Submitted by Anthony Cooper

This is an opinion piece. 

I have tried to just work and enjoy my life and consider myself fortunate to have been given the opportunity to live in the United States of America, but I cannot remain silent any longer. Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “There is something rotten in the State of Denmark.” Well lately there has been something rotten in this great country of ours, Americans who think they have concerns and issues that are critical enough to disrespect the nation as a whole and will not stand and give reference to our Great Flag which it has so rightly earned. Moreover, we have other citizens who appease these actions for some illogical reason. This country is not perfect and it will never be perfect, but I can say with great confidence that it is the greatest country that has ever existed over the approximately 6,000 years this Earth has been in existence. Yes, I said 6,000 years correctly, not 5 million years, which is another important topic for another day. There has NEVER been an issue that is bad enough to disrespect all that this country embodies! 

If you have a problem or issue with something in this country, our Founding Fathers established several appropriate ways to challenge those issues: freedom to speak, write, and gather as a group to confront those issues, the power to vote for candidates who support and will challenge those issues, etc. But no one who is a citizen of this country should EVER insult this great nation as a whole. This nation has given its citizens more opportunity to succeed and pursue their own chosen happiness than any other nation. Furthermore, the citizens of our great nation have given more to charity voluntarily than any other nation. Our nation has sacrificed and promoted freedom throughout the rest of the world by means of peace and war more than any other nation in the history of the world. Our flag represents every one of these attributes and historical events. These representations are forever interwoven and cannot be separated. When you disrespect the National Anthem and the Stars & Stripes, you are showing a lack of appreciation for all the goodwill and sacrifices this nation has provided in the past. Kneeling at our flag is totally reckless, self-arrogant, and always inappropriate. If the brakes need repairing on your vehicle, you don’t push it off a cliff and destroy the whole vehicle. Considering what this nation has accomplished in its history and its willingness to continually improve its law-abiding, personally responsible citizens’ walk of life, how anyone could disgrace this country is beyond me; especially when one has been given ample rights by our country to express their grievances in so many other appropriate outlets. 

I have come to realize in my adult life that a lot of people are easily persuaded and will follow influencers without any substantial truth or logical reasoning. This human weakness makes it very critical to have strong wise leaders emerge like George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and Billy Graham. Today, we have too many people who are totally influenced by professional athletes, movie stars, mass media, major corporations, and certain political organizations whose rationale is illogical and motives are selfish a majority of the time.

Anyone who will not stand for our flag, or desecrates our flag, should be put on an airplane or ship along with their appeasers, with their ticket stamped, “NO RETURN!” 

I hope every one of you seeks the wisdom of our Creator on a daily basis and GOD BLESS THE USA!