NFL: No more divisions

Stand, Kneel, Sit. I love football. But since when does a political figure say or dictate how the players express themselves? The First Amendment (definition of amendment; alteration, adjustment, modification, revision, IMPROVEMENT, or correction) sets in motion our rights to free speech. Not the man in the Oval Office.

All speech is not equal under the First Amendment. There is speech that incites illegal activity and subversive speech, fighting words, obscenity and pornography, commercial speech and symbolic expression. Delving into the First Amendment, I am of the opinion that the players are staging what might be interpreted as symbolic expression.

Nonetheless, to convince a court that symbolic conduct should be punished and not protected as speech, the government must show it has an important reason. The reason cannot be the government disapproves of the message conveyed by the symbolic conduct. I will proudly stand but the rest of you feel free to sit, stand or kneel; just play ball. Our country needs NO MORE DIVISIONS. We have enough in D.C.

Could the man in the Oval Office take care of business? Puerto Rico, North Korea, Iran, flood victims, homeless, vets — there are a myriad of things which would truly test your I.Q. and spelling. While sitting out military service with your “foot spur” (painful I’m sure), I served in the U.S. Navy.

GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY and OUR FLAG.

JANET HONAKER

Post Falls