Live in Obedient Fear, Citizen

Did you hear the one about the 12 year old who was arrested for not saying the pledge of allegance?

No, it's not a lead in to a joke, though (of course) it's from Florida.

The substitute teacher took umbrage, and decided to taunt the the student and then call in the school cop.

One of the people involved in all of this was acting like an adult, and he was 12 years old.

What the Performers at the Superbowl Should Do

Go down on one knee, and sing the Star Spangled Banner.

F%$# the cowardly owners, and f%$# Trump.

What Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Said

Writing in the Guardian, the basketball hall of famer excoriates the NFL for their incoherent and hypocritical actions on the national anthem:

Whew! What a tumultuous year for your league. Slipping attendance and ratings. Continuing concussion controversy. Lawsuits from cheerleaders who refuse to shut up and smile. Domestic violence accusations against players. The Papa John’s founder mouthing off about something or other. Players taking a national anthem knee (NAK, for short). President Trump’s “problematic” rambling. Commissioner Roger Goodell under siege from, well, everybody. Bet it makes you fellas long for the good old days when all you had to worry about was Janet Jackson’s nip slip. Where’s faithful Hodor when you need someone to hold the door against relentless attackers?

Then you made it worse.

In May, you implemented a childish policy about how grown men must respond to the national anthem: a player can stay in the locker room during the anthem, but if he takes the field and then protests, the team and the player can be fined. Oh, Dear Owners. You stood at the precipice of history tasked with deciding whether to choose the principles of the US Constitution over profits of commerce, patriotism over pandering, morality over mob mentality, promoting social justice over pushing beers. Sadly, you blinked. Courage, it seems, is expected only of players.

It is a well deserved condemnation. 

Read the rest.

Better Judgement or Cowardice?

A couple of weeks back, I went to lunch with my colleagues at work.

We went to Mission BBQ with colleagues.

Mission Barbecue includes a heavy branding on the whole, "Support the Troops," thing.

One of the things that I discovered, when we arrived at noon, was that they play the Star Spangled Banner at noon, as we walked in the door.

Everyone was standing, looking at the flag with their hands on their hearts.

I just stood there, no hand on my heart, but then I thought, "Maybe I should go down on one knee."

Instead, I just stood there.

Should I have kneeled, or perhaps (as a friend suggested) lift my arm in a Black Power Salute, or would that just make me an asshole?

I'm still conflicted.

America, F%$# Yeah!

For July 4^th I give you this bit of true Americana from muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurdock:

haters can say what they want about the 4th of july but i just witnessed two dudes- one dressed as abe lincoln and the other as benjamin franklin- passionately making out on the balcony while fireworks went off behind them and half of the party, for some reason, gathered around them and chanted “USA! USA!” for like five solid minutes

god bless america

(All capitalization original)

This is awesome!