If You're Upset About Michael Strahan "Disrespecting The Military" You're An Enormous Loser

What planet am I on anymore? And today of all days… I woke up so excited for my free Applebees riblets meal and 30% Kohl's discount and this lunacy nearly crushed my vibe.

"The great irony is that Strahan is on a ship surrounded by men and women who would willingly sacrifice their lives to defend his freedom." 

Yes - his FREEDOM you pandering moron. He's free to stand however he wants. All this overdone patriot policing is so obnoxious that it has me spiraling in the other direction. He can stand politely or take a knee or ride around on a unicycle juggling chainsaws for all I care, because thanks to The Troops™ this isn't some kooky-ass dictatorship where everyone must conform to a specific physical stance during the anthem.

And in this particular case I'm especially confused at the manufactured oUTrAgE because 1) Strahan is standing very respectfully anyways and 2) he's the son of a veteran who served for 23 years, grew up overseas as a military brat, and he's done so many good things for service members & vets. We worked with him a couple years ago for a Veterans Day initiative and he couldn't have been kinder & more personable. 

Sadly I'm self-aware enough to know I can't shit on the blind hero worship of post 9/11 veterans because it's probably the only reason I still have a job, but good God folks, there's a limit. Some people are so broken-brained from it they're in the comments arguing about "the rules" of precisely how you're supposed to stand and what you're supposed to do with your feet and hands and hats and drinks and whatever else so as not to 'offend the honor of our troops'. So here's the official ruling:

Your feet must be together at the heel in a slight V, you MUST take off your hat and hold it over your heart, and you must use your other hand to cup the balls (or flaps) of the nearest veteran who you MUST fellate the entirety of the song, otherwise it doesn't count and you hate America and you need to go live somewhere else if you don't like it. 

I'm rambling but man it's just so stale at this point. Shut upppp. "Respecting the troops" loses its luster when you make it feel mandatory & cry like a baby if someone 'does it wrong'. As a veteran it means a lot to see the current troops & those who came before us honored for their service & sacrifices, and it's so, so important to hear their stories be told on days like today, and it's really nice when people show appreciation - but we are not owed a damn thing. 

This Todd Starnes guy has a huge platform but has posted nothing for Veterans Day, has amplified zero cool stories, thanked no one and, though unsurprising, that is totally fine. He doesn't owe anyone a thing. What sucks is that he used the son of an honorable veteran for outrage clicks, which tells me he only suPpOrTs tHe TrOopS when they can serve him in some way.