Guest Post by Paul Craig Roberts
UPDATE: Louisiana state Representative Kenneth Havard informed me that he voted against the taxpayer subsidy to the pro-football team. Being tenacious, he is still after nixing the taxpayer subsidy. Hats off to him.
I sometimes wonder if America’s greatest threat is the population’s hyper-patriotism. The bulk of the population is now at work shutting down the NFL players’ First Amendment rights, and none of the incensed censors are capable of understanding that it is they, and not the NFL players, who are attacking the U.S. Constitution. We have been through all this flag business before, and federal courts have ruled for the protesters who burnt flags, wore them on their clothes, whatever. Yet, here we go again.
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Hardwick Clothes CEO pulls the company’s advertising from NFL games. Insofar as advertising helps Hardwick’s shareholders, CEO Allan Jones is hurting his own shareholders in order to protest the NFL players’ protests, a thought that probably never occurred to him. http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/09/984704-first-ceo-hits-nfl-right-wallet-unpatriotic-national-anthem-protests/
According to this report — http://www.dcclothesline.com/2017/09/26/americans-nationwide-burn-nfl-tickets-shirts-in-solidarity-with-trump/ — white people across the country are burning their NFL shirts and their expensive tickets for which they paid hundreds of dollars.
A Louisiana state representative has introduced legislation to ban state subsidies for the New Orleans Saints because of their “disgraceful protests.” It is OK with Rep. Kenny Havard for Louisiana taxpayers to give hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to the NFL team as long as the players stand for the anthem, but not if they don’t. It apparently never occurred to Havard to question whether relatively poor Louisiana taxpayers should be giving hundreds of millions of dollars to a billionaire team owner. There is no doubt that the average salary of the Saints exceeds the average salary of Louisiana taxpayers. http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/09/984526-louisiana-state-rep-pushes-make-nfl-team-pay-national-anthem-protests-literally/
Former NFL quarterback John Elway declares: “I believe that this is the greatest country in the world,” and his personal belief takes care of the numerous protesters who clearly have a different view. http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/09/984449-john-elway-responds-anthem-protests-nfl-players-pay-attention-words/
Bill O’Reilly makes a guest appearance on Fox News berating the NFL protesters for ignoring the effect on US soldiers in Afghanistan who “are putting their life on the line.” Apparently, after all these years it still has not occurred to O’Reilly that the soldiers’ lives — and those of Afghans — are being put on the line by the military/security complex’s drive for profits and the neoconservative drive for US and Israeli hegemony. http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/09/984598-oreilly-makes-return-fox-news-remind-nfl-players-soldiers-fighting-3000-miles-away/
Trump sends out emails: “Do you stand with President Trump, our flag, and this great country” against the NFL protesters?
The childishness of it all is an American embarrassment.
The patriotic response is not only an attack on the First Amendment but also plays into the hands of Identity Politics, which has its own take on the matter. Julio Rosas writes in the HuffPost that standing for the national anthem is standing for white supremacy. http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/09/984655-huffpost-op-ed-white-athletes-stand-national-anthem-stand-white-supremacy/
Before a few dimwits send me emails demanding explanation why I stand for anti-American minorities against “the greatest country in the world,” let us all first consider where this is going. The answer is: nowhere good. The hyper-patriotism that is being whipped up is so irrational that it is against the self-interests of the counter-protesters, who are hurting the visibility of their merchandising brand and costing the shareholders profits, burning their clothing and expensive football tickets, and denying themselves their favorite entertainment.
The military/security complex, the hegemonic neoconservatives, and the Israel Lobby are sitting there, licking their chops. They know what to do with this display of ignorant patriotism. They will turn it against Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia. Their profits will flow even higher, neocon ambitions will be realized, and Israel will have the US eliminate another country — Iran — in the way of its expansion. Or so they think.
