Dear Future President,

People are getting upset because Colin Kaepernick, NFL quarterback, is kneeling while the national anthem is playing . Kaepernick decided to take a knee with his arms folded because he thinks the national anthem is racist. Kaepernick has gotten a lot of other NFL players to follow in his lead. Some players are losing their starting position because of this situation and some people are even getting fired. I would like you, as the president of the United States, to say that if Kaepernick is part of the United States, he should stand and show respect for the playing of our national anthem.

My opinion about this situation is that Kaepernick is in the wrong on so many levels. Kaepernick is saying the national anthem is racist because it's against colored people. Kaepernick's reasoning for this is that he doesn't feel the flag is fair. He said black lives matter, and they 100% do, but it's not only African American people getting shot. Kaepernick is saying the national anthem is racist because it represents America ,and America is allowing white cops to shoot African American people for no reason .

Some people say Kaepernick was not in the wrong . They wonder,  since when is kneeling a sign of disrespect? Well, it's an issue now, because everybody always stands for the national anthem to show respect. When Kaepernick took a knee, people were mad about him showing disrespect.

I believe Kaepernick is in the wrong because soldiers fought for our country and fought for everyone to have freedom and people are being disrespectful by kneeling. I saw a soldier on the internet  who had lost both his legs and who is in a wheelchair. The caption said, “Thanks Kaepernick. Thanks for standing for your freedom,” and another that said "Kaepernick, have you thanked a vet lately for disrespecting our flag?"  It is wrong for people to feel that way about this situation, so that's why I believe he made a poor decision.

Kaepernick should either be fired or get a serious fine because it makes the NFL look bad for allowing this to happen. Why is it okay that Kaepernick still gets to play while other people who knelt are being penalized? Kaepernick is playing the racist card and our flag is not representing that. It is representing freedom, justice, and independence. Kaepernick made a poor decision.  I would like you to state your opinion about this situation.

Sincerely ,

Kyleigh B

Evart Middle School

Evart, MI