confuses me. In grade school we performed the Pledge of Allegiance daily, and it seemed like no big deal. But as an adult, I didn’t see much difference between what I did, and images of the Soviet children saluting their own flag. The flag is simply a symbol of the people, yet Republicans seem to care more about the flag than our citizens.
B/c Trump has jumped in w/ his opinion , this has turned into people are protesting him NOT what the initial protest was about which was police brutality and an unfair justice system. That is being lost here. It’s really bothering me because the initial point isn’t even being addressed. It’s just turned into a circus. Meanwhile cops are STILL murdering unarmed citizens and getting acquitted and in some states are considered a protected class. It’s disheartening.
Kneeling was an outgrowth of remaining seated (rather than standing, as is traditionally done when the national anthem is played). The first protest involved remaining seated, I think. So kneeling doesn’t seem to be misinterpreted, it’s an alternative to staying seated (that has the advantage of not requiring a chair).
Not sure about locking arms, but I personally can’t kneel without a whole lotta pain so … Brady locked arms and he might be on the fence about this, but not really sure about the rest. When one of the owners did it, it was definitely in solidarity with the kneelers.
Bigot (auto correct for Bigly) has divided the country with his cultural war. This is what Russia wants. Putin has surely gotten his money’s worth and then some!
I’m too tired to keep arguing with these people because they’re going to remain racist no matter what. My only response to bums like Trump is this: if it really is about respect and honoring the flag AND ONLY about the flag, then where was your outrage when folks were marching with the confederate flag? Exactly.
It was so disheartening reading my FB (that I am only back on for hurricanes updates) and seeing the indignation of people upset at the “nerve of these football players disrespecting our flag.” All of this because they are so blind to the inherent racism in this country with the police depts and criminal justice system. And they are claiming patriotism while sticking up for a five time draft dodger who attacks war veterans and Gold Star families and is currently bankrupting and not paying the Secret Service.
I wish I had the guts to just delete my facebook at this point because the negativity and the bad appear to outweigh the good anymore. I’m also very opinionated and find it hard to not impulsively post something when I see this administration do abhorrent stuff. I keep saying I haven’t done it because my kids’ daycare posts pictures of them, I get event notifications, etc. It’s like a horrible addiction and now it’s to the point where it’s just not fun, but I’m still compulsively engaging in it.
They were some very fine people according to the day-glo dictator wannabe.
I just call them Trump cult member Lizard Brains and move on.
Oh, so it isn’t about race? Then it must be about misogyny then because you called the mothers of NFL players “bitches.”
It is about race. It is about bigotry. It is about suppressing freedom. It is about Orange Voldy thinking he is an absolute monarch. It most certainly isn’t about the flag. The flag represents EVERYONE, not just the military or law enforcement.
Very good point. Whenever a man is called SOB, the one actually getting insulted is his mother not the man. A man cannot help it being the son of a bi**h. So yes that insult is gender linked and misogynist.
It shows how ingrained misogyny is in our culture that few people realize that.
you know he’s got a prejudice for everyone! you are sooo soooo right.
this is 100% **not** about the flag and 100% about the fact that powerful black men are standing up to powerful white men and white people don’t like it. trump doesn’t like when the attention isn’t on him and wants the “owners” (which is so f-ing racist it is not even coded language..he is literally saying the team owners “own” the players like slaves) to have more control over their black players. he and many others think that the black men in the NFL exist for our entertainment and as marketing tools. yes they make huge salaries but they sacrifice their bodies and mental health and risk years of their lives to do their jobs. they shouldn’t be grateful for the opportunity to play. these men devote their lives since childhood to work hard and push their bodies and minds to become elite athletes and earn such an elevated and coveted jobs. fuck the NFL and fuck trump.
That is such a smart observation!! He does talk about the “owners” like they own the players, like the slaves of earlier centuries.
And let’s just say this: he also whined about how boring the game is now, preferring the days when men got their brains scrambled by the hits. Trump wants this again, and since I just heard that the most vulnerable positions are played by black men, Trump wants more black men to get hit violently for his entertainment.
God, I despise him more than I have ever, every despised anyone.
Funny how it’s never about race but Trump only comments when it’s a black person who criticizes him. Funny no comment when most of the Patriots didn’t go to the White House including Brady but won’t stop complaining about Kaepernick and Curry. Funny thing is Trump brought the NFL together. The comments I hate most are the players are rich, what do they have to complain about? That’s the favorite comment of most white people.
He did comment with snide remarks about the Patriot players, including Brady, who didn’t go to the White House. Not on Twitter but he made comments while the team was there.
To be fair, there were plenty of black Patriots players who refused to go to WH. I think his silence in that particular situation was more about his friendship with Bill and less about the fact that Brady is a white dude. That being said, your point still stands that 45 has a real problem with black athletes and POC who are not Omarosa.
Or Ben Carson.
His infatuation with Brady continues. Dotard tweeted it’s ok to stand with arms locked, but not to take a knee. Guess which action the Pats chose?
Over a dozen Patriots players kneeled. Many of them have been protesting during the anthem for the past year, they just haven’t been kneeling. Devin McCourty is the team leader on this. McCourty has family in law enforcement and consulted with them last year about other ways to protest and did so in every game last season and other players, including Chris Long who is white, joined him. Yesterday, they opted to kneel with other team members standing with arms linked to show support for them.
So you’re just gonna ignore the 19 Patriots players who kneeled?
ETA: thanks, LP. The Pats are more than just Tom Brady, guys.
He had to comment that standing is okay because God forbid he critizizes his boo Tom Brady. Even though Brady (and I’m no fan) was standing arms linked with his teammate against him. Trump is such a coward. What are you doing for Puerto Rico Donald?
The problem is that it seems like the Pats star players are white, and they are perceived as a white team. It might have to do with Boston’s history. Brady was accepted into a country club that rejected Deval Patrick. It may seem like it isn’t connected, but it doesn’t help dispel that image. Then the alt-right claimed them and Brady’s MAGA hat, their connections to 45 and Brady’s public image, Kraft, etc.
Then it is hard to reverse that idea and assumptions ensue.
Brady tried to play it both ways. Linked his left arm, while he put his hand over his heart with this right.
I could be wrong here, but didn’t Trump tweet standing locked arms style is okay after what Brady did? Like I said I’m not a fan of Brady, I just think Trump was desperate to approve his idol Brady and can’t handle Brady criticizing him in any way. I mean even Robert Kraft issued a statement against him. All this is Trump throwing red meat to his base because of whatever the Russia investigation turns up and hello!!!! The people in Puerto Rico need help!!!!!
The Ravens and the Jaguars did that first. Brady and co did it later. I would love to see more white players take a knee though.
Mermaid, Trump did tweet that standing and locking arms was “ok.” As if he’s the arbiter of what form of peaceful protest is acceptable. Gah.
