Editor's Note By John Katz : On the day of our nation's birth the majority of Americans are celebrating our nation's Independence for the 243rd time. This week has seen its share of headlines stemming from President Trump's perhaps grandiose display of our Military's might on the National Mall to the story we shared a few weeks ago on Camping USA CEO Marcus Lemonis being fined for flying the American Flag over his corporate HQ, due to its size. As reported in the Blaze: Lemonis still isn't concerned over his violation, or the accumulating fees.
Then there is this regarding our Nation's Flag and Nike By our Friend and Contributor Mark Houck, Founder of The King's Men
Mr. Kaepernick's Zeal,The New Nike Shoe & Manly Virtue.....
Many, no doubt, have varying opinions on the latest from the Nike organization and ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. I must admit that I was disappointed to hear that the positive patriotic statement that the Nike organization was trying to make with their new Air Max 1 USA shoe proudly displaying a Revolutionary-era U.S. flag on the back of its sneaker was recalled because their paid ambassador had privately expressed his disapproval of such. Apparently Mr. Kaepernick had expressed concerns about the flag, which he states recalls an era when black people were enslaved and that it has been appropriated by white nationalist groups.
Fair enough...so would Mr. Kaepernick be okay with a current American Flag on the back of the new shoe? Why didn't Nike compromise by offering such to the marketplace? Nike won't because it clearly would be at odds with their star endorser and potentially offend a group of people, however small, who actually see the American flag as a symbol of hate or oppression. It's a lose lose proposition for Nike.
The bigger issue is not whether Nike caved with its solid patriotic holiday marketing plan, but that something as benign as a flag reflecting early American history can trigger such feelings in some demographics. Is this at the heart of Mr. Kaepernick's movement? Is it protesting the American Flag now or is it to raise awareness about the injustice related to police brutality?
I am confused. I am losing site of the issues with this one personally. I gather Mr. Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem has spring boarded into a larger issue which now encompasses and apparently is setting standards as far as what is universally considered patriotic and and what is just discriminatory symbolism.
Apparently, the super smart advertising executives at Nike didn't see it as an issue either as the shoe was shipped to all the Nike outlets in advance of the 4th of July weekend.
Zeal for a cause like the one Mr.Kaepernick took a stand for during his playing career was admirable. I am not sure I agree with the timing of his silent witness (kneeling during the playing of the national anthem) or the measures he took with his own personal clothing (cops as pigs on socks).
However, as someone who has committed his life to raising awareness to tough issues like the pornography problem in our country, defending traditional marriage and the pro-life fight, I can honestly say that Mr. Kaepernick's efforts have been widely effective having influenced young and old alike. It appears that people are paying more attention and are more sensitive to the matters that he has attempted to bring greater awareness.
I think it is fair to say that, thus far. Mr. Kaepernick's sacrifices are paying off to a degree as it relates to public opinion regarding police brutality and the discrimination of black people that still lingers to this day. And all of that is a very good thing!
But this latest effort by Mr. Kaepernick is much less unifying and way more divisive than police brutality. The Confederate flag, I submit, conjures up the antebellum sentiment of a time when our nation was divided over the issue of slavery and so it stands as reasonable that some might take offense to a mass display of such.
However, the flag of our nation and its evolution from the stitching efforts of one Betsy Ross in Old Town Philadelphia to its present day form seems out of of balance to say the least.
Comparisons to the efforts of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King seem also to be very much out of balance with this latest action. Martin Luther King was a deeply religious man who was an ordained clergyman, a prayerfully reflective and calculative activist who sought brotherhood that was very much united under the founding principles of this country that all men are created equal.
Dr. Martin Luther King, though accused of being an "agitator", seemed to embrace such a label for the good of his cause from his letter from the Birmingham jail, but he would not so quickly embrace those who promoted anti-American sentiments. I quote from this letter as Dr. King addresses the radical movement that Malcolm X was a part of:
"You speak of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts of those of an extremist. I began thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces. One is a force of complacency....The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement. Nourished by the Negro's frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, the movement is made of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible 'devil'."
Dr. King would go on to say that neither the complacent nor the hatred of the black nationalist should be emulated "for there is the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest." This is the path of Christ and the path of true virtue.
While Mr. Kaepernick has chosen the 'more excellent of way of love' in some areas of his witness, a brief review of Mr. Kaepernick's twitter handle shows him quoting one of the black nationalist group's heroes: the aforementioned Malcom X.
Has Mr. Kaepernick, by his latest action with Nike, demonstrated that he has lost faith in America? I don't know for sure, but it appears one could make this argument.
Is Mr. Kaepernick a Christian?
From his tattoos it appears that he is a believer, but that I am not entirely certain.
And his opinions of the white man; I surely would hate to conjecture.
So what is only left here in this blog is to offer my opinion of his latest actions as worthy of emulation for boys and the men of today. If the standard is that of the witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, then I would say they are not to be emulated as they are not uniting the country, but serving only to divide the nation.
If the standards are that of courageous sacrificial love, specifically the cardinal virtue of fortitude, then that truly remains to be seen.
Time will tell what Mr. Kaepernick's sacrificial efforts will tell us about his love of humanity and the common good.
As we stand on the eve of our nation's 243rd birthday, our country is clearly not united. As Sacred Scripture (Mark 3:25) states "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln applied this to our nation when he said "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."
Let us pray for unity and equality for all humanity this Independence Day.
Happy 4th of July !
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