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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Monday Night Open Thread: Congrats to Colin Kaepernick

Monday Night Open Thread: Congrats to Colin Kaepernick

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From GQ:

Since being named GQ‘s Citizen of the Year, Colin Kaepernick has received Sports Illustrated‘s Muhammed Ali Legacy Award and the Eason More Courageous Advocate Award from the ACLU. Now, Amnesty International has awarded Kaepernick with highest distinction the organization has, the Ambassador of Conscience Award…

Kaepernick accepted the award—which has gone previously to Belafonte, artist and activist Ai Weiwei, Malala Yousafzai, and Nelson Mandela—on Saturday, where he delivered remarks condemning the brutality committed against minorities by the U.S. criminal justice system…

Meanwhile, Kaepernick has completed his promised $1 million in donations despite being blackballed by the NFL.

Reader Interactions

133Comments

  2. 2.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Roughly half of American whites flip their shit if you tell them that black lives matter. The idea that black lives might matter makes them angry. That is not low level racism. That is major hate.

  3. 3.

    Mike in NC

    Good news.

    I just started reading “Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump” where it is revealed that in 2013, Trump accepted a lacquer box from Vladimir Putin, which contained a sealed envelope. No doubt it read, “I have big plans for you, Donald Frederickovich!”

  4. 4.

    Fair Economist

    @Frankensteinbeck: Right! All BLM is asking is that black people not be mowed down in the street just for being black – not equal treatment, not full rights, just not being shot. Even many antebellum slaveowners could support *that*. But for most Republicans, it’s a bridge too far.

  6. 6.

    ruemara

    Bravo to Kaep and I hope this doesn’t encourage him to keep spouting foolishness about not voting. Yeah, praise him all you want, but fuck him for that.

  7. 7.

    Viva BrisVegas

    This year is 50 years since the black glove salutes of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympic Games.

    Both were abused and their families received death threats for years afterwards.

    Plus ça Change, Plus C’est La Même Chose.

  8. 8.

    cain

    Hey y’all it seems that the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that a 6 time GOP Rep cannot be on the ballot because he didn’t have the prerequisite signatures. The guy went in and got out of stater people to sign and it all got thrown out. So now, that seat is open and will probably flip. Check it out here.

    Also, can we agree that ads that show up on this site not have audio turned on? I almost feel like I need to start every browser tab I have with mute on. It’s really rude to do that. I could be listening to music or doing some other thing and it’s just nonsense that I have to mess with all this. I don’t mind the ads, but I do mind when they become intrusive and does not allow me to enjoy the site.

  9. 9.

    Yutsano

    Really happy for Kaep. CAN SOMEONE GET THIS MAN A DAMN JOB NOW???
    (I’ll even take him as a Seahack. Someone gotta have Russell’s back!)

    @ruemara: Yeah we gonna have to talk to him about that. Not voting in this environment is giving up your voice when all voices against Dolt45 and injustice need to be heard.

  10. 10.

    Gvg

    @cain: I don’t like audio, but especially at work. My solution has been to plug in a extra pair of ear buds. Then everything sounds go to them and if I don’t put them on I am not bothered, nor do I have to worry about something inappropriate at work. When I actually do want to hear, I put them on, on purpose. Quicker than fiddling with sound adjustments for me.

  12. 12.

    Schlemazel

    I can’t help but think of Curt Flood who gave away his career to do the right thing. Everyone who came after him benefitted from his sacrifice but I doubt any of them gave him a dime and damn few remember his sacrifice. I hope Mr. Kaepernick saved some of his money. I am not sure he knew what the results would be when he started but he is not backing down and that is real courage.

  13. 13.

    kindness

    Good for Kap. I didn’t realize the ownership groups in the NFL were such good ole boys. Colin deserves to be on a roster somewhere. I’m glad it isn’t the Niners any longer.

  14. 14.

    Ben Cisco

    Congratulations Kaep. And good on the organizations that have chosen to recognize him for his efforts.

    @ruemara: Agree with your take about his (non) voting stance; one would hope the events of the last 15 months made an impression on him.

  17. 17.

    Schlemazel

    Don’t know if Steeplejack is out there but I just finished watching “Tampopo”. What an odd little film. I have a ting for ramen so the root story was interesting but all the odd vignettes stuck into the film and the weird direction the whole thing took was . . . odd, I don’t any other way to explain it. Enjoyable but I would not recommend it without warning people. Whatever you are expecting, this is not it.

  19. 19.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @ruemara:

    Congratulations to Colin Kaepernick, but I agree. On the subject of voting, I want to people to listen to the Parkland kids, not Kaep.