Did anyone see if Aaron Rodgers knelt? I saw he posted on Instagram a picture of Packers kneeling but I missed the start of the game. I’m a Packers fan so I’m really hoping he did kneel. I love that Lewis Hamilton did but really more white people need to take a knee.
@esmom
I know Trump tweeted it was okay to stand arms locked. I’m just saying it seemed to me he tweeted that right after Brady did it. And I agree with Megan Brady tried to play it both ways. I’m just pointing the (countless) insecurity on Trump’s part. He cannot let it be perceived Brady could be even half heartedly criticizing him.
I don’t think he understood that the linked arms was in solidarity with the kneelers (to be honest it was a bit vague) the way he phrased it sounds more like he thought they were supporting *him* – of course that may just be his illiteracy.
@Mermaid, Aaron Rodgers did kneel & Brady reposted the picture of Rodgers kneeling with words of support.
Magnoliarose, people are going to perceive what they want. You yourself just brought up the MAGA hat. Trump sent those stupid hats to every player on the team. The locker room was full of them on that day and only on that day. They were all gone the next day. All of them, including the one at Brady’s “locker” (they aren’t actual lockers) and he was never seen wearing it. Brady has never endorsed anyone and Trump was not the first to try for that endorsement. As far as “friendship” goes, Brady is much closer with the Shriver family & they’re hardly conservatives. Yes, several of the key Patriots offense, guys who score, are white (Brady, Gostkowski, Gronk, Edelman, Amendola) but the defensive stars like McCourty, Hightower, Butler and Cheung aren’t. Former Patriots Vince Wilfork, Randy Moss, Lagarrette Blount, Willie McGuinnest, Ty Law, Troy Brown, Jerrod Mayo, Lawyer Malloy are all deeply loved by Patriots fans. Mayo’s daughter & Wilfork’s wife Bianca even have fan followings.
I actually find it bothersome that so much focus is on Brady on this issue. Yes, he’s one of the team leaders but only one of several. McCourty and Hightower are also team leaders and they have lead on this issue. To insist on Brady leading on this marginalizes them.
As for whether everyone should kneel, guys wearing knee braces, as many in the NFL do, probably shouldn’t or can’t kneel.
@lightpurple
I’m not trying to ignore the other players on the team. I was specifically curious about Tom Brady just because he’s one of the few people Trump has never attacked and instead praised repeatedly. I was pleasantly surprised by his interview this morning where he called the remarks divisive as he should have done all along. Waiting for the dotard tweet going after Tom and Dale Jr. Or he could, you know, send the Navy to help Puerto Rico. Just so we don’t talk about Jared’s email scandal or Steve Bannon trying to infiltrate Facebook.
Pretty sure Trump shot a bird while talking about Kraft. It was such a childish reaction, he actually did the whole—wipe the sweat off your forehead, then switch to a bird thing—If you haven’t seen it, please google it.
BTW, I’m not ignoring the Pats who bent a knee… Just showing my ignorance from skimming headlines. Apologies to the players. So… the arm linkers? For or against taking a knee?
Lightpurple- interesting observation that players with knee braces might not be able to kneel. I immediately thought of linked arms as related to not being able to kneel because I can’t myself, but hadn’t thought about players using protective gear and being in the same boat as wimpy pain-averse me.
Brady wanted it both ways, standing w his hand on his heart, but locked arms with the others. He also belongs to a traditionally racist country club. I don’t get it. Aren’t his children 1/2 South American, a group that Trump would’t let in the door if they came knocking?
Brady came out with a stronger statement today. I bet Gisele hit him over the head with a shoe tonight.
@lightpurple and mermaid
No, Rodgers did not kneel. He posted a photo of himself and other players kneeling (from practice or so), but at the game the Packers locked arms and three knelt.
He recently said that he supports the protest, both the message and the act of protest.
Donald Trump’s inappropriate, insulting, vulgar tweets have everything to do with race. If the players would have been white he would not have called them out much less call them sons of bitches.
Donald Trump is such a racist vulgarian jerk. He is a vicious bully who must always be right and have the last say. So deplorable.
Nazis = fine people
I really don’t think I need to say anything else with regards to Trump’s opinion.
Moronic. The militarization of sports and making following orders the litmus test of your Americaness? Slapping your hand over your heart before a game is primarily virtue signaling posturing. I bet many people fall in line precisely because they are afraid to be perceived negatively, it has nothing to do with sincerity. I wish people, fans in the stands, will protest this idiot by sitting down, not singing. Honor the bill of rights, not authoritarianism.
Agree. I think what people are doing is awesome. They are making a statement in a nonviolent way, and are not intimidated by the orange asshole.
Amen to everything you said. The fact that Trump decided to weigh in and dig his heels in without having any inkling about what these protests are truly about just kills me.
I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until I paid attention to the Monday Night Football song lyrics. So heavily military:
“Well it’s Monday night
And we’re ready to strike!
Our Special Forces are in full flight
We’re coming by air and on the ground
Monday night football’s takin over the town
We gotta get ready, we gotta get right
It’s gonna be a battle in the NFL tonight…”
“Now they’re ready for Hank and across the land
The boys in the trenches, the fans in the stands…”
“Slapping your hand over your heart before a game is primarily virtue signaling posturing. I bet many people fall in line precisely because they are afraid to be perceived negatively, it has nothing to do with sincerity.” This. The way these symbols are given more importance than actual people is very uncomfortable.
I’d imagine a big part the reason he said that is several owners, many far wealthier than him, gave statements against him vs going the NASCAR owner route. Bigly was probably flabbergasted there wasn’t a mass “You’re fired” across the NFL yesterday. Yes, the NFL owners did it probably more out of their bottom line than any sort of solidarity, but they also could have said nothing. Bigly doesn’t give a crap about military or first responders, but people who could impact his company bottom line, different story.
Why is there such a fetishistic adoration for the flag in the States?
I get the symbolism of the verse about the flag still flying over the ramparts blah blah but the actual piece of fabric?
And for that matter why do sports need to be so politicised by anthem/troops etc.
Sports is sports.
As an athlete you shouldn’t have to worship your nation and show your patriotism every time you play a game.
Bizarre.
I wonder if the national anthem had become anything but the Star Spangled Banner it might be different.
I don’t get it either. Especially because so many don’t seem to grasp the basic function of symbols. It’s not the symbol itself you respect, it’s what it stands for that’s important. That’s its entire function. To symbolize *insert randon sh*t here*. So when it stands for something you don’t respect, you reject it.
Which is why “You can protest what it stands for but respect the flag.” is the dumbest sh*t I’ve ever heard.
I’m an American and did a term in the Navy. It’s ridiculous and I’m over it. As a white woman, I had no idea how racist so many Americans are. But this past year has really shown me.
