Take A Knee

Last week I replaced the flag that waves
In front of our home
The old one had faded is all
It still had a useful life
But to Julieann and I
It looks better clean and bright
So we did it

Old (New) Glory at the
Nor-Cal Campbell family ranch.

At the same time many in our country were and are upset over Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the playing of our national anthem. Many see it as lack of respect for the flag and our country.

Yet, as he has explained, it is his way of demonstrating his concern over our continuing "oppression of black people and people of color." I would add we are also guilty of oppressing people of different persuasions or cultures and religions. To give more substance to his position, he has agreed to donate a million dollars to communities in need.

In a way I understand and do not quite see his position as disrespectful. I see it instead as a way of respectfully showing concern:

That our country is not whole 
That we are not one people joined by a common cause 
For freedom without oppression 
That we have a lot of work to do

Yes we have a lot of work ahead of us and we have had it since the beginning. We are not born with prejudice and hatred. We are taught... and I believe for many of us it becomes instinctive.

When I was a kid, I believed we would grow up do a better job of governing ourselves, individually and collectively, than our parents. But now I have seen that is not true. We have carried on the traits we were taught. We have passed them on to our children and we need to stop it.

The true correction lies in what we teach our children:

If we do not stop teaching them to hate
If we do not teach them to overcome their fears
If we do not stop preaching prejudice
If we do not teach them the simple "Golden Rule"...

...then all these attitudes will continue as they have since the very first stars and stripes were sewn together in the flag.

So that's my position on it. I spent 24 years in the Air Force to earn that position and I am happy to pass that on to Collin in support of his endeavor.  Take a knee Collin.  I am behind you.