To Stand or Not to Stand? That is the Question
Two days ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that players could continue to kneel or sit during the National Anthem without facing any penalties. The next morning, President Trump predictably took to Twitter to decry the decision: “The NFL has decided that it will not force players to stand for the playing of our National Anthem. Total disrespect for our great country!”
As I reflected on this ongoing controversy, I found myself thinking about my dad, who passed away a little over a year ago, and what he would likely say about it all.
Lt.Col. (USMC) William C. Holmberg was a bootstraps-kind-of-guy and one who loved, fought for (Navy Cross honoree; veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam ) and found a hundred-and-one ways to serve this country.
Over his 88 years he developed and nurtured an acute sense of justice and fairness. Much of that was born from empathy. As someone raised on the wrong side of the tracks and holding the short-end of the stick, Dad understood the pain, fear, hopelessness and anger that often gnaws at those whose color, economic status, upbringing, etc. can push them towards the margins.
Back before it was cool, he ruffled feathers advocating for total equality and respect for the black soldiers under his command and later throughout the entire military.
Forced to retire after a heart attack in Vietnam, Dad’s next “tour of duty” was with the Selective Service. The feather ruffling continued as he fought for the rights and honor of conscientious objectors, including perhaps the most famous and important incident of an 
athlete taking a principled stand against what he believed was injustice in America. (One can only imagine the Twitter-equivalents that would have gushed forth if Trump had been president when Muhammad Ali refused induction into the military.)
Connecting the dots between kids being raised in blighted inner-city neighborhoods and systemic poverty and crime, he started a program to place them in a more regulated and rural environment for two weeks in the summer. There, at a semi-retired military base, they lived in the barracks, experienced military style discipline and physical training from actual drill instructors (significantly dialed down and fun-infused, of course), went to school, played games, and engaged in basic-life-skills exercises. For most, it was their very first step onto the path to the the true American dream.
Finally, literally up to the day his old heart gave out, Dad did what he could to fight for the family farm, for the environment, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy….and the little guy.
So what would Big Bill say about this kneeling brouhaha?
Well, I heard his voice almost perfectly channeled in an interview with Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who played football briefly with the Seattle Seahawks. Nate had spoken out last year when Colin Kaepernick got the whole NFL protest train rolling. Then they 
met, talked and found a very interesting and compelling place of understanding and compromise. Instead of sitting during the national anthem, Kaepernick began taking the knee.
And now, as more and more NFL players are also kneeling , Nate has spoken out again, this time in a letter to “Every Single American.”
His bottom-line?
“So please, no more lines in the sand, not at home, not among our people. No more choosing sides, no more “for or against.” I believe our Veterans will be called upon to lead the way in healing the world and solving its problems; right now our country needs that more than I can remember. So I’ll be here, standing in the radical middle, doing what I can to continue fighting for those that can’t fight for themselves. Let’s get this thing fixed together, you and me. I love you all with all my heart.”
De Oppresso Liber” (To free the oppressed)
It’s great to hear your voice again, Dad, cheering from the sidelines.
(As for my thoughts: like it or not, you introduce an element of politics into any event where The Star-Spangled Banner is played. And that anthem is there to commemorate our national creed, which has at its very heart the freedom of speech and political expression.
That speech and expression becomes most meaningful and important to the vitality of our country when it is born out of thoughtful engagement with the transcendent values of truth, justice and mercy. I know that not everybody who sits or kneels is doing it out of this type of engagement with the issues. But not everyone who stands is doing it from that place either. Personally, I think it’s great for America that there is this type of debate and reflection going on right now.
Lastly, as Americans we should applaud anyone who takes the playing of our anthem seriously rather than just going through the motions and/or following the herd. (I would that we took our other civic responsibilities—particularly voting—more seriously and thoughtfully as well.) Standing, singing along, covering one’s heart or lifting up our eyes and hands to the great hill (and, FYI, it’s not the Capitol version) from which our redemption comes is great. But so is kneeling as a sign of humility, compassion, contrition, reverence and prayer. Again, while not everyone will have hearts and minds that truly reflect their respective postures, I will choose to look at them, smile to myself and think, “Well, it’s at least a beginning.”
