Jose, Can you see? Soon, no one will care.

Surely you’ve heard the old “groaner”….

Mexican guy comes to America and goes to a baseball game. He goes back home to Mexico. His friends ask him about his trip.
….. “The people were soooo nice to me” he says. “I went to a baseball game. Before the game started everyone in the stadium stood up and they all asked ‘Jose, can you see?’. …. I could see just fine, but it was so nice of them to ask. “

For Albert: “Jose Can You See” = “Oh Say Can You See by the dawn’s early light…..”

As predicted here last week – a no-brainer if there ever was one – America has been “Kaepernicked”. The Kaepernicking of America is ramping up to Code Red, White & Blue.

HOLY BETSY ROSS, Batman! We got ourselves a full-fledged National Conversation on Patriotism – America’s Racial Divide – Support for The Military etc. Will Colin Kaepernick bring back “the Afro” as a symbol of whatever “the Afro” was ever a symbol of. …. Speaking of “Afros”, whatever happened to Rockin Rollen that goofy John 3:16 guy?

I propose that noon on September 11…. Every man, woman, child in America yell out: “I respect an individual’s ‘constitutional right’ to voice their opinion no matter how uninformed blah blah blah” . Yawn.

….. unless, of course, they are crazy right-wingnuts in which case they have to STFU.

Lets get that trite self-serving blather out of the way. Do whatever you gotta do – say whatever you gotta say – so no one will call you “a racist” – “a bigot” – “a homophobe”. Whatever the latest “you are a _____” insult de jour is.

Who knew being called “a ______” would join “sticks and stones breaking your bones” as something that can really “hurt you”.

From Sea To Shining Sea in every Middlesex village and town…. You, your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc and et al are all in an official social media tizzy over what you – we – them will do / won’t do / better do when that question is asked – “Jose, can you see…..?”

BUT FIRST…. Did you see where “my friend Bubba” Cunningham turned down the Florida AD job last week? Yep…. according to sources – the gig was his, but at the 11th hour he withdrew from consideration. I don’t know any more than this USAToday story. Many of Bubba’s colleagues are expressing “bewilderment” with his decision.

Bubba ALMOST goes to Gainesville – LINK

I’m not at all surprised he was offered the job. Bubba is an exceptional administrator and deserves a better fate than the slow Death of 1,000 Cups of Kool-Aid amid Kenan’s lofty pines”.

Bubba grew up in Florida. The UF gig would have been a reported $1,4oo,oo0/year. Twice Bubba’s current salary at UNCCH. Many of you ABC lifers despise Bubba because he is a high profile employee “over there”. You despise everyone employed “over there” simply because…. I “get that”.

Could Bubba be waiting for Notre Dame ??? Current ND AD Jack Swarbrick was his mentor and is nearing retirement…. ya never know ???

Back to The Kaepernicking of America….

Two weeks ago, way back when your Aunt Ethel had no clue – or cared – what a Colin Kaepernick was, how did YOU respond at a stadium / arena when the band or some local little girl or school choir, etc asked “Jose can you see”?

Did you rise to your feet – remove whatever cap/hat you might be wearing – place that cap or at least your hand over your heart – face the most prominent flag you can locate – and reverently consider Francis Scott Key’s immortal words for the two minutes it takes to play The Star-Spangled Banner (SSB)? Or, was your National Anthem routine less formal.

…. During those two minutes did visions of Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, Gettysburg and Valley Forge flood your mind?…. Thoughts of all those who have paid the ultimate price for the past 250 years so you and I might enjoy the fruits and freedoms of living in these United States of America?

…. Or were you simply antsy for the band / singer to finish so the game can begin?

Did you scan the crowd in your vicinity to see who keeps their hats on …. Don’t place their hands over their hearts …. Are dinking with their cellphones …. Or otherwise not adhering to “how you oughta behave” when the SSB is played?

If you are an NC State fan, did you scream “RED” and “home of The Wolfpack” during the formal rendition? You do realize there are “sunshine patriots” at, of all places, UNCCH who consider that Wolfpack “tradition” traitorous and deserving of immediate incarceration and deportation. If you are an old school Wolfpack fan (and we certainly have a few of those around here) do you cringe when your rowdies so descecrate “the Anthem”? Have you notified Frau, Randy, or Bobby how you feel?

NOW…. In the post-Kaepernick Era will you be more sensitive to anyone you observe not adhering to “how one oughta behave” for The SSB. Will you employ what I call The Bumpersticker Look-see?

Whenever I see a car with an Obama-Biden or Hillary 2016 bumpersticker, I automatically check-out the driver and, more often than not, have a “Yeah, I thought so” reaction as the driver ALWAYS (??) fits one of several “all a buncha” stereotypes for “those people”.

…. You Lib/Dems do the same thing when you see a Trump or Pro-Gun or Anti-Abortion bumpersticker. You expect to see Larry The Cable Guy’s crazy cuzzin Earl behind the wheel and you just know Crazy Earl is being brainwashed by Rush Limbaugh or some such.

For the record…. my Lexus RX300 simply has a Cardinals license plate holder. My political preference is not apparent.

So, anywho, these next few weeks at whatever stadium you attend, you WILL see Kaepernicking in action. At colleges – especially those with overt liberal-reputations – you are certain to see the usual garden-variety votive candle scragglies in the student section wearing Che t-shirts and doing their “LOOK AT ME I’m Kaepernicking”…. I CARE ABOUT “black people and other oppressed minorites. …. America Sucks.”

You don’t sit in the student section so that bunch likely won’t interact with you. BUT suppose someone – a for-real adult – in your vicinity – does not stand and “show respect” for The Flag – America – Our Military – whatever. Will you “react” in any way…. physically? ….. vocally? At least give him/her “the evil eye”?

You might see some of the AfAm players on your team “Kaepernicking” depending on whatever dictum your coach has issued about doing so. Player reactions will be more aggressive at NFL games of course.

“Your coach” will likely have voiced some version of the trite – “…. Their right to voice their concerns for oppressed minoroties, etc etc etc….” and “we encourage our student-athletes to be involved in society blah blah blah…” As Missouri’s Gary Pinkel learned – unless you totally support whatever your black players do, your future recruiting is shot to hell. As “your coach” hopes against hope that he doesn’t catch holy hell from irate Fat Cats who ain’t quite of that same opinion.

The USA Hockey coach is catching hell from all the ESPN talking heads because of his “what I’ll do” comment. Any coach / owner of any sport team in America can expect to “catch hell” if he/she dares to buck the Kaepernick Movement.

It is only a matter of time…. “playing The National Anthem” will be discontinued at sports events in America? … toe tag another tradition.

There is no reason to play it other than “tradition”. In the past decade or so – Especially the past eight years – we have seen more than a few American traditions get kiboshed because Tradition X-Y-Z is deemed to “offend” such-such mini-faction. The UnAmericanizing of America started with abolishing prayer in school. Lots of babies have been thrown out with lots of bath water since then. Lots more will be in the months to come.

Oh – Oh – Oh…. I was “over yonder” in Chapel Hill yesterday. There is much hue and cry following Larry Fedora’s annual Lose an opener to a SEC team by not running the ball.

After much hueing / crying the consensus is The Problem is two-fold – (1) Fedora’s beard of course ….. and (2) a white QB. I mean REALLY – a white QB ? Who has a white quarterback these days? First thing ya know Ol’ Roy will be starting “a cracker” at point guard. UNCCH might even have a white male Chancellor again – Nooooo. UNCCH will officially return to The Dark Ages. …. Stop The Madness Now !!!