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Vice President Pence and his wife Karen went to their home state's NFL game yesterday to cheer for the Indianapolis Colts.
When the flag was presented and the national anthem was played, the vice president and his wife stood and put their hand over their heart.
However, as one might suspect, some of the football players did neither.
Disrespect.
Pence reacted.
Fox News reported:
Vice President Mike Pence walked out on his home-state Indianapolis Colts Sunday when members of the opposing team kneeled for the national anthem, but a report that Colin Kaepernick, the player who started it all, will stand if given another shot in the NFL was quickly dialed back.
"I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence tweeted.
Pence later posted a longer message that said, "I left today's Colt's game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag or our National Anthem. At a time when so many Americans are inspiring our nation with their courage, resolve, and resilience, now, more than ever, we should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us."
He continued, "While everyone is entitled to our own opinions, I don't think it's too much to ask NFL players to respect our Flag and our National Anthem. I stand with President Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and National Anthem."
President Trump tweeted, "I asked VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country, I am proud of him and Second Lady Karen."
The Washington Post immediately jumped on that claiming that President Trump had somehow ordered Pence to leave---suggesting that Pence might not have left otherwise.
It's impossible for the newspaper of Jeff Bezos to believe that Pence, who reports to the president, might have said to his boss, "We're thinking of going to the game Sunday, what do you think about it"---"and if some of the players get on their knees or bottoms during the Anthem, disrespecting our Anthem and our Flag---how should I handle it---just walk out?"
The Post can't handle the truth because this was another opportunity for them to attempt to diminish the president and the vice president. And once again try to manufacture the illusion that there is a rift between the president and the vice president.
They and the New York Times have done this before a couple of months ago. Pence put the axe to that, leaving no question of his loyalty to the president.
Donald Trump's son Eric said on Twitter yesterday, "Vice President Pence is truly an amazing man! Thank you for standing up for our country and for the respect of our great flag."
CNN also seized the moment. They went "Big." Forget the Flag and Anthem---this was yet another opportunity to undermine the president and the vice president.
On yesterday's "CNN's Newsroom" while discussing Vice President Pence leaving the game, host Brian Stelter said it looked like a "staged event on the part of the president and the vice president."
He said, "I got to be cynical about this for a moment. Vice President Pence was in Las Vegas yesterday speaking solemnly about the massacre there. Then he flew home to Indiana. He spent the night in Indiana and went to the game today. He’s about to head back to the west coast. It makes you wonder if he purposely wanted to go to the Colts game today in Indiana in order to make this statement, knowing that 49ers players were almost guaranteed to kneel. There have been players on the San Francisco team kneeling every single game. Pence and his team head into the game today, they had to have known there was going to be kneeling.”
He continued, “His statement almost seems written ahead of time, and it seems like it was a staged moment for Pence to walk out and make a statement about this. But clearly, he feels strongly about these anthem protests. He wanted to express his criticism of them. So maybe he is back watching the game from home.”
By late last night, the media was piling on.
The Business Insider was building the case that it was a "stunt" planned by the president and vice president to re-energize the conversation about disrespect for our Flag and Anthem. And that President Trump was again trying to control the news narrative.
If he was...he succeeded.
However, living in the bubble of their own deceptions appears to cause the news media to be unable to believe that there are still people who actually believe in certain values and have the courage to act on those beliefs.
On the other side of the issue, Colin Kaepernick, who started this insanity by kneeling last year during the Anthem, is not presently playing in the NFL, but desperately wants to.
The NFL on NCBS also tweeted yesterday that Kaepernick would promise not to kneel if some team---any team, would sign him.
Kapaernick's girlfriend, a radio personality and Muslim sympathizer, reacted to CBS with this: "The reports that Colin will stand for the anthem are completely false! He has never discussed this with anyone."
Variations on both these stories will find their way into local news.
We live in a time of deception. We must be informed. Especially Christians.
Katherine Graham, former owner of the Washington Post, has said this:
We live in a dirty and dangerous world. There are some things the general public does not need to know and shouldn't. I believe democracy flourishes when the government can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows.
And, happy Columbus Day.
He too has taken a beating from the press and those who seek to revise history.
President Trump and Vice President Pence are in good company. I'll be talking a bit more about Columbus today on our live radio program. Join me live from anywhere in the world, live at 9 AM PDT. Here's how.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful.