Posted on 02/04/2022 6:42:48 AM PST by Paul R.
I remember the first time I put my 'Free Tibet' shoes on my feet. There were two gentlemen from the NBA and they came to me on the bench right before the game, and told me that 'We are begging you take those shoes off.' And I asked, 'Am I breaking any rules?' They said no. Then I told them, 'Go tell your boss, whoever it is, (NBA Commissioner) Adam Silver, the Celtics owner, and whoever you're talking to, I'm not taking my shoes off. I don't care if I get banned or if I get fined.' And they said OK.
That game was right before my citizenship test, and I was getting ready for it. There are 27 amendments, and my First Amendment (right) is freedom of speech. I didn't want them to take that away from me.
(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...
This is another one of those instances where someone who has fled oppression demonstrates better appreciation of our freedoms than many born into them. (FReepers excepted, of course!)
Do I disagree with "Mr. Freedom" on some things? Probably. But this is certainly someone I can respect, and even admire. And, if nothing else, Enes Kanter Freedom has one heck of a story to tell. I'll post below a couple more links I found after reading the above article.
I have a lot to do today (post winter / ice storm), so I probably will only be able to sporadically come back to this thread. When I'm in the house, hot chocolate, thawing toes, and "honey do's" is probably gonna come first! In the meantime, enjoy. :-)
I like him. He’s not afraid to say the truth.
Mr. Freedom has become my favorite sports hero.
He’s a cutie and very well-spoken. But moslems stereotype themselves. Not knocking him - I wish him well. More people need to criticize the Chinese. But invariably, he’ll change into a typical moslem and transfer his hate to Americans who don’t like islam. I would bet you $100 (if I had $100).
The more I hear from this guy, the more I like him. BTW, welcome to America Enes. Let freedom ring.
As a Celtics fan...I wish he would get more rebounds.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/enes-kanter-turkey-passport
https://sports.yahoo.com/enes-kanter-change-last-name-175920318.html
And he’s very grateful to be an American.
- unlike so many of our home-grown, spoiled-brat, showboating athlete jerks.
Grateful and persuasive
I appreciate his criticism of China, but he’s also staunchly for vaccine mandates, if I recall correctly.
Perhaps some witnessing by a committed Christian acquaintance will turn him in the right direction.
He needs to learn that there is no Allah but Satan, and Muhammad was his murdering pedophile, AFTER he learns that Christ died for him and all other sinners.
I would have replied, "Take off your shoes!"
If they ask, "Why?" give them some equally cockamamie excuse like, "Because it offends Hindus / pre-lapsarian Christians / 8th-Day Adventists!"
Regards,
Look at that brow ridge! The guy is a walking Neanderthal! Not that there is anything wrong with that.
I think he’s attractive, and his good mind makes him even more so.
Obviously I could have missed that, but all I found was that he (Freedom) felt better known players should encourage / educate others to get the vaccines. Nothing about mandates, and certainly nothing about mandates outside the NBA, which (the NBA) is sort of a special case because of the disruptions to teams, etc., of COVID cases. (That was also pre-Omicron, I believe.) But, I've not read every statement of his. I do know Kareem Abdul Jabbar pushed considerably harder on this (vaccines).
Ditto.
I wonder if Mr. Freedom is in China playing for team USA. It would be great.
He’d be playing for Turkey most likely.
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