Perspective

 (Hat Tip:  Henry Bowman)

Take a little trip to Valley Forge in January. Hold a musket ball in your

Fingers and imagine it piercing your flesh and breaking a bone or two.

There won't be a doctor or trainer to assist you until after the battle, so

Just wait your turn. Take your cleats and socks off to get a real

Experience.

Then, take a knee on the beach in Normandy where man after American man

Stormed the beach, even as the one in front of him was shot to pieces, the

Very sea stained with American blood. The only blockers most had were the

Dead bodies in front of them, riddled with bullets from enemy fire.

Take a knee in the sweat soaked jungles of Vietnam. From Khe Sanh to

Saigon, anywhere will do. Americans died in all those jungles. There was no

Playbook that told them what was next, but they knew what flag they

Represented. When they came home, they were protested as well, and spit on

For reasons only cowards know.

Take another knee in the blood drenched sands of Fallujah in 110 degree

Heat. Wear your Kevlar helmet and battle dress. Your number won't be

Printed on it unless your number is up! You'll need to stay hydrated but

There won't be anyone to squirt Gatorade into your mouth. You're on your

Own.

There are a lot of places to take a knee where Americans have given their

Lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought

As a source for your displeasure, you dishonor the memories of those who

Bled for the very freedoms you have. That's what the red stripes mean. It

Represents the blood of those who spilled a sea of it defending your

Liberty.

While you're on your knee, pray for those that came before you, not on a

Manicured lawn striped and printed with numbers to announce every inch of

Ground taken, but on nameless hills and bloodied beaches and sweltering

Forests and bitter cold mountains, every inch marked by an American life

Lost serving that flag you protest.

No cheerleaders, no announcers, no coaches, no fans, just American men and

Women, delivering the real fight against those who chose to harm us,

Blazing a path so you would have the right to "take a knee." You haven't

Any inkling of what it took to get you where you are, but your "protest" is

Duly noted. Not only is it disgraceful to a nation of real heroes, it

Serves the purpose of pointing to your ingratitude for those who chose to

Defend you under that banner that will still wave long after your jersey is

Retired.

If you really feel the need to take a knee, come with me to church on

Sunday and we'll both kneel before Almighty God. We'll thank Him for

Preserving this country for as long as He has We'll beg forgiveness for our

Ingratitude for all He has provided us. We'll appeal to Him for

Understanding and wisdom. We'll pray for liberty and justice for all,

Because He is the one who provides those things. But there will be no

Protest. There will only be gratitude for His provision and a plea for His

Continued grace and mercy on the land of the free and the home of the

Brave. It goes like this, GOD BLESS AMERICA!

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