NowThis has put together a compilation video of statements by three public figures that set out to educate Trump and his seemingly confused base on what patriotism truly is.
Texas sportscaster Dale Hansen, CNN News Anchor Don Lemon and FOX News Anchor Shepard Smith all respond to Trump’s one-sided and skewed response to the #TakeKnee protest that began when football player Colin Kaepernick got down on one knee instead of standing for the national anthem—in peaceful protest of racial injustice. Below is the video:
Below are transcriptions of all three statements contained in the video.
Sportscaster Dale Hansen begins talking about the flagrant disrespect of the American flag that we see every day.
Dale Hansen:
We have white men in America who wave the Nazi flag and the Confederate flag, and ‘he’s’ concerned about taking a knee because it disrespects this flag. We use that flag to sell mattresses and beer. We wear it as a swimsuit. We wrap our bald heads in a flag bandana and stick it in our pants, because we disrespect that flag every day.
Maybe we all need to read the Constitution again. There has never been a better use of pen to paper. Our forefathers made freedom of speech the First Amendment. They listed ten, and not one of them says you have to stand during the anthem. And I think those men respected the country they fought for and founded a great deal more than the self-proclaimed patriots who are simply hypocrites, because they wanna deny a basic freedom of this great country — a country they supposedly value and cherish so much.
Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith says Trump is using the Take Knee protest to play his base — the ‘red meat of all red meat.’
Shep Smith:
has “It’s very clear that for his base, this is the red meat of all red meat, because they’re able to reframe this. They’re able to say, ‘Oh, they’re attacking the national anthem, they’re attacking the troops, they’re attacking the flag — none of which they’re doing. They’re not doing any of that. They’re upset about racial injustice in the country and they’re upset the things the president has said, and yet he’s able to turn it around for his base. And isn’t this all a play to his base? And could it be possibly that they don’t notice there is not healthcare and North Korea is the biggest mess since the Cold War.”
CNN News Anchor Don Lemon asks the question — what is patriotism?
Don Lemon:
“Let’s talk about patriotism. What is it? Is it draping oneself in the flag? Is it the spectacle and pageantry of a ball game — standing up for the National Anthem? Or is it standing up for the founding principles of this country, standing up for the very first Amendment of the Constitution, the very first one — which is freedom of expression, standing up for our sisters and brothers who may not look like us or share our religions beliefs, or of a different political persuasion. Or is it prioritizing racism even when it may not directly affect you?”
The video then takes us back to Dale Hansen who finishes the point on real patriotism:
Dale Hanson:
“It has not gone unnoticed Trump has spoken out against Mexicans who want to come to America for a better life, against the Muslims, and not against the black athletes. But he says nothing for days about the white men who marched under a Nazi flag in Charlottesville except to remind us there were good people there. And when he finally tried to say the right thing, not one of them was called an SOB or should be fired.
My best friend in high school was killed in Vietnam and Carroll Meyers will be 18 years forever and he didn’t die so that you could decide who is a patriot, and who loves America more.”
Gratitude to Hansen, Shepard, Lemon and all the sportscasters, anchors, pundits and any public figure who has the courage to stand up to a farce of a supposed leader of the free world.