Those athletes are not entitled, they have talent and worked hard, they did not get it handed to them. Entitled would be Ivanka. Most kids playing sports do it for the scholarship to college. Trump sickens me and I’m so sick of people with their false patriotism. If you were a true Patriot, you would care about your fellow citizens. I’m losing some love for America
Snowflake, thank you for your service!! And today I told a coworker that I think American really does suck, but then I remembered at least 60% of us DESPISE this vile monster Trump, and we will defeat him and work for righteousness.
I honestly don’t understand it either. I’m a proud American, but the reverence we’re expected to show an inanimate object and a song is bizarre. As others have mentioned its really just virtue signaling. The obsession with the flag has always reminded me a bit of the Nazi rallies in the 30s. Obviously no where near as bad, but the pressure to conform and prove how patriotic you are is similar.
Blind Patriotism helps these people put their blinders on to injustices against minorities. OMGGGGG THE STATUES you’re erasing our history!!! HERITAGE NOT HATE!!! You are disrespecting our flag and anthem!!! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT THE VETERANS!!!
Followed by… Slavery happened a long time ago they need to get over it, the Irish were slaves too, the blacks need to go help police their own neighborhoods and stop killing each other.
ALL OF THIS!!!
Kids over here get indoctrinated at a very young age to start “falling in line” by reciting the national anthem, saluting the flag, etc. This is just another aspect of our glorification of the military. I read quote the other day that “Soldiers are worshipped so while old men die from their battle scars young men will still join.” Politicians like people who will fall in line with their ideals.
The comments on these kneeling stories tell a very different story. Almost all mention how much these players are paid and more than one mention “white wives”. Like a blck man with the luck and audacity to be both rich and married to a white women ought to just shut up and play. Don’t aggravate the white fans. Don’t get uppity. It’s all about race.
It’s very telling. I just hate the ‘Shut up and be grateful’ mentality, and the way these entitled racists see a poc’s wealth as a sort of paycheck to be earned through silence about inequality.
Especially coming from a guy who got hundreds of millions of dollars from his dad to get into business and stay there despite one idiotic decision after another. Without a rich father, Donald Trump would be living under a bridge. Or in prison.
I feel like something is going down soon..something bigly. He always does this when trying to distract from something else…maybe charges from meuller will be coming down soon on manafort
Just posted in the BUT HIS EMAILS thread I thunk something big is going to come out about Jared’s emails. There’s a lot of sudden, cover-his-tracks communication erupting in that storyline.
I didn’t know this until J.R. Smith of the Cavs tweeted it: Before 2009, NFL players weren’t even on the field during the National Anthem. For this imbecile to claim this isn’t about race is ludicrous. He is going to start a race war. He is evil. He is making a fool of himself and throwing gasoline on a fire, all while the people in Puerto Rico are in the dark, crying out for help. There is a designated seat near Satan in Hell waiting for him with open arms.
2009 when the US government started paying the NFL to promote the military.
The NFL and it’s owners brought this upon themselves with their greed for money. By accepting money from the Defense Department to allow paid for patriotic displays during the games of professional sports teams. The military was allowed to co-opt and use the anthem, etc. to bolster and essentialy brainwash idiotic people into believing the lie about the flag/anthem shows respect for our veterans and those who defend our freedom. Simple solution would be to revert back to previous policy. Just keep the players in the locker room.
That isn’t true. Players have always been on the field for the national anthem. Anyone else remember Whitney Houston’s rendition during the first Gulf war? Would players have kneeled for that? She was thrilled to perform it, and it was a historic performance.
Luckily there’s video of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lCmBvYMRs
What you won’t see are any players on the field.
(here’s a link that discusses how the players aren’t on the field, if you don’t believe my eyes, or your own: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner_(Whitney_Houston_recording)#The_Super_Bowl_XXV_performance )
You know what I DO see? A hell of a lot of people in the crowd wearing hats.
Whitney Houston performed about half an hour before the actual start of the game. Any player on the field was lost.
GiBee – You can plainly see the Giants along one side and the Bills along the other. Football players have been standing for the anthem for decades. I distinctly remember this from watching myself, although I know that doesn’t count for evidence. I also remember the outrage when Roseanne Barr delivered that horrific rendition at a baseball game.
I’m not sure where you’re looking?
From the article, as well:
“While the athletes are notably absent on the field…”
I only skimmed the article, but I watched the video (again, I’ve watched it dozens of times over the years). I can see the players lined up myself! Shows how fake news gets started, I guess. Watch the video yourself, don’t rely on journalists to tell you what’s what! True, no close-ups of players, which shows how different celeb culture was back then – as in, not a big deal, even though Phil Simms, LT and poor Jim Kelly were very big deals in 1991!
If you freeze the video at :52 and move the writing, you can see the Giants in blue lined up in front and the Bills in white lined up along the back.
JG: Don’t know what you’re saying isn’t true, but I’d suggest researching the subject. Before 09, locker room.
Nancy – you’re wrong. Google it, I already showed you the videotape. I don’t need to “research it,” I’ve been watching football since the mid-80s. Although not so much these days.
More proof – Jordin Sparks in 2008.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGQfHIfSWK0
AND Backstreet Boys in 2001. Not sure where you get your info, but it’s a problem when you believe everything certain websites tell you to believe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79Ur1SXbso
Was this random race-baiting because Dotard knew news about Jared using private email for official WH business was about to break? It was such a random (and hateful) attack. I wonder…
And how stupid is Jared?? This is the guy who’s supposed to bring peace to the middle east? I so want all these dumb, amoral, grifters out of the WH.
Jared is the modern-day Kapo in the current Nazi White House.
First he came for the black people, then he came for the women. Now he comes for Football. Bad move señor Tang.
He really doesn’t know what hand is feeding him, does he? By telling his richest supporters what to do with their business, he’s fracturing his own support base. The owners won’t like it, players won’t like it, fans seem mixed. Did ratings fall or increase this year?
I’m pretty glad he lost it on the NFL. I live in the land of deplorables and they’ll follow Bigly down a lot of dark paths, but nobody is going to come between them and football!
Not just football. Now the NBA is getting into it. LeBron James called him a bum on Twitter.
I’m also thrilled he had his regularly scheduled twitter tantrum and it was aimed at the NFL. NFL fandom in most parts of this country is more important than people’s political views. If you attack their favorite players or teams, it’s become personal.
It’s spreading to college sports. The North Carolina men’s basketball team and coach Roy Williams made the decision not to go to the White House because they had better things to do, like attend classes. Given that said program is under NCAA investigation for fake classes created just for athletes, that’s a great excuse.
I’m really curious how college football teams and coaches will address the issue. The only teams in the top 10 right now that would likely decline a White House invite if they win the national championship are Washington and Michigan, with USC and Wisconsin as maybes. Most teams are from deep red states and can weather the heat from potential recruits if they accept the White House invite.