Russia cannot afford a vassal of Washington in Iran or the type of chaos in Iran that now engulfs Iraq and Libya. It is a short distance from Iran through Azerbaijan or Turkmenistan into Muslim areas of Russia and former Muslim provinces of the Soviet Union. If Iran falls, Russia is the next to be destabilized. Additionally, Iran in Washington’s hands extends to the East Washington’s surrounding of Russia. The Russian government would be confronted with US missile bases on its borders ranging from the Baltics through eastern and southern Europe, Ukraine, Georgia and Iran. Moreover, US missiles in Iran could reach China in a few minutes as can the US missile bases being constructed on China’s Pacific border under the guise of countering “the North Korean threat.”
China depends on Iran for 20 percent of its oil supply. China was forced out of its Libyan oil supply by Washington’s overthrow of Gaddafi. Losing Iran would be a blow. At some point these two powerful countries will have to realize that their national existence is at stake. China has been too busy making money to pay attention, and Russia has been in thrall to its centuries-old desire to be part of the West.
The Russian government’s policy of replying to Washington’s aggression with diplomacy has failed totally. This policy has been extremely expensive to Russia and today is a direct threat to Russia’s national survival. Whether Russia is too controlled by Washington and Israeli-installed billionaires to attend to its national interests remains to be seen.
China’s lust for riches is a non-substitute for national survival.
Washington is counting on these singular weaknesses of the only two countries capable of serving as a check on Washington’s unilateralism.
However, there are countervailing powers in Russia and China. The Operation Command of the Russian High Command has publicly given its opinion that Washington is preparing a surprise nuclear attack on Russia. It would be derelict beyond comprehension for President Putin to ignore this conclusion. Inside China, historic pride is a rival influence to the lust for riches. The Chinese are determined never again to be a mere playground for foreign powers.
Sooner or later even the hubris-overstuffed Zionist Lobby will realize that the American war against Iran that Israel is demanding is a fuse for a Third World War and that the Jews will be destroyed along with everyone else. From the “Nile to the Euphrates” will be a wasteland.
On this website on September 27, 2017, I addressed what can be done from the Western side to reduce the tensions that are leading to nuclear armageddon. On the Russian and Chinese side what can be done is a tri-party mutual defense pact between Russia, Iran, and China that is made public. This would tell the psychopaths in Washington and Israel that an attack on Iran means World War III.
If this is not a deterrent, then Washington and Israel are lost to evil, and life on earth is ended.
PCR,
Sports are supposed to be about the sports and leaving the rest of the world at the gate – pure entertainment.
“The hyper-patriotism that is being whipped up is so irrational that it is against the self-interests of the counter-protesters, who are hurting the visibility of their merchandising brand and costing the shareholders profits, burning their clothing and expensive football tickets, and denying themselves their favorite entertainment.”
They are doing these things because it is no longer entertaining and, like me, are pissed off about it.
The SJWs and their ilk destroy everything they touch. The NFL is just the latest but not the last.
If sports are simply supposed to be about sports, why the national anthem, why the sponsorship by the military, why the non-stop fly-overs by military aircraft, why the constant praise of everyone in uniform??? Sorry, the NFL and MLB politicized sports when they MILITARIZED SPORTS.
Because it’s the most popular sport in America. Tons of young testosterone/meat to be found for the grinder.
1. The proxy armies for the U.S. and Israel (ISIS and al Qaeda, and Kurds of SDF) are in East Syria trying to capture territory in Deir Ezzur oil fields to use as a bargaining chip for a negotiated settlement for Balkanization. I can’t see Syria, Iran, or Russia allowing this to occur. The Syrian Arab Army (Assad) troops have captured most of the territory in this region.
2. Iran has blocked all flights to and from Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
3. Turkey will close the border with Iraqi Kurdish region (isolates Kurds more).
4. Israel plans to set up a terrorist state in Erbil, capital city of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This will be difficult per 2. above; Israel had plans for an air base.
5. Ayelet Shaked (Israel Justice Minister) has threatened Putin’s life: ““If Putin wants to survive he had better keep his military out of Syria.” She is famous for having advocated the
extermination of Palestinian children (whom she calls “little snakes”) as well as the mothers who bear them.
