The Right To and The Ability To Are Two Different Things

I originally made this post on Facebook. As much as I want to stay out of this political conversation, or whatever kind of conversation you wish to refer to it as, we are being sucked into it whichever way we turn. I hope to post it here so others may read and know where I see things. Here's what I previously posted:

"The Patriots and the NFL as a whole have lost a large piece of their fan base.

The very flag players are disrespecting is the very flag many families have, as a legacy, of their fallen soldier.

There are a time and place for everything... there is no place ever for disrespecting our flag. Don't confuse your freedom of speech with saying or doing whatever you want whenever you want for whatever excuse you want to use to justify your inappropriate actions."

As a follow-up, I'd like to add that those that served our country, including me, did so to protect the rights we have, including your right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest. Today, NBC released a poll that said 51% of Americans agreed that players had the right to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem. At first, that made me sick... then, twisting the scenario, I agree. The players do have that right. I also agree that 100% of them have the right to be suspended or fired for conduct unbecoming of a professional athlete. If I owned the team, they would have been fired after the first warning. The right does not mean you should, not on my time.