Donald Trump attacked what makes America great

It is amazing to me how many Americans appear not understand the 1st A’s intent and application.

I know this is not a popular view on FR right now, but I partly agree with part of this sentiment.

As a conservative, I don’t feel proud of or patriotic about of how huge and intrusive the federal government has gotten, and how obscene and excessive our taxes, regulations and other redistributive programs have become.

The nation has become a perversion of the limited government, self governing republic envisioned by the founders, and guaranteed by the constitution.

I know, there’s a difference between disrespecting the government and disrespecting the nation itself, its symbols, it’s institutions - and the brave men in uniform who have sacrificed everything to protect our freedom.

But I’m not always sure exactly where to draw that line. Where does “the nation” end, and “the government” begin? The truth is that the two concepts are inixtricably intermingled and overlapping.

For example, if the progressives continue to take us down the path toward socialism, they will rescind the 2nd amendment, and repurpose law enforcement and the military - from protecting liberties and freedom - to enforcing our bondage - from protecting property and free enterprise - to coercing our participation in redistributionary programs.

Even now, isn’t that partly the case? Even though today’s tax rates and regulations are abusive, anti-constitutional and far in excess of the tyranny that justified the founders to revolt in 1776, it is nevertheless illegal not to pay them.

What happens when we break the law? The police can and will arrest and imprison us, at gunpoint if necessary, and if we resist sufficiently, they can kill us.

If there were a large enough tax rebellion, even though morally and constitutionally justified, the government can and would use military force to put it down.

Worse yet, I hear some people talk as if it’s their patriotic duty to pay their taxes! I hear people talk as if to complain about this country is shameful. Love it or leave it. No; there’s always a third choice: change it.

This is all a long way of saying that when 4th of July comes around each year and I’m filled with resentment over excessive and coercive taxes and regulations forced on me by this government, I sometimes have the thought - what independence are we supposed to be celebrating? Would the founding fathers have put up with what this nation has become - in the name of patriotism? - I don’t think so.

I’m supposed to be feeling all proud and rah-rah-American-flag on the 4th, but often that’s not the way I feel.

I’m not justifying NFL players - they are in the wrong, but my criticism of them is not the fact that they chose to protest national symbols. My complaint with them is that their “issue” (white supremacy and racially motivated police brutality) is totally without merit.

The BLM movement is all based on lies - and the NFL players foolish show of ‘solidarity’ is just another pile of dog crap ginned up by leftists to create racial divides for political advantage.

But that doesn’t mean that there’s never a justification for protesting against “patriotic” symbols. And it doesn’t mean patriotic symbols are never used to dupe the sheeple into compliance.

I’m sorry, but real patriotism isn’t saluting a flag, or standing at attention, it’s fighting for what’s right. The American revolutionaries were called rebels and traitors - they didn’t get called patriots until they won.

By the way, I am the biggest Trump supporter, and I think he’ll come out ahead in this skirmish - and m glad.

And the JERK that wrote this POS article didn’t know this?

You don't have to know anything to be a journalist, especially a sports journalist.

-PJ

If our flag and national anthem are political and divisive to some then what kind of nation do we have? I would suggest we have no nation at all with these disgruntled, anti-Western individuals.

Here, the sport of pro football is under attack via the charges of “players damage their brains”.

The latest casualty is Aaron Hernandez. The results of his autopsy are found to be the worst case of CTE they have ever found in a player, at his young age of 27.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2017/09/21/aaron-hernandez-had-cte-and-thats-huge-problem-nfl/691046001/

The guy who wrote this is being intentionally oblivious. No just because we have a First Amendment such that somebody can legally be very unpatriotic, it does not mske being blantantly unpatriotic patriotic. What an idiot.

Thank you.

To quote Billy Joel, “And you can speak your mind, but not on my time.”

(From “My Life”)