To What Degree?

This is gonna be short and sweet. However, I do have a few questions. With all the private wealth people in this country how many of the rich and famous have come together and made it their mission to rid this country of racism, or poverty? How many every day, nine to five people have come together and protested to our government, that our war veterans should not have to wait one damn second for their benefits once they have served this country? Which politician or political party truly puts the welfare of the people of this country before their own political gain? When did being a true American mean looking the other way when social injustice rears its ugly head? How far have we dropped as a nation when someone can become the representative of a major political party while insulting every non-white group in America? I want you to honestly answer those questions. Then I want you to ask yourself to what degree have you lent your skills, talents, time or money to ridding this country of the ugly social injustices that continue to tear us apart? I am not a Bible thumper, but I do believe this, "the love of money, is the root of all evil." I also believe that hatred and racism has been this country's Achilles heel, since the landing of the Mayflower. I find it sad that nearing the end of 2016, racism is still an issue in America. We have sent people and probes to the deepest part of the oceans and seas. We have gone to the moon and beyond. We can take a heart out of one person and put it into another person. We can send a text message from the west coast to the east coast in seconds. Yet, we still allow the color of someone's skin to determine how we will treat them. Yet, as human-beings we still can't sit down and hash out the differences. We still don't understand that beneath our skin we are all made up of the same materials. It makes me wonder, just how advanced are we? Not many are born hating. And be it psychological or humanistic, no one hates without a reason. Take away the reasons for hating, such as, poverty, improper education, historical lies, social mistreatment and injustice, to name a few; then hate doesn't have enough air to breath and exist. But as long as there are people allowed to fan the flames of hatred, hold rallies celebrating hatred, we as a society will all burn. So, to what degree will you protest? I personally know several very wealthy people and none of them seem to give a rat's ass about the poor acquiring an education, in order to escape the generational poverty. I cannot recall any organized campaign fund by wealthy athletes, entertainers or even all of those internet billionaires, designed to rid this country of racism. One of the things people who fight racism and poverty are afraid of, is how uneducated our young people are about racism and poverty. This lack of education is the very fuel that allows racism and poverty to continue. Amongst those who worry us the most are young wealthy athletes, entertainers and those young internet billionaires. So, when a young NFL quarterback decides to protest racism and poverty and injustice, I see it as a good thing. I heard Colin Kaepernick say that he does not mean any disrespect to those who fought for our country, when he doesn't stand for the National Anthem. In fact I personally talked to a recently retired veteran about Kaepernick's protest and he said that he felt no disrespect. Then, again maybe his attitude had something to do with seeing many of his buddies come home and get disrespected by the very government that sent them to war. Maybe his attitude had something to do with having a young Black son he has to worry about being shot, every time he leaves the house. Anyway, Kaepernick's goal was to bring attention to the injustice many in this country are experiencing. The stupid thing is when people who do not care and those who do NOTHING to protest racism and poverty get upset about the way those who do care, protest racism and poverty. NEWS FLASH #1! If someone protests in a likeable way, it really isn't a protest! If a protest doesn't strike a chord with people, it will not accomplish the goal of the protest. No, I am not suggesting or condoning people protesting in a way that physically harms others! NEWS FLASH #2! If our society would work harder at equaling the playing field, dissolving racism and giving the poor a real chance of escaping generational poverty, then individuals or groups wouldn't have to protest. During the late 60's and early 70's I was a teenager. I remember the watching Martin Luther King and many other Negroes protesting for civil rights as they were getting beaten by police. I remember reading about Cesar Chavez refusing to sit in the Mexican section of a theater when he was young and how he later became a leader for Mexican people. By the way he was a veteran of World War II (Navy), who latter led many protests and boycotts. Then, after he died, he was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom. We all need to take a lesson from last year's Missouri football team. They got the racist president of their university fired, by deciding as a team they would not play in the next football game. Threatening to not play the game was the best protest of all because it would have cost the university money. Kaepernick gets an "A" for at least caring enough to get people talking about social injustice and social change. Isn't social injustice and social change the very thing Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Sitting Bull, Cesar Chavez, and many others who fought for? The degree to which they were willing to go, involved giving their lives. So, before you start protesting Kaepernick's protest, to what degree have you protested for human rights? We each have to ask ourselves if we have truly made a sacrifice, for the betterment of our society?