I’m a history buff.  I think that the subject is fascinating.  The statement  “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”  has never been more applicable. Unfortunately, a very large portion of our population has been so dumbed down by our educators that they have no clue about anything other than what has happened in their lifetimes, and a distorted view of that to boot.  The left has successfully taken over our educational system, and turned our schools and universities into leftist indoctrination centers, not education facilities.

One of the saddest examples of this syndrome is the current spectacle of professional athletes, mostly black, “taking a knee” when the National Anthem is played and sung before sporting events.  The verbal explanations given by some of these individuals for why they are doing this should be embarrassing to those who previously educated them, or currently support them.  These are men who in general graduated from a college or university and have degrees from these institutions.  It is obvious that many were just “socially promoted”, as they have been since grade school.  Only this time it wasn’t to make a school’s scholastic record look better, it was to make money for the school’s athletic programs from television revenues.

Now, the professional teams who hired these men are allowing them to make “protests” in direct contravention to their stated rules and guidelines.  The fact that these protests are made based on false or distorted assumptions is apparently irrelevant.  Once again, in the liberal/progressive universe it’s not the facts that matter, it’s the “seriousness of the charge”.  From Trayvon Martin to Michael Brown and others, the “victims” of shootings have been portrayed as upstanding citizens, not the criminals and thugs they apparently were in reality.

In Steven Ambrose’s “Citizen Soldiers”, a wonderful book about our fighting men in Europe from D-Day to the end of the war on the continent in 1945, there are many references about the contributions of black soldiers, especially the drivers of the “Red Ball Express”.  These men heroically drove under dangerous and exhausting conditions to keep the supplies rolling to front line troops, especially during the “Battle of the Bulge”in late 1944.  They, and the black pilots of the “Red Tail Squadron” fighter planes, who had an unmatched record protecting bombers on raids into Germany, are the types of heroes that the black youth of today should idolize. Instead, they look to frequently foul mouthed, and obviously uneducated professional athletes or gang leaders as roll models.  Gold chains, diamond ear studs, and $300 sneakers are valued.  Sadly, a good education  is not.

It should be the task of black educators and community leaders to emphasize the best and bravest in their history.  The fame of the professional athlete is at best fleeting.  There are very few Magic Johnsons, Michael Jordans, Jim Browns or Jackie Robinsons, whose fame lasts through the years, but there are many black businessmen, scholars and professional people who’s records are worthy of pride and emulation.

Americans are yearning to return to a position of pride and prosperity on the world stage.  That’s why Donald Trump beat all odds and won the Presidency on the promise to “Make America Great Again”.  Listening to the calls for division and discord coming from the left, and groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa, are a bad road for blacks to go down.  Respect our flag, our Constitution and our nation.  Look inward at your communities and culture to improve them.  Every American has the opportunity for success, but there are no guarantees.  Most people are willing to give others a hand up, but the hand out concept of the welfare state is going to come to an end.  It is unsustainable in any society, as history has demonstrated many times over.  Learn from that or fail.  Finally, understand one very important fact. To many Americans, patriotism is NOT passé.