6. Russia is setting up a new military airbase in E. Syria.
7. Russia has informed the U.S. that any further attacks by the US. SDF forces against Russian/SAA troops will result in retaliation against the SDF. I can’t wait for Russia to really kick ass.
BTW, the U.S. is simply being Israel’s bitch to carry out Israel’s plan for the Middle East.
Why would America agree to be Israel’s bitch?
Wip
Are you new around here? I thought you been here longer than that.
I have come to believe that the greatest impediment to liberty is patriotism. If you love the fucking state then you are an enemy of freedom. More than that you are a tool.
No one stopped the NFL players from protesting in any way! None were taken out and shot. None were fired. We just used our right to stop watching the overpaid crybabies!!
PCR is on the wrong side of the argument as usual>
Money talks and bullshit walks!
Lol…. You are a tool…
Complete idiot response
And you demonstrated such an eloquent and cogent rebuttal. HH is right and PCR is DEAD wrong.
We must not let Trump, the owners or the media re-frame the discussion in a way that detracts from what these protest were really about and how they started. The protest started as support for the murderous BLM movement and under the PROVABLY FALSE narrative that blacks are disproportionately targeted by cops ( and subsequent shooting/beating etc.)
Nobody is arguing that cops should not be disciplined and jailed for unjust brutality–it is just that the numbers clearly prove that blacks, latinos and whites are pretty much equally abused when they are involved with police interactions ( blacks have more instances for the simple fact that they commit 85% of the crimes!)
There is no inequality in this issue and THAT is what the protests are about–a false pretense and narrative. If anything, blacks in America are the most privileged people on the planet! Special quotas for jobs, university educations, business loans etc, etc.. They need not be as good, able or competent–just being black pushes them to the front of the line.
And here’s the kicker–even if they refuse to take advantage of all of the undeserved free opportunities, then they can actually DO NOTHING and STILL live at a top 25% of global standard of living, courtesy of that unjust American welfare system that makes sure they are housed, clothed, fed, have phones, transportation, free education for their kids and a myriad of other freebies ( including outright free cash put on their monthly credit card/EBT’s.)
They shouldn’t be on their knees in protest, they should be on their knees thanking God Almighty that their sorry asses were born in this country………….
Patriotism does not lead to freedom, when it is amplified, it usually means the country is being moved into a hostile confrontation that requires public opinion to be favorable to the upcoming warfare.
According to our founding fathers, freedom requires the interests of the United States to be focused on the well being of its citizens and not getting involved in the entanglements of affairs of foreign nations.
Over the last one hundred years, patriotism has been stretched to include the well being of other foreign countries, supposedly with Americas interests at heart, but time and again the real motivation was corporate profits at the expense of American lives.
Coming back to the sports players making a statement by kneeling during the national anthem, the whole thing is beginning to sicken me. I hate the disrespect to the country and I hate equally as much the ginning up of patriotic fervor and the distraction from problems that are dissecting our country into smaller and smaller feuding ideological groups. There is nothing much to do now but let it play out and hope our weakness as a nation doesn’t catch the eyes of aspiring global leaders to be.
PCR creates an exasperating tome from a simple topic
I don’t know what they are protesting. They just look to be unpatriotic. Millionaire babies. NFL Football is not the right time or place.
I wonder if Messr. Roberts ever liked, understood, followed or watched the NFL consistently.
WE THE PEOPLE don’t want our gladiators talking politics.
Wastes of time and money like pro-football are about to take a knee anyway because 500% inflation is headed our way like a Mega Disaster. As of Sep2017, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela now require Euros, Rubles, Yuan, Rupees or gold for payment of oil; Saudi Arabia is talking about it. The BRICS have Taken A Stand about America since the agreement to exceed the $20 Trillion ceiling and have finally put sanctions on Fiat Dollars; their safes are full of them anyway. Trump just sent Sec of the Treasury Mnuchin to Ft Knox to check on our gold supply (haha); he needs to audit our Euros/Yuan/Rubles too: the need is now huge but the cupboard is bare. When we want to buy food, tractors, electronics etc from the BRICS, we will have to pay in Yuan, gold etc. Also as of Sep2017, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Exchanges will Redeem Yuan for gold (Nixon shut the Dollar Gold Window in 1971; China just opened a Gold Window in 2017); that will turn the Fiat Dollar into an ugly crying orphan. The NFL players taking a knee need to pray for another job. The USA needs to take both knees and pray.
