I Fought For Your Rights, Even if You’re a Jerk

Here’s the thing about serving your country and protecting our rights, whether that is in the military, law enforcement, or as a public servant; you did it for everyone, even those you don’t like.  That’s the funny thing about freedom.  It doesn’t just work for your friends or only apply to the people in your church and it isn’t granted to certain people on the political spectrum.  Either everyone is free or no one is free.

That is what makes me so frustrated over this whole national anthem kneeling fiasco.  It is so frustrating to hear some of my fellow brothers and sisters in the military speak out against Colin Kaepernick and Nike.  To those who think kneeling for the national anthem is disrespectful, you’re entitled to that opinion.  But please remember that you signed up to defend liberty and our constitution.  That means you are defending it even for those people you dislike and those who hate you.  You protect the rights of those who want to burn the flag as much as those who want to wrap themselves up in it.

Wrapping yourself up in the flag isn’t a magical cloak that makes you better than everyone else, just like wearing the uniform doesn’t make you better or morally superior.  As a veteran, I commend what you have signed up to do.  But sometimes, wrapping yourself in the flag acts less like a cloak and more like a blindfold.  We aren’t perfect and we have a lot of things to fix in our country.  Read some Facebook comments on this article, from either side of the argument, and you’ll see someone say something like “Whats wrong with this country?”.  I’ve literally seen it from both sides of this debate over the past few days.

Please don’t mistake me, I love this country.  I think it is the best country in the world.  I am so proud, grateful, and fortunate to be an American.  We have it great.  For all the bitching and complaining we all do, we have it pretty good.  Think about the common complaints you hear in our society.  Meanwhile, children in Yemen are literally dying from diarrhea.  There are oppressive regimes all over the world.  If the thing you’re most pissed off about is someone kneeling during the national anthem, I think we are all winning.

So yes, America IS Great.  But America is NOT perfect.  We never have been and if we’re being honest with ourselves, we never will be.  But we are Great because we are free.  We are free because our military has protected us when our liberties were threatened.  We are free because civilians protested by sitting on a bus and marching to Montgomery.  We are free because law enforcement protects us from those who would do us harm and we are free because people protest against police brutality.  If you don’t realize that your service was to protect both sides of the argument, then you missed the point.

Recommended Reading:

Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom
Check out this book from one of our countries true defenders of liberty and freedom, Dr. Ron Paul.
“The term “Liberty” is so commonly used in our country that it has become a mere cliché. But do we know what it means? What it promises? How it factors into our daily lives? And most importantly, can we recognize tyranny when it is sold to us disguised as a form of liberty?”

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