@carmen
That moment when King James became President James. What a wonderful press conference!!! I feel like every American needs to hear what he has to say. Why can’t our President be a role model like LeBron James!!! Ugh Trump makes me want to rip my hair out.
A lot of shouty people are shouting about boycotting the NFL. Loolllllll sure, let’s see that happen.
Trump has been so desperate to be liked by celebrities and athletes for so long, and they’ve simply tolerated him – at best. That’s why he lashes out so hard against them.
I saw a few articles that suggested Trump still holds a grudge against the NFL for a) his losing bid to buy the Buffalo Bills and b) crushing the USFL (incl a Trump-owned team) when the new league tried to compete head to head. The NFL is yet another prestigious institution that won’t touch him with a ten foot pole, and he hates them for it.
Good point. I read an article summarizing all his business dealings (and how shoddy some were), and the USFL was mentioned. I’d forgotten that.
The more I read about his business dealings the more appalled I become. He really has had failure after dismal failure. The USFL had a fighting shot at being a decent success, instead the whole thing tanked because it was his brilliant idea to compete directly with the NFL. I think he was hoping the leagues would merge and he could back his way into an NFL ownership. That was some wishful thinking on Trump’s part. The league has strict rules about owners not being allowed to own casinos, yet another of his businesses which he also managed to ruin after decades of questionable decisions. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/nyregion/donald-trump-atlantic-city.html?mcubz=1
We had a president who claimed “I am not a crook.” Turns out, he was one. If you have to say you are not racist, you already have a problem.
I wish on baby fists the same fate as that other guy.
#45 saying he’s not racist is laughable, he was fined by NYS for racial racial discrimination in the 70’s for refusing to rent his apartments to black people. He used code on the applications. When the applications are turned in the ones with a “C” on them meant that application was by a “colored” during that time that was the code word for “blacks”. He wanted 5 black young men to get the death penalty for something they did not do and then when they won their case he did not want them to be compensated for the time they spent in jail.
YES! That’s why it blows my mind how anyone could vote for him! Did they not know about that? Those are the main reasons I have him
See also: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”.
Makes me nostalgic for the days when lying about a blow job was enough to get you impeached, sigh….
You would think that if he really doesn’t want people to think he’s racist, he would be more conscious of the shit he says and tweets…but this is bigly dot are we are talking about…not sure if conscious thought is possible for him.
He doesnt have a racist bone in his body. Rather, every bone in his body is racist. Mueller please please hurry up.
from our hypocritic in Chief – snake oil salesman. Now he’s selling the base a bill of goods and they are lapping it up. Anyone believing anything this man says is not playing with a full deck.
#45 -“Burning the flag is a peaceful and respectful way for a citizen to voice their displeasure. Very powerful!”. Donald J Trump – February 28, 2011, 8:14 pm.
BNA- that’s a fake Trump tweet.
What this dumbass and a lot of other people who oppose what Colin (and the other football players who are kneeling or locking arms) are doing do is trying to make America into a place where we ALL can belong, not just a place where whites feel comfortable. If you believe in equality, you would understand and would not oppose the protesting. Those football players are trying to make America better for everyone.
This ingrown toe nail has some nerve talking about respecting the troops. Something must be coming down the pipeline from Mueller and his team if he went on an all day tirade about this. He is playing lip service while trying to take healthcare away from many veterans by supporting every version of the AHCA and gutting Obamacare. He is also taking voting rights away from veterans, the ability to have clean water and air from veterans, etc. About 40% of the armed forces are people of color. Trump and every single one of his voters have been disrespecting those troops for about 2 years now. Troops are not just white christians: they are Muslim men and women, they are Latino and Latinas, they are Black women and men. Some are all three. You have Native Americans, Asians, and so on. Every time Dump opens his anus mouth or tweets something stupid and disrespectful he is disrespecting the flag and the troops. He has no regard for the office or the people who serve him.
He sold himself and this country to Putin, so he can keep his mouth shut about anyone else disrepecting the flag. He and that bunch of grifters in his cabinet and who work on his staff are the worst offenders of all when it comes to disrespecting the ideals of the flag. Dump is the reality of what that flag means to a lot of people of color.
i love you
Aiobhan: Beautifully stated.
A friend on Facebook recently went on a tirade about how disrespectful taking a knee was. I asked her what she, as a white middle aged woman, thought would be a better form of prot at would be that wouldn’t end in violence. She came back saying she wasn’t racist and blah blah blah. I told her that I wasn’t accusing her of being racist, she is the one who brought that into it. But she hadn’t answered the question.
As a 41 year old white woman myself, I’m all for it. Anyone who has a massive issue with this should be required to suggest “better” forms of protest that will not result in violence instead of just complaining.
Middle aged white women might be the biggest purveyors of manufactured outage on this issue. If only they expressed this same level of outrage over the assassination of unarmed black folks by our law enforcement.
YASSS!! Haha I saw quite a few yesterday. Love you Kitten!
Who was the lady that was killed at the Charlotteville riots? Heather Hyer.
ok. I had this too. That friend I mentioned a while ago (called her son’s GF a “mix”), before she said that, she posted, about a year ago this was, that she stands for the anthem.
I tried. I tried to explain that the reason he is kneeling is because what you, your USA family, the protection that flag represents to you, is NOT what others see and get. That the vets who fought, those protections, do not include people of colour. And that is the problem, the issue here.
Why stand for a flag and anthem when people all around you are being murdered, because of their race? Who stands for that?
We are no longer friends. We talked and she admitted she was in a bubble, but then she said that about her son’s GF, and I just like, cannot even look at old pictures anymore.
But the flag/anthem have nothing to do with respecting the military and veterans. That message has been brainwashed into people’s heads so now they use that as an excuse to justify their racist rants.
Now people are trying to drag first responders into it too. So desperate. Apparently protesting the murder of citizens means you hate firefighters. And the military. And police officers.
Why is a black man quietly kneeling so scary to these people?
45 is tearing families and friendships apart, and it isn’t as if when he is gone these relationships will magically mend themselves.
My sister has decided she wants nothing to do with any of our relatives in the south anymore. Not even our Memere who secretly told me she voted for Hillary because she didn’t want to die and not vote for a woman for president. It will break her heart. Sigh
Some of my sibs were not close anyway, but still, it complicates everything. I don’t have any deplorable friends or family on the other side for which I am thankful, but I can’t accept racists in my life. My cousin told me I shouldn’t care about DACA or Muslims and then said she accepts Jews because of Jesus being a Jew. The end came when she referred to my mother’s best friend as colored. COLORED! I never knew she was like this until now. I told her that was racist, but she became angry and then it just went downhill.
