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Stephen H. Provost is an author of paranormal adventures and historical non-fiction. “Memortality” is his debut novel on Pace Press, set for release Feb. 1, 2017.

An editor and columnist with more than 30 years of experience as a journalist, he has written on subjects as diverse as history, religion, politics and language and has served as an editor for fiction and non-fiction projects. His book “Fresno Growing Up,” a history of Fresno, California, during the postwar years, is available on Craven Street Books. His next non-fiction work, “Highway 99: The History of California’s Main Street,” is scheduled for release in June.

For the past two years, the editor has served as managing editor for an award-winning weekly, The Cambrian, and is also a columnist for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo.

He lives on the California coast with his wife, stepson and cats Tyrion Fluffybutt and Allie Twinkletail.

Josh Hawley, Chiefs fans prove it was never about the anthem

On Life

Ruminations and provocations.

Josh Hawley, Chiefs fans prove it was never about the anthem

Stephen H. Provost

That righteous indignation about Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem?

It was all B.S.

Critics said they were upset because they thought Kaepernick was “disrespecting the flag” or thumbing his nose at the military. But Kaepernick set the record straight on that four years ago:

“I have great respect for men and women that have fought for this country. I have family. I have friends that gone and fought for this country,” he said. “They fight for freedom. They fight for the people. They fight for liberty and justice for everyone. And that’s not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up as far as, you know, giving freedom and justice and liberty to everybody.”

In other words, Kaepernick was defending the very principles the flag is supposed to represent (in bold above, for anyone too clueless to recognize them).

Unity condemned

This was never about the military or the national anthem. It was about racism, pure and simple.

Thursday’s NFL opener proved that.

Before the game, a number of Kansas City Chiefs fans booed as Patrick Mahomes — the quarterback who’d just won them a Super Bowl — joined teammates and members of the opposing Houston Texans in a show of racial unity, linking arms at midfield.

Yes, they booed that.

It didn’t happen during the national anthem or the presentation of the colors. It had nothing to do with either of those things, so the people booing couldn’t hide behind self-righteous complaints about players disrespecting the flag or service members.

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Pardon the inconvenience

Apparently, these so-called fans felt “put out” at having to sit through such an “offensive” display at a sporting event. Not that anyone was holding a gun to their heads. If it bothered them that much, they could have gotten up to take a piss or headed to the concession stand for a brewskie. If they hadn’t been so lazy. Or so intent upon registering their disdain for... what?

For the idea that people of all races should get along? That police officers shouldn’t beat people up and kill them? Instead of booing, maybe they should have taken those few moments to think about how “put out” they’d feel if someone killed one of their loved ones by kneeling on their neck. Or busted into their home and shot up their family.

Maybe they were simply too self-centered and shortsighted to think about that. Or maybe they were booing because they’re a bunch of bigots who don’t like the idea of racial unity.

Would they have preferred to see players of different races hurling insults, or fists, at one another? Would they have cheered if David Duke had delivered an invocation or Kyle Rittenhouse had sung the national anthem?

True colors

One observer tweeted that booing a display of unity was the behavior of “pure classless trash.”

That prompted Republican U.S. Senator Josh Hawley to respond as if someone had just insulted his mother. Such criticism, he said, was just “the left showing their usual attempt for middle America.”

“Missouri,” he continued, “has the best fans in the country. Don’t blame them for being tired of NFL/corporate woke politics jammed down their throat.”

So, Senator Hawley, you believe that being part of “middle America” means booing displays of unity? That doing so makes you one of “the best fans in the country”?

Seriously?

Nothing’s being jammed down those fans’ throats, senator. But people are kneeling on people’s necks — and choking them to death, and shooting them without provocation.

If your feeble mind can’t tell the difference, I feel sorry for you. Then again, maybe it’s worse than that. Maybe you actually think a show of racial unity is more offensive than police brutality. That wouldn’t surprise me, considering you’re an acolyte of a president who’s made it his mission to eradicate unity and divide this country.

Thank you, senator, for showing your true colors, for laying bare the truth, and for helping to discredit the myth that any of this is about the flag or the anthem.

It’s about racism, pure and simple. It always was.

Featured photo: Josh Hawley looking clueless at a campaign event in 2018, by Natureofthought, CC BY-SA 4.0