Everyone needs to calm down. I see everyone getting so bent out of shape over these NFL Players not standing for the National Anthem or taking a knee or holding up their fists and I can’t seem to understand where your anger is really coming from. Don’t get me wrong I totally see your point of it being disrespectful and I am all for honoring everything the American Flag stands for. And I choose to show my respect by standing with my hand over my heart for all those we have lost, all those who risk their lives for my freedom, and the families of those people and so on. With that being said, I also know that as an American I have the ability to make my own decisions. These men are making a statement, I don’t think they are doing it to disrespect anyone in particular but more so to say that there is something wrong. Have you all been watching the news? There are so many horrible tragedies occurring in our states, and World Wide. But in particular, as a nation we really need to get it together for once and for all. Have you all forgotten the history of America, we are kind of a fucked up Nation. Yeah we are tough and yeah we are resilient and we do what we have to do to show the rest of the world who we are. But, our Nation’s history is full of cruelty and injustice. The history of what our government did to the Native Indians; did you all forget what you learned in History class? They made treaties that were unfair and still didn’t abide by them. They killed thousands of men and women for what? Possession to their land so they could mine for gold and make money, that’s what. Now I don’t know what it was like back then because I wasn’t there and maybe the Indian’s were a bunch of savages. But wouldn’t you be a savage if a bunch of foreigners came onto your land and took away your rights? Okay fast forward to World War II, do you all remember what our government did to the Japanese Americans? They forced them out of their homes into Camp-like housing. They made them sell their hard earned property for way less than it was worth to their fellow Americans. And we all know the Civil Rights era and how horribly the Nation treated African Americans, I don’t even need to discuss that. And today we watch our Nation struggle right in front of our eyes and we are all so concerned about whether a few guys stand for the Anthem or not. Let’s get it together people. Yes, you have every right to think and feel how you want about these people but the more you huff and puff about it the more supporters they are going to get and the angrier y’all are going to get.

When I was in grade school I remember being forced to stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance. I think it wasn't until middle school where I was given the choice to recite it or not. And guess what I did, I stopped saying it. That's freedom of speech right there, and maybe a little rebellion. But, in my defense I didn't know what the pledge of allegiance truly meant. All I understood about it was that it was a requirement everyday. It wasn't until 9/11 that I truly learned the true meaning of American pride. It took seeing the nation come together after a devastating tragedy to truly appreciate it. And how fucked up is that? Our school systems and governments are shoving this "pride" down our throats since day 1 and not teaching us the true value of what that pledge really stands for. And maybe that was just me, but if you ask me our nation should have far more to worry about (ahem 2016 election ahem) than these few men deciding not to stand during the national anthem. Now I'm not saying that these men are right and I'm not saying they are wrong, I'm saying we should consider the reasons behind these actions. We are all entitled to our own feelings and beliefs and values and morals, and as a nation there has to be some sort of middle ground where everyone follows and abides by similar values. And when you see people in the spotlight such as professional football players defying the exact system we all abide by, there is something wrong with said system. A man who chooses to kneel during the 2 minute song is not worth your criticism. He may be worth your attention because he sees our nation struggling and is choosing to no longer pretend that everything is alright. He is making his statement, he is expressing his feelings. The National Anthem may represent everything our Nation stands for, but just because you stand for it doesn't mean you truly believe in it. Everywhere you look we are becoming divided, from race to gender to sexual identities to religious beliefs to politics to so on and so on. So before you go on to bash someone for not showing their American pride, take a step back. Use that anger toward something good. Prove to those defying our Nation that we are worth standing for. Show your American pride by doing something positive for this Nation. Because in order to overcome our differences we are going to have to accept our differences. After all, we are One Nation.