Phone lines are open. Republicans, 2027488001. Democrats, 2027488000. Pts, 2027488002. Very good monday morning to you. We begin with a few headlines stemming from the National Anthem protest. Heres yesterdays daily news out of new york, flagged. Niners quarterback wont stand for anthem in country that oppresses black people. And to todays sports section in the washington post, kaepernick says hell continue to sit during the National Anthem, defiant and determined, E Associated Press writes, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick plans to sit through the National Anthem for as long as he feels is appropriate and until he sees significant progress in america, specifically when it comes to race relations. Yesterday Colin Kaepernick talked more about his protest. Heres some of that interview. Theres a lot of things that need to change. One specifically, Police Brutality. Theres people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. Cops are getting paid leave for killing people. Thats not right. Thats not right by anyones standards. Colin, so many people see the flag as kind of a symbol of military. How do you view it, and what do you say to those people . Colin you know, i have Great Respect for men and women that have fought for this country. I have family, i have friends that have gone and fought for this country. And they fight for freedom. They fight for the people. They fight for libber zpi justice for everyone. And thats not happening. I mean, people are dying in vain because this country isnt holding their end of the bargain up as far as, you know, giving freedom and justice and liberty to everybody. Its something thats not happening. And ive seen videos, ive seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought for and have been murdered by the country they fought for. On our land. Thats not right. Host Colin Kaepernick receiving support and criticism over the weekend as this story develops from friday, continuing into today. Members of Congress Starting to weigh in on this as well. Bill johnson, a republican from ohio, he writes on his Facebook Page yesterday, very sad to see San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick refuse to stand to honor our flag and our country as the National Anthem was played. He has a First Amendment right to not stand. I wonder if he has thought about that fact that in most nations across the globe, those kinds of basic freedoms and liberties dont exist. They only exist in abundance here in america. Thankfully, he says, our men and women in uniform will continue to protect his rights even if he uses those rights to disrespect the very nation that grants him the opportunity to play professional football. Hopefully he understands that the American Public and football fans everywhere also have the same First Amendment rights to not support him or any team he plays for am i hope hes prepared to accept the consequences of his actions. Republican bill johnson. Will show you some of the other reactions that have happened since that protest on friday. As we go through our first 45 minutes today. Were asking for your opinions. We want to you weigh in. Republicans, 2027488001. Democrats, 2027488000. Independents, 2027488002. Well begin with our line for democrats. Stephanie is in new jersey. Stephanie, good morning. Stephanie, you with us . Caller yes, i am. Host go ahead. What do you think . Is it ok to use the National Anthem to protest . Caller im sorry . Host is it ok to use the National Anthem to protest . Caller well, you know, it he was i mean, he just didnt want to salute the flag. Its his right. I dont understand why this is even an issue. I mean, people protest all the time. I mean, he wasnt using he didnt come out and say im using it to protest as far as i know. Am i right . Host he said that he wont stand for the National Anthem. He said when theres significant change in this country, and i feel like the flag represents what its supposed to represent, that this country is representing people the way its supposed to, then ill stand is what he was quoted as saying. Caller ok, what im saying is, if he didnt outright come and say this or was he asked the question tooze why he did not stand for the National Anthem. Host that was his quote in thE Associated Press. He gave an extended 18minute interview about this yesterday after all these questions came up in light of what he did on friday. Caller after he was after he didnt salute, you know, salute the flag. Host right. Caller which he was asked why he didnt. I mean, somebody saw him and he asked host hes been asked several times, stephanie, and well go through some of the reaction for you. We want to hear reaction from our viewers as well to get your sense of whether it was ok to do, specifically during the National Anthem. Robert is in california, an independent. Robert, good morning. Caller yes, good morning. My opinion is hes got a right to express his personal political views about, you know, as a citizen. However, when he refuses to salute the flag, particularly in public, hes a representative of his team, and hes a public figure. And hes gone over the line. Host why is it over the line specifically when it comes to the National Anthem, robert . Caller well, hes insulting everybody in america. Thats why we have the National Anthem, to show unity and positiveness and how wonderful this country is, and no one has ever said that this country is perfect. But it is that overused term, its a nobrainer. Host robert, are there other nobrainer moments for protest in your mind rked or is the National Anthem the only one for you . What if it was during the pledge of