In the Oct. 2 Times Record, there was a political cartoon showing a flag draped coffin and a kneeling football player appearing to be Colin Kaepernick. The cartoon clearly stated that a man exercising his legal right to peaceful protest was a jackass, disparaging the sacrifice of the hero soldier who died protecting that very right. In other words, one of the most American of ideals is unamerican and to exercise it is to disparage one who died for it.

The first amendment of the Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

While many people in the country today think the 2nd amendment, minus “well regulated,” is the only one that matters, the founding fathers obviously felt the protections of the first amendment were the most important to a democracy. The right to criticize the government and protest it’s policies is sacrosanct. Every person who serves in the military takes an oath which reads in part, “ I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States…. I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same… .”

The flag may be the primary symbol of our country, but the Constitution is it’s backbone. The flag belongs to us all, not just the military. In case anyone wonders, it was not until 2009 that the NFL teams were even on the field for the National Anthem. Why is that? It is because the military, using taxpayer dollars, signed a big money deal with the NFL to buy air time during the games. The main purpose of this investment was recruitment and included days to honor veterans and military spectacles.

When Colin Kaepernick began his peaceful protest, he was trying to draw attention to what he and most black people in the country perceive to be institutionalized racism and bigotry in America, including law enforcement’s frequent, unjustified and unpunished killing of black men. Why would he not use this venue, where 77 percent of all the players are black? The owners, with only two exceptions, are wealthy white men. The fans at the stadiums are 83 percent white. What better place to try to call attention to this?

When we all stand to pledge allegiance to the flag or sing the anthem, we mouth the words “ liberty and justice for all.” Yet Blacks and Native Americans repeatedly have stated that this “all” has never included them. We white people seem to forget that Blacks and Native Americans have fought for America in every single war, despite being relegated to segregated units until after WWII. The Blacks who returned to the South after the war were faced with the segregation of the Jim Crow laws. While those laws are gone, many of the bigoted beliefs remain.

Every citizen of America has the right of free speech and peaceful assembly including protest. To say that people of color, especially if they are financially well off, somehow should just be grateful and shut up is in itself racism. It implies that they have not earned what they achieved, but rather it’s been given to them. Would we say this of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg? The Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest and free speech and doing so is not an insult to anyone. It is exercising democracy. I am assuming that all the flag waving patriots still support that, right?

Susan Chichetto lives in Bath.