    In unrelated news, a little surprised nobody has mentioned this, but George H. W. Bush is in intensive care at a Houston hospital with a blood infection.

  22. 22.

    hervevillechaizelounge

    Colin Kaepernick is a member of the Hillary for prison club.

    Colin Kaepernick didn’t bother to vote.

    I like that he riles the RWNJs and rubes but he’s not an ally.

  23. 23.

    Mandalay

    @ruemara:

    I hope this doesn’t encourage him to keep spouting foolishness about not voting. Yeah, praise him all you want, but fuck him for that.

    Heh, such a BJ position. GTFO yourself:

    Asked Tuesday why he opted not to cast a vote for measures beyond the choice of a president, Kaepernick offered a familiar response in taking aim at the system and stating his belief that voting isn’t the only way to make a difference.

    “I thought a lot of different things about the process and what I could and couldn’t do,” Kaepernick said. “Once again, the system of oppression is what I have an issue with.”

    “There’s more than one way to create change.”

    Along with phone cameras, BLM and Kaepernick’s protest have done far more to highlight injustice towards people of color than anything politicians have delivered for years, and it’s hardly surprising that Kaepernick sees working outside of the system as a viable way forward.

    And the Republicans being a party of vile racists doesn’t automatically make the Democratic Party the solution. The Democratic Party needs to wake the fuck up. Blue collar whites have already deserted them, and if they are not careful they will start losing the black vote as well.

  24. 24.

    TenguPhule

    @Mandalay:

    and stating his belief that voting isn’t the only way to make a difference.

    So he endorses a Civil War? Because those are your only two choices.

    Ballots or Bullets.

  25. 25.

    cain

    @Gvg:

    @cain: I don’t like audio, but especially at work. My solution has been to plug in a extra pair of ear buds. Then everything sounds go to them and if I don’t put them on I am not bothered, nor do I have to worry about something inappropriate at work. When I actually do want to hear, I put them on, on purpose. Quicker than fiddling with sound adjustments for me.

    My suggestion is to get firefox tabs extensions, it’ll let you mute tabs. No need for all that extra cabling. You can find out here

  27. 27.

    TenguPhule

    @Mandalay:

    And the Republicans being a party of vile racists doesn’t automatically make the Democratic Party the solution.

    Actually yes, yes it does.

  31. 31.

    Josie

    @Mandalay:

    if they are not careful they will start losing the black vote as well.

    You show a lot of hutzpah, speaking for blue collar workers and black voters, when I would be willing to bet you are neither.

  37. 37.

    TenguPhule

    @Schlemazel:

    What an odd little film. I have a ting for ramen so the root story was interesting but all the odd vignettes stuck into the film and the weird direction the whole thing took was . . . odd,

    Its Japan. Just smile and nod.

  38. 38.

    Steeplejack

    @Schlemazel:

    LOL, glad you sort of (?) liked it. It is an odd little movie, but that is its charm. Hard to explain in a one-line thumbnail, so I apologize if I misled you somehow.

    What would you “warn” people about?

  39. 39.

    Mandalay

    This reminds me of the good old days when BLM was emerging, and folks here cheered them on. And then they gave Bernie a hard time and the crowd here erupted with tears of joy. And then they went after Clinton, and oh my how the tone here changed.

    BLM are not playing by the rules set up by those in charge. Kaepernick is not playing by the rules set up by those in charge. They have seen how things work out when you play by the rules set up by those in charge for centuries.

    And now some here are clutching their pearls now because Kaepernick won’t urge everyone to play by your rules. Good luck with that, but I suspect that Kaepernick doesn’t give a fuck.

  40. 40.

    Mary G

    Somebody’s in for a YUGE tax audit this year:

    SECRET RECORDING from @NFL owners meeting: "Many of us have no interest in supporting President TRUMP,” @Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said, describing Trump's presidency as "*&%$# disastrous,” then adding: “Don’t quote me.” https://t.co/bWDJGnG0aH— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 23, 2018

    Too bad they have ganged up to shun Kaep. I’m sure it’s costing them money, not to mention an excellent quarterback.

  41. 41.

    TenguPhule

    @Mandalay:

    BLM are not playing by the rules set up by those in charge. Kaepernick is not playing by the rules set up by those in charge.

    And how is this working out in terms of legislation and government?

  44. 44.

    Bobby Thomson

    @Yutsano: typical Politico nonsense. Missouri GOP are fighting amongst themselves but the AG is on the right side. If anything, it will help him.

  46. 46.

    efgoldman

    @Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):

    Congrats to Colin and Amnesty!

