As I sit down to write this article, I do not know if things have changed in the NFL as regards the kneeling of professional athletes, coaches, owners and other staff during the National Anthem performed at each respective football game. Last week I boycotted watching any game and heard about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ disgraceful act in choosing to stay in the locker room, which adds insult to injury. Admirably, Alejandro Villanueva, who served our country as an Army Ranger, took the opportunity to come out to the edge of the corridor, where the players enter and exit the field, and honor the flag, placing his hand over his heart as the national anthem was played.

The “protest” that week, many say, was about the comments President Trump made at an Alabama rally earlier in the week when he asked the crowd “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say ‘Get that son-of-a-bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired.’” With the exception of the term “son-of-a-bitch” he chose to use, those comments expressed exactly how most Americans feel about the lack of respect for our country’s flag and national anthem many players displayed.

By denigrating the flag, the national anthem and the country, these players are alienating fans and would-be fans from watching anything that has to do with the NFL. In doing so the NFL’s ratings will decline, ticket sales will decline and fans will become hateful to anyone and everyone who joins this “protest.”

Their anger is misdirected. One shouldn’t protest against police brutality and racial inequality by taking it out on the flag and the national anthem. That is very ignorant and exactly the wrong way to handle any situation. When the NFL’s ratings, ticket sales and merchandise sales decline, it will be their own fault and those players, coaches and owners who joined in with the spoiled and overpaid brats will be the ones responsible for the decline of the institution many Americans love.

In another episode of professional athletes protesting President Trump, Golden State Warrior and NBA champion Stephen Curry tweeted that he would not be attending the White House ceremony his team was invited to. As a gesture, championship teams are commonly invited to the White House to be recognized and to celebrate their NBA championship. Trump responded by tweeting back that Curry was disinvited. Cleveland Cavalier Lebron James injected himself into the twitter war by calling the president a “bum.”

In responding to a question about how he felt when he read Trump’s tweet, Curry stated that “it’s just kind of beneath a leader of a country to go that route…it’s not what leaders do.”

Lebron James also stated in a press conference that Trump “doesn’t understand the power that he has for being the leader of this beautiful country…doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the President of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement…this is the most powerful position in the world…we are at a time where the most powerful position in the world has an opportunity to bring us closer together as a people and inspire the youth.”

There are certain points that these players make about Trump that are indeed true. It’s hard to defend the president when he uses choice words in his own speeches. However, there is an opportunity here, a way to make amends. If Trump would be willing to extend an invitation to Curry, James, Colin Kaepernick, Aaron Rogers, and others who have taken a stand on this issue, to discuss their concerns, and if these players will accept that invitation, maybe they can all act like mature adults and address ways to improve race relations and make the country better for all.

It’s unfortunate it has come to this. But again, it’s an opportunity. Since President Barack Obama did so much to divide this country with comments he made, Trump has an opportunity to reach out, reverse the damage Obama did and restore this country to how it should be. After all, he campaigned on making America great again.

Tom Folden is a political strategist, conservative thinker, and Editor of RightWingWriter.com, a website for conservative viewpoints. A human rights activist, he is a firm believer in the Constitution and the rule of law. He is also a singer/songwriter and recording artist. For interviews and/or appearances, please contact him at spencergroup@hotmail.com.

There’s a fraudulent movement that’s been circulating for a few years now. It’s called “white privilege” and it’s a myth. It is based on the assumption that white people are born privileged since they have no frame of reference about what a person of color goes through on a daily basis. Sure, a white person doesn’t share the same experiences a black person does, but the flip side is that a person of color doesn’t necessarily share the experiences of a Caucasian.

It’s all really quite silly. On the surface it appears to be an excuse for those who have a chip on their shoulders to feel victimized. But this only serves to hold back the supposed victim from acting on any aspirations and reaching any goals that person may have.

It’s a lie that all white people are privileged. Moreover, it’s an insult to white persons who were born under bad circumstances and live with stigmas of their own. It’s simply unfair.

It’s understood that a black person might feel scrutinized for being black through no fault of his/her own. The same, however, can be felt by a white person, or a Hispanic person, or someone who is Asian or any number of other races or nationalities.

The black person who feels harassed for being pulled over by a traffic officer may feel that way due to his being black. But law enforcement officers generally don’t always know the race or ethnicity of drivers when they’re pulled over.

Obviously this could be easily taken to a deeper level and expounded upon, but to do so might legitimize the issue as if it needed the extra attention.

The fact is that we are all human and should treat each other as such, without biases and prejudices. Those who subscribe to this notion of white privilege are the ones who fan the flames of racism. By definition, racism is the belief that one race is superior to another. By suggesting that “white privilege” exists is to allege that white people actually feel superior to other races innately. This is a wrong presumption and does nothing to advance society. But then again, victimhood is contrary to the advancement of society.

