Choosing your sovereign

It seems the range of discourse for taking a knee has no end.  I have made my contributions along the way.  Some agree and some don’t.  I don’t lose any sleep either way.  I enjoy the free and open grapple from which the truth should emerge should John Milton’s premise bear validity.  I do hope that we can discuss issues of controversy with a civil tongue or even more civil keyboard. 

Consider that with respect to nations and their leaders, the knee is bent only to the sovereign—generally the king.  Salutes are rendered as a sign of mutual respect among those in the service of the their country.

So, during the National Anthem, those who kneel are rendering respect to their king—in our case the president, and those who salute recognize that we as the people are sovereign. 

I thought that we didn’t like kings in this country.  After fighting the British for our independence, George Washington had to refuse kingship.  I am glad that he did.  Our founders brought forth a wonderful constitution.  Every member of the armed forces and all officers of the United States promise by oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I will not bend my knee to any person claiming sovereignty in this nation; yet, those you take a knee during the National Anthem seem to be rendering fealty to their King, Donald Trump.  I would guess that most of those taking a knee would find this offensive.

Saluting the National Ensign during the National Anthem is a sign that the people are sovereign and brings back words from Abraham Lincoln—that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth. 

I much prefer the sovereignty of the people, though we trust the work to our representatives, than bending a knee to a king or queen.  This is a country where people have incredible freedom, so if they choose to bend a knee to President Trump during the National Anthem, it’s their right.  If they want to make a statement about fixing problems in this nation, embracing the sovereignty of the people with respect during our anthem is more appropriate and effective.

Just to put a larger perspective on this, I do not hesitate to bend my knee to the King of kings and the Lord of lords that we know as Christ Jesus.  If there were a lot more of that happening, many of the problems that we have in this nation would be resolved in short order.  Worldly government would become less relevant.

Yes, I know that nobody is kneeling before Donald Trump as their king; but my point is that what they are doing in protest is counterproductive.  Consider the Westboro Baptists protest at the funerals of servicemen killed in action.  They said they were protesting gays in the military.  Were they effective?

On the contrary, they just looked like a bunch of jerks.  There were neither effective nor Christlike.  They were very much in the hate business and their targets were the grieving families of those who had given the full measure of devotion to this great nation. 

Likewise, taking a knee during the National Anthem is not effective and has only served to increase hatred.  There are better ways to bring attention to problems.  Divisiveness is not the answer. 

We have the right to express ourselves in many ways.  We sometimes forget that exercising our rights can help or hinder the general good.  We have the freedom to do almost anything as far as expression goes, but not all exercises of freedom are beneficial.

I know of no better place on the planet where the people have a chance to live abundant, productive, and purposeful lives.  We have problems.  I pray we have the courage to work on the problems instead of dividing ourselves into fiefdoms of self-interest.

Let’s put God first, work together, and understand that our blessings of liberty are so very fragile that they only exist in this moment.  Preserving them requires patriotism and unselfishness. 

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?