Bowl last year, and he said he would go again if asked, t

SAN FRANCISCO -- The oldest Latino civil rights group in the United States opens every meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, a tradition resulting from a long fight to prove Hispanics belong in this country.In the San Francisco Bay Area, a white father of two says he would never require his young daughters to recite the pledge to show their patriotism.And in North Dakota, Native American protesters whose ancestors were here long before there was a United States waved American flags as they fought a proposed pipeline near sacred tribal land. Some demonstrators flew the flag upside down as a distress symbol.San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernicks refusal to stand during The Star-Spangled Banner in protest against racial oppression and police brutality has brought to light deep and sometimes surprising differences in the way Americans view the flag, the national anthem and the pledge.The symbols, people say, inspire skepticism and heartbreak, pride and joy, sometimes all at once in the same person. Some minorities, in particular, have conflicted feelings about symbols honoring a country that has not always treated all people equally.The flag is important to us because we have so many relatives in the military, said Justin Poor Bear, a 38-year-old member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from Allen, South Dakota. There is also a lot of pain.Following Kaepernicks example, pro athletes and high school students across the country are taking a knee or linking arms during the national anthem before sporting events.The protests have raised questions of who gets to be called a patriot.Jason Pontius, a 46-year-old white resident of Alameda, California, said the U.S. of all countries should realize that blind devotion is not the American way. Sometimes when he drops off his second-grader at school, he sticks around while she recites the Pledge of Allegiance with her class. But he doesnt join in.What makes America great, he said, is that people have always challenged the idea of what America stands for.Yet there are organizations that embrace the flag precisely as a way to declare that their members, too, are Americans.The League of United Latin American Citizens -- the nations oldest Latino civil rights group, founded in Texas by World War I veterans -- has historically opened all its meetings with the pledge and a prayer similar to one George Washington is said to have recited.Dennis W. Montoya, the leagues state director in New Mexico, said the groups emphasis on American pride is connected with a long fight by Latinos to prove they belong in this country.If someone doesnt stand for the pledge at one of our meetings, that person will probably be kicked out, Montoya said. Its disrespecting LULACs rituals and traditions.African-Americans have been moved to create symbols that better reflect their history.The national anthem, for example, was written by a slave owner and contains a painful reference to slavery in its little-known third stanza. The NAACP dubbed Lift Evry Voice and Sing the black national anthem in 1919.The hymn is a staple of African American singers and is so important that the clergy member who gave the benediction at President Barack Obamas 2009 inauguration opened with lines from the song.After Kaepernick started his protest in August, C.C. Washington of Waco, Texas, read all the stanzas of The Star-Spangled Banner, including the one that refers derisively to slaves who fought for the British in exchange for their freedom.The 65-year-old African-American retiree -- fresh off visiting the Statue of Liberty last week -- felt betrayed.All this time, Ive been posting on Facebook: Respect our flag, respect our national anthem. Now its totally different, she said, choking up. Ill stand out of respect for the people standing next to me, not because I believe it.Poor Bear said he started looking at the anthem differently after he took a group of Oglala Lakota students to a minor-league hockey game last year. A man yelled slurs and sprayed the children with beer, incensed that one of them did not stand for the national anthem, Poor Bear said. The student had been putting batteries into a camera.So I still stand for the national anthem, Poor Bear said. But I no longer put my hand over my heart.Linda Tamura, a retired professor of education in Portland, Oregon, has no personal objections to the anthem or the flag, even though her family was among tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans put in internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II.Her father volunteered for the military, along with her uncle and other Japanese-American men who felt it was their duty. When she looks at the Stars and Stripes, she says, she feels pride, instilled in part by her parents, who more than anything wanted us to believe in our country.At the same time, she salutes the growing protest movement and hopes it triggers broader discussions about how to improve relations.Thats why my father was in the military. Thats why were part of America. Thats why we believe in America, she said. Because we have the right to say what we believe.---Contreras reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. AP staff writer Deepti Hajela and stringer Rachelle Blidner contributed to this story from New York. Staff writers Errin Haines Whack contributed from Philadelphia; Jesse J. Holland and Noreen Nasir from Washington.---Follow Janie Har on Twitter at www.twitter.com/byjaniehar Wholesale Vapormax 3 . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Vapormax Plus Clearance . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/off-white-x-nike-vapormax-black-white-clearance.html . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Vapormax Womens Clearance . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Wholesale Vapormax .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. CINCINNATI -- Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert would love to be named to a second Pro Bowl, but dont expect him to actually play in the game.Eifert suffered an ankle injury in last seasons Pro Bowl that required surgery and put him out of commission for the entire offseason. That injury, combined with a back injury, caused him to miss six games this year.Id like to make it, but Im not going to go if I got asked, Eifert said.Eifert made his stance on the game clear when he said in the offseason that he wouldnt go back. He has not changed his mind as the season winds down.Eifert made the Pro Bowl in 2015 after the best season of his career, catching 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns. But missing the first part of the season, combined with a struggling offense, has led to lower numbers for Eifert this season. He has played in 8 games, catching 24 passes for 394 yards and 5 touchdowns.Eiferts yards per game (49.3) and yards per reception (13.6) are actually career highs. But Eifert will likely ponder what could have been if he had been able to come into the season fully healthy.It was one of the best experiences Ive ever had, Eifert said of last seasons Pro Bowl. But its just not worth it.Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap said the risk of injury is always a concern, particularly when it happens to a teammate. Dunlap went to the Pro Bowl last year, and he said he would go again if asked, though he has thought about the risk.Its more oof a concern for players like Eifert, who is going into the final year of his contract after the Bengals picked up his fifth-year option.ddddddddddddThats obviously going to be in the back of peoples minds, guys that are up for new deals are probably worried about that a lot more than guys who are under contracts, Dunlap said. Obviously, I still have a concern about it.This years Pro Bowl is being played in Orlando -- a location not exactly enticing to Eifert or some of the other players, who would prefer it stay in Hawaii or another tropical location.When it was in Arizona and guys were having Pro Bowl seasons, they werent exactly excited to go there, because obviously weve played there. Its like playing the Cardinals. But theres no team in Orlando, so I dont know how thats going to feel, Dunlap said.Me personally, I think they should just rotate it with tropical cities. Its got to be someplace warm. Nobody wants to go play in the Pro Bowl in someplace thats cold. Its got to be someplace warm thats attractive to families and the single guys.?Eiferts stance on the Pro Bowl doesnt look like its going to change anytime soon, but he said if it was in a place like Hawaii every year, it would be more tempting for players on the fence to go.It [should be played] somewhere warm and fun and by the water, Eifert said. ' ' '