Betsy’s Revenge

     Damn! I wanted a pair of those Betsy Ross sneakers. The ones with a replica of the Continental Flag as sewn by Betsy Ross, herself. $140.00 a pair! Nike had a sure winner in the pipeline this week when world opinion leader and Nike board Member, deep-thinker Colin Kaepernick, recalled that Betsy Ross was a notorious slave holder during the era of the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), and thus was not fit to design a flag or motto or movement or symbol. He whispered something to someone at Nike and Presto! Tens of thousands of pairs of the new Air Max 1 patriotic edition were ordered pulled from store shelves across the world. But there is hope! Oops, a few of them were sold before the ban, they are now showing up on StockX.com for $2,000 or eBay for about $2500 a pair. They’ll go higher of course, and when they do, I’m in. I love those shoes, gotta have them, $3,500.00 is not too much to pay for a quality shoe with a crack political message. Nike, after all. Hell, I’ll go to $4,000, what a bargain.
But wait! Wasn’t all of America held in bondage during that period of time? Weren’t we all slaves to Dopey King George III? Isn’t that what the Revolutionary War was all about? Taxation without representation is just a PC way of saying Americans were (and are) slaves to the tax man. Betsy and her circle of stars deserve a break.   Diversity ran rampant in those days as we all know. The first death in the War? Crispus Attucks, a former slave, a black man and Native American to boot. Benjamin Franklin? Old and activist. He wanted independence, his son did not. Diversity! Women in combat? A bare necessity, you want to win the war, get out there and skirmish! Alexander Hamilton? A bastard and a genius and a rollicking success on Broadway!
America requires all kinds, always has. Sneakers with a particular flag design pose no threat and do not represent what The Kaepernicks and Nikes think they do.
Gimme those sneakers!