I would recommend that “every single American” consider doing the same.
Nate Boyer’s interesting, six-minute radio interview can be heard here.
Тут делают продвижение создание медицинского сайта продвижение сайта медицинского центра
Тут делают продвижение разработка сайта медицинской клиники создание медицинского сайта под ключ
Нужен быстрый способ перевести займ на карту? Мы подскажем удобные и выгодные варианты.
вакансии алматы http://www.trudvsem.kz .
работа с проживанием в алматы для женщин trudvsem.kz .
Smoking in India is one of the oldest industries and provides employment to more than five million people directly and indirectly http://forum.himko.vip/proxy.php?link=https://www.indiesmoke.co.in/
объявление на работу алматы объявление на работу алматы .
Тут делают продвижение медицинский seo стратегия с роботами
горящие вакансии в алматы https://trudvsem.kz/ .
Тут делают продвижение seo продвижение медицинских сайтов медицинское seo
Профессиональный сервисный центр мастерская по ремонту телефонов где можно отремонтировать телефон
Тут делают продвижение разработка медицинских сайтов создание сайта медицинского центра
https://www.alphabookmarks.win/las-mejores-agencias-de-marketing-digital-en-santiago-chile
Hola a todos!
Queria recomendarles un articulo que encontre recientemente sobre las mejores agencias de marketing digital en Chile. Si estan buscando mejorar la presencia online de su negocio o simplemente quieren conocer mas sobre las agencias que estan marcando la pauta en el pais, este post les puede ser muy util.
Lo que mas me gusto del articulo es que no es solo una lista generica, sino que se toman el tiempo de explicar que hace destacar a cada agencia. Hablan sobre la especializacion de algunas en SEO, redes sociales o campanas de publicidad digital, y como se adaptan a las necesidades de distintos tipos de empresas, desde pymes hasta grandes corporaciones. Ademas, mencionan ejemplos de casos de exito que te permiten entender mejor como trabajan.
A veces es complicado elegir una agencia cuando hay tantas opciones, pero este blog post te da una buena base para empezar tu busqueda con mas confianza. Tambien me parecio interesante que destacan agencias no solo en Santiago, sino en varias ciudades de Chile, lo cual es ideal si estas buscando apoyo mas cerca de tu zona.
Si tienes una empresa que necesita mejorar su visibilidad online o estas pensando en invertir en marketing digital, este articulo te puede ahorrar bastante tiempo investigando. Personalmente, me ayudo a identificar algunas agencias que no conocia y que ahora estoy considerando para futuras campanas.
Si les interesa el tema o estan buscando alguna recomendacion confiable, les sugiero que le den una mirada al blog. Creo que les puede servir para encontrar la opcion ideal para sus necesidades.
Saludos y exito en sus proyectos!
rabota rabota .
работа по казахстану работа по казахстану .
вакансии на работу вакансии на работу .
вакансия на работу https://umicum.kz/ .
магазин сейфов предлагает сейф 3 сейф 3 класс взломостойкости
Появились непредвиденные расходы? Теперь вы можете получить деньги в долг в Минске на выгодных условиях всего за пару кликов.
Smoking in India is one of the oldest industries and provides employment to more than five million people directly and indirectly https://sesc.nsu.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?event1=click_to_call&event2=&event3=&goto=https://www.casino-spin.de/
Полезные советы по предотвращению дубликатов номеров, для более эффективного контроля.
Программы для поиска дубликатов номеров, которые помогут в оптимизации процесса.
Как избежать ущерба от дубликатов номеров, для поддержания доверия клиентов.
Как удалить дубликаты номеров из Excel, для улучшения качества данных.
Как обеспечить уникальность номеров при регистрации, для улучшения пользовательского опыта.
