There are better ways to protest than by taking a knee

Houston Texans players Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus link arms, along with the rest of the Texans team Sunday during the playing of the national anthem before the game against the New England Patriots. On a day when more than 200 NFL players took a knee to protest comments by President Donald Trump, the Texans stood in solidarity during their protest. (Photo by Max Siker)

Sunday was an emotional day for players and fans of the National Football League and it had nothing to do with the play on the field.
It all centered around the decades-old tradition of performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the beginning of each game. More than 200 of the league’s 1,696 players took a knee to protest comments made by President Donald Trump on Twitter calling for team owners to fire players who take a knee in protest during the national anthem.
Nearly every player made some sort of statement by either standing, kneeling, bowing their heads or raising a fist. Three teams – the Steelers, Seahawks and Titans – cowered in their locker rooms until after the anthem was performed. The entire Houston Texans team stood with arms locked in a show of solidarity.
The protests drew a barrage of praise and criticism from all corners of the country and continues to be the topic of office water cooler conversations and television news broadcasts. They also continue to be topics of tweets by the president.
The controversy began last year when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee during the anthem to protest police brutality and racial discrimination. Since then a handful of players have followed suit. It’s those players who caught the ire of Trump and became the target of his tweets.
As we unravel this controversy there are some things that need to be understood. The players have a right to protest. The president has a right to free speech. Both have left us with a bad taste in our mouths.
President Trump is well within his rights to share is opinion about protesting players. I think he exercised very poor judgment in the way he handled it. Calling for someone to be fired for expressing their beliefs is beneath the dignity of the office he holds. Of course, when you consider that as a realty TV star that his catch phrase was “you’re fired,” it should come as no surprise that he would take that tact.
I have long been a critic of Kaepernick and company for their chosen method of protest. I don’t begrudge them for taking a stand against racism and police brutality. Those are just causes. I do wholeheartedly oppose the way they went about it. Taking a knee during the national anthem is highly offensive and sends the wrong message. When you refuse to stand for this country and its symbols you’re taking a position against everything the United States stands for, whether that is your intent or not.
If players want to use their platform to make a protest, don’t do it in a way that spits on the graves of those who sacrificed everything so we can live free. Don’t disrespect those who even now are fighting a war to protect our values and way of life. There are other ways to get your message across. If you want to take a knee, do it during your player introduction rather than bask in your moment of glory. Wear an armband or some other form of symbol on your person.
If unity and equality are what these players really want, they should seek it in a way that isn’t so polarizing and divisive. The playing of the national anthem should be a time of unity and respect. It is not the time to protest. That very clearly sends the wrong message.
The NFL and sports in general have blazed huge trails in the area of race relations. Sports teams are some of the most racially integrated units in the world. They are examples of racial integration that many companies and other communities of people should aspire to. They should be seen as beacons of racial harmony, not racial or patriotic division.
Disrespecting America by taking a knee in protest is not a way to win converts to your cause. It also sets a precedent by which other causes might be protested. All that does is weaken whatever unity and patriotism we have left in this country. This is a time when we need to be coming together, not pulling part. We’ve seen the benefits of that in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. I really don’t want to lose that over a foul-mouthed president or misguided protestor.
Even if the protests continue, we have to ask to what end? How will we know when racial equality has been achieved? Where do you draw that line and say, “mission accomplished”? As long as there are people complaining about racism there will be a perception of racism whether it is real or not. I think a more useful thing to do would be to demonstrate unity and talk about how strong we are together than waste time pointing out our faults.
Instead of taking a knee in disrespect, how about taking a hand or linking arms with a person of another color? That would be a much more powerful message of unity and equality than the covfefe we have right now.

Skeeters, Texans, rose up in time of need during Hurricane Harvey

What a difference a little wind and rain can make.
Granted, when that wind and rain come in the form of a hurricane it can change lives and communities forever. Hurricane Harvey certainly changed ours. There are countless stories out there about how the storm impacted people here in Fort Bend County. Everything from high-water rescues, nights spent in shelters, mucking homes and more are sure to be experiences never forgotten.

