Alejandro Villanueva's courageous - and lonely - stand for the flag
By Monica Showalter

What a sorry state of affairs it is that standing up for the American flag, rather than taking a knee, is now what's unusual and newsworthy.

That's where we're at now, with Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva making headlines for courageously standing up for the flag during the playing of the national anthem while the rest of his teammates huddled back in the locker room.

Villanueva, recall, is a West Point-educated Army Ranger, and an Afghanistan war veteran. He served three tours of duty and was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. He was known, even before this event, as the best military veteran in the NFL. But more to the point, he knew troops who died for that flag. He had made patriotic statements well before the current imbroglio. He wasn't going to disrespect the flag and the national anthem by staying in the locker room.



And it's worth noting that he was pressured into doing just that. The Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach, Mike Tomlin, said he was looking for "100% participation" in that locker room, and he was specifically asked about Villanueva. It suggests that internal peer pressure is a significant part of all the kneeling and locker room hiding that's been driving audiences away from the NFL - a great unreported story.

How Tomlin thought he could pressure a man with Villanueva's record and background into falling into that line is beyond common sense. What Villanueva did was normal behavior for a patriotic veteran, not something that should be looked on as unusual. But in a degraded culture, standing for the flag is now to be an outlier, someone who isn't fitting in with the team. To the rest of us, it's an act of courage. ESPN reports that the players stayed in the locker room out of respect for Villanueva, given that the rest wanted to come out and take a knee. But Villanueva just couldn't compromise. U.S. troops in Afghanistan were closely watching - and it's possible Villanueva knew this:

Watching football right now in Afghanistan shaking my damn head at America. Thanks to CPT V. He gets it.

— Be Fick (@BeTheFick) September 24, 2017

Now, Villanueva is a hero to NFL fans, a standout, a man of courage, and the reason fans like to watch football and cheer it on.

They're going hogwild buying his jersey.

If this doesn't send a message to the NFL about where its future lies, nothing will.


Alejandro Villanueva jersey sales skyrocket on Fanatics.com



http://www.americanthinker.com...nd_for_the_flag.html

Another thought...

They (Players behaving badly) have every right to protest, JUST NOT ON MY DIME!!

If a member here could find a list of NFL sponsors email addresses and publish it here, there could be a mass mailing to the sponsors to let them know we will not be purchasing their products as long as the players fail to respect our Country. I would distribute the list to all of my associates and friends as well.

I promise that when they are hit in the pocketbook,or even think that will happen, shit will hit the rotating planes.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Alejandro Villanueva's courageous - and lonely - stand for the flag
By Monica Showalter

What a sorry state of affairs it is that standing up for the American flag, rather than taking a knee, is now what's unusual and newsworthy.

That's where we're at now, with Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva making headlines for courageously standing up for the flag during the playing of the national anthem while the rest of his teammates huddled back in the locker room.

Alejandro Villanueva jersey sales skyrocket on Fanatics.com

And the head coach called HIM out for it.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:


And the head coach called HIM out for it.

And the owners cash in...


Here's a good video:


https://www.facebook.com/plugi...s%2F1892036181060754

If some NFL player wants to set an example, I invite them to follow the path of Pat Tillman. As for Mr. Villanueva, what a great statement of patriotism and respect for this great country. RLTW.

"Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who also co-founded Home Depot (HD), had a slightly different take, telling Casone players should still have the right to demonstrate their beliefs."

Guess what asshole?
I'm gonna demonstrate my belief that you're a waste of human debris ingrate and I'll never step foot in a HD again.
How about that?

I had forgotten about this:

https://twitter.com/FoxBusines...s/776080679419252736

With regards to this nonsense, the NFL can only lose supporters or maintain what they have. Obviously, they are losing supporters.

The NFL needs us. We do not need the NFL. The NFL cannot survive without people patronizing their business, whereas we can live our lives if the NFL even existed.


Brilliant, ya buncha dolts.

What amazes me is how a little lie can turn into such a cluster. Had the media not reported the lie of the 'eye witness' from Ferguson, none of this... absolutely NONE of this would ever have happened.

^^^ That is an interesting observation, Rightwire, but I think the media lie was symptomatic of something bigger and uglier that was bound to manifest itself in one way or another.

I won't watch an NFL game. I won't support them in any way. Simple as that.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
What amazes me is how a little lie can turn into such a cluster. Had the media not reported the lie of the 'eye witness' from Ferguson, none of this... absolutely NONE of this would ever have happened.

