d even closing with a 73, no one could catch him. Ernie Els closed with a 67 and tied for second, two shots behind. He remembers being in the clubhouse

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. Air Force 1 High Outlet .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 Air Force 1 China . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Air Force 1 Sale . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/ . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. A look at key anniversaries in British Open history:150 years ago (1866): Willie Park Sr. won his third British Open at Prestwick by posting the lowest scores of the opening two rounds (54-56) to build a five-shot lead. He closed with a 59 for a two-shot victory over his brother, David Park. Old Tom Morris finished fourth, while Young Tom Morris finished ninth in his second Open. Twelve players completed the championship. All of them were from Scotland. Parks first prize was 6 pounds.---125 years ago (1891): In the final year that the British Open was contested over 36 holes in one day, Hugh Kirkaldy had rounds of 83-83 to beat his brother, Andrew Kirkaldy, and Willie Fernie by two shots at St. Andrews. Andrew Kirkaldy took a 6 at the Road Hole and had a putt to tie his brother. He wound up three-putting. Hugh Kirkaldy won 10 pounds for his only Open title. It was the third runner-up finish for Andrew Kirkaldy.---100 years ago (1916): The British Open was canceled because of World War I.---75 years ago (1941): The British Open was canceled because of World War II.---50 years ago (1966): Jack Nicklaus became the fourth player to complete the career Grand Slam with his one-shot victory over Doug Sanders and Dave Thomas at Muirfield. This was the first time the Open was contested over four days (one year after the U.S. Open went to four days), though it still ended on Saturday. Nicklaus made birdie at the par-5 17th to break a three-way tie and his par on No. 18 gave him his sixth professional major.---25 years ago (1991): Ian Baker-Finch won his only major with a 64-66 weekend at Royal Birkdale for a two-shot victory over Mike HHarwood. Air Force 1 Black Outlet. Seven years earlier, Baker-Finch had a share of the 54-hole lead and shot 79. This time, he had a one-shot lead and made five birdies in the opening seven holes to seize control. Jodie Mudd tied for fifth by becoming the first player in British Open history to post a 63 in the final round. Payne Stewart matched the feat two years later.---20 years ago (1996): Tom Lehman, who had endured close calls at the Masters (1994) and U.S Open (1995, 1996), finally broke through with a ball-striking exhibition at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He was at 198 after three rounds, and even closing with a 73, no one could catch him. Ernie Els closed with a 67 and tied for second, two shots behind. He remembers being in the clubhouse hopeful of Lehman making two bogeys. Sitting next to him was Tiger Woods, the 20-year-old amateur consulting Els on whether he should go pro. Tom made par and Tiger turned pro. I was (doomed) either way, Els said. Woods tied for 22nd and turned pro a month later.---10 years ago (2006): One month after missing the cut for the first time in a major, Tiger Woods won the British Open for the second straight year after holding off a strong challenge from Chris DiMarco. Woods closed with a 67 at Royal Liverpool for a two-shot victory and sobbed on the 18th green. It was his first victory since his father died two months earlier of cancer. Woods became the first player since Tom Watson (1982-83) to win back-to-back in the British Open. His 11th major tied him with Walter Hagen. ' ' '