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The president's response to the Philadelphia Eagles isn't just petty — it's dangerous.

Responses to NFL protests during the national anthem have divided the nation and resulted in a dangerous reality for democracy.

The debate over kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the U.S. seems to have reached a new milestone, with the Philadelphia Eagles having their invitation to the White House revoked by Donald Trump.

Per tradition, the Super-Bowl-winning team was invited to meet with Trump, but much of the team backed out. In response, Trump issued this official statement on June 4, the day before the event:


"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better. These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony — one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America."

The sentiment is the equivalent of "Fine! If you're not gonna play with me, I'm not gonna play with you!" But Trump's statement, along with his subsequent tweets, are more than just petty; they're dangerous.

One might even use the word "fascist" — and that's not a term I toss around lightly. Fascism has some fuzzy definitions, but forced nationalism is a hallmark of all of them. A leader of a country attempting to coerce citizens to perform specific displays of patriotism is an undeniably fascist move.

Trump isn't punishing his detractors — he's punishing those who simply associate with those who disagree with him.

None of the Eagles players knelt during the anthem last season, though some have been outspoken supporters of such protests.

Some Eagles players did want to meet with Trump, and those are the players who were punished by the revoked invitation — not for kneeling during the anthem, not for disagreeing with Trump, but for merely being associated with people who disagree with Trump.

Trump could easily have welcomed those team members and taken a "that's their loss" attitude toward the rest. But instead, he washed his hands of anyone having to do with the team at all — even those who might be supportive of him.

That's unfathomable.

In addition, he has given players no options to protest peacefully without receiving his presidential ire.

The NFL has ruled that players are not allowed to kneel during the national anthem without facing fines: They must either stand on the field or remain in the locker room while the anthem plays.

But Trump has stated at least twice that staying in the locker room is unacceptable.  

[rebelmouse-image 19346501 dam="1" original_size="771x504" caption="Image via Donald Trump/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Donald Trump/Twitter.

[rebelmouse-image 19346502 dam="1" original_size="769x496" caption="Image via Donald Trump/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Donald Trump/Twitter.

If the erroneous capitalization doesn't make you shudder, the statements made in his tweets should. What Trump is saying is that football players must — not should, but must — "proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart" or they will be publicly flogged in official presidential statements.

Some might suggest we ignore his rants, but a president's words matter — politically, socially, and historically.

Forced displays of patriotism aren't actually patriotism. They're the hallmarks of an anti-democratic regime.

Why is Trump giving this much attention to what football players do during games, anyway?

Supporters say it's because he loves his country, but anyone who's studied how a society slips into oppressive authoritarian regimes (see Madeleine Albright's new book) can recognize the writing on the wall.

Dictatorial power won't come to the U.S. overtly and immediately — it will come through the steady erosion of civil norms, the demonization of peaceful protesters, repeated attacks on the press, and fear-mongering.

It would appear we're right there, folks.

I'm sure some players will still kneel peacefully for criminal justice reform and other social justice issues and face the consequences. I just hope that more citizens, like the man pictured below who boldly knelt during the White House's alternative ceremony, will defy these attacks on the first amendment and join them.

Despotism only wins if we let it.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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Representative Image from Canva

Let's not curse any more children with bad names, shall we?

Some parents have no trouble giving their children perfectly unique, very meaningful names that won’t go on to ruin their adulthood. But others…well…they get an A for effort, but might want to consider hiring a baby name professional.

Things of course get even more complicated when one parent becomes attached to a name that they’re partner finds completely off-putting. It almost always leads to a squabble, because the more one parent is against the name, the more the other parent will go to bat for it.

This seemed to be the case for one soon-to-be mom on the Reddit AITA forum recently. Apparently, she was second-guessing her vehement reaction to her husband’s, ahem, avant garde baby name for their daughter, which she called “the worst name ever.”

But honestly, when you hear this name, I think you’ll agree she was totally in the right.

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A woman looking at her phone while sitting on the toilet.


One of the most popular health trends over the last few years has been staying as hydrated as possible, evidenced by the massive popularity of 40-oz Stanely Quencher cups. The theory among those who obsess over hydration is that, when you pee clear, you’ve removed all the waste in your body and are enjoying the incredible benefits of being 100% hydrated. Congratulations.

However, according to Dr. Sermed Mezher, an NHS doctor in the UK, peeing clear isn’t always a sign of being healthy.

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A beautiful cruise ship crossing the seas.

Going on a cruise can be an incredible getaway from the stresses of life on the mainland. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an element of danger when living on a ship 200-plus feet high, traveling up to 35 miles per hour and subject to the whims of the sea.

An average of about 19 people go overboard every year, and only around 28% survive. Cruise ship lawyer Spencer Aronfeld explained the phenomenon in a viral TikTok video, in which he also revealed the secret code the crew uses when tragedy happens.

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Joy

Kudos to the heroes who had 90 seconds to save lives in the Key Bridge collapse

The loss of 6 lives is tragic, but the dispatch recording shows it could have been so much worse.

Representative image by Gustavo Fring/Pexels

The workers who responded to the Dali's mayday call saved lives with their quick response.

As more details of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore emerge, it's becoming more apparent how much worse this catastrophe could have been.

Just minutes before 1:30am on March 26, shortly after leaving port in Baltimore Harbor, a cargo ship named Dali lost power and control of its steering, sending it careening into a structural pillar on Key Bridge. The crew of the Dali issued a mayday call at 1:26am to alert authorities of the power failure, giving responders crucial moments to prepare for a potential collision. Just 90 seconds later, the ship hit a pylon, triggering a total collapse of the 1.6-mile bridge into the Patapsco River.

Dispatch audio of those moments shows the calm professionalism and quick actions that limited the loss of life in an unexpected situation where every second counted.

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Joy

Yale's pep band had to miss the NCAA tournament. University of Idaho said, 'We got you.'

In an act of true sportsmanship, the Vandal band learned Yale's fight song, wore their gear and cheered them on.

Courtesy of University of Idaho

The Idaho Vandals answered the call when Yale needed a pep band.

Yale University and the University of Idaho could not be more different. Ivy League vs. state school. East Coast vs. Pacific Northwest. City vs. farm town. But in the first two rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, extenuating circumstances brought them together as one, with the Bulldogs and the Vandals becoming the "Vandogs" for a weekend.

When Yale made it to the March Madness tournament, members of the school's pep band had already committed to other travel plans during spring break. They couldn't gather enough members to make the trek across the country to Spokane, Washington, so the Yale Bulldogs were left without their fight song unless other arrangements could be made.

When University of Idaho athletic band director Spencer Martin got wind of the need less than a week before Yale's game against Auburn, he sent out a message to his band members asking if anyone would be interested in stepping in. The response was a wave of immediate yeses, so Martin got to work arranging instruments and the students dedicated themselves to learning Yale's fight song and other traditional Yale pep songs.

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