What He Is Doing Is Not Easy!!

I wholeheartedly agree with Colin Kaepernick's right to protest in his chosen manner. I do not agree with his chosen vehicle to convey his feelings and it is one that I would never employ. Oppression, of any kind, is reprehensible and needs to be addressed in an open and honest discussion among all Americans.

The root of oppression, in The United States, I believe, is firmly planted in poverty. Our government has fostered an atmosphere of 'Economic Oppression' for decades producing  desperation and distrust among our people.

While race has been pushed to the forefront; American oppression runs much deeper than the color of our skin or how we worship God.  It has become interwoven into the fabric of our everyday lives. It did not happen overnight. It was a gradual  process that pitted our political system against our citizens.

In truth; this is our own fault. We continually elected people to represent us that in many cases represented their own interest over that of the people. Time and time again we sent  people to Washington, DC who we knew, in our hearts, were not there for us.

We allowed a few hundred people to lounge safely inside the beltway and dictate what The United States should become.

Americans were, and still are, held in poverty, by government programs that discourage ambition and encourage crime. Working to attain the "American Dream' was replaced  by 'legislative attempts' at achieving it.

It will take many lifetimes to instill a sense of  responsibility back into our everyday lives, to replace political correctness with common sense and decency and to eliminate the sense of hopelessness that eats away at our very existence.

We need to elect individuals that will put our country first and move us toward values that make sense for all Americans.

I hate what Colin Kaepernick is doing but I encourage him to continue doing it.

I encourage you to vote. We are in the midst of a nightmare presidential election cycle and I believe that there is no winning for us, no matter who we choose, but complacency in expressing our constitutional voting rights is a grave mistake.

Continue to dream, continue to hope and respect each other. We do not need government to do those simple things.

Randy