I stand with Black and brown people against police brutality and racism

3:10a.m. and the pleasant, light rain has stopped. It is still warm and muggy, dark starless sky behind a few blaring street lights illuminating the rest rooms. As I head back outside toward my truck, I read “I stand for the national anthem” on the t-shirt back of an older white man standing in the doorway talking loudly to the womon I had noticed through the window of the guard shack when I went into the bathroom. She was standing patiently, listening to him talk.

As I pass, I say “I don’t stand for the national anthem”. He calls out “thank you” with so much sincerity I question for a second if I read his red, white, and blue t-shirt correctly. I look back at their happy, grinning faces and tell him again “I do NOT stand for the national anthem”.

“I stand for the national anthem” he declares proudly. “Of course you do,” I retort. “Look at you, you are white and male.”

He ignores me, throws  up his hands and yells “why don’t you stand?” I firmly tell him through the misty dark “I stand with Black and brown people against racism and police brutality.”

He defiantly tosses back at me, “I fought twice for our nation and...” I interrupt him and declare “no you didn’t, you fought for our corporations to gain access to other people’s resources and nation”. 

 “And I was injured twice,” he continues, not listening, indicating his slightly bowed naked-from-the-knee-down legs that seem to glow in the dark.“I did it for you, I fought for you” he insists. I want to get up in his face so he can clearly see my eyes but I stand, turning around to fully face him as I say “You NEVER fought for me.”

“God bless you” he smiles that superior smile that is evident from even the 20 feet away from him that I am now.

“I don’t need your god’s blessings” I tell him, “but I’m sure you are going to be needing that blessing from your “Thou Shalt Not Kill” god”.

I’m livid men can still be so blindly ignorant and obedient, especially with tRump blowing war horns.