21
6
Jim Howard, of Garden City, Kansas is a red-blooded, American patriot and a faithful supporter of the athletic program at the local community college.
For 32 years he’s volunteered with the booster club – keeping scorebooks, holding fundraisers, running the chain gang for football – and even providing a place for players to have a Thanksgiving meal.
He was in the stands on Nov. 1 for the season-opener of the Garden City Broncbusters basketball team. And when the announcer asked everyone to stand for the national anthem, he dutifully joined the crowd and stood at attention.
That’s when he noticed a lone player seated on a bench at courtside – Rasool Samir, a 19-year-old Muslim red-shirt.
It was unusual because there’s a team rule that the entire basketball team was supposed to stay inside the locker room until after the national anthem had concluded.
But as the crowd began singing about the bombs bursting in air and the rocket’s red glare, the Muslim basketball player grabbed a ball, walked onto the court and began shooting baskets.