The kneel-down protest by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his supporters during performances of The Star Spangled Banner has had an Edward Snowden-like effect: it has forced Americans to take sides on an issue that was heretofore invisible.  And it has produced a very interesting and unexpected twist: according to the current narrative, how we act during our national anthem is indicative of our level of support for United States military forces.

When did our armed forces hijack our national anthem, I ask?  The answer is, they didn’t.

U.S. military forces are once again pawns in our political games.  Soldiers, sailors, pilots and marines are America’s poster children: because they cannot be legitimately attacked, every political persuasion attempts to use them as the human shield for their cause.  If you believe X (where X is what my opponent believes), then you are against our servicemen and servicewomen, and shame on you for being anti-American, and who cares what you think anyway, you ingrate.  You should be thankful that our soldiers protect your sorry ass.

That’s the narrative, anyway.  For the record, I decided that I’m OK with Mr. Kaepernick.  Black lives matter.  Period.  There is still much fighting to do on that front, and Kaepernick has enlisted as one of the soldiers in that battle.  So I ask, please, support our troops.