The National Football League recently announced that players can stay in the locker room or be fined for not standing for the American flag and national anthem.

Besides the fine, the NFL also should disqualify all players from participating in games they protest. The players’ demonstrations dishonor and disrespect the most powerful symbols of American heritage and values, the flag and the anthem.

These football players should show their appreciation to their country, the opportunity for them to become wealthy athletes. If not, they can seek employment in the Canadian Football League or some other profession of their choice.

Robert Hatakeyama

Salt Lake

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A bad idea to live on an active volcano

I have little sympathy for people who live on top of a known active volcano. What were they thinking?

I think about all the public and private money and people power involved in protecting, servicing and rescuing them. What a waste.

Do people who move here from the mainland and to the volcano area think that doing so makes them Hawaiian?

Fred Metcalf

Kalihi

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Give people a path to U.S. citizenship

We have millions of people in the U.S. illegally. I think we should give a legal status to the law-abiding people in this demographic, with a pathway to citizenship. And because the United States is accommodating these circumstances, I think people who earn citizenship should pay income taxes for 20 years before they have the right to vote.

John Berry

Makiki