I guess it’s time for me to weigh in on the whole Colin Kaepernick issue now. The recent decision by Nike to have him be the face of their “Just Do It” campaign has led to burning of shoes and calls for a boycott of everything Nike. This whole kneeling for the national anthem controversy just won’t go away. Which, by the way, is better for the kneelers than it is for those who oppose the kneeling. Just a fun little fact for you. What I somehow fail to understand is why simply kneeling bothers some people so much. I really don’t get it. Are you materially affected in any way by the kneeling? Does the kneeling really damage you in any measurable way? No, of course it doesn’t affect you in any measurable way. It just offends you. You just don’t like it. I thought conservatives were supposed to be above the culture of being endlessly offended. Isn’t it those on the right who are always calling liberals snowflakes because they melt from the least little bit of criticism? Who are the snowflakes now? Let’s be clear about one thing. Colin Kaepernick and other kneelers are not protesting the flag or the anthem. And they are not speaking for themselves. They are not saying that they, themselves are being oppressed. They are using their platform to speak for those who have no voice. And unlike the kneeling, the issue they protest, police brutality, causes actual physical harm to those involved. Some say that Kaepernick and the others aren’t showing proper respect for the country that has treated them so well. Let’s keep in mind that this fine country of ours once regarded any African-American as only three-fifths of a human being. With this being the case, maybe you can excuse their less than enthusiastic support for the legacy of this country. Some say that these athletes aren’t paid to protest. They are paid to play ball. They are protesting on someone else’s dime. I have to ask: Is it your dime? If not, why is it your business? I have to say that this idea that they need to just shut up and play ball kind of smacks of racism to me. Do what we pay you to do and just forget that political stuff. That political stuff isn’t any of your concern. I wonder if white athletes would receive the same treatment. There is no doubt that we all have a voice. Those who want to boycott the NFL or Nike are absolutely free to do so. I just question why some are so angry about this. Is it because the truth is being touched on here? Is it because that truth is just a little too uncomfortable? That’s usually the case when we seek to silence someone. They must be saying something that we fear being said. While I cannot agree that every single police shooting, or act of brutality is a crime, there is no doubt that some are. There is a middle ground here. The protesting has to do with the fact that far too many whites remain silent when there is clear evidence that lines were crossed in specific incidents. But many blacks must give a little as well. As uncomfortable as the term may be, there are some shootings that are legitimate. No line was crossed.  A lady told me that the reason Kaepernick was a big deal was because we are in a horrible mess and that his is influencing kids in a way that she deems detrimental. I have to ask: What horrible mess? The only mess is the one that we are creating for ourselves. This is all under our control. It is all our choice. The truth, like always, is in the reasonable middle. Not on the extreme fringes where an alarmingly larger and larger number of Americans seem to reside. Calmer heads must prevail.