By Nathan Barton

The blogsphere and the talking heads (at least, the “conservative” ones), are up in arms over some football player who – according to some, in an effort to rescue his rapidly declining career and change his poverty-stricken status – refuses to stand for the National Anthem until such time as the words really reflect the reality. I assume that it is NOT the “rockets’ red glare” and the “bombs bursting in air,” that he wants to see (but then, I could be wrong). Rather it seems to be (near as I can figure out) the bit about the “land of the free” and the “home of the brave,” that he does not believe is an accurate description of 2016’s Fifty States, or at least the state that he lives in.

Well, as I’ve pointed out a time or two, the “land of the free” part is not too accurate, except that there are a LOT of people who still manage to live relatively free (Claire Wolf, Mama Liberty, and others), despite the best efforts of the FedGov and other governments. But this football player probably doesn’t know them, and certainly wouldn’t like them. As for the “home of the brave,” well, despite the supposed bravery of this childish player claimed by some, certainly he and his buddies and colleagues have exhibited about as much “bravery” as an eighteen-month-old toddler exhibits when he pulls a temper-tantrum because his parents won’t buy him a piece of candy. But of course, they are not alone in that. While there are many brave people in the Fifty States, they are nothing more than a fairly small minority. So maybe this jock is right.

Or maybe not. I suspect he has mixed up the National Anthem with the Pledge of Allegiance. Ignoring various people’s passionate denunciation of that little poem, it does have that phrase “with liberty and justice for all.” And he apparently believes that POC (a tranzi acronym meaning “People of Color and NOT what I heard in the army, where it was synonymous with POS) have neither liberty or justice but that apparently honkies (including his adoptive parents) do have these two blessings in abundance.

Education, except in the handling of a football, is apparently NOT one of the crosses this poor football player has to bear. Either that or he has too many head injuries to retain what he supposedly learned in school.

But again, the truth is that very few people – regardless of skin color, ethnic or national origin, adoptive status, or profession, have either liberty or justice. Except for what they can make for themselves, and without bravery, they cannot do that. Which is, I admit, very sad. Even more sad is this guy’s lack of education and understanding what the real world is like.

So we can learn a lot of valuable lessons from this guy – including the fact that it is so easy to make yourself both a laughingstock and an object of pity when you are trying so desperately to be something you aren’t.

And when you actually believe that government cares or will pay one bit of attention to your foolish protest. Any more than it will pay attention to your vote, or your petition, or your liberty and providing justice for you.

Mama’s Note: I will not “pledge allegiance” to any government, much less any flag. I don’t associate the flag or the non-voluntary government with being an “American” in any case – in fact, rather the opposite. The “national anthem” is a nice song… unless you invest too much emotion and importance in it. Not only will I refuse to participate in these silly exercises, I very seldom go anywhere it might be considered necessary.

But I take great exception to the idea – impossible as it would be to implement – that non-voluntary governments of any kind should have the power (they actually have no legitimate authority) to “pay attention” to your protest, petition or vote. In the first place, it is impossible to please everyone or to honestly “represent” every one, since the 300 some odd million people in America have vastly divergent wants, needs and demands.

No matter who’s ideas the politicians and bureaucrats set in motion, for whatever reason, the needs, wants and demands of others are necessarily frustrated – even if there were no evil agendas and uses of force involved.

Self ownership, self control, self defense, voluntary association and cooperation… As I’ve written so often, these are the keys, and can only be effective when individuals cast out non-voluntary government and adopt these principles as the core of their lives. And the core of their freedom.