Since our first amendment rights are a hot topic right now, I thought that I would weigh in on our freedoms as American citizens. For those who do not know, I am a retired army brat. My first 16 years of life were spent making lots of new friends, having the privilege of moving to all kinds of cool places, and getting to experience the awesome army vehicles and artillery that some people will never be able to see. Along with those privileges came a few downfalls. One of the most obvious ones is that my dad had to be deployed a lot. He actually added it up recently and over the course of his military career, he was separated from my mom and his children for over 11 years. Even though to me it didn't seem like it is possible that he was gone that much, to him, he feels as if he missed out on the most important parts of all four of his kids lives. He also saw and experienced more horrific things than anyone should have to in a lifetime, all to maintain the rights of Americans he will never meet.

As far as Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe, they absolutely have the right to not stand during The Pledge of Allegiance or The National Anthem. However, I think before they exercise that right, they need to understand the privilege. You see, when I was in fourth grade, two soldiers that my dad worked with daily in Iraq were flown to hospitals at home for emergency surgery. The story to the public was that the helicopter they were in experienced a "rough landing". I still have never heard the full story. Both of the soldiers survived but with extensive injuries. One of the men lost one of his legs.

Every time I see someone sitting during The National Anthem or The Pledge of Allegiance, all I can think of is how that man would love to stand on his own two feet to pay his respects to the country he nearly died protecting. I think about how disrespectful it is that people talk during the time we are supposed to be thinking about how lucky we are to be living in the best damn country on Earth, whether it is because we were born here or because we immigrated here. I also think about how unfortunate it is how many people don't realize just how fortunate they are because they didn't get the experience I did. I saw first hand how dedicated the men and women of law enforcement and the military are to people they don't know but a flag and a country they love so deeply.

While we don't live in a country that will arrest you or stone you for disrespecting what we stand for. Don't be shocked when people disassociate themselves from you for saying things like "this country sucks" or "we are treated terribly" because you're not. People are under a grieve misunderstanding that the media is feeding them the truth. The media simply wants a reaction out of people. The people behind those "facts" and "information about todays news" are experts at skewing your view to think one way or another. The goal there is fame and publicity.

Our nation isn't perfect, but we're getting better every day. Think about the people you are disrespecting before you decide to sit your butt down during such an important time of your football game/day/concert. You aren't hurting the media. You are hurting the people who dedicate their lives to your freedoms and safety. You are hurting their wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters, moms, dads, and friends. If we can't stand together, we will crumble quick.