Harvey was my first hurricane despite living a combined 16 years in coastal regions of Texas and North Carolina. We came through it with nothing worse than survivor’s guilt and altered travel plans. Our house was not damaged and we never lost power or even Internet service. For that we are thankful.
Although it was a relatively minor inconvenience, my wife was supposed to fly to Orlando, Fla., on Aug. 26 to visit our oldest son, Wesley, and her parents. Harvey dictated otherwise, so she rescheduled for Sept. 9. Although she could have flown out of Houston, landing in Orlando would have been problematic since Hurricane Irma was paying a visit.
Wesley opted to evacuate Orlando and has been staying with us. Sandy’s parents hunkered down during Irma and came away unscathed. Once again we are very thankful.
One of the inspiring things about the hurricane here was how many heroes rose to the occasion. We all know the stories of J.J. Watt, Mattress Mac and the hundreds of everyday citizens with boats. (More about Watt later.) I want to tell you a story closer to home that I don’t think very many people know about.
I was aware that Constellation Field was opened as a shelter during the storm, but I had no idea what actually happened there until I saw the SkeetersDish report on Facebook by Jessica Munoz. She interviewed Skeeters owner Marcie Zlotnik, who had an incredible story to tell. Bob and Marcie Zlotnik made the decision to open the stadium as a shelter even though they couldn’t get there right away because they live 20 minutes out and streets were flooding. By Monday night, Aug. 28, there were 370 people and 170 pets staying there.
“To see people come in a dump truck with absolutely nothing, soaking wet, no shoes, and to be able to say, ‘you’re OK now’ …” Marcie said.
Within four hours an abundance of donations poured in.
“The volunteers were amazing!” she said.
Clothing was lined up by gender, size and age. People could get dressed, go up to the Insperity Club and get food, watch TV and find solace.
Marcie put a message out on Facebook and contacted a few friends and that led to the quick arrival of about a dozen key volunteers.
“I gotta tell you, the millennials, they were incredible. Their enthusiasm and their physical ability to load water, unload water, run upstairs to help … they watched over some of the animals when the owners wanted to get a break. … They were so eager to help; it was really encouraging,” she said.
The Sugar Land Skeeters were on the road when the storm hit and instead of returning home they moved a four-game series to New Britain, Conn. That upset some of the players, but they soldiered on and did their job, although they would have rather been here with their families and helping out.
Because there was a desire to get back to a sense of normalcy, the team moved forward with plans to play a four-game home stand the following weekend. Getting the team home, as well as getting the Blue Crabs from Southern Maryland here, was no easy task.
“It’s not like booking something for seven people,” Marcie said, “you’re booking for 30-plus. And not just us, you’re also booking for the Maryland team.”
The Skeeters flew to Dallas and took a bus home. The Blue Crabs had to change airports and airlines, but they were understanding and arrived in time to play. The other teams in the Atlantic League held fundraisers and sent supplies to Sugar Land.
In addition to stepping up to help a community in need, the Skeeters discounted ticket prices for the remainder of the season, offered free tickets for first responders and flood victims and made parking free. This is a team and an organization that really cares about the fans and the community. Although the season is over, please don’t forget what this team did for us when next April rolls around and it’s time once again to play ball. We need to be here for the team that was here for us!
Although many of Houston’s pro sports teams have stepped up for hurricane relief, none has been more visible than the Houston Texans and star J.J. Watt. Raising more than $30 million and pitching in to help with relief efforts, Watt has won the hearts and respect of millions of people. I spent a lot of time planning how I was going to photograph his introduction at the game Sept. 10 against Jacksonville. I knew it was going to be a powerfully emotional occasion and I wanted to get “the” shot as he came out of the tunnel.
I positioned myself across the field where I had the perfect angle to look into the tunnel. Then the cheerleaders, first responders and various others formed the lines on the field extending from the tunnel, blocking my view. I quickly repositioned to get a new angle and then the giant, field-sized flag was marched out – right in front of me. I couldn’t get to a new position in time, so I had to kneel and shoot between the legs of flag-holders and around personnel in line on the field holding up cell phones.
I somehow got a halfway reasonable shot through all of those obstacles. I guess I should consider myself fortunate if that is the worst of my struggles in this storm.
Now that the things are settling down, it’s time to put away the camera and pull on some work gloves and go help people in need. I just hope it doesn’t rain!
#HoustonStrong #TexasStrong

Are hurricanes, fires and earthquakes signs of the apocalypse?