Russia and Iran will survive oil denominated in something other than the U.S. dollar. Saudi Arabia will fall in line because they need the U.S. military. Venezuela is fucked because their high-sulfur crude (sour crude) can only be refined in a few countries.
I think it was George Burns that did a short routine on the subject of entertainment. His advice to new entertainers went something like this: You cannot serve two masters. If you want to be an entertainer . . . entertain. If you want to be a politician . . . be a politician, but you cannot do both. An entertainer that opens his mouth politically is forever more a politician.
Football players are entertainers. Need more be said?
At the end of the day,PCR is a leftist who hates America. Nuff said.
moron
No. He’s not a moron. He’s a leftist. Could be redundant, I guess.
I hate America, I hate everything American (except its money), blah, blah, blah. There is just something wrong with people who hate their own country and normal people get that. PCR really is just a leftist America hater.
another moron
PCR doesn’t understand reality, on many levels.
yet another moron
PCR is wrong. If you act like an asshole exercising your 1st A rights, it’s just as much my right to respond. Nobody prevented those assholes from being assholes, so it’s silly to claim their rights were violated. And their freedom isn’t violated if we decide not to conduct commerce with those assholes as a result. If Americans decide they don’t want to do business with assholes, it’s the system working. And it’s perfectly right and proper to de-fund those assholes. They never should have received one red cent out of the taxpayers’ money.
PCR needs to stop being anti-American, too. Reasoned criticism is one thing and I can sop up doomer shit all day, but this is one case where’s PCR’s just being a contrarian douche.
I will agree with him on one thing-the average American isn’t really a patriot, he’s just sort of going with the flow, but in this case the flow is going in the right direction for a moment. Even a broken clock is right 2x a day.
As an aside, you may not remember the sudden explosion of American flags (supplied by chinese manufacturers and cagey American businessasshats) after 9/11, but I remember. Suddenly, assholes were out buying cheap flags and, worse, car flags. The patriotic fervor lasted about as long as the flags did. A few weeks later, I was doing a road hike across the state and all I saw were bits and pieces of American flags scattered along every roadside gutter and median. It was disgusting.
“The bulk of the population is now at work shutting down the NFL players’ First Amendment rights…”
Try some bullshit protest at your employer’s place of business next Monday and when they fire your ass, tell them they are shutting down your 1st Amendment rights.
No one in America has a 1st Amendment right at a workplace…least of all, a conservative.
This entire post is dumbass sophistry.
No one’s shutting down player’s freedom of speech (that sort of thing is what Antifa does).
What they are doing is agitating to make sure the millionaire crybabies’ ignorant virtue signaling and attention-whoring on the owners’ (and fans’) time isn’t consequence-free.
Want to shoot your mouth off? No problem. Watch attendance drop, and then sponsors drop their advertising, and then salaries dwindle. Or, the spineless twit running the league enforces the rules already on the books, and starts fining, suspending, or firing players, and penalizing teams. That’s how free speech works; you take the stand, you pay the consequences.
Complaining about that well-deserved backlash, as this article did, is like whining that people should pay to see movies by actors who crap on their values all day long.
The real world doesn’t work that way; the author should try living in it.
Try to break suction and pull your head out on this one. Daylight and oxygen do wonders for stimulating one’s brain.
Anyone who can’t see that or figure it out for themselves isn’t tall enough for this ride.
I used to read PCR years ago, but over time I’ve found that he just seems to rant and I don’t really agree with his views.
He’s sorta the opposite of Brandon Smith…..Brandon gets it, PCR doesn’t. Brandon’s reading of the tea leaves comes from a more cogent place than PCR’s.