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As an Oakland Raiders fan, I have really enjoyed the start of the Jack Del Rio/Derek Carr era. The head coach and quarterback are upstanding fellows, Christians, and all around good guys. Both are firm leaders, with impeccable work ethics.
Aside from a questionable defense, among the notches that needed to be filled was a star running back. In 2016, Latavius Murray did a great job, and going into the final game of the season, the Raiders were 12 and 3. Not bad for a team that had been dusting the cellar for a dozen years, and was operating with a third-year quarterback. Unfortunately, Carr went down with a broken leg, and the loss of his skills and leadership was devastating.
Murray is gone and Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch said he wanted to be a member of the Raiders after a year of retirement, and as a move from Oakland to Las Vegas looms on the horizon for the Silver and Black.
One thing is for sure. If it is down to the final play with the ball very close to the end zone, the Raiders won't be hesitating to give the ball to the Beast Mode.
Excitement has been echoing down the halls of the Raider Nation. Lynch is just what the doctor ordered.
Lynch did not play the other day, but he was at the game, and during the National Anthem of the first pre-season game, at Phoenix, Lynch sat during the National Anthem.
Freedom of Speech is a funny thing. It's great when people agree with you, but not so much when they don't. The whole Colin Kaepernick thing has had me fuming, but as much as I hate it when people don't appreciate this country enough for the liberties it has given them to give it some respect, I also understand that it is their freedom to believe and say what they want regarding the American System. The willingness to allow a difference of opinion, and to debate those issues without having to worry about some kind of authoritarian gestapo showing up, is a part of what makes America great.
I wondered, knowing that kind of patriotic guy Jack Del Rio is, how he would react. His reaction was perfect.
Jack Del Rio said, regarding his conversation with Lynch afterwards, "He said, 'This is something I've done for 11 years - it's not a form of anything other than me being myself.' I said, 'So you understand how I feel, I very strongly believe in standing for the national anthem, but I'm gonna respect you as a man. You do your thing, OK, and we'll do ours.' "
Del Rio let the player know how he felt about it, but gave Lynch respect for his decision. It's not something Del Rio agrees with, but he's going to respect his player's decision. That's all a player can ask from his coach.
And, while Lynch has spoken out in support of Colin Kaepernick, it's not like Lynch just jumped on this anti-patriotism band wagon of Colin's. He has his own reasons, and if anything, Lynch has been consistent about it his entire career.
I get it. The history of blacks in America is one not necessarily of voluntary arrival. They came in chains on slave ships. The dark part of America's era of slavery existed, and blacks are the descendants of those slaves. But, America corrected its error. America was willing to fight a war, and slaughter nearly 700,000 people, to correct that error.
When my children made mistakes, I didn't stop loving them because they made those mistakes. I simply appreciated the fact that they learned from their mistakes, and repented.
God does the same for us, as well. He forgives us, loves us, and all he asks is that we repent.
I am not trying to compare slavery to raising children, or the Christian Faith. They are all very different things. But I am trying to compare the love of my children and God's love to us to patriotism. While America had to battle with slavery, something the British encouraged and most of the Founding Fathers hated England for, largely because of our desire for freedom, and largely because of our belief that "all men are created equal," the United States confronted that evil, and corrected the error.
Now, the claim is that blacks are still downtrodden, and that the white police out there are targeting blacks (the motivation for Colin Kaepernick's actions against the National Anthem).
Left out of the conversation are a great number of things, such as black on black killings, or the fact that the 44th President of the United States was black, yet these conflicts arose under his watch. The way to heal is not division, or refusal to recognize the greatness of this country. The way to heal is to unite, reach out, and work it out together.
Unfortunately, Kaepernick and Lynch have fallen for an old tactic by statists. Divide and conquer. Class warfare. Identity politics.
But, Del Rio is right. I believe what I believe, and it is your decision to join with me, or stand apart. It is a free country, after all. Just. . . be aware of the real message being sent out. One of division.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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