The mass murders of innocents in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX over the past two weeks have rocked those with a true conscience to the core.
San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler was not immune from that pain, and today he revealed his frustrations and feelings on the situation in a blog post.
“The day 19 children and 2 teachers were murdered, we held a moment of silence at sporting events around the country, then we played the national anthem, and we went on with our lives.”
He reflected on his upbringing and the way he was raised.
He addressed our political climate and the response to the most recent mass murder of 19 children and 2 adults at Ross Elementary school in Uvalde.
Overall, Kapler discussed his conflicted feelings about being raised to respect the country versus the current reality where many in the country make it almost impossible for respect and progress to occur.
“On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde,” wrote Kapler. “I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.
“My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families.”
It was a powerful reflection on a moment that, theoretically, shouldn’t be difficult to participate in.
Yet after Republican attacks on voting rights and the right to choose, and then not one, but two, mass shootings in less than two weeks, paying respect to a country with leaders who refuse to take action but eagerly limit freedoms across states feels hypocritical and wrong.
That’s why Gabe Kapler informed reporters about his decision to skip the national anthem going forward.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
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