I can’t be the only person surprised by someone they thought they knew.
I think that the closest we have come to this point in the past was during the Civil War. I am sure family and friends were totally divided all over the (literal) map. For me, the hateful rhetoric that the Imbecile-in-Chief constantly tweets and says has divided our nation more than in any recent time.
My Dad surprised me. I always thought he was a progressive, but just recently found out he voted for Trump after he randomly went off on a tangent about raising the minimum wage. I was shocked, then angry, and now I’m sad. My husband has had the same issues with his family and they just don’t get how we can “judge someone based on who they voted for” no matter how we explain it. It’s like we’re all in a boiling teapot ready to explode right now.
I am so frustrated with FB friends who don’t get it. A bunch of them are posting” I Stand”. Funny, not one of them is saying a word about singing…. which is what I do generally, although I fake the high notes ☺
When is Robert Mueller going to cancel this gentrified toddler?
Gentrified? I’m starting to wonder if he’s even civilized. I bet he wasn’t potty trained until he was five and a half.
It’s not about race, I just happened to use a lot of racist dog whistling when I talked to a crowd of my base – things like “total disrespect to our heritage” and “our history” and “everything we stand for”.
I’ll say it again, when you start to place more importance on the symbol than the ideals behind it, you’re not a patriot. You’re a nationalist. It has ceased to be about honor or respect and has become about exclusion.
Funny thing about national anthems – they reflect the times in which they are written, and some of the sentiments contained therein just don’t translate to 21 century ethics.
My own (Canada) excludes women, and whenever the discussion is raised to change the wording back to one of the earlier versions that is less misogynist than the one currently used, you get a chorus of males yapping to preserve tradition. I like the music of Maple Leaf Forever, but some of the original lyrics are simply not acceptable. God Save the Queen has a chorus that fervently wishes for the slaughtering of Scots. Star Spangled Banner was written by a slave owning lawyer who regularly defended slave owners’ property rights and prosecuted abolitionists’ rights to free speech. One of the verses may be calling for the death of troops of freed slaves.
Maybe we are better off without them in daily public life.
Just the music is enough. Like at the Olympics, they play the instrumental versions.
I don’t know. Why do we need anthems? or flags? fun with flags?
But no one talks about the third stanza of the song extolling slavery. And black people are supposed to be proud to sing the song?
No one should be proud to sing it, and even more, we shouldn’t force black people to sing it. It is cruel and demeaning.
I hate people sometimes.
There have been many discussions in the past about changing the anthem with America the Beautiful a frequent suggestion
I always thought that Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land would be more apt. But the House of Orange and the Deplorables would find that song too Socialist and Inclusive.
I like that one too. The deplorables who know the history of that song would object but most don’t know the history of why Guthrir wrote it.
The objection to America is the verse about mending every flaw, because they don’t want to admit to flaws.
The UK national anthem is terrible all round. The stuff about the Scots aside, it extols the wonderfulness of the ruler rather than giving any sense of the country and its people. God Save The Great Leaderess. Like something that North Koreans would chant. And it’s set to the most god awful dirge of a tune. The French anthem is streets ahead. The Irish one is also lively.
Very few Scots consider God Save the Queen the national anthem. It is never played at events or sports. It’s always Flower of Scotland, usually with sweary addendums bidding proud Edwards army to fuck off.
You would think the president of the United States would have something better to do with North Korea on the prowl and all the people recovering from the recent hurricanes than comment on twitter about the NFL.
And by the way…it’s their first amendment right to take a knee but since the president is a white supremacist who doesn’t understand the constitution here we are.
I don’t watch football so forgive my ignorance – when some players stood and locked arms, did that mean something?
It was in solidarity with the players who kneeled. Not that they supported what the players were kneeling for, but they support their 1st Amendment right to choose.
Which is what trump attacked.
That’s my interpretation.
thanks! I’ve been trying to find an explanation all morning but was coming up empty
Solidarity for the exercise of First Amendment rights but also because some players actually can’t kneel because of knee braces or injuries
it is horrible what little is done for Puerto Rico. When the hurricane Irma was about to hit Florida or Harvey Texas, the twitter time line was full of it and everybody was worrying.
But PR, a US state is left alone. Could it be because most of its inhabitants are Latinos?
Not only Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands took direct hits from both Irma and Maria. Two U.S. territories with U.S. citizens have literally been devastated by natural disasters and the President of the U.S. doesn’t give a F—k and is instead tweeting about a damn piece of cloth.
Trump does not care about black or brown people.
That is the only interpretation. I am astonished he’s being allowed to get away with it.
United States is not a perfect country*. America is a continent not a country. Calling United States “America” is not only factually wrong, but imperialistic and a reflection of a view of the world in which the US government thinks is entitled to meddle/intervene/replace democratically elected government with pro US dictatorships in our countries, not forgetting those “interventions” cost the lives of thousands of center and South americans in the 20th century.
And yeah Trump is insane racist clown.
Everybody has the right to choose their own name.
I have no problem using America and Americans internally. Those names resonate for historical reasons, which is important when trying to persuade people to do things differently. They resonate with recent immigrants also.
Externally, for clarity I will use US or USA or US citizens. However, that is only clear because other people know what I mean. The fact is that we are not the only United States in the world.
The worst thing is when US citizens got brainwashed while visiting Central America during the Reagan wars into calling themselves “North Americans”. This is a bad translation of the Spanish norteamericano, which in these parts actually is mainly used to refer to US citizens. When one friend started talking about “North American contra bases,” I had enough and pointed out that the Canadians (who are also North Americans) might object to being accused of funding mercenaries who were attacking a freely elected government in Nicaragua. Mexico is also in North America as well and they couldn’t be blamed for such things either.
So we simply have to deal with our name as it is, the United States of America, the name selected in the 1700s when we dumped King George and became independent, which we shorten to America sometimes and the United States other times. We have to be more careful outside our country because America has other references, but it really is also our name. Confusion is usually minimal because when referring to the continents and the hemisphere, we use North America, South America, and the Americas.
LeBron calling EZ a bum is freaking hilarious. When’s the last time you heard someone call someone else a bum?
So retro of LeBron and an apt observation!
He was very 1940s gangster about it but it fits.
Ya no good two bit bum.
Scram!
Is Celebitchy going to cover Colin Kaepernick’s BIRTH MOM (who gave him up but kept her pure white child) shading him for taking the knee? I swear, I’m white, but WHITE PEOPLE. What are you doing?!!!
Puerto Rico is having a state of emergency and what does The Dotard do? The Dotard gets back on twitter after spending Friday, Saturday, and Sunday tweeting about the NFL to make more tweets about the NFL. Why is a governor of NY doing the job that the president should be doing in regards to Puerto Rice? What this says is that The Dotard is president in name only. He is tweeting about the NFL and trying to start a cultural war because the “real” presidents(Jared, Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Putin) sent him to the child’s table. Some people are claiming that the Dotard is being strategic by tweeting about the NFL. The Dotard has no strategy. He has no other choice to tweet about the NFL because Stephen Miller is sitting at his desk!
