text: U bum @ StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up! ||||| Tweet with a location 
   
   You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Healthy democracies have ample room for politics but leave a larger space for civil society and culture that unites more than divides. With the politicization of the National Football League and the national anthem, the Divided States of America are exhibiting a very unhealthy level of polarization and mistrust. 
   
   The progressive forces of identity politics started this poisoning of America’s favorite spectator sport last year by making a hero of Colin Kaepernick for refusing to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” before games.... ||||| IN 1943, with the nation mobilized for war against fascism, schoolchildren in West Virginia were required each morning to salute the American flag. The purpose, seemingly unexceptionable — and in fact not objected to by many — was "teaching, fostering and perpetuating the ideals, principles and spirit of Americanism." 
   
   However, to Jehovah's Witnesses the flag was an "image," which, under their religious beliefs, their children were forbidden to salute. Students refused to do so and were expelled from school; parents were prosecuted; eventually, the case reached the Supreme Court. 
   
   There, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, Justice Robert Jackson wrote for a 6-to-3 majority that the state could not compel children to salute the flag. Reversing a court decision from just three years earlier, Jackson wrote, in the midst of war, what remains one of the enduring statements of confidence in what truly makes America great. "To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous, instead of a compulsory routine," he wrote, "is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds." 
   
   What brings this to mind, of course, is President Trump's latest bilious eruption. The first inclination, when he starts calling people "sons of b-----s" and waxing nostalgic for days when more concussions were inflicted for the entertainment of football fans, is to look away. It's embarrassing, after all, to have to explain to the children that we have a president who speaks so rudely. It's playing into the diversion he may seek when he finds himself flummoxed by Kim Jong Un or Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). And shouldn't we be worrying about more important things — health care, tax reform, the inundation of Puerto Rico, the dangers of nuclear war? 
   
   But then, when Mr. Trump tweets that players should "stop disrespecting our Flag & Country," it becomes clear: In some ways, there is nothing more important than his misguided understanding of how to truly respect the flag. Some NFL players have been participating in a fraught, challenging debate about race, policing and criminal justice, and Mr. Trump is offended by this. His response: fire the players who don't share his views. Demand conformity and uniformity. 
   
   He's not alone, of course. If he were, Colin Kaepernick would probably have a job by now. But the response to Mr. Trump's ugly tweets and threats, from players and team owners, reflects an encouraging consensus that the real way to respect the American flag is to respect the diversity of opinion it protects. As games began on Sunday, players, coaches and owners kneeled, linked arms and made statements in others ways. "Our players have exercised their rights as United States citizens in order to spark conversation and action to address social injustice," San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York said Saturday. "We will continue to support them in their peaceful pursuit of positive change in our country and around the world." 
   
   What's offensive here is not what Mr. Trump thinks about Mr. Kaepernick. At this point, honestly, who cares? But when the president uses his bully pulpit to declare some speech legitimate and some beyond the pale; when his response to protest is to question patriotism rather than engage on the issue of unequal policing — then it is Mr. Trump who "disrespects our Flag & our Country." 
   
   As Justice Jackson wrote three-quarters of a century ago, "If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." ||||| The biggest message to come out of President Trump’s Friday rally in Alabama had nothing to do with its intended purpose of helping out Sen. Luther Strange. 
   
   The president urging NFL owners to “get that son of a bitch off the field right now” if any of their players take a knee during the national anthem immediately inflamed one of the biggest battles in America’s culture war. 
   
   Ever since then-San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee when the anthem played last season, Americans have argued fiercely on the merits of this particular brand of protest. 
   
   Conservatives have seen it as outrageous disrespect for the troops and the nation itself. Liberals and ESPN have portrayed it as a courageous act of defiance against racism and police brutality. 
   
   The debate hasn’t gone away this season, with more players participating in the protest while Kaepernick remains unemployed. 
   
   Trump has spent most of the weekend doubling down on his comments, as well as bringing the NBA into the matter, in the face of liberal outrage. The president’s opinion brought forth accusations that he was trying to take away the constitutional rights of Americans and that his sentiment was racist by nature. 
   
   In response to the president attacks, dozens of NFL players publicly criticized the president and joined in the anthem protests on Sunday. As one example, multiple players from both the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars took the knee while the anthem played during their game in London. Curiously, they all stood for “God Save the Queen.” 
   
   Several commentators, primarily from the Left, saw more players joining the protest as a major defeat for the president, but they’re off the mark. Folks like New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait think that Trump has turned the kneel into a free speech issue, which is going to naturally earn the sympathy of average Americans. 
   
   In reality, Trump has taken the side of the flag and provoked multi-millionaire athletes into opposing patriotism. When several players for the New England Patriots took a knee during the anthem on Sunday, their own fans booed them. So do fans of the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins when members of those respective teams knelt. (RELATED: Football Fans Boo Players Protesting National Anthem) 
   
   There are hardly two more liberal, anti-Trump areas in America than the Boston and D.C. metropolitan areas. Yet even football fans who live there can’t stand protests against the anthem. 
   