Как защититься от нежелательных дубликатов номеров, и сохранить конфиденциальность.
Как найти и удалить дубликаты номеров в интернете, для очистки базы данных.
Как предотвратить повторное появление дубликатов, и сохранить целостность информации.
номера на заказ на машину номера на заказ на машину .
Сервисный центр предлагает ремонт телефонов black shark на дому сервис ремонта телефонов black shark
магазин сейфов предлагает купить сейф 3 класс в москве сейф 3 класс
Наша компания «Сайт числом мебели чтобы кухни» забирается тварью и продажей качественной кашеварной мебели. Автор этих строк делаем отличное предложение широкий сортамент продукции, который начинает говорить самым современным шаблонам и тенденциям дизайна http://www.sufebey8kuhnishki.ru/.
Познакомьтесь маленький нашим профессиональным коллективом, который создаёт чудесную этажерка, воплощая ваши грезы в явь https://www.cehitae2kuhnishki.ru/.
Dapatkan berbagai promo menarik. Belanja aman dan nyaman hanya di Tokopedia. Beli produk Hemp Custom Wear online, produk terlengkap dan harga terbaik http://www.kanaginohana.com/shop/display_cart?return_url=https://www.ngatiranana.org.uk/
Тут делают продвижение создание сайта для медицинского центра создание сайтов для клиники
Как избежать рисков при покупке диплома колледжа или ПТУ в России
Smoking in India is one of the oldest industries and provides employment to more than five million people directly and indirectly https://top.hange.jp/linkdispatch/dispatch?targetUrl=https://www.indiesmoke.co.in/
Discovered an interesting article, I suggest you familiarize yourself http://neoline.kz/bitrix/redirect.php?goto=http://rt.chat-ruletka-18.com/couples
Тут делают продвижение seo. медицинских. сайтов сео продвижение медицинских сайтов
магазин сейфов предлагает сейфы 3 класс взломостойкости сейф 3 класса взломостойкости
Dapatkan berbagai promo menarik. Belanja aman dan nyaman hanya di Tokopedia. Beli produk Hemp Custom Wear online, produk terlengkap dan harga terbaik http://aquaguard.com/?URL=https://ngatiranana.org.uk/
Encountered a unique article – be sure to take a look and see for yourself http://alisatoys.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?goto=http://rt.chat-ruletka-18.com/
Dapatkan berbagai promo menarik. Belanja aman dan nyaman hanya di Tokopedia. Beli produk Hemp Custom Wear online, produk terlengkap dan harga terbaik https://dox.esquelesquad.rip/?url=https://gayliving.ca/
Познакомьтесь один-другой нашим проф коллективом, который образовывает чудесную этажерка, воплощая ваши грезы в реальность https://cehitae2kuhnishki.ru/.
https://zithromax.company/# zithromax 250mg
требуется работа алматы требуется работа алматы .
женщинам работа в цеху алматы женщинам работа в цеху алматы .
магазин сейфов предлагает сейф 3 класс сейф взломостойкий 3 класс
Dapatkan berbagai promo menarik. Belanja aman dan nyaman hanya di Tokopedia. Beli produk Hemp Custom Wear online, produk terlengkap dan harga terbaik https://25ans-vansankan.com/?wptouch_switch=desktop&redirect=https://gayliving.ca/
bs2site at
работа для девушек астана http://sitsen.kz/ .
Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your site, how can i subscribe for a blog web site? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear idea
свежие вакансии на сегодня https://umicum.kz .
работа работа .
Found an enthralling article, I recommend you to read http://forumkasino.bestff.ru/viewtopic.php?id=5102#p11124
Дааа… Выкрутился оч прикольно
Some https://gamestop-wallet.io/ have properties similar to those of gold, cardboard and other and bonuses. so part of people who knows your password will not get password to your account, so how he will need a second code.
https://www.assurance-mutelle.fr/kvartira-na-sutki-v-minske-nedorogo-ceny-snjat-16/
https://deneme-bonusu-veren-siteler.org/