“#StandForOurAnthem”-The Dotard
This isn’t about the Anthem. Even the singers who sung the Anthem took a knee yesterday. One of the cheerleaders also took a knee. How is he going to tell someone to stand for the Anthem when he can’t even stand up to the Russians who hacked our election?
“The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!”-The Dotard
The Dotard is trying to change the narrative. This isn’t about our flag or NA. Even Veterans are taking a knee, saying that they fought for the Constitution, not the flag or NA. Who is The Dotard to talk about respect for our flag and NA when he sold this country to Russia?
“Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!”-The Dotard
The Dotard is changing the narrative. This isn’t about the flag.
“So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won’t put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag – they said it loud and clear!”-The Dotard
The Nascar has it’s priorities all wrong. This isn’t about the flag. How does the Nascar feel that Veterans are coming out and taking the knee because it’s not about the flag or the NA, they fought for the Constitution.
There will be no U.S. left if this man is not removed from office. He is destroying this country. This latest tactic was clearly designed by the white supremists in his White House to further divide the citizens of this country and stoke racial tensions. Get them to focus on cultural and racial issues and distract them from the real issues. It works every time.
Why does the anthem represent only veterans??? And the flag??? Apparently only vets can criticize the USA. Even though I went to school and became a victim advocate and liaison (I work with the police every single work day, so they can’t even hit me with that bs about disrespect) and did not choose to join the military? Blind Patriotism is weird. Playing the anthem before sports games is weird. I don’t even want to hear about don’t protest on the job. I don’t have to stand for the anthem before work. Even teachers who do are legally allowed to sit it out (although I’m sure most don’t or are scared to).
You wana talk about disrespect? How about the disrespect of minorities and women. You wanna talk about “spoiled black millionaire athletes” how about a spoiled orange millionaire???
Oh and that meme they keep sharing about the NFL handbook code about the anthem??? My friend looked into it and it’s fake.
Upsetting and pathetic that after EVERYTHING 45 has done and shown what a disgusting POS he is, it took calling NFL players SOBs to get the sports teams to call him out on his sh*t. Every channel yesterday broadcasters, players, artists, etc demanding trump apologize for his words!!! WHERE THE FU*K WERE YOU PPL WHEN HE WAS BRAGGING ABOUT SEXUALLY ASSAULTING WOMEN??!!! He has disrespected women, hispanics, African Americans, disabled people, Jewish people BUT THIS, THIS IS WHAT YOU STAND UP FOR?! Im not hating on players taking a knee, their choice but my God, is this really what it takes for the male community to say Hey! This ain’t right and this president is truly awful? Disgusted with the president but ppl just now realizing the bullshit that is America right now under his administration.
The Dotard is going to lose it, Tom Brady gave an interview today saying that he disagrees with The Dotard and that he just wants to support his teammates. Will The Dotard start tweeting insults at Tom Brady now? No.
This is why it’s so important that the press stop with the “Trump is presidential for reading Stephen Miller’s speech from the teleprompter, hurricane response, posing with victims of the hurricanes and their children, handing out water, supplies, and food to the hurricane victims, and working with the Democrats”. How much of this played into his attacks on Colin, Steph, and the NFL players? The press validated Stephen Miller’s WS ideals and now we saw it carry over into The Dotard’s tweets about the NFL, Colin, and Steph. This is the times we live in. I never thought that we would be reverting back to the horrific parts of this country’s history, yet here we are with the Dotard demanding that the NFL tell grown men what they can and can not do.
This is why it’s so important that these reporters start factchecking these Trump supporters when they recite their lies.
This is why it’s so important that the WH press reporters start boycotting Sarah’s press briefings.
This is why it’s so important that twitter ban The Dotard.
This is why it’s so important that the GOP start being held accountable for The Dotard’s actions.
@why
I just saw the Tom Brady transcript!!! Dotard Don is going to lose his mind. He’s just trying to distract us from his investigations, so it’s time to throw black athletes under the bus today. He did it with transgender people when something else came out I think it was the Manafort raid? There aren’t words to describe my loathing of him.
I am just so sick of this Dotard-in-Chief. The childish back in-forth name calling with Rocket Man would be amusing if it wasn’t for the fact that each has a nuclear arsenal under their command and the fate of millions of innocent people at stake. God help us.
Yep. And little if any concern for anyone besides themselves.
Question – wondering from the above comments if anyone has a problem with all the baseball and hockey players who do stand for the national anthem? Like, must players be forced to choose a side (either kneel or be called racist)? Is there any middle/center left in our polarized country?
I don’t think anyone is calling a player for whatever team a racist for not kneeling. It’s a personal choice. However, we are calling the President a racist….cause he is.
Unlike the NFL, MLB and the NHL have large percentages of players from other countries
I haven’t heard any kneeler or sitter calling standers names. Where did you get that idea?
Nothing says respect for America and the flag then standing for the anthem and going back to your truck with a Confederate flag in the window. Grrr
He is such a wannabe dictator. Sad!
Dale E did what Nascar was too cowardly to do:
“All Americans R granted rights 2 peaceful protests
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable-JFK”-Dale E Jr
Good for him! Especially since the NFL is supporting its players right to protest while NASCAR owners are being dicks.
Some NFL owners are participating including Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross.
https://twitter.com/JamesWalkerNFL/status/911999804502429696/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fjezebel.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-911999804502429696%26autosize%3D1
That sport has lost attendance in recent years, and likely isn’t going to rock the boat. Dale Jr is retiring and doesn’t have to toe the line (though he might have spoken out regardless). He’s the most popular race driver they’ve had in a decade or more, too.
Every time the Dotard tweets about the NFL and people taking the knee, they need to respond with Tom Brady’s statement:
“I certainly disagree with what he said. I thought it was just divisive.”-Tom Brady
Yes to all this and I loved that Dale Earnhardt Jr quoted JFK.
Donald Trump, surprising no one, is lying.
Remember a few years ago when trump was criticizing Obama for saying the redskins should change their team name, he said that a president should have better things to do. Now how much is going on in the states and he’s tweeting about football. It’s crazy that he doesn’t see how racist he’s being
I feel like we need to talk more about the situation with Alejandro Villanueva. So because the guy, who served in the military, decided to go outside of the tunnel to participate in the national anthem he’s somehow not a team player. The Steelers coach himself said something along the lines of “I was looking for 100% participation.” These athletes have a right to protest peacefully, but why is it that they make it sound as if it was wrong for Villanueva to practice his right to participate in the singing of the national anthem outside of the tunnel? That to me is a bit extreme when you almost try and take someone’s free will away because you want to make a point. Am I wrong here?