   Rather than earning sympathy for free speech, more players joining in the protest is more likely to alienate NFL fans from the game. Polling last year showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans thought that politics should be kept off the field. The number one reason for declining NFL ratings was due to national anthem protests, according to ESPN, of all places. 
   
   Hardcore Patriots fans booing their own team is not a good sign that the NFL is going to come out on top in its war with the president. 
   
   Trump’s involvement in the debate over national anthem protests shows him once again stepping into his kind of cultural war. No longer tied to religious or moral concerns, Trump’s forays into the culture war typically revolve around questions of national identity and pit middle Americans against various elites. 
   
   During his presidential campaign, Trump’s hardline views on immigration and the Muslim ban earned him unprecedented scorn from the media and political elites, but also support and votes from Republican voters. More recently, Trump faced a barrage of anger over his comments on the violence in Charlottesville, Va. where he blamed “both sides” and issued his support for Confederate statues. (RELATED: Trump’s Culture War) 
   
   Those statements earned him extreme opprobrium from political leaders in both parties, nearly all of Hollywood and the establishment media. Yet, polling showed a majority of Americans agreed with his comments, especially in regards to the statues. (RELATED: Poll: Clear Majority Want To Keep Confederate Statues) 
   
   In the fight over kneeling, Trump is facing off against out-of-touch athletes who appear to be opposing the flag and the troops. ESPN and most political pundits may think he is a dummy for engaging in this fight, but if NFL continues to lose fans over it, Trump will come out as the victor. 
   
   There is the other issue of whether the President of the United States should even be involving himself in such a matter, regardless of whether it will be to his advantage or not. In years past, the answer would have been a “no” to the question of whether it was presidential behavior. 
   
   But we increasingly expect our president to take sides in these cultural battles. Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama frequently weighed in on such topics as the name of the Redskins and Kaepernick taking a knee, albeit in a much more subdued manner. 
   
   Trump is embracing his status as an Oval Office cultural warrior to a much greater degree than Obama, for some good reason. His legislative agenda is almost entirely stalled, and he has little to show in terms of accomplishments for his base. In fact, the only thing he might accomplish legislatively this year is giving millions of illegal aliens legal status in exchange for nothing. 
   
   Fighting in the culture war on behalf of his base is the one area where Trump can do as he pleases. He doesn’t have to go through Congress to reduce the ratings of the NFL, he just needs a few tweets to do so. 
   
   At the same time, the culture is getting weaponized at unimaginable level against the president and his supporters by elites. Every awards show now resembles a Resistance rally where each speaker makes sure to bash Trump and red state America. Late night talk shows act more as venting chambers for liberal resentment than light-hearted comedy. A large number of celebrities dedicate their social media accounts almost entirely to politics and hating on Trump. 
   
   Last week saw a new height for our new, politicized culture. A bunch of Hollywood A-listers such as Morgan Freeman and Rob Reiner got together to promote an initiative to make the public believe Russia hacked the election and we’re at war with Vladimir Putin. (RELATED: Hollywood Liberals Team Up With Iraq War Hawks To ‘Protect Democracy’ Against Russia) 
   
   The GOP’s latest attempt to repeal Obamacare found its greatest foe not among the Democrats, but with late night host Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel spent most of his opening monologues this week attacking Republicans for their bill and regurgitating talking points given to him by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. (RELATED: Chuck Schumer Coached Jimmy Kimmel Behind The Scenes On How To Oppose Obamacare Repeal) 
   
   The comic’s advocacy earned him plaudits from the media and he was able to get the message of the bill’s opponents out to the general public. It’s possible that the cultural elites’ intense rejection of the latest Obamacare repeal encouraged Arizona Sen. John McCain to say he would vote against it. 
   
   With the cultural elite declaring total war on Trump and his agenda thwarted in part by their efforts, Trump may have no other choice than to spend his term fighting various battles of the culture war. 
   
   His voters would probably prefer that option to a legislative agenda comprised entirely of amnesty for illegals and tax cuts for billionaires. 
   
   WATCH THIS: MAJORITY OF STEELERS PLAYERS REMAIN IN LOCKER ROOM DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM 
   
   WATCH DAILY CALLER BREAKDOWN THE NET-WORTH OF THE KNEELERS: 
   
   
   
   Follow Scott on Twitter and buy his new book, “No Campus for White Men.” ||||| CLOSE After Donald Trump said NFL players should be fired for kneeling during the national anthem, NFL players, owners and coaches condemned Trump's comments. USA TODAY Sports 
   
   Attacking #TakeTheKnee and First Amendment has nothing to do with patriotism or love of country: Our view 
   
   The Cleveland Browns during the national anthem on Sept. 24, 2017, in Indianapolis. (Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images) 
   
   The outpouring of defiance toward President Trump that spread across the National Football League on Sunday harkens to a single phrase directed at fear-mongering Sen. Joe McCarthy during a congressional hearing in 1954. 
   