Some people want to believe the lie. Their own prejudices prevent an honest discernment of truth. These problems will never end if people will not consider truth.

Here is what ADM. McRaven has said.

Link

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Here is what ADM. McRaven has said.

Link

Perfectly expressed.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Here is what ADM. McRaven has said.

Link

Thanks for posting JALLEN. Thank God my son had the sense to choose U.T. Dallas as his school. I sent him the link. Perfect from Mr. McRaven.

Rightwire is spot on- all of this bullshit because of The Big Lie told by Dorian Johnson in Ferguson. Suicide by their own hand, the NFL owners completely betrayed their customers wholesale. If they think their business model can survive on an anti-American, anti-police policy, they are in for a shock. Sponsor's demographics are not built around BLM, AntiFA and extreme leftists.

quote:

Thank God my son had the sense to choose U.T. Dallas as his school.

What's he studying at U.T.D.? Richardson?
I went to UD, in Irving.

As usual, I find myself agreeing with Mike Rowe.

https://www.facebook.com/Retur...2613/?type=2&theater

Off the Wall

Hey Mike - I know you avoid politics, (thanks!) and I remember your rant on the Colt’s leaving Baltimore. (As a former Brown’s fan, I feel your pain.) But I gotta ask – what’s happening to professional football, and what do you make of Trump’s comments about those who refuse to stand during the national anthem?

Robert Amon

Hi Robert

In democracies, we the people get the government we deserve. We also get the celebrities we deserve, the artists we deserve, and the athletes we deserve. Because ultimately, we the people get to decide who and what gets our attention, and who and what does not.

Right now, The NFL, the players who choose to kneel, the networks who choose to broadcast their protest, the advertisers who sponsor the games, and the President of the United States, are all eager for our attention. And they are all using football to get it. That's all well and good, right up to the point where it isn't. In my view, this controversy really isn’t about patriotism, social justice, racial inequality, or free speech. It’s not even about the flag or the national anthem. It’s really only about one thing – what we will tolerate, and what we won't.
I was disappointed last night, to hear President Trump encourage owners to fire players who refuse to stand for the anthem. Not because I dispute the owners right to do so, and not because I would grieve the dismissal of anyone who chooses to disrespect our flag. I was disappointed because the President’s comments presuppose that the owners are in charge of the game. They’re not. We are. We decide what to watch, and that decision - far more than any other consideration - will determine the what the owners choose to do. And that in turn will affect what the players choose to do.

As the leader of the country, the President had an opportunity to remind us that The NFL, the networks who broadcast their games, and all of the players – standers and kneelers alike - work for us. He might have also used the occasion to remind us that he too, serves at our pleasure.
I felt a similar bemusement when the Commissioner issued his response, followed by the President of the Player’s Union. Their comments – along with the comments of many of the players themselves – were perfectly reasonable, perfectly understandable, and perfectly in keeping with their first amendment rights. But they were also perfectly arrogant. Because they too, presuppose that millions of fans will continue to watch them play a game - no matter what.

Perhaps they’re right. Historically, football fans have shown a collective willingness to ignore and enable all sorts of dubious behavior. The players have agents and unions, the owners have money and power, and the fans are always caught in the middle. The resulting strikes and the constant uprooting of teams from broken-hearted towns proves beyond all question the overall lack of regard for fans in general.
But here's the thing, Rob. The fans of professional football are not powerless – we're just not yet offended enough to turn the channel. Should that ever change in a meaningful way – if for instance, a percentage of football fans relative to those players who chose to kneel during today’s games, chose to watch something else next Sunday – I can assure you...the matter would be resolved by Monday.

Mike

PS. If you’d like to spend a few minutes with some actual heroes - combat veterans who made sure today’s athletes have the right to kneel for our flag, or honor it – might I suggest the first episode of Returning the Favor? Twenty-five million people have already approved of this segment, and my hope, is that you will, too.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmoid:
"Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who also co-founded Home Depot (HD), had a slightly different take, telling Casone players should still have the right to demonstrate their beliefs."

Guess what asshole?
I'm gonna demonstrate my belief that you're a waste of human debris ingrate and I'll never step foot in a HD again.
How about that?

Now, wait a minute. No more HD?

How are we to live without going to HD? It's bleak enough without Radio Shack.

Where is civilization going?

Thanks for sharing Para.. links above..

There are more, but you get the idea.