Saluting The Flag At Half Mast

     As a prologue to this post I would like to mention that my husband  is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel,

...my son-in-law is an ex-Marine captain who served in Iraq,

...my daughter put college on hold to serve in Americorps,

...both my parents are World War II Army veterans,

...as is my father-in-law,

...and I served as a Department of the Army Civilian in Aschaffenburg, Germany, where I worked with the troops at Graves Kaserne in a morale support job that could be filled by either a soldier or a DAC, as we were called.

     I bring all that up only in case anyone should question my patriotic pedigree, try to tell me the meaning of the word "patriotism," or suggest that I might not be someone who loves my country and has great respect - as well as affection - on a personal level for those who've served in the military or national service.

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       I also bring it up because Americans, football-loving - nay, worshiping - tribe that we are, have taken sides in an ideological battle over whether it's wrong or right for the players to take a knee during the pre-game singing of our National Anthem as a protest of racial discrimination and inequality in this country and a call for social justice. 

     Those who oppose the athletes' gesture claim that kneeling during the National Anthem is unpatriotic and disrespectful to our flag and to those who've served in the military, though as for the anti-military accusation I personally don't get the connection,  since the players have made it very clear that the point of taking a knee is to call attention to the problem of racism and have never indicated in any way that this was meant to disparage our troops.
       Nor, for that matter, do I see why singing our National Anthem on one knee - or at half one's standing height - should be considered unpatriotic. After all, it is considered patriotic to fly our flag at half mast during periods of national mourning. 

    So why should it be any less patriotic to  sing our national anthem at half mast,

...at a time when all Americans should be mourning  the black lives that have been lost to racism in this country?

    

   Nor is it unpatriotic to  fly the U.S. flag upside down, as flying the flag upside down is a signal of  dire distress.
   We should all be singing the national anthem standing on our heads.

     

References
http://certifiedpolitics.com/healthcare/dallas-cowboys-players-protest/

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-09-25/nfl-players-coaches-protest-national-anthem-in-solidarity-against-trump-comments?context=amp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-obligation-to-take-a-knee_us_59c9303ae4b0b7022a646c79