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As the Summer Olympic Games draw near, it is unfortunate that the United States will be represented by so many athletes who hate their country. For example, hammer-thrower Gwen Berry, who finished third at the U.S. Olympic trials, displayed her antipathy toward her country when she turned her back on the American flag during the medal ceremony. As the National Anthem played, she held her head down in shame and displayed an “Activist Athlete” T-shirt.

Any activism should be conducted on personal time, not during a medal ceremony. This was an insult to her country and to the other medal-winning athletes who had the misfortune of sharing the podium with her. For such a stunt, Berry should have been immediately removed from the team. Unfortunately, she remains on the team to infect other athletes with her poisonous views.

Most of the women of the United States soccer team already seem to share Berry’s anti-American attitude. Recently at an exhibition match, some members of the team turned away from the American flag during the National Anthem, which was performed on harmonica by Pete Dupre, a 98-year-old World War II veteran.

These players, who seem to be competing for the title of “most woke,” also misbehaved during another exhibition match. This time, all team members, except for two, kneeled in unison during the National Anthem while wearing “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) jackets.

The team members showed more allegiance to BLM than to their country. The BLM lettering was much larger than anything representing their country. Obviously, these players do not care that BLM activists have been involved in violent riots across the country and that the founders of the organization openly supported communism while opposing the traditional nuclear family structure.

On Independence Day, the Utah BLM chapter posted an online message of hate about the symbol of our country, the American flag. In their post, the group claimed that the American flag was “a symbol of hatred.” According to these BLM radicals, “When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist … lives in a different America than we do.”

Of course, these comments were outrageous, inaccurate, and downright disgusting. In response Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) correctly identified why the American flag is so important. In a statement to the Deseret News, he said, “Our flag represents the greatest country in the history of the world. It stands for freedom and opportunity for all. It has stood the test of time as a beacon to the free and oppressed and too many lives have been lost to preserve that symbol and all its stands for. I refuse to let any white supremacy or Black Lives Matter groups change that.”

While previous generations were taught to revere our flag and our national anthem, such training is not taking place in our schools today. Too many children are being taught to hate our country, our symbols, and our history. Instead of America being viewed as the greatest country on earth, students are indoctrinated with garbage such as critical race theory. Thus, our Founding Fathers are demonized, not praised. Instead of being proud to be an American, children are being taught to be ashamed of our history of oppression, hatred, and racism.

It is having a very detrimental impact on the feeling of patriotism in our country. It was clearly displayed in a viral video that was posted on Friday, which has been viewed over 3.4 million times in less than two days. In the video, a young boy on a scooter ripped an American flag from a yard and tossed it to the ground. He was accompanied by an older woman, presumably his mother, on a bicycle. She watched his destructive act, but did not reprimand him, and then left with him. One person commented on social media, “A nation will not survive when society teaches its children to hate it.”

Even the Marvel Comics character Captain America seems to hate the country. In a new comic book series, this formerly respected superhero claims the American dream is a “lie … never really existed in the first place.” Once a comic book superhero starts to trash the country, it is apparent that a lack of patriotism is a widespread and serious problem.

Fortunately, there are still many patriotic Americans who love their country, respect their flag, and stand with their hand over their heart for the national anthem. On Wednesday night, at an NHL playoff game, thousands of fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, proudly sang the national anthem in unison. It was a beautiful display of patriotism, but it does not just happen at sporting events.

On July 3, at a Walmart in Haslet, Texas, a group of shoppers spontaneously started singing the national anthem with their hands over their hearts. It was captured on video and has been viewed 1.4 million times.

Most Americans are not part of this destructive and debilitating woke culture that has declared war on our country. Most Americans are proud of this nation and its history and proud to display their patriotism.

No one should forget one of the greatest plays in Major League Baseball history. It happened on April 25, 1976. During a Cubs-Dodgers game, two trespassers burst onto the outfield planning to light the American flag on fire. Fortunately, before they could succeed, Cubs outfielder Rick Monday swooped in, pulled the flag away and saved it from destruction. In the aftermath, the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium reflected the views of all patriotic Americans by congratulating Monday for making a “great play.”

Especially at this moment in our history, when so much of traditional America is under attack from these woke and powerful forces within our midst, we need more people like Rick Monday to stand up for our country.

We also need to clearly tell these radicals, either you love this country or please leave. Good luck finding a better country anywhere else in the world.

Jeff Crouere is the host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 10 p.m. Sunday on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 a.m. till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the political analyst for WGNO-TV ABC 26 and a columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.