Is this the end of the world as we know it? Is the apocalypse upon us?
Hurricanes, fires, massive earthquakes and more are wreaking havoc across the country and around the globe. Doomsayers are having a heyday. Bible-thumping fanatics are warning us of God’s impending wrath. Global warming warnings abound. (And somehow this is all Donald Trump’s fault!)
I’m not a scientist and I have no expertise in this area, but it seems to me that Mother Nature is making some adjustments. Before I get into that, I want to comment on my belief as a Christian. We are living in the end times. We have been for two millennia. Every time there is a war or natural disaster, there is a groundswell of fear that God is preparing us for the end.
This comes from the warning in Matthew 24-6-7: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
Personally, I do not fear the end times. As a follower of Christ I believe Christians will be called up in the rapture and not have to suffer the apocalypse. That does not mean we will be spared the events leading up to it.
Switching back to a different worldview perspective, the Earth is clearly trying to restore balance. As the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. Whenever one thing gets out of balance, something happens to restore order. If a predator consumes its food source, the predator dies off. If an area is overgrazed, the livestock starves or moves on and the land recovers.
I’m not ready to say I’m a global warming believer or denier; all I can judge is what I see (or what is shown me). There is more than abundant evidence that glaciers and ice caps are melting. Whether that is a natural occurrence, manmade or a combination of the two I can’t say. I believe that the shrinking ozone layer, deforestation and other forces are probably at play.
If the Earth is indeed warming up, I suspect that melting ice and rising seas is nature’s way of cooling off. If humans are the cause of global warming, then nature will strike back at humans. If the cause is natural, then the earth will follow its natural course as it always has.
That we are seeing record-breaking hurricanes, massive wildfires, and huge earthquakes is an indicator that Mother Nature is making a correction. I don’t know if human overpopulation is the problem but humans do appear to be holding the proverbial smoking gun.
No creature in history has done more to alter the environment than man. If you look at the United States, we have nearly exterminated the bison and other major species, altered courses of rivers, and significantly sapped the aquifers and oil deposits. Those are going to have consequences.
From a health perspective, we are consuming unnatural amounts of sugars and artificial foods and preservatives and now we have epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, food allergies and other maladies. We invented antibiotics and now diseases are mutating and becoming resistant to our medicines. New diseases are rising all the time from HIV/AIDS to Ebola, West Nile, and Zika. The more we resist disease, the stronger the diseases become.
This is all pretty scary stuff and I don’t like to think about it, let alone write about it. It’s undeniable, however, that we are experiencing it. Ultimately something has to give. Either humans will learn to adapt to the environment (rather than adapting the environment to serve humans) or the environment will falter and no longer be able to sustain mankind.
It just seems logical that we would make a concerted effort to take better care of our environment before it takes care of us. This planet is all we have. We don’t get another one. Each of us bears the responsibility of changing our lifestyles to better accommodate nature. We can all do the obvious small things like recycling, using less water, driving less, eating natural foods and basically engaging in a more green lifestyle. We need to embrace alternative sources of energy and modes of transportation. Eventually, bigger changes will have to come – either by choice or as a force of nature.
We can no longer sustain the status quo. Even if the Earth is undergoing a natural cycle unrelated to man’s meddling, we must all do our part to preserve, protect and restore what we have. God gave mankind this planet to care for. Judging by the job we have done, I’m honestly afraid we might soon be relieved of our duty.

