William Penn and Colin Kaepernick, Brothers?

Today I was reading about persecution in the 17th century, making notes for an upcoming book.  In the middle of it all I had an epiphany:  William Penn and Colin Kaepernick have a lot in common.  Both were/are accused of being unpatriotic.  Penn and his friends were “traitors,” endangering the country for refusing to take Oaths of Allegiance to England.  Kaepernick and his friends are accused of “disrespecting the flag” by taking a knee during the national anthem.  And for what?  Believing their governments could do better, and had, in fact, promised better?  

For the above reasons, these two men necessarily define patriotism and love of country, never mind that others have mistakenly conflated disparate arguments.

I like how neither of these men took up weapons or provoked unrest.  But their accusers did, called for censure and much more — classifying them as “other-than” and setting them up for an onslaught of suspicion and hate — the very injustices they were staninding against.   People may argue specifics or venues for how these two guys protested, but no one can argue against Penn’s or Kaepernick’s love of country.  Their actions are the proof. History is the proof.

So yeah, this is definitely going into my chapter with the historical evidence to prove it’s men and women, just like Penn and Kaepernick, who can remind us of our better selves and words.

Wasn’t that their point?