Anyone who is not racist must reject the notion of white privilege. Any reasonable person of any color, race, ethnicity and nationality understands that “white privilege” is just an attempt by one race to belittle, demean and lie about another. We must shut down those who would seek to advance this ridiculous idea.

Tom Folden is a political strategist, conservative author, and Editor-at-Large of RightWingWriter.com, a website for conservative viewpoints. An original participant in the Tea Party, he takes part in pro-America rallies when his time permits. He is also a singer/songwriter and recording artist. For interviews and/or appearances, please contact him at spencergroup@hotmail.com.

By now we have all heard about the cries of racism at several universities across America. This latest wave started with an accusation at the University of Missouri where the student government president made the allegation that a white student yelled the n-word. Another allegation was made that a swastika using human feces was drawn somewhere on campus, although there was zero proof and no evidence to support that claim. With all the cameras that come standard on even the cheapest cell phones, surely there should be multiple photos proving this incident occurred, right? Well, there were none and this accusation should have been laughed right out of the administration’s office and off campus. But it wasn’t.

With an air of epidemic racism concocted on campus, a student by the name of Jonathan Butler, whose parents’ net income is around the $40 million-per-year range, then staged a hunger strike in protest of all this unproven racism. Backed by most of the Mizzou football team, a campus group which calls itself Concerned Student 1950 created a list of ridiculous demands including University President Tim Wolfe’s resignation. They then proceeded to take over the campus quad area and carve out a “safe space” reserved only for black students. Wolfe, presumably, was targeted because he hadn’t done anything about the perceived racism. But he shouldn’t have had to since there was no evidence of any.

At Claremont-McKenna College in Pomona, California, dean of students Mary Spellman resigned under pressure from a group of activists who had protested on issues of campus diversity. In one incident, Casey Garcelon had become so offended at a few students’ Halloween costumes and posted photos of them on a Facebook page. The photos showed some students wearing costumes deemed insensitive to the Mexican culture. It very well may be that only one person, Casey Garcelon, was offended, causing her to post the photos, resulting in others jumping onto a bandwagon of racial protests, which happens to be chic on college campuses as of late. However, being offensive is subjective. It’s possible that those donning the “offensive” costumes had no intention of being offensive at all. This is a lesson Garcelon should learn.

At Occidental College in Eagle Rock, California, students took over a part of a campus building and issued their own list of ridiculous demands such as President Jonathan Veitch’s immediate resignation and the removal of the Los Angeles Police Department from campus.

It begs the questions, why are students allowed to overrun the faculty and parts of campus? And since when do students get to make demands? Even more disgraceful is the fact that some professors joined forces with the students, as in the case at Mizzou. Many professors want desperately to be seen as relevant or liked that they are willing to compromise their careers by looking like foolish activists.

Students have a right to have their issues addressed and can present their cases to their respective administrations. The administrations can then 1) explain to the students what steps they will take to rectify the situation, or 2) agree to work together toward a solution, or 3.) explain to the students why their grievances make no sense and warn them that any civil disobedience by students will result in harsh penalties not favorable to them.

If students still decide to defy the administrations after such warnings, they can expect to be suspended or even expelled. Surely the organizers of the protests should be expelled. Students are at school to study, not to be offended. Certainly students can protest but there are limits and guidelines to follow.

The University of Missouri football players who took part in their protests should have had their privilege of playing on a football team revoked, as well as their scholarships.

Professors, on the other hand, who take part in protesting with unruly students, effectively shirking their own responsibilities to be in class teaching, should receive immediate discipline. They should be dismissed and it should be documented on their permanent records making it nearly impossible for them to ever teach again. The problem is that most liberal professors will probably hop on over to their next favorite liberal university where they will undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms.

University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe should have stood up to the protesters and refused to step down. Further, he should have admonished their unruly behavior. Dean Mary Spellman from Claremont-McKenna College had already apologized for the way she had communicated to a small group of students. She should have explained to the students that there is a right way and a wrong way to deal with diversity in the real world. She should not have stepped down. President Jonathan Veitch at Occidental College should have had the LAPD forcibly remove all the protestors who took part in the unlawful activity at that campus. He should have made an affirmation that he would not be intimidated and not comply to their asinine list of demands. He, too, should not have resigned.

Unfortunately, those administrators caved in to the demands of the students and allowed them to overrun their campuses and administrations. It was a show of extreme weakness on the part of those school officials. The students got their way and academia has suffered because of it. This is what has happened to many of America’s universities.

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Tom Folden is a conservative author, patriot and Editor-in-Chief of RightWingWriter.com, a website for conservative viewpoints. An original member of the Tea Party, he takes part in pro-America rallies when his time permits. He is also a singer/songwriter and recording artist. For interviews and/or appearances, please contact him at spencergroup@Hotmail.com.