Hurricane Harvey brought out the best in us

It’s hard to know how to feel.
The events of the past two weeks have been overwhelming. Hurricane Harvey may not have hit Houston directly, but it dumped more than 50 inches of rain on our area. Some places flooded and others were spared. No one was left unaffected by the storm.
As the remnants of Harvey moved out of Texas and Louisiana, we again held our collective breath as the Brazos and other rivers crested at record heights and the swollen Addicks and Barker reservoirs were releasing water into the already flooded Buffalo Bayou.
As the storm was hitting on Aug. 25-26 I felt trapped and helpless. We were reasonably confident that our home in Rosenberg would not flood, even though we are about a quarter mile or less from the Brazos. Still, we huddled inside and watched the endless television news coverage of what was going on around us.
The helplessness set in as we watched countless water rescues from guys with boats and kayaks. The journalist in me knew I should be out there reporting on the storm. After all, if TV can do it how hard can it be? The humanitarian in me wanted to be in the boats pulling people from the flood. That was probably the strongest feeling nagging at me. There were people in need and I wasn’t helping.
I spent the weekend glued to the TV and Facebook. I kept reminding myself that we were trapped on the Island of Rosenberg with all exits flooded. I logged into my work email and posted things online and shared information on Facebook and Twitter as much as I could. I kept telling myself that I was helping and doing good by sharing information, but I knew in my heart that I was just playing cheerleader with the game on the line at fourth-and-goal with just seconds on the clock and no timeouts.
On that Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning we helped a friend move stuff out of her house in anticipation of the pending flood. She had just gotten the house put back together a few months earlier from last year’s flood. It felt good to help but we knew it wasn’t enough for either her or us. Time had run out and we needed to leave before we got trapped.
There we were again, glued to the TV and Facebook with the beginnings of survivor’s guilt taking root. It seems like that’s all we did for days as we learned of friends losing homes and cars, yet being trapped by closed and flooded roadways and unable to get out. By midweek I was able to return to work and Sandy and the boys went to volunteer at Second Mile Mission.
Last weekend we spent two days helping friends clean out homes in preparation for restoration crews to come in and rip out drywall and flooring. It was hard work but probably the most satisfying I’ve done in years. It only helped ease some of the survivor’s guilt. At the end of the day I knew I had my normal life and dry home to return to and somehow it didn’t seem fair. I know there’s a lot of work left to do and you can bet we will be pitching in.
In the meantime, after all the TV coverage and Facebook posts that I’ve viewed, I can’t help but be proud – very proud – of the community we live in. Everyone has pulled together in this storm regardless of race, color, gender, ethnicity or any other factor that we had been bickering over just a few days earlier. Suddenly none of that mattered.
Although this is real life and not a game, I can’t help but feel that there were some real winners – heroes of the deluge. First are the hundreds, perhaps thousands of guys with boats who formed one of the most incredible urban rescue armadas the world has ever seen. Along with them are all of the first responders and members of the National Guard who swept in to the rescue and worked tirelessly for days on end helping people in need.
Other Harvey Heroes include J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans who has helped raise nearly $20 million for hurricane relief and is personally helping load trucks and oversee relief efforts. Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale opened his Gallery Furniture stores as emergency shelters and personally helped care for thousands of displaced people and first responders alike.
Although numerous businesses have aided in the relief effort, none came through like H-E-B. Fleets of trucks loaded with food and supplies were at the ready and moved in just as quickly as conditions would allow. Walmart also stepped up with a $20 million donation for disaster relief.
Locally, I can’t say enough about Bob and Marcie Zlotnik and the Sugar Land Skeeters organization. They opened Constellation Field as an emergency shelter and remained there until the last evacuees left. Despite the ballpark taking a beating, they still played games last weekend to offer some respite for the weary. They went as far as waiving parking fees, drastically discounting ticket prices and making games free for the rest of the season for first responders and flood victims. On top of that, the Skeeters are winning again and have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs!
Ultimately, I think the real winner – the true silver lining in these storm clouds – is the human spirit. It’s unfortunate that it takes a disaster to bring us all together, but it is refreshing to know that the spirit of love and compassion is alive in us all. We are #HoustonStrong, #TexasStrong, #AmericaStrong! That, my friends, feels really good.