   "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" said an Army lawyer, crystallizing in a moment the politics of division behind McCarthyism and its persecution of innocents. 
   
   Similarly, Trump's ad hominem attacks against "son of a bitch" players such as former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sit or kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality, had nothing to do with patriotism or love of country. When he demanded NFL owners fire protesting players, it was vintage Trump stoking flames of anger and resentment. 
   
   OPPOSING VIEW: Good call, Mr. President 
   
   Why did the president do it now, when the #TakeTheKnee movement seemed to be waning? Who knows? Maybe he was trying to whip up his core supporters. Or maybe it's his latest effort to employ a weapon of mass distraction. Why focus on a likely loss on Obamacare repeal, or a possible loss for your favored candidate in the Alabama Republican Senate runoff, when you can try to stir public resentment of a pampered athletic elite? 
   
   The president, after all, has such a keen eye for ways to divide people, as he has demonstrated with the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., his dissing of undocumented immigrants, his travel ban focused on Muslim-majority nations, and his effort to excise transgender troops from the military. 
   
   Plus, this NFL controversy would be delicious payback. Trump for decades tried to earn a seat at the NFL owners' table, but his bids for the New England Patriots in 1988 and the Buffalo Bills in 2014 fell short. The anthem protest issue was such a ripe wedge issue. Nearly three in four Americans said they thought it was unpatriotic last year, and the protests led reasons why some viewers have stopped watching NFL games. 
   
   The only problem is that professional athletes and team owners alike recognized Trump's crude move for the ruse that it is: "With everything that's going on in our country, why are YOU focused on who's kneeling?" NBA star Chris Paul tweeted. 
   
   CLOSE AP reporters counted more than 200 NFL players who did not stand during the national anthem before their games on Sunday. Six refused to stand the week before, mainly protesting police brutality. AP 
   
   As of Sunday afternoon, players from more than a dozen football teams had chosen to stay seated, lock arms, or take a knee during the anthem. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admonished Trump on Saturday for being divisive. Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a Trump friend and financial backer, said he was "deeply disappointed" by the president. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan joined his players and coaches in protest, as did the owners of the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. The Pittsburgh Steelers stayed off the field during the song. 
   
   An epidemic of impertinence? Not at all. Rather, it was an audacious rejection of Trump's divisive ploy. 
   
   Allowing someone the right to dissent peacefully is part of the nation's patriotic tradition. Using the bully pulpit of the presidency to rain aspersions down on someone who dares to do so is simply indecent. 
   
   USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature. 
   
   To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. 
   
   If you can't see this reader poll, please refresh your page. 
   
   Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xtuH78
target: – NFL players' reaction to President Trump in regard to the national anthem was, not surprisingly, a big topic on Monday's op-ed pages. Here's a sampling: Wall Street Journal: The newspaper's editorial sounds fed up with everybody involved, blaming the left for initially exploiting the Colin Kaepernick situation, then Trump for exploiting the blowback. It adds that players who kneel shouldn't be surprised to hear boos, because "disrespecting the national anthem puts partisanship above a symbol of nationhood that thousands have died for." But ultimately, the real losers in all this "are the millions of Americans who would rather cheer for their teams on Sunday as a respite from work and the other divisions of American life." Daily Caller: In a column, Scott Greer writes that Trump seems to be relishing his role as an "Oval Office culture warrior," perhaps because his legislative agenda keeps hitting roadblocks. This fight may pay off: "In the fight over kneeling, Trump is facing off against out-of-touch athletes who appear to be opposing the flag and the troops. ESPN and most political pundits may think he is a dummy for engaging in this fight, but if [the] NFL continues to lose fans over it, Trump will come out as the victor." New York Times: Its editorial pits Trump as the villain here and Kaepernick as the hero of sorts. The QB still can't find a team, but the weekend protests "might well have been a huge victory for free speech and the cause of racial justice he has so bravely espoused." The editorial gives the last word to LeBron James, who tweeted of Trump that "going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!” Washington Post: The editors don't care what Trump thinks of Kaepernick. But "when his response to protest is to question patriotism rather than engage on the issue of unequal policing—then it is Mr. Trump who 'disrespects our Flag & our Country.'" USA Today: Its editorial faults Trump as "divider in chief" and says his use of the presidential bully pulpit to fault those exercising their right to dissent is "simply indecent." But an op-ed at the newspaper by former Nebraska Congressman Jon Christensen praises Trump's move. "When millionaire athletes refuse to honor America and pay homage to the men and women who died for our freedom, and instead, choose to use their field of occupation to make a statement, then I can choose to turn the channel." They do indeed deserve to be fired, he adds.