Colin Kaepernick did not do anything to anyone.
He simply kneeled in quiet, respectful protest of the way Black people have been historically treated in this country by the formerly white majority, who still maneuver frantically to retain power.
He did not break any laws.
He did not make a scene at the local Wal Mart by trying to spread a deadly disease to other people because it is a violation of his "freedom" to act responsibly and wear a mask or get vaccinated.
He did not put others at risk when he kneeled during the national anthem. There was no physical danger to anyone posed by his decision not to stand.
He did not try to strike police officers with flag poles, fire extinguishers bear spray or anything else he could get his hands on. Nobody was at risk when he kneeled.
He did not threaten the life of any public official or anyone else when he stood for his own rights. No gallows were erected in the public square, ready in case he caught any public official who did not agree with him and did not act upon his first amendment protected right to protest peacefully.
And he was protesting peacefully.
He did not tell his followers that this was "trial by combat", urge them to "fight like hell", to vandalize, to threaten or to commit any act of violence in his name.
He did not break any windows or deface any public buildings.
He did not steal anything, let alone documents from the office of a member of congress.
He did not interrupt any act of any level of government at any time, nor did he try to improperly influence or intimidate any public official in either their official or unofficial capacity.
He did not try to steal an election based on a lie.
He did not destroy evidence. He did not hide evidence. He did not obstruct justice.
He did not defame anyone else.
He did not block any chain of commerce, thus causing or contributing to supply shortages and ultimately to inflation.
He did not ban any books from schools or libraries, and in fact, never said what could or could not be said in any classroom in this county.
He did not push to make it a crime to say anything he did not agree with.
He did not try to take away anyone's right to vote for the candidate of their choice, or make it so difficult to do so that it was nearly impossible. Nor did he fight for the right to overturn the results of any election he did not like.
He did not ridicule science or threaten scientists and/or their families, or use his position in any public forum to urge others to do so.
He did not threaten to jail or summarily execute anyone who disagreed with him.
He did not try to impose his religion on anyone.
He did not deny medical treatment to anyone or force them to travel hundreds of miles to get the treatment they needed because he did not believe in the treatment or procedure being sought.
The people who did all of the above and more are being exalted, praised and practically granted sainthood by certain politicians, public figures, so called journalists and media.
All because the vast majority of the people who did all of the above are, for the most part, white conservatives.
And Colin Kaepernick is Black.
Those folks who did all of the above were doing nothing but engaging in "legitimate political discourse", all as they violated constitutionally guaranteed rights to others, caused the spread of disease and misinformation, contributed to supply chain shortages and inflation, interfered with constitutionally mandated government functions, banned books, and much more.
They are heroes.
They are white.
They are going on with their every day lives, and will continue to do so until a sense of decency and morality returns to this country.
Colin Kaepernick is Black.
He was, in fact, participating in "legitimate political discourse".
He did not harm anyone, he did not interfere with anyone's rights or any governmental functions or duties. He did not tell anyone what they could or could not do, what they could or could not say, what they could or could not read, or what they could or could not believe.
He simply kneeled during the national anthem, thereby standing up for his rights.
And for that he was ostracized, vilified, threatened, libeled and banned from his chosen profession.
Colin Kaepernick is Black.
Those other miscreants are white.
They go on with their lives.
This is one of the ways racism in america looks like in the twenty-first century.
