The American inquisition

First, I have to say that as a practicing Catholic, to see football players being called disrespectful for genuflecting during “The Star-Spangled Banner” feels really weird.

Pete Carroll: Seahawks’ demonstration was ‘for the flag’

Genuflecting is what we do in front of God every Sunday. But let that pass.

The president has recommended firing players who sit or genuflect or do anything but stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” because it disrespects the military. And I saw soldiers quoted as agreeing with that.

But when you threaten to fire people because they don’t show respect, you’re saying that forced respect is the same as actual respect. When, in fact, sometimes forced respect can destroy actual respect.

Again, as a Catholic, I have to own up to my own church’s attempts many years ago to force respect; to the point of ordering heretics to be burned alive — way worse than losing your job. And even that didn’t work, it just rewarded hypocrites.

At the very least we need a role model. Because we can’t even agree how to protest. Do you lock arms, sit, kneel, genuflect, just not show up?

The president attempted to set some standards in a Sunday tweet, in which he said, “Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable.”

So I guess we go with that because as commander in chief, he would be the logical role model for respect for the military.

“He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, OK? I hate to tell you,” Trump said of Sen. John McCain during his campaign.

Well, most members of the military, anyway.

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