It's apparent to me neither the powers that be in the National Football League nor their players who chose to kneel during the playing of our national anthem at their games put nearly enough thought into such a disrespectful action to the entire nation that has enriched them.
I equate their misguided action to needlessly plucking their Golden Goose for reasons unclear to most everyone, perhaps even to many of those on their knees.
Of course they have the right as citizens to peacefully protest under our Constitution and to be angered by the president's harsh remarks on their actions, but there is a time and place for everything. And the players' rights are only half the equation when they must rely on the good will and support of the fans and advertisers who provide their income.
Most of those offended by the players' actions see their ego trip as flagrant disrespect for our sacred flag and all it represents in the name of freedom and the men and women who serve, are injured, and perish beneath its colors. And they all have the right not to pay the exorbitant ticket prices to watch athletes-turned-activists play football.
Today we are watching this reaction unfold at an enormous, yet-to-be-determined cost to the NFL and its teams, which require such fortunes to compensate players. Before this flap runs its course to NFL Narnia or wherever it's heading, I'm predicting the NFL could face catastrophic consequences. Under intense financial pressure, some teams now say they will stand for the anthem during today's games.
However, I'm not sure, with the genie freed from its bottle, whether these teams and their players can or will ever regain the loyalty and support they enjoyed just two weeks ago. In a week's time, millions of ticket-holders and TV watchers have become deeply and understandably angered.
This ill-conceived action by a couple of hundred players protesting whatever (it's never been clear) left the unmistakable impression of disdain and disrespect for our nation, its heritage, flag and anthem. If that wasn't the intent, they sure could have used a PR disclaimer upfront, because perception of the players' extremely costly disrespect is now reality.
It's a shame, yet perhaps also a godsend, that more of us now will have hours of additional free time with family and friends rather than parked before our TV sets watching grown men (well, some anyway) play a game. And now I find myself checking to see just how many of those protesting multimillionaires in our free-market system also have criminal records. I suspect it's a significant percentage.
Who defines racist?
So much of the irrational, politicized nonsense spreading across society today feels rooted in a specific plan to disrupt and divide the people. I happened across one example in social media last week that sums up the scheme.
Leftist: "We must destroy the evil of racism!"
Me: "Yes we surely must!"
Leftist: "OK, we begin by targeting white people!"
Me: "Er, wait, I have a question ... "
And this example based in reality.
Congressional Black Caucus: "We must fight against racism at every turn and where ever we find it!"
Latino congressman: "Say fellas, I'd really appreciate the opportunity to join your organization. I am half black.
CBC: "Sorry, you're not black like the rest of us."
But wait, what about all those left-wingers who pushed for the Boy Scouts to allow girls to join their organization? And what of allowing men into women's restrooms? And what about your ridiculous push for a person to choose their gender, rather than live with the common sense rooted in science and reality?
Such hypocrisy is unbelievable.
I'm not sure anything triggers my gag reflex more (well, maybe our state's quietly allowing that hog factory into our precious Buffalo National River watershed) than agenda-laden partisans freely throwing grossly misapplied " racist" accusations to score political points.
When you casually dismiss everyone who sees life differently than you as a supposed "racist," what becomes the term for a genuine one?
Losing sleep
If you're anything like me, you have a problem staying asleep through the night. I can drift off without much difficulty. But sleeping through the night has become an impossibility with nature calling every third hour or so and all the problems I feel compelled to solve while staring at the ceiling about 3 a.m.
I read we physically damage ourselves when we become sleep-deprived.
A "catastrophic sleep-loss epidemic" reportedly is causing a host of potentially fatal diseases. So says professor Matthew Walker, who directs the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California at Berkeley.
In an interview with the British Guardian newspaper, he warns that sleep deprivation is not being taken seriously enough--according to his research, there is a powerful link between a lack of sleep and cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, obesity, and other conditions. "No aspect of our biology is left unscathed by sleep deprivation," he says. "It sinks down into every possible nook and cranny. And yet no one is doing anything about it. Things have to change: in the workplace and our communities, our homes and families."
Great idea, doctor. Any specific ideas?
------------v------------
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 10/01/2017