A huge brouhaha is being made over the courageous stance of 49’er quarter back Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the US National Anthem. Maybe those making this fuss should consider the words of US Marine Corps Brigadier General Smedley Butler:

“I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.”

“I helped in the raping of a half dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall St…. Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We marines operated on three CONTINENTS.”
US Marine Brigadier General Smedley Butler, 1881-1940 (For more from Butler, read his essay “War is a Racket“.)

Or maybe the should just listen to Ricardo, a military veteran I know, who volunteered his thoughts while he was sitting at Jack London Square:

(Also see the comments on racism and harassment of Ricardo and his buddy, Gregory, in this video.)