    I expect the congratulations press release from the NFL office. any minute now…..
    Any minute….
    Bueller? Bueller?

    @TenguPhule:

    And how is this working out in terms of legislation and government?

    No sentient being expects/expect action from the RWNJs. So, what, they’re protesting ronng?

  47. 47.

    Mandalay

    @TenguPhule:

    Because those are your only two choices. Ballots or Bullets.

    The kids from Parkland aren’t playing by the rules. Setting up sanctuary cities isn’t playing by the rules. BLM isn’t playing by the rules. Gays didn’t wait for politicians to get their act together. Kaepernick isn’t playing by the rules. No “bullets” are involved.

    “Ballots or Bullets” is just pablum. There are plenty of other paths to social change that don’t involve people tut-tutting and wagging their fingers, and telling people they have to vote. It’s just so ingrained that you are incapable of seeing things any other way.

  48. 48.

    TenguPhule

    @Mandalay:

    The kids from Parkland aren’t playing by the rules.

    Which is why they’re registering voters and encouraging voting?

    Because they’re not yet old enough to vote themselves.

  49. 49.

    efgoldman

    @cain:

    I don’t mind the ads, but I do mind when they become intrusive and does not allow me to enjoy the site.

    Adblock is your friend.

  50. 50.

    TenguPhule

    @Mandalay:

    BLM isn’t playing by the rules. Gays didn’t wait for politicians to get their act together. Kaepernick isn’t playing by the rules.

    Of those three, gays are confirmed to have voted.

  51. 51.

    No Drought No More

    Politico: “Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill is up for reelection. And like clockwork, the Republican Party of Missouri is in complete turmoil again….McCaskill won a second term term in 2012 when GOP Rep. Todd Akin’s campaign imploded in the wake of his comments about “legitimate rape.” Now, Republicans worry GOP Gov. Eric Greitens’ mounting scandals will inundate McCaskill’s likely Republican opponent, state Attorney General Josh Hawley, and bestow another term on one of the most endangered incumbent senators in the country”.

    That’s what people use to say about about Barbara Boxer in California, too. That she was lucky in the caliber of her republican opponents. That is, until it slowly dawned on everyone that California’s republican party had lost its political mojo, and with it, entire generations of its rank and file. I know Missouri isn’t California, but they are Americans, and the GOP won’t be able to continue to fool them all the time. Hell, and as was borne out in 2016, they already despise conventional republican presidential candidates, which is why republicans nominated Trump in true first place (and yes, that does make sense if you give it a chance). And as the scales continue to drop from their eyes, as happened with republican voters in California, the tide will turn. Believe me, it’s not as if democrats in the Golden State are are any more clever than other democrats nationally. Quite simply, its voters finally had their fill of what the republican party has become, and acted accordingly.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    In case there is a stupid person reading the blog right now, no one is saying that voting is sole path to positive change.

  53. 53.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mary G: I was just coming here to post this:

  55. 55.

    TenguPhule

    @No Drought No More:

    Quite simply, its voters finally had their fill of what the republican party has become, and acted accordingly.

    That still doesn’t explain what’s the matter with Kansas.

  56. 56.

    efgoldman

    @Mandalay:

    if they are not careful they will start losing the black vote as well.

    Yassuh, Marse Mandalay. Whatever you says, suh.
    Your head is occasionally up your ass. This is one of those times.

  57. 57.

    CarolDuhart2

    @TenguPhule: Mandalay and Kapernaeck refuse to see the obvious: change happens oftentimes when we change the asses in the seats. That’s what voting does. A favorite example is Virginia, where they are about to expand Medicaid. Because Virginians voted in a lot of Democrats, even some Republicans feel free to expand Medicaid. Talk about real benefits of voting. Someone will be able to get treatment on a regular basis because of that vote.

    Legal weed, end of low-level arrests for it, pardons for federal lowlevel drug people…none of these would have been possible by simply “changing the atmosphere” and hoping officials would someday listen.

    My vote for Obama ended a lot of health care gaps for me by providing services with no copay and lowered premiums overall. Obama’s housing program saved my house during a very difficult year. Would McCain/Palin have even tried to bandage the financial suffering of so many? They would have just blamed them for their plight, the same way they do now.

  60. 60.

    Barbara

    @Mandalay: People who are satisfied with using symbolic gestures should expect to be satisfied with nothing other than moral victories. I hope Kaepernick gets the chance to play again but I also think he put himself in a position where he doesn’t know how to back down without losing his moral victory.

  61. 61.