There is nothing wrong with Villanueva choosing to stand for the national anthem. He served in Afghanistan as an Army captain and army ranger. To me, his choice to stand was very poignant and not disruptive. This entire protest is about freedom of speech.
I haven’t read the above comments so I’m not sure if you are responding to a CB comment or to the press or the Deplorables trying to create controversy.
I just wanted to hear different opinions on the matter since I always like seeing how others think. I saw it on the news so I just thought I’d ask and see what you guys said.
The Dotard, his supporters, and bots are using Alejandro Villanueva’s decision to leave the locker room to further their cause. That’s wrong. This is where the problem lies. Alejandro Villanueva didn’t do this in support of The Dotard or to attack his teammates, yet this is the narrative that is being spun.
This is how the bots are using Alejandro Villanueva:
This is what was posted with a photo of Melanie:
Villenueva of the Pittsburgh Steelers DEFIED HATEFUL ORDERS to SIT OUT The national anthem in the locker room, BUT REFUSED & stood tall.
This is what was posted with a photo of the Dotard hugging a child:
People cheered for the TWO PEOPLW w the courage to stand up against the NFL’s HATE – Pres. Trump & #AlejandroVillaneuva. BRAVO
Universal cheers for the one player who stood tall exposed the liberal NFL’s false claim that anthem is racist as false & racist itself
MOST deplorable is NFL Steelers coach Mike Tomlin who TARGETED BRAVE Alejandro Villanueva who DEFIED ORDERS & stood for Anthem
They definitely read like bots because the text is formulaic and written in poor English.
There is nothing wrong with the choice he Made. He served his country, put his life on the line for his country, not like 45 who received five deferments. However, it would have been nice if he had supported his teammates.
This is a tweet 45 posted a few years ago, I believe 2013. It’s up on CNN.. “president should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name – our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense”. Yes, this was tweeted in respond to BO saying the RS should change their name. #45 Hypocritic in chief.
hmmmm- what news program did you see spinning the story as you say, that the guy deciding to participate in the anthem had trouble over it? If it was Breitbart or InfoWars or Fox News – don’t believe a word of it.
Just because someone said they were hoping for 100% participation in the protest doesn’t mean anybody was dissed for deciding otherwise. Respect for personal decisions is key in this particular protest. It all started with one person deciding to stay seated.
Funny enough the whole thing turns out was a giant mistake. Big Al asked to stand in front with the Steeler captains and, not paying attention, walked out too far so that he was standing ahead of the rest of his teammates. So all this media circus was manufactured by an innocent gaffe on Villanueva’s part.
Good on the cheerleader for kneeling, too!
The Dotard keeps saying that by taking the knee, these NFL players are disrespecting the flag, NA, and all those men (notice that he hasn’t acknowledge the sacrifices made by women) who fought for this country. Keep in mind that The Dotard is constantly disrespecting John McCain, a POW, and a Gold Star family(Khan). The Dotard isn’t concerned about the men and women who fought for this country.
The things he said about the Khans and their son were so disrespectful, that I am not going to repeat them.
These are the comments that The Dotard made about McCain because you know he is very concerned about the women and men who fought for this country:
Democrats are laughingly saying that McCain had a “moment of courage.” Tell that to the people of Arizona who were deceived. 116% increase!-The Dotard
Arizona had a 116% increase in ObamaCare premiums last year, with deductibles very high. Chuck Schumer sold John McCain a bill of goods. Sad-The Dotard
John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!-The Dotard
“He’s not a war hero,” said Trump. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
My evil mil pulls this tactic:
“If you do this, it means that you…”
No.
Trump doesn’t get to reframe and redefine people’s actions.
This is what very decisive people do.
Garret Hake, a reporter on MSNBC, just tried to argue that the people(who are in wheel chairs) protesting the healthcare bill today were only doing it because they wanted to get on tv. Katy Tur had to set him straight, telling him that they were no there to get on tv, but because they are at risk of losing their healthcare. It’s things like this that have to stop. There are some reporters who are constantly defending The Dotard and trying to normalize him. During the protests in Boston, Garret H and Alex Whitt were desperately trying to depict the counter protesters in a bad light. The Dotard saw what these two were saying about the counter protestors and then tweeted about “anti-police” agitators. Hailee Jackson tried to claim that it was only a handful of people who booed Ivanka in Germany. Kristen W and Haillee J told us that The Dotard was a changed man because he saw photos of the children in Syria. Kelly Odonnell is always spinning to make The Dotard seem calm and smarter than what he truly is. The press has one job to do it and they just keep failing.
I even noticed that Pelosi was measured in how she criticized The Dotard today about NK and the healthcare bill. She used to be was the most vocal about The Dotard’s bad actions, but since the deal, she has gone silent. Complicity just isn’t for the GOP or Ivanka, it’s anyone who comes in contact with The Dotard.
I think Schumer and Pelosi need to be very careful about Trump’s surprising “cooperation”. He can change his mind any time. They are probably focused right now on just keeping the Dreamers from getting deported and keeping that hellish Trumpcare bill from being passed. The bribes have already been incorporated in the bill to specifically persuade the Senators from Maine and Alaska to vote for it, tossing the rest of the country under the bus to get a better deal temporarily for their states. Let’s hope they don’t fall for it.
Who knows what pressure they will try to put McCain under. He doesn’t seem opposed to the awfulness of the bill, just to the fact that it’s being pushed through outside regular order for the Senate. He had the gall to claim that the Affordable Care Act was pushed through the same way. I remember that full year of hearings and debates for the ACA. The Republicans weren’t prevented from participating. They just plain refused. Does McCain really not remember? Or is he thinking only of the lies Ryan and McConnell were telling at the time about it?
So sick of him and his family. We have to get them out. Love, and hope your Monday goes okay all.
I doubt many folks here actually follow him on Twitter … … but if you do, maybe consider un-following him. As we know, he hates ‘bad ratings’. If he saw himself losing Twitter followers it would bug him. And you really don’t need to follow cuz whatever jackhole stuff he says will just end up on the nightly news anyway – so you wont miss any of the idiocy (believe me)
Sarah Huckabee is an awful person, she has no conscience. Every word out of her mouth is lie. Why is everyone in that WH so complicit? McMaster was supposed to be the adult in the WH and now he is defending The Dotards tweets on NK. Then there is Sarah, at some point you would think that Sarah would grow a backbone and tell The Dotard “no” or that she isn’t going to lie for him. She looks defeated as she repeats the lies that The Dotard fed to her, like she is The Dotards puppet.
