National anthems are a way to embrace the pride of countries. And almost every country has them. They’re played at the Olympics, before various sporting events, and various other events where the public gather.
Only, in the United States, there are liberal groups that don’t want to play the national anthem.
Why is it that playing the national anthem is wrong? Is it somehow distasteful for you to show pride in a country that has given you freedom? And stimulus checks, and Medicare, and Welfare, and everything else that’s dished out?
Maybe it’s the words. Oh, wait…the words aren’t distasteful. They represent our Christian background as well as our history.
The only reason why the liberals don’t want to play the national anthem is to create division.
State Representative Tony Kurtz, a Republican out of Wisconsin, has decided to introduce a bill that would require the national anthem to be played before sporting events in any venue that receives public funds. And the Wisconsin State Assembly will be voting on it.
Kurtz said, “This country, for all the good we have had, for all the bad we have done – and we have – we are still one country.”
And this is an important message that every American needs to remember. We are one country. Two parties, multiple ideas, but one country – and the national anthem helps to unite us.
Kurtz, an Army veteran, has pride in his country. And playing the national anthem is a great way for all to express their pride.
If venues are going to accept public funding, it would make sense that they have to maintain that same sense of pride.
Is this “forced patriotism,” though? This is the question that he was asked by Capital City Sunday. There’s no simple response – and Kurtz explains that he’s passionate about the bill.
What does it mean to be forced to be a patriot? Being an American provides a number of benefits – and listening to the anthem is simply one of the ways to honor those benefits.
Kurtz goes on to list various holidays and how none of those are considered “forced patriotism” – Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day…
Sports teams and venues don’t want to play the national anthem anymore because they don’t want controversy. Imagine that – controversy over a song that is meant to unite the country.
No one is asking people to run around with American flags in their hands or even recite the anthem. It’s just going to be played. Listen to it, sing along, or do whatever – but it should play from the loudspeakers as a sign of respect – respect to the men and women who have died protecting the country and ensuring that the freedoms we have come to love and demand are protected.
Kurtz has made it clear that the bill is not to punish professional athletes who want to use the anthem as a way to protest – something that was started by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick back in 2016. Instead, it’s a tool to help people to remember the country and remember that we are all a part of it.
It’s not a punishment. People can kneel if they want to, but the anthem should still play. Kurtz says that he disagrees with it being called a punishment because he and thousands of others “have served so that he could kneel.”
The proposal has gained bipartisan support. However, a group that represents parks and recreation areas across the state questions if it is an “unmanageable mandate.”
This is where there needs to be a definition for “sporting event.” Will it be every Little League game? A group of people who want to get together for a softball game? Obviously, there has to be some adjustments to the verbiage before it can ever pass.
Additionally, there’s no penalty for violating the anthem requirement. If the bill passes, it will still need Governor Tony Evers’ signature. With that signature, it could signal other states to pass similar bills – and that may help to create the unity that Biden is failing to provide.