Kaepernick stood up for my grandchildren: Second Look

Letter to the editor:

Colin Kaepernick shook lazy thinkers right off their comfortable armchairs last week. He had the gall to sit while our national anthem was played!

He was protesting police shootings of African Americans. And his unmistakable motivation to stay on the bench? Donald Trump.

I have no problem with people who protest, given that their protests attempt to reveal truth and justice. I stand when the anthem is played, won’t burn the American flag, or spit on the Constitution. These demonstrations are just not my style. But I don’t have a problem with any of them, since such protests are protected by the First Amendment.

Kaepernick is biracial, like my grandchildren. I refrain from the horror of thinking that either of them could be hurt because of the way they look, and yet there is a presidential candidate wandering America who inspires such things. But regardless of my political views, the sanctity of human life goes beyond the transitional mores of a society. I cannot impose my narrow view of what I believe over the potentially disastrous future of my grandchildren if a person like Trump succeeds in November.

Like many who have congratulated Kaepernick for demonstrating what he believes and his implied defense of my grandchildren, I commend his stance and willingness to compromise his own future for what he believes. Thank you, Colin Kaepernick, for standing up while sitting down.

James D. Cook; Schaumburg, Ill.