I am getting very tired of all the indignation expressed against Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players who have been kneeling in peaceful protest during the national anthem. They have been accused of disrespecting our flag, our military, our police, and the list continues to grow.
A little over a half-century ago I served in the military and I thought that one of the main reasons I and millions before and after me where there was to protect the rights that we enjoy, including the right of peaceful protest, and that is what our flag represents to me.
So who is disrespecting the flag? Those who exercise the rights that the flag represents or those who try to suppress those rights?
When I was in the military we felt that the danger to our freedoms was from the Soviet Union and China. Now I think that the danger is from within.
I applaud Nike for its position regarding this matter.
Charles Barnett
Lynnwood
