Thread by @VeteransForBeto

#LyinTed Ted Cruz likes to talk about this whole Kaepernik/Anthem issue, wants to make it into a wedge to divide Texans. #LyinTed and his ally Trump are desperate to make this about disrespecting the flag, the military, veterans, the United States. nowthisnews.com/videos/politic…

#LyinTed may bring this up in the debate tonight. He will try to paint @BetoORourke as a far-left radical, out of touch with Texans. But here's the thing. Most veterans know that these protests are not disrespectful of America or what we stand for.

@VeteransForBeto strongly believe that all Americans have an absolute right to protest injustice. And the continuing police killings of African-American men and boys continues, most recently right here in Texas, in Dallas, with the killing of #BothamJean by a Dallas cop.

Our nation was born amidst an outburst of sometimes violent protest against an unjust government. Those protests were not supported by everyone in the Colonies. But the people we now think of as our Founding Fathers, as patriots, persisted, because they believed they were right.

During the #CivilRights era, peaceful protest led by #MLK led to civil rights legislation including the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. Not all Americans supported these, either, and many protesters were beaten and some killed.

Some people are offended by these protests by athletes. That's OK. They know that not everyone will agree with them. They know that some people will hate them for it. They seem to be accepting of that. They know that they are right, and that history is on their side.

Instead of being offended by these peaceful protests, maybe you should try to understand what they are protesting. Maybe you should know that while blacks are about 13% of the US pop, 19% of those killed by police so far in 2018 are black.

The fact that African-Americans make up 13% of the US pop, yet make up 40% of the US prison population, should also make you angry. Maybe you should be angry that African-Americans are far more likely to live in poverty than other ethnic groups.

Maybe it should upset you that, in 2018 America, African-Americans face discrimination every day, everywhere, from government, from businesses, from other Americans.

It makes this #Veteran angry that after 10s of thousands of my fellow servicemen died in the Civil War, after African-Americans served with honor in that war, in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the wars since, and thousands sacrificed their lives for our nation,

African-Americans continue to face voter suppression, through racist voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and laws that prevent felons from voting.

Instead of being offended by athletes kneeling, you should be angry that your fellow Americans have to protest, and ask "what can I do about this in my community?" To start with,

you can not let divisive politicians like #LyinTed Ted Cruz or illegitimate POTUS Trump use this as a wedge to divide Americans. You can refuse to be offended by their divisiveness. You can ask your neighbors, your friends, who are affected about how you can help.

@VeteransForBeto absolutely supports the right of these athletes to protest. We are not offended by their protest but rather are angry that in America in 2018 there is a need to protest police killings of African-Americans.

@BetoORourke gets it. He understands the underlying issues driving the protests. He knows that not everyone will agree, but that's ok. We're Americans, and we like to argue. But we will not allow politicians like #LyinTed Ted Cruz to divide us. #BetoForSenate

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