Trump and Pence just do not get it. They are completely wrong about kneeling. It is neither disrespectful of the national anthem nor the US flag. It has one and only one purpose, and that is and has always been to call attention of the public to a matter being largely ignored: the widespread institutional oppression by police of black men. It is a tactic that deserves the attention of all right-thinking Americans, but has drawn only scorn from our right-leaning government. There is too darn much of it to ignore, and we owe it to those athletes who have shown the courage to do something that people will notice, even if it draws the obligatory show of righteous indignation from Trump and Pence and other attention-seeking politicians.