Posted on 09/23/2017 12:22:04 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
At a political rally in Alabama, President Donald Trump encouraged American football fans to “leave the stadium” when they see “those people” taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem. The predominately white crowd chanted “U-S-A” in affirmation, and Trump urged NFL owners to “Get that son of a bitch off the field” for “disrespecting” the flag.
Again, we see that President Trump is stoking white prejudice and fears to position himself as the heavy-handed authoritarian who can reclaim order - even in the NFL. Trump threw down the gauntlet and the NFL needs to decide: is it on the side of their players and employees or are they selling a fantasy in football about equality and progress in America?
What Trump and many NFL owners want fans to believe is that the players, many of whom are Black, are not impacted by the hostile political and racial climate of the United States. Three weeks into the football season and the NFL is still silent about the blacklisting of Colin Kaepernick for his protest rather than his play. This silence is deafening at a time when NFL players are requesting a month dedicated to activism and social justice.....
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
“Winning teams need to stop going to the white house. Clearly they don’t know how to behave. So let it go. This tradition has run its course.”
Id love to see Trump just come out and say he’s going to end this stupid practice.
I do feel bad for the not-yet-political football players. The ones busting their *#@@s on high school and junior high teams. They’re now witness the end of their dreams...thanks to a handful of ‘owners’ who decided to bite the hand that feeds them.
I don’t see any black man or woman who is outraged at their treatment in America moving to a black-ruled majority black country like Liberia or Zimbabwe.
YOU BIGOT! The correct term is GRAYLISTED!
Is NBC actually trying to say the decline in NFL viewership is because ‘black folks’ are boycotting them?
What utter rubbish.
Done with the whole lot of them.
Why is anyone protesting the United States over local incidents involving local police departments, usually in a city run by liberals, minorities, democrats? And fake incidents.
The nice thing about sports millionaires is that they don’t stay millionaires very long. Most declare bankruptcy within five years of leaving the league. And while this is true of most black athletes its also pretty true of the white ones as well.
“Hands up! Don’t shoot!” never happened.
TWENTY FIVE TOP QUOTES FROM THE DOJ’S REPORT ON THE MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING
(For official DOJ report, Google “DOJ Report on Shooting of Michael Brown PDF.”)
[01] The evidence, when viewed as a whole, does not support the conclusion that Wilson’s uses of deadly force were “objectively unreasonable” under the Supreme Court’s definition. (Page 5)
[02] when the store clerk tried to stop Brown, Brown used his physical size to stand over him and forcefully shove him away. (Page 6)
[03] Wilson was aware of the theft and had a description of the suspects as he encountered Brown and Witness 101. (Page 6)
[04] Autopsy results and bullet trajectory, skin from Brown’s palm on the outside of the SUV door as well as Brown’s DNA on the inside of the driver’s door corroborate Wilson’s account that during the struggle, Brown used his right hand to grab and attempt to control Wilson’s gun. (Page 6)
[05] there is no credible evidence to disprove Wilson’s account of what occurred inside the SUV. (Page 7)
[06] autopsy results confirm that Wilson did not shoot Brown in the back as he was running away because there were no entrance wounds to Brown’s back. (Page 7)
[07] witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts (Page 8)
[08] several witnesses stated that Brown appeared to pose a physical threat to Wilson as he moved toward Wilson. (Page 8)
[09] The physical evidence also establishes that Brown moved forward toward Wilson after he turned around to face him. The physical evidence is corroborated by multiple eyewitnesses. (Page 10)
[10] evidence does not establish that it was unreasonable for Wilson to perceive Brown as a threat while Brown was punching and grabbing him in the SUV and attempting to take his gun. (Page 11)
[11] Wilson’s account is corroborated by physical evidence and that his perception of a threat posed by Brown is corroborated by other eyewitnesses (Page 12)
[12] Wilson’s account was consistent with those results, and consistent with the accounts of other independent eyewitnesses, whose accounts were also consistent with the physical evidence. Wilson’s statements were consistent with each other in all material ways, and would not be subject to effective impeachment for inconsistencies or deviation from the physical evidence.8 Therefore, in analyzing all of the evidence, federal prosecutors found Wilson’s account to be credible. (Page 16)
[13] Witness accounts suggesting that Brown was standing still with his hands raised in an unambiguous signal of surrender when Wilson shot Brown are inconsistent with the physical evidence, are otherwise not credible because of internal inconsistencies, or are not credible because of inconsistencies with other credible evidence. (Page 78)
[14] Multiple credible witnesses corroborate virtually every material aspect of Wilson’s account and are consistent with the physical evidence. (Page 78)
[15] several of these witnesses stated that they would have felt threatened by Brown and would have responded in the same way Wilson did. (Page 82)
[16] there are no witnesses who could testify credibly that Wilson shot Brown while Brown was clearly attempting to surrender. (Page 83)
[17] There is no witness who has stated that Brown had his hands up in surrender whose statement is otherwise consistent with the physical evidence. (Page 83)
[18] The media has widely reported that there is witness testimony that Brown said “don’t shoot” as he held his hands above his head. In fact, our investigation did not reveal any eyewitness who stated that Brown said “don’t shoot.” (Page 83)
[19] Wilson did not know that Brown was not armed at the time he shot him, and had reason to suspect that he might be when Brown reached into the waistband of his pants as he advanced toward Wilson. (Page 84)
[20] Wilson did not have time to determine whether Brown had a gun and was not required to risk being shot himself in order to make a more definitive assessment.
