{"id":78648,"date":"2016-09-13T20:04:03","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T20:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=78648"},"modified":"2023-04-13T18:04:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T18:04:25","slug":"behind-mic-common-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/behind-mic-common-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Mic: Common Sense"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thomas Paine wrote three works that, after this weekend, seem appropriate to reflect on as they pertain to the National Anthem and some players in the National Football League.\u00a0 The titles of these three works speak volumes in themselves \u2013 Common Sense<\/span>, The Rights of Man<\/span>, and The Age of Reason<\/span>.<\/p>\n

When I was teaching, I taught a course called \u201cBooks That Changed the World\u201d (The Prince<\/span>, An Essay on the Principle of Population<\/span>, Uncle Tom\u2019s Cabin<\/span>, Mein Kampf<\/span>, etc.) and one of the books I chose was Common Sense<\/span>.\u00a0 It was written in 1776 and its sole purpose was to convince the colonists that breaking away from England to become a separate nation was the only course of action that made sense.\u00a0 It was this logic, bravery, and determination of the citizenry that led to the forming of the United States of America.<\/p>\n

The American Revolution was, in its most fundamental way, a protest and one which had serious consequences.\u00a0 And because we won the battle, men like Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Paine, and Franklin are all considered heroes today.<\/p>\n

So how should we treat those members of the NFL who deem it necessary to send a message of dissatisfaction with the country when our National Anthem is played?\u00a0 First, we must consider WHY<\/span> they are protesting.\u00a0 The players, from what I have gathered, feel there is a racial injustice going on in this country and to ignore that is just plain wrong.\u00a0 Believe me; I have never felt that I know anything about the effects of racial prejudice.\u00a0 I am white and I have never been subjected to an attack on me due to my skin pigment.\u00a0 I read Black Like Me<\/span> by John Howard Griffin when I was young and it left an indelible impression on me.\u00a0 Griffin, a white American, darkened his skin and spent six weeks in the Deep South as a black man.\u00a0 He faced prejudice every single day.\u00a0 That book opened my eyes.<\/p>\n

Thomas Paine expressed what I believe the players feel \u2013 \u201cA long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.\u201d\u00a0 So, the players protest.\u00a0 In this country, protest was and remains our foundation.\u00a0 Free speech is what makes America, America.\u00a0 The message may cause one to suffer consequences, but history has taught us that for every action, there is often a reaction.\u00a0 Thomas Paine was well aware that a British victory would have meant his death for treason, but as he said, \u201cThose who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I would not think of sitting or kneeling when the National Anthem is being played and the players who kneel or raise their fists in protest will most certainly feel the wrath of many.\u00a0 They should expect that.\u00a0 But don\u2019t take away their right to seek change and don\u2019t take away the right to criticize them for it.\u00a0 After all, speaking your mind is truly American.\u00a0 It is one of our fundamental rights.\u00a0 That is why there is America.<\/p>\n

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Well, the Browns <\/a>didn\u2019t take Carson Wentz<\/a> in the draft because they felt he wasn\u2019t good enough. They could have. How do you think they feel today?<\/li>\n
  2. Some interesting coaching decisions on the first NFL weekend. Hue Jackson of the Browns tried a fake punt in the Eagles<\/a> game that was unbelievably ill-conceived (the punter was on the line of scrimmage) and led to three easy points for the Birds.\u00a0 Jack Del Rio of the Raiders<\/a>, on the other hand, went for two instead of just tying the game against New Orleans<\/a> with 47 seconds to go.\u00a0 They were successful and won 35-34.\u00a0 There\u2019s a fine line between \u201cgoat\u201d and \u201chero\u201d.<\/li>\n
  3. The first touchdown on Sunday in the NFL was the Carson Wentz TD pass.<\/li>\n
  4. Terrelle Pryor<\/a>, who is a converted QB now at WR for the Browns, made some great catches Sunday. He is the SAME Terrelle Pryor who was the quarterback at Jeanette High School when they lost to the Lehigh Valley\u2019s Wilson Warriors for the PIAA state football championship in 2006.\u00a0 Jeanette and Pryor won the State Championship the following year.<\/li>\n
  5. Friday, September 16, RCN-TV offers up Parkland at Easton (7:00pm) and Bethlehem Catholic at Nazareth (10:00pm). Lafayette travels to Princeton for a Saturday broadcast at 5:00pm.\u00a0 You\u2019re invited.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Gary's<\/a><\/p>\n

    Gary\u2019s Guesses: NFL Picks \u2013 (Last week \u2013 10-6;\u00a0 Overall \u2013 10-6\u00a0\u2013 63% )<\/strong>
    \nWeek Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

    JETS<\/strong>
    \nDETROIT<\/strong>
    \nHOUSTON<\/strong>
    \nNEW ENGLAND<\/strong>
    \nBALTIMORE<\/strong>
    \nPITTSBURGH<\/strong>
    \nWASHINGTON<\/strong>
    \nGIANTS<\/strong>
    \nCAROLINA<\/strong>
    \nARIZONA<\/strong>
    \nSEATTLE<\/strong>
    \nDENVER<\/strong>
    \nOAKLAND<\/strong>
    \nSAN DIEGO<\/strong>
    \nGREEN BAY<\/strong>
    \nPHILADELPHIA<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Thomas Paine wrote three works that, after this weekend, seem appropriate to reflect on as they pertain to the National Anthem and some players in the National Football League.\u00a0 The titles of these three works speak volumes in themselves \u2013 Common Sense, The Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. When I was teaching,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[723,374],"class_list":["post-78648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behind-the-mic","category-featured","category-sports","tag-national-anthem","tag-nfl-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Mic: Common Sense - ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind the Mic: Common Sense - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thomas Paine wrote three works that, after this weekend, seem appropriate to reflect on as they pertain to the National Anthem and some players in the National Football League.\u00a0 The titles of these three works speak volumes in themselves \u2013 Common Sense, The Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. 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