    Roger Moore

    @Bobby Thomson:

    Missouri GOP are fighting amongst themselves but the AG is on the right side. If anything, it will help him.

    I wouldn’t count on it helping him. He may be on the morally right side, but that doesn’t cut it with a large swath of the contemporary Republican party.

  63. 63.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    I meant, other than me.

    Are you in the sea monster faction or the robots who happen to be dogs faction?

  65. 65.

    kindness

    I wonder what Kap’s tell is. Other defenses all seemed to know. I’ve been a Niners fan since I moved out here and I like Kaepernick, but he has a tell I can’t see. That last year defenses knew exactly where to go when he passed. Made his value as a QB less valuable you see.

  68. 68.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    Newsweek reports that Michael Avenatti released a dropbox file of material about Hannity. It’s transcripts and tweets with highlights marked but it invites the reader to draw their own conclusions. Avenatti and Daniels are awesome. What they do looks really simple. Anyone could have collected the docs Avenatti just released. But apparently most people would rather consult a source or ask Gingrich what he thinks or something

  70. 70.

    Schlemazel

    @Steeplejack:
    Oh I enjoyed it but I am not sure anyone else would! I was telling folks about it at work today but I warned them that it is not a normal comedy. Wes Anderson makes weird comedies that not everyone likes (heck some of them I don’t like) but even the ones I don’t like are interesting. Its not anything like a bad movie but I could see people not liking it.

    I am glad you told us about it.

  72. 72.

    MoCA Ace

    @Fair Economist:

    All BLM is asking is that black people not be mowed down in the street just for being black – not equal treatment, not full rights, just not being shot. Even many antebellum slaveowners could support *that*. But for most Republicans, it’s a bridge too far.

    Most Republicans: Give them an inch and they will take a mile!

    Edit – and congratulations to Kapernick… well deserved

  73. 73.

    Roger Moore

    @TenguPhule:
    Basically, the Republicans’ message of hating Those People stopped working so well in California because too many of the voters were Those People. As long as the population of Kansas is close to 80% non-Hispanic white, they are unlikely to wise up the same way California did.

  74. 74.

    CarolDuhart2

    Asking people to settle for symbolic victories, to me, is a sign of privilege, white or otherwise. Losing has real consequences for people who have little to lose.

  75. 75.

    J R in WV

    @kindness:

    …wonder what Kap’s tell is. Other defenses all seemed to know….

    Then, if all the defenses know, any team that picks up Kaep will know that tell, and be able to coach him out of it. All defenses, right?

  77. 77.

    Baud

    BTW, congrats to those of you who said Rand Paul would cave. Which was probably all of you.

  78. 78.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: Our very own OzarkHillbilly said this morning that, that the infrastructure part of that plan would face strong resistance from the building trades because it would put pressure on their wages(which are over $15/hr).

  81. 81.

    oaguabonita

    Blacklisting Kaepernick is one among many good reasons to have nothing whatsoever to do with anything providing aid and comfort (especially revenue) to the NFL.

  83. 83.

    Chyron HR

    @Mandalay:

    if they are not careful they will start losing the black vote as well.

    Has Bernie finally trained himself to go a whole day without literally saying that white lives are what REALLY matter?

  84. 84.

    TenguPhule

    Senator Chris Coons of Delaware became the lone Democrat to break ranks after a procedural mix-up left the vote in limbo. Coons had recorded a no vote, but switched to help advance Pompeo’s nomination after Republican Senator Johnny Isakson was unexpectedly absent.

    And Fuck Chris Coons for letting Pompeo advance. That cowardly shit.

  86. 86.

    Mary G

    Senator Chris Coons of Delaware changed his vote on the Pompeo nomination to “present” because a Republican senator was at a funeral. That way Pompeo got out of committee. Coons says they would just have reconvened around midnight and the result was the same, so he did this out of courtesy. When the fuck have Republicans ever worried about or practiced the slightest bit of courtesy? I say make them work for every bit of territory.

    ETA: had his state wrong and changed it.

    ETA 2: TenguPhule and Baud got in ahead of me.

  90. 90.

    Mary G

    @Baud: Jesus, they get how many weeks of vacation a year? It’s a long shot, but Isakson is 73. If he dropped dead or was in a car crash on the way back, Coons’ vote counts. I think coming back for another vote is the least he could do.

    I know Democrats are the nice party, but sometimes it’s just too nice. When your opponents are playing hardball and you’re playing T-ball, the score’s gonna be lopsided.

  93. 93.

    Baud

    @Mary G:

    If he dropped dead or was in a car crash on the way back, Coons’ vote counts. 

