Contributed by Kevin McCabe
Why do we stand for the flag?
Kneeling, or “taking a knee” during the national anthem is thought, by the kneeler, to be a sign of disrespect for, and a protest against, the USA.
But is it really? What does it really mean?
Taking a knee is otherwise known as genuflecting. The practice of genuflecting was started by Alexander the Great when he introduced, to his court, this form of demonstrating humility and subservience. As the practice developed in some empires, even senators and high officials were required to take a knee or genuflect when in the presence of the Monarch, or a lesser noble or official. One demonstrated subservience or supplication to the king or noble by going down on the knee, often remaining there until told they could rise.
Getting down on bended knee, or “taking a knee”, is also often performed in western cultures by a man who is proposing marriage to a woman. In this manner, a man could show his devotion to a woman or demonstrate his surrender to her. So kneeling represents not only admiration, but surrender. Is that what the Kaepernick clones are saying? They surrender? Or maybe that they just admire the country so much they had to kneel before the flag?
Historically, in fact, kneeling has been a sign of loyalty, supplication, humility, and servitude or subservience. Knights receiving honors kneeled before their lords; if you surrendered your army to the opposing king, you kneeled before him in supplication.
When our nation was founded, and our flag and customs codified, it was decided that as sovereign and free human beings we would NOT be taking a subservient knee for officials in our government. Our country was founded on a government “of the people, by the people”. Hence no one is subservient to our heads of government. In fact those elected officials and bureaucrats are supposed to work for us.
This all begs the question of what comes next. Shall we bow our head and not make eye contact with the flag or our government officials? Bowing your head, and exposing your neck is a sign that we believe our government officials have greater status than us; that our lives belong to them. Are we headed down that path? Our sports figures are setting a dangerous precedent and teaching our children to surrender - to be supplicants to the government. This is why I no longer watch most sports. It is, in fact, why I will no longer be watching hockey.
Kneeling is the ultimate sign of surrender to the government, something our founders would abhor. The act of genuflecting during the national anthem actually moves us further towards the tyranny our founding fathers were trying to avoid.
We are meant to be free men. Standing for the national anthem demonstrates that to all. I stand with pride and look on the flag of my country with admiration. Not because I am subservient to it; not because I worship it; but because it represents a country in which I can be a free human being and do not have to kneel in supplication in front of a government that works for me.