[21] In addition, even assuming that Wilson definitively knew that Brown was not armed, Wilson was aware that Brown had already assaulted him once and attempted to gain control of his gun. (Page 85)
[22] Wilson has a strong argument that he was justified in firing his weapon at Brown as he continued to advance toward him and refuse commands to stop, and the law does not require Wilson to wait until Brown was close enough to physically assault Wilson. (Page 85)
[23] we must avoid substituting our personal notions of proper police procedure for the instantaneous decision of the officer at the scene. We must never allow the theoretical, sanitized world of our imagination to replace the dangerous and complex world that policemen face every day.” (Page 85)
[24] “It may appear, in the calm aftermath, that an officer could have taken a different course, but we do not hold the police to such a demanding standard.” (citing Gardner v. Buerger, 82 F.3d 248, 251 (8th Cir. 1996) (same))). Rather, where, as here, an officer points his gun at a suspect to halt his advance, that suspect should be on notice that “escalation of the situation would result in the use of the firearm.” Estate of Morgan at 498. An officer is permitted to continue firing until the threat is neutralized. See Plumhoff v. Rickard, 134 S.Ct. 2012, 2022 (2014) (“Officers need not stop shooting until the threat has ended”). For all of the reasons stated, Wilson’s conduct in shooting Brown as he advanced on Wilson, and until he fell to the ground, was not objectively unreasonable and thus not a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. (Page 85)
[25] Given that Wilson’s account is corroborated by physical evidence and that his perception of a threat posed by Brown is corroborated by other eyewitnesses, to include aspects of the testimony of Witness 101, there is no credible evidence that Wilson willfully shot Brown as he was attempting to surrender or was otherwise not posing a threat. (Page 86)
For the reasons set forth above, this matter lacks prosecutive merit and should be closed.
The dignity of the players? Seriously? That flag and that anthem represents a country that allows ordinary street kids become millionaires. The players show their ingratitude t the country that made them. They are playing games for Gods sake. Jerks
Athletes used to be role models not anymore.
I've not walked in their shoes, and the US is not perfect certainly, but it beats everywhere else.
Michael Bennett's claims are filled with conflicting reports. Any police officer in his right mind is on high alert at all times, well aware Black Lives Matter wants to kill 'em.
There's also prejudice against 'little people'... Every team should have half their players UNDER five feet 8 inches...
Did Trump say ‘get those black players off the field?” or did he say ‘get those players off the field’?
Football doesn’t belong just to black people, culturally appropriated or no. So a criticism of football players, in general, isn’t racism, unless you’re a race hustler who sees any criticism as racist.
Players certainly have first amendment rights like everyone else. But it is accepted workplace procedure all over America that you don’t discuss politics or religion while at work or when representing the company anywhere. Perhaps if these pampered, naive athletes who’ve never had to spend time in the real workplaces of our country, had had to work in their lives they would understand this principle.
These so called athletes have been living on the dole since their high school days. Athletics. . .not Money laundering. . .yes. Role models . . .not Opportunists . . .yes
No, it's not prejudice at all. But I do believe Trump just fired the first salvo that will sink the NFL.
How do I know this? Because NBC and the other networks are going to make a big deal over what he said. The NFL brand has turned to mud. Thanks DJT!
Maybe now we begin to the debate about professional sports leagues having municipal monopolies. The players get insane salaries because they are legal monopolies. Time for that to change.
Trump has laid out a big juicy steak in front of a pack of wild dogs.
Once again the media, leftists, and this time the NFL, are going to get caught up in the public spectacle.
Wow, that's quite an astounding number. Can we read your source for that information? Thanks.
There is no right to free speech in a private enterprise.
I would enjoy watching a league where half the players are UNDER five feet 8 inches.
When the likes of Bob Cousy played for the Boston Celtics, the virtues of dribbling and other skills were more pronounced and added something to the game.
And I would like to see ZERO professional players on our Olympic teams too.
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