aleens or Something Like that . Caller its demonstrative. Its one specific incident thats over the line. Obviously theres other examples of people burning a flag and doing other things like that that are over the line, but particularly since the gentleman is a fun pig, he and sents San Francisco, this country has been wonderful to this guy. I mean, hes a crybaby. Host all right. Robert in california. Other public figures weighing in. This is congressman peter king from new york with an extensive statement from his Facebook Page t. Reads in part, Colin Kaepernicks refusal to stand for the National Anthem is entirely wrong. Of course america has problems, he writes. Every country in the world has problems. But no country has done more to address those problems than the United States. That is why so many millions of immigrants from all over the world are desperate to come to america every year. If we are to address problems such as street crime, education, and job opportunity honestly, then we must debate them honestly. Having an nfl quarterback insult our flag by refusing to stand during the flying of the star spangled banner adds neither honesty nor intelligence to that debate. Jim in florida, a republican. Good morning. Caller good morning. As a disabled vet, i think its kind of disgusting. I think they ought to fire this guy. Hes had more opportunities than anybody else. Turning down a couple Million Dollars a year and everything else, and now hes trying. I think they ought to suspend him, fine him, or get rid of him. I dont care how good a Football Player he is. Its just a disgrace to america. Host the foirns put out a statement in the wake of this controversy. The Team Statement reading the National Anthem is and always will be a special part of the pregame ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on great liberties we are afforded as citizens. In respecting such american principles as freedom of religion and free come of expression. They go on to say that there are thats a different statement from Colin Kaepernick there on the screen for you. But the 49ers with their statement yesterday, saying that with the end of that statement, we recognize the right of individuals to choose to participate or not in our celebration of the National Anthem. That was the end of the 49ers statement for you there. Lets go to bill, santa rosa, california, an independent. Bill, good morning. Caller good morning. Yes, i think our leaders sort of set the tone for disrespecting the country when they disrespected the rules of the house when they had their sitin earlier this year. Although i dont have a lot of respect or i mean, i dont know if this situation really calls for it. I have a lot of industry for the black lives matter folks, because i think generally i see people who are powerless are not getting a fair break from ur control justice system. I dont think public defenders are up to the task that theyre given. I think the powerless people in general, and often black lives are less powerful lives. I have some country for it, but when i think we live in a time when we see so little respect from our leaders for the rules, we cant expect that much from our citizens when it comes to especting the symbols. Host is it the venue and timing and not necessarily the message here that you think might have caused this controversy . Caller exactly. Because its a sporting event, and, you know, i sort of wish we could keep athletics, whether its the politics, sort of separate. And because its not like if there was a more immediate event here in San Francisco perhaps, i would understand it a little more, but because its sort of general and its such a political year, im not sure if i completely have sympathy for our local Sporting Team on this one. But i respect the right of people, and i think its important for us to get the feedback. If its important enough for people to make that strong of a statement, we need to know it, so im glad we live in a free country where people can make that stand. Host why do you think sports and patriotism and the military are so closely tied in this country . Why sing the National Anthem at the beginning of these sporting events . Caller well, you know, sports almost is like a symbol of the struggle that, you know, military almost is, like the ultimate sport. Its the ultimate states. When we put all our might of all our country behind something we feel so strongly, and sports is almost like a symbol for putting your all behind something. So i think theres parallels there. Host robert, riverside, california, democrat. Good morning. Caller good morning. How are you doing today . Host doing well. Go ahead. Caller i just wanted to say that, first of all, this is not a federal, official position, so i mean, people forget, everybodys talking and kind of demonizing the individual here. The problem is that we have freedom of speech, and isnt that a beautiful thing . Nobody is talking about freedom of speech and the individuals. If this was a white guy, oh, my god, hes such a great, loyal patriot. But if hes black or if hes colored, oh, my god, hes such a demon, hes ignorant, stupid. What can we do . Ow can we penalize this guy . Thats the problem. Host some information on Colin Kaepernicks background from the nfl. Com news story about this event and his protest. Kaepernick says that he thought about going public with his feelings for a while, but that i felt that i need to understand the situation better. He said that he discussed his feelings with his family, and after months of witnessing some of the civil unrest in the United States, he decided to be more active and beloved. Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents and siblings. Tom is in forest groh, oregon, independent. Tom, good morning. Go ahead. Caller good morning. I just want to remind everybody the lyrics to the song are the home the land of the free and the home of the brave. Were free to express what we el, and obviously he was really brave, or if it cost him some fines or benches him or gets him traded to another team, maybe it wasnt so brave, maybe it was stupid. But we need to all know the reality that black lives matter is trying to put forward to let everybody see theyre not just paranoid, theyre not just angry and theyre not just exaggerating. This is real stuff, and he wanted to be seen. He wanted to be heard, and he wanted to express himself. I applaud him. Host all right, tom in oregon. Edward writes in, this is something that the media and politicians will blow overboard. Ignore it and it will go away. He got his 15 minutes of headlines. And jimmy says, actually, i dont understand playing the anthem before every sporting event anyway, so that question f why sports and are so related to the military and to patriotism. Want to get your thoughts on those questions and this National Anthem protest. Diane is in texas, democrat. Good morning. Go ahead, diane. Caller good morning. I agree with him, because the National Anthem, along with the pledge of the allegiance, does not apply to black americans. The disrespect that weve seen from the house and the senate against our president only enforces this. So i aplay the man. Give him kudos. Host why do you think it doesnt apply to black meshes . Caller because its not true. Were not all treated the same. Thats a big difference. Thats why black lives matter. To bring it to the forefront, so that everyone can see that all lives matter. But black lives and brown lives are being treated differently. How can we proudly say this and really honor it . Its a 235u8shood, just like so many lives are overlooked. But a lie is a lie no matter how big or small. We should be better than that. Thank you. Host theres a column in todays usa today sports section about this, kaepernick deserves praise for stand against injustice. The inside jump page, he writes, agree with his methods or not, kaepernick is a fresh example, showing that the constitution applies to all americans, including those in football uniforms. The way i see it, kaepernick just earned a lot of street cred for at least standing up for something hes passionate about, knowing full well there could be a political price to pay host that was todays usa today. Rob sin in utica, ohio, independent. Good morning, robin. Caller hello. Host go ahead. Youre on the washington journal. Caller hi, i would just like to say, my son is a high school Football Player, and hes also studying criminal justice to become a police officer. And i think that the black lives movement is a great thing, but i also believe that, you know, with him studying to be a police officer, obviously its worrysome for me as his mother, but i think that him being a Football Player, he needs to realize he is a role model. And that there are teenagers out there watching him, and if he wanted to make a stand and he wanted to be a real model and he wanted to show that he was standing up for something, maybe he should have taken that to a different form. Maybe he should have went to he streets with the group. And protested on the streets with the group or protested with the group instead of doing it at a game. Because that isnt really a good example not to stand for your anthem. Host have you talked to your son about this, about standing for the National Anthem . Does he talk about it . Is it something that he just does because they always do at the beginning of football games, or does it mean something more to your son . Have you had that conversation with him . Caller yes, it does actually mean more to him. We have a lot of military in our family. And it does mean something to him. Host robin, are there other places where this protest would have been appropriate . One of our earlier callers said that you can draw the line at burning the flag or not 1257bding during the National Anthem or the pledge of allegiance. Are there other places where that he should not do this protest, if hes looking to make this point, that you say hes certainly free to make . Caller yeah, like i said, hes certainly free to make a stand am i just think he should have thought about where he was and, you know, because he is, like i said, he is a role model to children, and he should think of that, and if he wants to be a good role model, he could still do that and still be a good example. But do it by going with a zpwrupe protesting on the street or something, not during the game. Host gotcha. Lets head to new york, charlie, republican. Good morning. Caller yes, good morning. The ridiculousness of this situation is we have a mediocre quarterback making 20 million a year, talking about oppression. In the end, some patriot linebacker will deal with this situation, if you know what i mean. Host i dont know what you mean. What do you mean, charlie . Caller well, how about breaking one or two of his legs. Host so, charlie, you think violence is the way to deal with this . Caller why not . Football is a violent sport. Look what happened to joe theismann. Host do you think thats because he was not patriotic, charlie . I think we lost charlie. Judy is in virginia beach, virginia. Judy, good morning. Caller good morning. I have a problem with other people trying to define what another people should do. Host go ahead, judy. Caller i hear people talking about we are allowed