I'm not a patriot. I was born in the US, but I don't find that to be a point of pride.

Patriotism as defined by conservatives is a fucking travesty. They equate mindless rote behavior as a measure of how much one loves his/her country: stand for the anthem, hand over your heart, recite the pledge, etc...

Recognizing that non-violent social protest IS freedom of speech is far more patriotic than just removing your hat when someone sings God Bless America.

no, kneeling during the national anthem is NOT unpatriotic! how is it unpatriotic? what does patriotic mean? what has patriotism have to do with reacting to symbols and songs, or bodily posture? patriotism is love of country (as opposed to nationalism, which is a kind of contempt for all OTHER countries). how does kneeling show lack of love for a country, especially if the kneeling is to protest against mistreatment of the people IN the country? your yes should be a NO!

g

Just for the sake of argument, what makes kneeling during the National Anthem unpatriotic? Because it's not the norm? Because it's not the "rule?" Are there "patriotic rules" I missed somewhere? Sure, burning the flag, although a possible form of protest, can be seen as unpatriotic but I think that people have decided what the kneeling means without understanding it. The people kneeling are protesting what they perceive to be injustice in society, that's a far cry from being unpatriotic. I'm pretty sure if there are "patriotic rules" they don't say you have to agree with everything your country is or does. Willfully blind love and support of anything is dangerous I think.

Amen and Amen!!

Well said!

I am a Veteran solute is appropriate other Vets kneeling to honor fallen comrades is cool, also parade rest is understandable.