I am not a patriot. Not by any means. I don't own an American flag and it is rare that I celebrate any official holiday associated with our country. But I don't have anything against patriotic people either. I have a deep respect for their beliefs and love for their country. 

About a year ago I was at a football game. By the way,  I don't love football either but my daughter is in the band so I don't miss a single game. Anyway, as you know at every single game they raise the American flag and sing the national anthem before the game starts. When they do I put my hand over my chest and I listen quietly while the song is sung. I do it every single time. I don't do it out of a great love for this country. I do it because I have a great respect for the people that have given everything they have for this country. I think that is an amazing thing and all those people need to be shown the utmost respect. 

During one of the games I was standing next to the student section while the national anthem was being sung and a group of seniors were just a few feet away from me. They were 3 young men, maybe 18 years old each, talking loudly. 

Now I don't think any should be forced to respect their country. If you are 18 and don't want to put your hand on your chest and watch the American flag raised that is your right. But these guys were talking loud and it was bothering the people around them. These 3 boys were not from the U.S. They were Mexican nationals going to school here (I live minutes from the border and that is not uncommon here). I'm guess they have no great love for this country and just take advantage of the school system. I have nothing against that either. More power to  them. 

A teacher working the game immediately came up to them and told them to put their hand on their chest and be quiet. One of the boys replied (in Spanish) that he was told that he did not have to and that nobody could make him do it. The teacher walked off visibly upset. The boys kept talking and laughing rather loudly and I could tell people were still rather annoyed. There were other teachers nearby who saw and heard everything but just stood there dumbfounded as to what to do. One of the boys was even reaching over to some of the students around him and pulling their hands off their chest. 

It was about half way through the National anthem and I had enough. I walked over to the boys and told them to be quiet because they were being disrespectful. I was wearing an identification badge because at that time I was helping with the band boosters as a parent volunteer. The biggest of the boys (a good foot and half taller than me) told me to go back to where I was sitting and leave them alone because teachers can't tell him what to do and I would get fired if I did not leave them alone. 

Well, that was a mistake.

I walked up to him real close so that only he and his friends could hear me and told him that he was right. I told him he didn't have to put his hand over his chest. I told him I wasn't a teacher. I said I was just a regular guy. Then I said that as a regular guy  if he and his friends did not sit down and shut up during the national anthem and stop disrespecting the people around them I would personally drag them out of the stadium by their balls and beat the shit out of them. It took about 2 seconds for what I said to register in their minds. Two of the boys then put their hands over their chest and started singing the national anthem (though I did not ask them to do that). The bigger of the boys just said in Spanish, "I have to go pee". I said, "Go ahead, when the song is over". He waited until the song was over and then all three of them ran out of the stadium.

Now let's be clear. I wouldn't have touched these kids. I don't like violence.  But these kids were punks and they understand the language of violence so I used it. Long story short though somebody reported the incident and the boys were suspended and not allowed to attend any extra curricular activities which included football games.

 I, of course, did not get off Scot free either. Not long after that incident I was advised that my services as a band booster parent were no longer needed. I was crushed, not. 

Anyway that happened over a year ago. Just wondering what your thoughts might be on the matter.