Know Your Rights

Know your rights all three of them

Number 1
You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a CRIME!
Unless it was done by a
Policeman or aristocrat
Know your rights

And Number 2
You have the right to food money
Providing of course you
Don't mind a little
Investigation, humiliation
And if you cross your fingers
Rehabilitation

Number 3
You have the right to free speech
As long as you're not
Dumb enough to actually try it.

~~ "Know Your Rights" by The Clash

Nike waded hip-deep back into the "stand or kneel" so-called controversy, and boy, did the shit ever hit the fan.

They chose to use Colin Kaepernick as part of the 30th anniversary of their Just Do It campaign and the Internet exploded. Although it was a minor explosion after the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and the new Bob Woodward book about 45's questionable fitness for office.

The fact that these three things all jostled for attention today tells you everything you need to know about the current state of things, doesn't it? Personally, I'm feeling a little exhausted and beaten down, but I'm still feeling feisty enough to defend Kaepernick.

Some were questioning what exactly Kaepernick has sacrificed and some were comparing him to members of the military who lost their lives fighting for our country.

Make no mistake, Kaepernick isn't hurting for money. This multimillion-dollar deal with Nike ensured that. But because of his protests, he was blackballed from the NFL. His decision to protest pretty much cost him his football career. (He might be grateful for that in the long run, considering the toll that football takes on players, but that's a topic for another day.) His lawsuit against the NFL for collusion to keep him out of football has been given the go-ahead, and that should be interesting.

And of course, the sacrifice of his football career cannot in any way compare to the sacrifice that military members and their families make every day, especially when military members are killed. That's kind of a silly comparison.

But here's the thing: military members swear an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. That includes the right to free speech and the right to peaceably assemble. They are sworn to defend exactly what Colin Kaepernick is doing.

He is protesting peacefully. He is trying to bring attention to an ongoing and horrible problem in our country right now, the targeting of young black males by law enforcement. (Don't pile on me, please. You know I'm not saying that every cop is a criminal or every sinner a saint. Bonus points to those who get the reference.) This is his right as an American and that right to assemble and protest and speak out must be protected.

Is there an argument to be made that owners had the right to cut him from the team? Yeah, maybe. Employees sign a contract with a company and must abide by the terms, just like social media sites have terms of use and if you violate those, you can be banned from the sites (and yes, I'm looking at you, Alex Jones, you nutter!). If I understand correctly, Kaepernick's lawsuit is more about the entire NFL colluding against him to keep him from playing again. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.

One of the many things to cherish about our country is that we have the right to make our voices heard. We can be loud or we can silently take a knee. Neo-Nazis and the KKK are a bunch of A-holes, but they still have the right to assemble. We also have the right to assemble in opposition to them, and there are a helluva lot more of us than there are of them.

Colin Kaepernick is not a bad person for his protests. He is someone who cares about innocent kids getting shot. Parents shouldn't have to explain to their kids how to avoid getting shot by the police while walking down the street. No one in their right mind can deny that this is a serious problem in our country, and I am glad that Kaepernick is bringing the issue out into the open and I'm glad that Nike chose him for this ad. They aren't stupid. They knew it would generate a ton of buzz, and here I am writing a blog entry about it!

Kaepernick has the right to do this, a right that is guaranteed by our Constitution. Not everyone in the world has this right.

As The Only Band That Matters said, "Know your rights!" 

De-evolution is real

Gotta painful swelling brain

Got me pulling out my hair

Gotta painful swelling brain

Clutching at my brain

~~ “S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)” by Devo

I’ve been saying for a couple of years now that based on everything we are seeing happen in our country, Devo is a perfect soundtrack for our time. Their message of “de-evolution” that began in Akron, Ohio after founding members Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale experienced the Kent State University shootings in 1970 seems more relevant than ever.

I try to remain optimistic and I generally believe that we are moving forward as a society, despite how incremental our movement seems at times and despite the fact that we often seem to be going backward.

