It has been more than a week since professional football player Colin Kaepernick decided he will not stand for the pledge of allegiance in protest for the institutional racism and police brutality that is happening in this country. According to the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Through these words, we can conclude that Kaepernick does indeed have the right to sit or kneel during the pledge, especially if it is for a cause as morally just as his. But the conversation does not end there.

Millions of Americans believe that what he is doing is wrong and that it is "un-American" to not stand for the pledge. He has said what he is doing is no disrespect to America nor the veterans or soldiers who fight for this country, the same soldiers who have been used to defend the argument of those who oppose. But, yet, he is still thought of as a terrible person, even if he is not hurting anyone and his means are for a good cause. I ask, how can this be?

This entire scenario made me question if I truly have free speech in this country. Sure, the Constitution says I do, but what about the 300 million citizens who live in this country? Not one person's ideals are like another, so what happens in cases like these? Uniforms burned, hateful letters, and even the Santa Clara Police Union threatens to not be at 49ers games. He is a human being with a brain and the ability to think for himself. Shouldn't we respect him for his opinion, especially if it doesn't do any harm, doesn't disrespect anyone, and it isn't hateful?

So, do I have free speech? Hypothetically, yes, we all do. From activists to neo-Nazis, everyone does. But with our values and opinions, there are forces that hate us for our opinions, much like in Colin's case. Anything I believe and say could at the same time be thrown back at me and millions of people could hate me and even not want to be near me -- just because I have an opinion. Is that truly free? It seems that we have become so divisive in our morals and what we hold dear to us we have forgotten that not everyone thinks like us and that is what makes this country unique. We should pride ourselves on our differences, but instead we condemn those who are different, and that is far from free.