Dave, I too served my country (also in Naval Aviation) for ten years so I feel that I've earned the right to the same moral authority that you seem to be now claiming. Too bad those Yankee troops had to die for something that should have been a human right to begin with (unless of course, you think slavery was a righteous cause). I'm also sorry that you've been manipulated into thinking that NFL players protesting police violence against unarmed Black men has anything to do with patriotism, but then, that's what Trump is so good at - sowing the seeds of hate and division by preying on your worst fears and most base instincts. We listen to the over 8000 documented lies with deaf ears and turn a blind eye to the despicable behavior as long as he is stacking the Supreme Court (which SHOULD be an apolitical and totally unbiased branch of government) with right-wing judges whose every judgment is totally predictable and only and always reflects the will and ideology of the religious right. News Flash - the whole country is NOT religious right. Some of us actually believe in equality for ALL it's citizens, and that the most private and personal health decisions a woman can make should not be decided by a group of old - men.

I am smart enough to know that most people in your (and mine) age group are not likely to change their perception of how the world should be. In the end, we will die and what we think will be buried with us - BUT, while we're here, maybe we can enrich our lives by expanding our belief structure, by making our own judgments rather than being led around by a nose ring by those who use the masses to enhance their own stature and whose interests never, ever extends beyond themselves.

chas