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 Jared Spurgeon Wild Jersey . 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Custom Minnesota Wild Jerseys . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. AKRON, Ohio -- U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson is planning to play in the Olympics, and he said a meeting with USA Golf helped clear up a few concerns.Johnson said the Zika virus was discussed only briefly. The meat of the meeting was about security.I think theyve got it covered pretty well, Johnson said.The meeting had been planned long before Rory McIlroy and Jason Day pulled out of the Olympics in the past week, both citing concerns about the Zika virus. USA Golf is the national governing body for golf in the United States.I thought the meeting was good, Johnson said. It cleared up a lot of things. Still waiting to hear back on a couple things that all four of us had a concern about, but well have some answers early next week. At this point Im going to go to the Olympics and represent my country, and Im looking forward to it.The meeting was for the four eligible players -- Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler. Countries are allowed as many as four players in Rio provided they are among the top 15 in the world. Fowler has the lowest ranking at No. 7.Spieth said he was uncertain and that there were quite a few different factors that would turn somebody away from going.I personally have not received enough information that would allow me to make a confident decision either way at this point, so itll be as we gather further information Ill be able to lean one way or the other, and when I feel confident on either side, Ill make the choice, he said.I just dont have a lot of information yet, and I will by next week, I think, have a significant amount more.---LOWRYS CONFUSION: Upon further reflection, Shane Lowry says he was affected by the USGAs indecision on whether Dustin Johnson should receive a one-stroke penalty in the final round of the U.S. Open.The USGA told Johnson on the 12th tee at Oakmont that he likely would get a one-shot penalty, and he could review it after the round. That meant Johnson didnt know over the last seven holes if his score was going to be one-shot worse. And neither did the players chasing him, though each were told of the situation.Lowry was tied for the lead -- as it turns out, he was one shot ahead -- with five holes to play. Johnson finished with three pars and a birdie, while Lowry three-putted three straight holes and tied for second.At the time I didnt think it affected me, and I did my interviews afterward and I said it didnt affect me at all, he said.dddddddddddd But when I look back on it, it did.He said Lee Westwoods caddie told Lowrys caddie as they walked off the 15th green that he didnt think Johnson would be penalized.We then stood on the 16th tee and went, `Right, were two behind. Whereas we were only one behind, Lowry said.The Irishman three-putted from long range on a fast green to drop another shot, and he never had a chance to catch up.I think if Dustin really wanted to argue his case, he could have, and he might have got away with that penalty shot if he really needed to, Lowry said. It would have been interesting to see if the two of us had have been tied or I would have won by one, whether Dustin would have got penalized that shot or not.---SCOTT ON OLYMPICS: Former Masters champion Adam Scott was the first golfer to pull out of the Olympics. He cited scheduling and family, though he has made no secret that he is more focused on pursuing titles that have more history than Olympic golf. Golf hasnt been part of the games since 1904.Scott saw two problems with the Olympics unrelated to Zika or any security concerns.For starters, he believes the Olympics should be for amateurs only.If the idea is to grow the game, Id make an argument that having the amateurs in the Olympics would grow the game the most -- not us, he said. I think having a young golfer aspire to be an Olympian is more realistic as an amateur than a professional. ... I think looking at the big picture, putting the amateurs in would be a better result for growing the game, if thats the point of our sport being in the Olympics.The other issue is making sure the Olympics fit in the landscape of professional golf.Eligible players will have two majors and the Olympics in a span of five weeks, and then the four-tournament FedEx Cup playoffs.Its just kind of shoved in there at a very critical time for everything Ive ever dreamed of winning, Scott said. I think theyve got to figure out how professional golf fits in that system better, whether thats a team event or stays individual, mixed team events, all of the above. But they should have a look at that because I think itll continue to be a problem beyond these games. ' ' '