take a stand

...to take a knee. A year ago as his right to protest, Colin Kaepernick from San Francisco 49ers kneeled during the national anthem during a NFL game as a protest to recurring police brutality to "black lives" nationwide. Some believe that the distraction is why no team has picked up Kaepernick in the current season.

Perhaps as distraction from issues with Russian investigation or with his inability to get any significant legislation passed, the self-identified master negotiator and unifier, continued his divisive tactics by bringing up a very old issue to rally his base at a rally in Alabama Friday, by challenging the NFL owners to "fire" players like Kaepernick who do not stand for the national anthem, this coming from the man that had to be nudged by his wife during Easter to put his right hand on his heart, as dictated by the 1942 US Flag Code for civilians.

The next day, Oakland A's Bruce Maxwell became the first MLB player to kneel while his white teammate, Mark Canha, put his right hand on Maxwell's shoulders in solidarity. Maxwell grew up in Alabama came from a military family. While Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, had condemned POTUS (although not naming him) for his divisive comments, it was not clear how the owners and coaches would respond.

Today, the NFL responded in kind. Owners and head coaches stood with their team on the field with arms locked, hands on shoulders and/or taking a knee. A number of owners, including Robert Kraft, who had noted that he is a "good friend" of POTUS and owner of a team that has primarily identified with POTUS, and Shahid Khan, who was another $1 million + donor to POTUS, stood in solidarity with their team.

The Pittsburgh Steelers decided that solidarity for them meant not making their teammates individually decide on whether to stand or to kneel and to remove themselves from the controversy. They decided instead not to have the team on the field for the national anthem. In support of his team, Alejandro Villanueva, who was a graduate of West Point, served as an Army Ranger and did three tours in Afghanistan, stood with his hand over his heart in the tunnel during the national anthem.

The NFL has also decided to re-air its unity commercial, which was meant to be a one-time show during the Superbowl in February 2017 to demonstrate the power of the game to bring people together.

POTUS' challenge that not standing is utter disrespect for what the U.S. stands for clearly showcases his lack of knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, and the freedom that the men and women in the military have fought generations. This coming from the man who has yet to denounce or say anything negative of Russian leadership, who clearly tried to manipulate the American democracy. Something that started as a Black Lives Matter symbol has now been escalated to equality for men, women and children of any race and religion.

Similarly, with all the women speaking up in the technology industry regarding the clear discrimination (flash of light and kissing my boo-boos), it is time to stand in solidarity, and I have started discussions on this within the firm prior to my departure. I can be silent no longer. Continuing the modus operandi of pussy riots, the girl with the dragon tattoo, and hot as hell, POTUS has become a unifier, in spite of himself.

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Update September 26, 2017:

As Villanueva's number 78 became the best selling jersey in the last day or so, some fans were burning their paraphernalia of other NFL players who chose to kneel. However, as it turns out, Villanueva's actions turned out to be a plan gone bad. He had planned on being with his team in the darkness of the tunnel, but in the front in order to have visual of the flag. As he was vying for a view, and as others were clearing the field for the anthem, he got separated from his team when the music started. He froze in his spot.

"I made Coach Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only. I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only...Unfortunately I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally.

I've learned that I don't know what it's like to be from Dade County, I don't know what it's like to be from Oakland. I can't tell you I know what my teammates have gone through, so I'm not going to pretend like I have the righteous sort of voice to tell you that you should stand up for the national anthem. It's protected by our constitution and our country. It's the freedom of speech."

~ Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh Steelers No. 78