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Trump Will Ask Anthem Kneelers to Recommend Subjects for Presidential Pardon
PJ Media ^ | 06/09/2018 | Rick Moran

Posted on 06/09/2018 11:36:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

In what he sees as a possible solution to the problem of NFL players kneeling in protest during the national anthem, Donald Trump says he will meet with protesting players and ask them to recommend someone whom they feel has been unfairly treated by the justice system.

CNN:

"I'm going to ask them to recommend to me people who were unfairly treated," Trump said at White House Friday. Trump's contentious relationship with the NFL reached a peak last year when he lambasted players who took a knee during the National Anthem to protest institutionalized racism and police brutality.

"You have a lot of people in the NFL in particular, but in sports leagues, they're not proud enough to stand for our National Anthem. I don't like that," Trump said Friday, also insisting that players should not remain in the locker room when the "Star Spangled Banner" is playing.

"What I'm going to do is, I'm going to say to them instead of talk ... I am going to ask all of those people to recommend to me -- because that's what they're protesting -- people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system," Trump said. "And I understand that."

He added, "If the athletes have friends of theirs or people they know about that have been unfairly treated by the system, let me know."

Trump called his presidential power to pardon people a "beautiful thing," adding that "you got to get it right." The President also floated a pardon for posthumous boxing great Muhammad Ali, though the athlete's attorney said that is "unnecessary" because the Supreme Court overturned his previous conviction.

The proposal won't go anywhere, which is exactly what Trump expects. His effort to "reach out" to protesting players may or may not be genuine, but it puts the protesting players on the defensive. Trump has made the first move. If the players, as expected, spurn his advance -- and probably call him all sorts of names in the process -- the players look small and petty while Trump looks large and magnanimous.

If there are any takers among NFL players, it is doubtful their suggestions would meet with Trump's approval. Activists have been working for decades to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther, who murdered a Philadelphia police officer. There has also been a longtime push in the black community to pardon Assata Shakur, a member of the Black Liberation Army, who was convicted of murdering a state trooper in 1978. Shakur later escaped and and fled to Cuba. Pardoning either of those murderers would enrage most Trump supporters.

It will be interesting to see how the players react to Trump's proposal.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: kneeing; nationalanthem; nfl; presidentialpardon; yesterdaysnews
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1 posted on 06/09/2018 11:36:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Interesting.


2 posted on 06/09/2018 11:37:36 AM PDT by EdnaMode
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To: SeekAndFind

Smart move; it will be interesting to see how it plays out.


3 posted on 06/09/2018 11:39:22 AM PDT by TXBlair (We will not forget Benghazi.)
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To: EdnaMode

This will be hilarious!


4 posted on 06/09/2018 11:40:05 AM PDT by Reily
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To: SeekAndFind
The proposal won't go anywhere, which is exactly what Trump expects. His effort to "reach out" to protesting players may or may not be genuine, but it puts the protesting players on the defensive. Trump has made the first move. If the players, as expected, spurn his advance -- and probably call him all sorts of names in the process -- the players look small and petty while Trump looks large and magnanimous.

Well, there you go!

5 posted on 06/09/2018 11:40:16 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (Marxism: Wonderful theory, wrong species)
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To: SeekAndFind

Just what the article says, if asked the NFL thugs are going to ask he pardon cop killers.


6 posted on 06/09/2018 11:41:53 AM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (Vox populi, vox dei)
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To: SeekAndFind

Is this more fake news? Who knows.

But I know this: unfair treatment by the justice system is not justification for dishonoring the anthem, the flag, and the country for which it stands.

America will never be perfect as long an imperfect people run the show. But even though America’s Rule of Law of the Constitution and its pursuant justice system isn’t perfectly run, it’s way ahead of whatever’s in second place.


7 posted on 06/09/2018 11:43:53 AM PDT by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: SeekAndFind

will?

The gauntlet has already been thrown down.


8 posted on 06/09/2018 11:44:13 AM PDT by Eddie01
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To: SeekAndFind
This could be a brilliant. LeBron and the others who haven't been able to properly educate us will refuse to bring up names. I wonder if they even know any specific people to suggest. So blacks will have to go directly to President Trump, as that wonderful Ms. Kardasian did, to present their sob stories. It's kind of like the Medieval concept of going to the king to make things right.

It could get really weird.

9 posted on 06/09/2018 11:44:57 AM PDT by grania (President Trump, stop believing the Masters of War!)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Put up or shut up, sucka!”


10 posted on 06/09/2018 11:50:15 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("The Second Amendment is more important than Islam. Buy ammo.")
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: GrandJediMasterYoda

Praying for the best. Donald isn’t a clear rightist or a clear leftist — in fact his policy looks a lot like JFK’s did. Even if they give him nonsense, at least he and they will be talking.


12 posted on 06/09/2018 11:51:47 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: Eddie01

Let’s see what happens first. It’s hard to mock an answer that hasn’t even been presented.


13 posted on 06/09/2018 11:53:45 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Mumia Abu-Jamal? Assata Shakur??

These are cop killers! Trump said he would consider clemency or pardon for “people they think were unfairly treated by the justice system”.

Abu-Jamal and Shakur have not been treated unfairly by the justice system. Unless you consider it unfair that they haven’t been executed.

The fact that blacks think people like these two have been treated unfairly shows how impossible race relations are in this country. There is no hope for common ground with people who feel assassinating police officers is justified.


14 posted on 06/09/2018 11:54:12 AM PDT by KyCats
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To: SeekAndFind

How many will say, Mumia?


15 posted on 06/09/2018 11:54:21 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Jim 0216

RE: But I know this: unfair treatment by the justice system is not justification for dishonoring the anthem

Has this been proven? Unfair treatment?

This whole kneeling thing came as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement, which originated after the death of Michael Brown.

Question — Was Michael Brown a victim of injustice?


16 posted on 06/09/2018 11:55:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: KyCats

Different groups draw red lines at different points. There are people who think that policing has turned into arrogance.


17 posted on 06/09/2018 11:56:32 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Brilliant! Have them point to the injustice.


18 posted on 06/09/2018 11:56:37 AM PDT by FatherofFive (Islam is EVIL and needs to be eradicated)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

I am willing to bet that this guy's name will come up first and often

Mumia Abu Jamal


19 posted on 06/09/2018 11:57:37 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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He’s also giving the players a way out that they didn’t have before. Right now they are stuck in an endless protest that they can’t back down from.


20 posted on 06/09/2018 11:58:41 AM PDT by proust ("The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today.")
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