On Saturday night, world renown singer Stevie Wonder, 67, got down on his knees during his Global Citizens Concert in New York City, in support of Nfl Players, including Colin Kaepernick who refused to stand for the National Anthem at the beginning of NFL games. The players are refusing to stand for the National Anthem because of their objections to Trump's anti-immigrant policies, his exclusion of Muslims, Syrians and others from the United States, and because of his insensitive comments in the aftermath of the tragic killing of a young woman by a disturbed white supremacist in Charlottesville, Va.

in August 2017.

'The Donald' blames both sides

Despite the fact that he did condemn the killing of the young woman with a car driven by the young, male white supremacist, Trump nevertheless did not fully blame white supremacists for the tragedy, and, instead stated that parties on "both sides" are to blame (the white supremacists and the counter-protesters who were peacefully marching in opposition to the white supremacists).

Trump's call for NFL firings

Donald Trump, who refused to attend an African-American museum in December 2016 when he was President-elect, called for the "firing" of all NFL players who fail to stand for the National Anthem during their games. According to Trump, the players should dispense with their First Amendment rights to free-expression because, as he sees it, the players have been provided the "privilege" of playing in the NFL.

In other words, as this observer understands Trump's comments, once a person has "made it" and become privileged and/or affluent, he or she should dispense with his or her First Amendment rights and refrain from the practice of free expression. So, as Trump would have it, only people who are not privileged and who have not been afforded certain privileges should retain their First Amendment rights to free expression.

Those people, as Trump would have it, are to be discriminated against and deprived of the same rights that other Americans, and immigrants to America, enjoy.

It would appear from the convergence of Trump's own words and the ill-fated path of his perverted logic, that he believes that the people who do retain their rights to free expression and dare to object to his bigoted, exclusionary policies, are whiners, complainers, and losers.

'The Donald' does not see the NFL players as genuinely concerned about the plight of others; nor does he see them as concerned about the path down which he is leading the nation. Just because Trump only would exercise his First Amendment rights for his own selfish needs, it does not mean that other people are as selfish and self-centered as he is.

Free expression patriots

The NFL players who are kneeling during the National Anthem are neither selfish nor self-centered.

And they are not unpatriotic. The fact that the NFL players have a different way of utilizing their exercise of free expression than is normally practiced by others, does not mean that they are unpatriotic. Conversely, if anything, the NFL players are demonstrating that they are extremely concerned about the path that the country is taking. The players are demonstrating that they do not feel that the country is living up to its principles, especially the principle of inclusion of all immigrants and that we must take steps to guide the nation back to its original principles.

This observer finds the fact that rich, well-paid and affluent millionaires care enough about America to exercise their rights to free expression and protect the rights of others, very refreshing.

So long as there are people who dare to rise in the face of adversity, bigotry and free-roaming Presidential oppression of any and all Americans and immigrants who are "different," there still is hope. Long live Stevie Wonder and the kneeling NFL players. "The Woman in Red" would be proud of you!
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