    I like your optimism. I concede.

  96. 96.

    efgoldman

    @TenguPhule:

    Fuck Manchin.

    So Dems should just concede the seat, maybe for decades to a murdering RWNJ mining executive?. You’re OK with that, from your Island paradise? I don’t know state politics in WV all that well, but clearly you know nothing.

  103. 103.

    TenguPhule

    @efgoldman:

    So Dems should just concede the seat, maybe for decades to a murdering RWNJ mining executive?.

    Just because we have to accept him in the big tent doesn’t mean I have to like it.

    ETA: And his candidacy was not going to be endangered by voting against a nominee with stolen valor.

  106. 106.

    efgoldman

    @TenguPhule:

    we have to accept him in the big tent doesn’t mean I have to like it.

    Given political realities in his state, there’s really no reason to slag him. Not that it matters what any of us thinks.

  110. 110.

    Immanentize

    @efgoldman: Struggling a bit, but working really hard in school. We are heading to Detroit for the robot World Championships which, unlike baseball actually includes teams from around the world. He is exhausted a lot. Too much school work? Depression? Being a now-17 yr old boy? Who can say.

  112. 112.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mandalay:

    This reminds me of the good old days when BLM was emerging, and folks here cheered them on. And then they gave Bernie a hard time and the crowd here erupted with tears of joy. And then they went after Clinton, and oh my how the tone here changed.

    Yes, it’s almost like something happened between now and then, perhaps around November of 2016. I wonder what it could have been. ?

  115. 115.

    efgoldman

    @Immanentize:

    Being a now-17 yr old boy? Who can say.

    Not untypical. Apparently neither you nor he let things slide, which you could have.

  116. 116.

    TenguPhule

    @Immanentize: She is popular on the neighbor Islands, alas. Not so much on Oahu. I think she’s getting Russian money because her Syria stance is just bizarre otherwise.

  117. 117.

    Immanentize

    @Mnemosyne: I really don’t remember BLM going after Clinton or the mood here changing among the commentariat? But, that was like a million years ago….

  122. 122.

    Elizabelle

    Drinking on the job. I don’t see Trump approving of that. Isn’t he a teetotaller; abhorred older brother’s alcoholism?

    ETA: I mean, like Trump gives a goddamn about the VA other than possibly privatizing it.

  125. 125.

    Mnemosyne

    @Immanentize:

    They really didn’t. One of her rallies was interrupted so she had a private meeting with the local BLM chapter. Apparently both sides found it a little frustrating because she expected them to have a list of goals and they expected her to Fix Everything.

  128. 128.

    ruemara

    @Immanentize: very, very wrong. And, no she didn’t have an in-depth plan at the meeting. But afterwards, she put one together.

    Meanwhile, Wilmer got mad because he said black lives matter, already, what else do you want?!

  129. 129.

    J R in WV

    @oaguabonita:

    …to have nothing whatsoever to do with anything providing aid and comfort (especially revenue) to the NFL.

    I once needed a tee-shirt badly, was near a Walmart (I know, it was a special emergency) and bought a Green Bay tee because the NFL tees were the best built shirts they had, and Green Bay is owned by a community rather than by a rich fuck. So that’s the only income the NFL ever got from me – their share of a $15 teeshirt.

  130. 130.

    B.B.A.

    @kindness: Maybe he was intentionally undermined by “teammates” who disagree with his political stances. Irresponsible not to speculate.

  131. 131.

    J R in WV

    I agree with regarding the NFL as a profit-center to be despicable, not only for the way they’ve treated Kaep, but for their denial of CTE from game concussions. I’ve had some concussions in my life, and they really do affect you a lot, and I’ve begun to believe it comes back around much later on.

    Sometimes I have trouble typing, and I’m a retired coder, I made a living by typing fast. I wonder if I will be able to play the piano at 92 as my grandma could. Hell, if I’ll know what a piano is!

  132. 132.

    No Drought No More

    Back when I used to care about the NFL, I thought the 49ers had discovered their next franchise QB during a MNF game in which Kaep started the second half and shredded the Bears for his first career win. That didn’t pan out, of course, although he did take them to a Super Bowl the next year, one the Niners very nearly won. And yet he exceeded my expectations in a way no other professional athlete ever has, or likely ever will again. I’m pleased, too, he stirred the pot wearing a uniform that celebrated San Francisco, and not Santa Clara. That would have been a shame..

  133. 133.

    Dan B

    Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says there’s probably a place for Kapernick on the team. It’s likely a trial balloon to see if the growls from the alt right drown out the ‘socialist’ Seattle fans.

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