What makes Sarah’s lies worse are the WH reporters who just sit there and do nothing as she lies. The WH press reporters need to do us all a favor and boycott Sarah’s briefings. Their time can be spent doing something productive, like exclusives on someone who has been harmed by the EOs signed by The Dotard. The reporters aren’t learning anything new in these briefings. I keep waiting for them to walk out or to tell her “to stop lying” or do what Peter Alexander did when he confronted the Dotard with facts, but they just sit there. Maybe my expectations for them are too high. Sarah needs to be on Mueller’s list of people to prosecute along with Grassely, Nunes, Graham, and Gowdy.
Here are some of the awful things that Sarah has said:
Jemele: On 2 different accusations Sarah said that she should be fired
Comey-Sarah said he should be prosecuted, that he lied to Congress and leaked classified information
Hillary-Sarah said that Hillary had the most negative campaign ever
Jeff Flake: Sarah said he needed to stop criticizing The Dotard while on his book tour and focus on his low approval ratings
Puerto Rico: Sarah said that The Dotard didn’t tweet about Puerto Rico because the flag takes priority and unites the country
NFL players who take a knee and were called SOBs by The Dotard: Sarah tried to change the narrative, claiming that the players were disrespecting the flag and anthem; she said that The Dotard was appropriate and patriotic when he called the players SOBs because he was defending the flag; she claimed that it wasn’t about race, but “respecting the flag”; and she said that the NFL players need to find a different method to protest police brutality
NK: Sarah said that NK is being inappropriate if they shot at any US planes
The Dotard didn’t hesitate to call the NFL players SOBs, so why has everyone on CNN been tip toeing around calling The Dotard a WS?
The press needs to restructure their language.
The Dotard doesn’t say these things because of his base. He says these things because he is a WS, Bannon and Stephen Miller feel empowered by the press calling the Dotard presidential for reading Miller’s speeches from the teleprompter, and absolutely no one is going to hold The Dotard accountable for what he says and tweets. It would have made quite the statement had twitter banned The Dotard, I wouldn’t even mind if it was for a day. It would have made quite a statement had every member of the GOP said enough is enough. They do nothing. The Dotard gets worse.
The Dotard isn’t being strategic. He is being impulsive. Mueller is closing in, and I hope that Muller doesn’t fall into the complicity trap that plaques everyone who comes in contact with The Dotard, and he is scared. He starts cultural wars because he is scared. He starts cultural wars because the “real” presidents(Miller, Bannon, Jared, Putin) have banished him to the child’s table while they make decisions for this country.
This isn’t about the flag. I wish one of the reporters(and the press and hosts running the NFL story) would have factchecked Sarah by reading the awful things that The Dotard said about the Khans and McCain who fought for this country. How can The Dotard love the flag when he has said awful things about 2 of the people who fought for this country?
The majority of The Dotards supporters are bots. It’s why they had no idea that NPR was tweeting the Constitution or that Obama wasn’t president during Katrina.
The Dotard won because our election was hacked in every way possible.
We keep getting told that the actual machines weren’t hacked, but what they haven’t told us is that they haven’t even examined the machines to check for hacking.
Reading a speech from a teleprompter isn’t presidential, especially when that speech was written by the WS Stephen Miller.
Bannon still has influence in the WH via Stephen Miller, Gorka’s wife, and Kris Kobach who is even openly writing articles for BB and Bannon.
The Dotard isn’t going off script. Stephen Miller has 2 modes, aggressive(what the press calls unhinged) and passive aggressive(what the press calls teleprompter Trump).
John Kelly is not the adult in the WH. He is just as complicit and unstable as everyone else in that WH. He loves it when The Dotard attacks the press.
He just tweeted that Kelly is fully onboard with his stance.
Distracting flurry of tweets this evening, perhaps because now Daughter Dearest also reportedly used private email? He’s burying these new stories, and the media is falling for it.
The Dotard admitting that John Kelly is not the adult in the WH and that Kelly is just as complicit and unstable as everyone else in that WH:
.@CNN is #FakeNews. Just reported COS (John Kelly) was opposed to my stance on NFL players disrespecting FLAG, ANTHEM, COUNTRY. Total lie!-The Dotard
General John Kelly totally agrees w/ my stance on NFL players and the fact that they should not be disrespecting our FLAG or GREAT COUNTRY!-The Dotard
Why haven’t the machines been examined for hacking?
They haven’t given an explanation, just that they aren’t going to examine them for hacking.
Does he know that Puerto Rico is a disaster zone? I mean why is he even talking about this with all that is going on??? I really can’t believe that people are still supporting him.
How can we possibly suffer through another 3 years of this?? I feel like 1/2 of the country is undergoing some sort of psychosis. Stop the madness Trumpeters! 😞
The Dotard has had how many chances to address Puerto Rico and what does he do? He continues to post about the NFL. The “real” presidents(Miller, Bannon, Jared, and Putin) must have banished him to the child’s table again while they are making more crazy policies for this country, Mueller is getting closer and closer, and there are no real consequences for his actions. All this would stop if the press and twitter would just step up. Twitter needs to ban the Dotard and the WH press reporters need to boycott Sarah’s briefings.
“Tremendous backlash against the NFL and its players for disrespect of our Country.
#StandForOurAnthem🇺🇸”-The Dotard
Just because the bots are busy posting “boycott NFL” over and over again it doesn’t mean that the NFL is experiencing tremendous backlash.
The Dotard is projecting. There is tremendous backlash, but it’s not against the NFL. The tremendous backlash is against The Dotard. It’s like KJU said, a scared dog barks louder. The Dotard is scared. His healthcare bill isn’t doing well. There is backlash for people in wheel chairs being arrested today. Hillary is giving another interview. McCain gave an interview and he talked about how The Dotard still hasn’t apologized for saying that he liked people who didn’t get caught. It was just revealed(I think we have heard this story before though) that both Ivanka and Jared were using their private email accounts to do business for the WH. More celebrities are coming out and slamming him for his comments on the NFL. Marc A just told him to shut up. Lebron gave a good interview about how incompetent the Dotard is. Just about all the shows(I didn’t watch MTP daily, so I don’t know what he covered) were slamming the Dotard today. NK annoucing that The Dotard has declared war on them. The Dotard’s non response to Puerto Rice. The Dotard and Stephen Miller introduced another travel ban.
If the Dotard was concerned about people respecting our Country, why did he sell this country to Russia? Why did he say such horrible things about the Khans and McCain? Why is he trying to take healthcare away from millions of people? This isn’t about the flag. The Dotard is just trying to change the narrative.
I may not agree with the way you protest.
I may not agree with the reason you protest but as a retired US Air Force First Sgt, I will defend to the death your right to peaceful protest.
Now, PLAY BALL!
Get up and do your job you spoiled millionaires.
Entertain me.
And Trump is a disgrace.
There but the reason he is in office is because a whole LOT OF YOU didn’t bother to show up to vote.