The flag is a symbol of our rights

With all due respect to Susan Ritter on the Olympian Board of Contributors: Wake up and smell the First Amendment to the Constitution. While I respect your exercise of the First Amendment, I am compelled to exercise mine.

My father-in-law (deceased) was career military. He endured combat in the Pacific in World War II and served as a medic in the Korean War. He would tell you that he served to protect the right to dissent, even if he might not agree with the dissenters.

We live in a “free” society. The flag is a symbol of our rights. You don’t give up a right to protect a symbol. This is the U.S. of A.! Not China, not Russia, not North Korea -- where protest/dissent might result in jail or execution. It is not only our right as U.S. citizens to protest what we feel is wrong, but it is our duty as citizens.

The actions by some athletes is not disrespect for a flag, but bringing attention to and protesting the systemic and pervasive discrimination and killing of a group of U.S. citizens. “Disrespect of the flag” talk is simply a diversion and perversion of the real issues.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "The flag is a symbol of our rights."