It was hard to feel optimistic this weekend as I saw the current resident of the White House assault one of the very things that makes our republic a great one: the freedom to peacefully protest. I won’t go into details because I’m certain that you’ve heard plenty about it. Suffice it to say that he is calling for NFL players who choose to peacefully protest racism in our country by taking a knee during the national anthem to be summarily fired.

Players have contracts and a union to protect them, so that’s a dumbass remark right off the bat. But beyond that, it goes against the very things that are enshrined in our Constitution. We have the right to freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. Colin Kaepernick and other athletes who choose to exercise this are perfectly within their rights.

It did my heart good to see other players and coaching staff support the players who choose to do this. Even Terry Bradshaw kicked some ass by saying that the “president” was off-base and that the players have the right to do this, just like every other citizen in our country.

Some are trying to say that kneeling during the national anthem is disrespecting our country and all those who fought on its behalf. I do understand why some might feel that way but I don’t buy it. If you fought for our country, you fought to defend our Constitution, and the right to protest is very much a part of that. You might not agree with it, and that is certainly your right. But that is part of who we are. Kaepernick and others are exercising their rights.

I will defend that every damn day.

I have green eyes, too. 

In a related (kind of, but it’s a chance to mention my boyfriend in another life) story, James Comey gave a speech welcoming incoming freshmen to Howard University, his new, temporary gig as a guest lecturer and fellow. A few students decided to protest and loudly interrupted him as he tried to speak. He finished his speech but it was obviously not an ideal situation. Beyond my initial thoughts of “Leave him alone!”, I know that he’s a grown-ass man and as a prosecutor, Deputy AG, and FBI Director, he’s faced plenty of challenging moments, and he’s still standing (tall). It probably bothered me more than it bothered him.

I actually agree with the right of these students to protest. Considering what I said above about players taking a knee, how could I not? I would be a hypocrite if I said they didn’t have that right. I also think that they have a very valid point about racial bias in law enforcement. It is something that I think needs to be addressed.

But that’s exactly what Comey wants to do and it is what he was trying to do at the FBI before a certain orange thing fired him. (*sob*) He was working hard to diversify the FBI and it was an active push in his tenure as Director. Did he get some things wrong? Did he misspeak on occasion? Undoubtedly. But I don’t doubt for a moment that he is not even close to a racist and that he was and is committed to striving for justice and fairness.

So the students were within their rights but I wonder what they really accomplished? From everything I’ve read, Comey was always willing to listen to other viewpoints and try to learn from what others had to say. By shouting him down, they stifled that dialogue, and really...to what end? Quite a few other students seemed to feel the same way and said that they were there to hear various viewpoints and learn and discuss (and he got a standing ovation after his speech...I’m so proud!). That is exactly what college should be about, but it is also what our day-to-day interactions should be about. As Comey said, when you have a conversation with another person, you both listen, you both talk, and you both come away smarter.

Shouting down your opponents has its place when they are merely spouting nonsense and rhetoric. Shouting down someone who is trying to have a conversation with you seems counterproductive and ultimately futile. It accomplishes nothing.

This is admittedly not always easy for me. I have tried to have discussions with others who don’t see things the way I do, and when the other person refuses to accept objective reality and measurable facts, it really is an exercise in futility. I don’t want to give up and there are some days that I have more patience than other days. I try to maintain my sense of fairness and a willingness to listen to others, but if you want to debate with me, you’d best get your game on, because bullshit, strawman arguments don’t fly with me. If you go with ad hominem attacks, you’ve already lost. A high school friend wrote in my yearbook that you never, ever want to get into an argument with me, because you can’t win.

I’m not sure that’s true, because I will admit when I’m wrong, but don’t fling bullshit my way and expect me to believe it. If you try to shout me down, you might have silenced me for a moment, but I will write a freaking blog post. So there. As my crest says on this blog, “Verba volant, Scripta manent.”

Words fly, writings remain.