And to the Republic for which he kneels.
It’s Sunday again, which means several players employed by the National Football League are about to be accused of dishonoring the military when they kneel during the national anthem, despite the fact that their protest has nothing to do with either the flag or the military, and despite the fact that the act of kneeling was devised after lengthy consultation with a former Green Beret.
So do remind your seething friends and family members that, in the past two years of both seeking and attaining the office of the presidency, our nation’s most prominent sociopath has:
- Disparaged the experiences of Sen. John McCain, and thereby all prisoners of war, by declaring “He’s not a war hero. I like people that weren’t captured.”
- Leveled personal attacks against the family of the late Capt. Humayun Khan–an American soldier who died saving several of his comrades-in-arms–for daring to criticize him on national television.
- Instituted policies that seek to remove all transgender personnel from the military, regardless of their skills and the distinction with which they have been serving.
- Overseen the restructuring of the Pentagon’s policy towards recruiting and retaining foreign-born volunteers into the military, leaving several active personnel members with suddenly canceled contracts and leaving some in danger of deportation. Many of these volunteers first signed up in order to try and achieve a path to citizenship, which the Trump administration has been actively working to close in order to appease a xenophobic base.
- Remained silent on the ambush in Niger that killed four Green Berets and injured two others, and was playing golf with Lindsey Graham when one of the bodies of the men he hasn’t mentioned was brought stateside at Dover Air Force Base.
- Driven the nation of Chad to depart the coalition that the United States had assembled to combat terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, thereby weakening that force and its unauthorized mission.
- Joked around with Sean Hannity during the ceremonial playing of “Retreat” while waiting to give a speech at a military installation in Pennsylvania. While the president was not required to salute or stand at ceremony for this typically solemn affair, it was perhaps not the most appropriate to comment to Hannity and his audience: “What a nice sound that is. Are they playing that for you or for me? They’re playing that in honor of his ratings.”
- Oh, and there’s the thing where he keeps trying to push us closer to war with North Korea and Iran.
But remember: It’s apparently Colin Kaepernick who disrespects the armed forces.
Creative Control 