Only in America do we get our knickers in a knot over the inconsequential symbols of our country. People in other countries don’t worship their flags the way we do, or have pledges of allegiance that take on cosmic importance in federal court. Now it’s the national anthem. Give me a break.

If we got one-tenth as agitated over the REAL essence of our nation as we do over these stupid symbols, this would be a great place to live. How about some national angst over freedom of speech or constitutional checks and balances?

Great! Something new for the right wing to soil themselves over. I was getting tired of the whole "flag burning" debate, and this one is an even more preposterous waste of time and now, thanks to Frist and his buddies, my money. Hey, fellas? We're not talking about changing the National Anthem so that from this point, you'll have to learn it in Spanish if you want to sing along at the ballgame. And the last time I checked, one of the "freedoms" that we've got here was to record whatever the hell we wanted, in whatever language pleased us most.

It meant so much more to me in English.

I do care about the so called Spanish-language national anthem. Although I must admit that it doesn't bother me so much that it was translated into Spanish, what does bother me is that they took it upon themselves to change the words. That is totally unacceptable. Also Tim, I have another question for you. What is your definition of legal and illegal?

I know I wont get an answer to that one, but I just thought I would ask. JGM

Aw, lord, I'm just laughing so hard at the letters here and the whole fiasco in general that it's really hard to remember that there is a reason why some people are so touchy about this particular rendition of our god-awful, ear-splitting, verging-on-the-ludicrous national anthem. See, it was calculated. You gotta connect the dots. You have to bear in mind that a lot of people truly are convinced that the whole thing springs from the recent "Day Without an Immigrant" blowout, during which a lot of people, in very calculated fashion, worked very hard to irritate the bejesus out of blue-collar Americans. After taking all those jobs "Americans won't do", filling up our emergency rooms with snotty-nosed kids and knife wounds on the American taxpayer's dime, after simply being here in violation of the law and then demanding (there's that word again) yet more entitlements, the benificiaries of our largesse are treated to Wyclef and friends releasing a Spanish version of Francis Scot Key's immortal mangling of words and music, a few demonstrators (or whatever they were or were doing) sing the anthem in a language they themselves have barely mastered any better than most Americans have mastered Americanese, and you've got Mrs. O'Leary's cow in the act of kicking over the lantern that eventually reduced Chicago to a burned-out pile of, well, cowhide and charred pizza. It ain't pretty. In any language. Just aks the Presidensity.

Oh, great! Another language in which no one can sing the Star Spangled Banner in.

I'd say we switch to Yankee Doodle. It's more associated with our fight for independence, we all know the words, everyone can sing the tune, and no one will ever be able to translate "doodle" into Spanish.

Besides, I like a national anthem that proclaims that how handy we Americans are with the ladies. It drives them cheese eating surrender monkeys up a wall.

Thanks for posting that. That's hilarious. Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart should dig up tapes of both the inaugural and the recent statement of "principle."

Would someone please tell me what they are supposed to do in Puerto Rico? Its part of the US of A! It may yet become the 51st state. The people there a born citizens of our country. And, they speak Spanish. Wnen they attend a baseball game, a common event, will they be required to sing in English?

And, if we want a really neat new national anthem, how about "Lift Every Voice and Sing?" It really rocks.

Ken

How hard can this be to understand for some of you?

You can take your driver's license test in almost any language, you can testify in court in any language and the court has to find you an interpreter, for free (which feeds a great cottage industry of immigrants who work as translators). Government documents are printed in many languages.

Sorry people. That's the way it is. If you want to change it, get a constitutional amendment. That went really well with flag-burning, so you should try with this too. ;)

National Anthem Sung In Spanish At First Bush Inaugural

On Friday, President Bush blasted the idea of singing the Star Spangled Banner in Spanish. But Bush’s highly-scripted 2001 inaugural ceremony actually featured a rendition of the national anthem sung in Spanish by Jon Secada. From Cox News Service, 1/18/01:

The opening ceremony reflected that sentiment. A racially diverse string of famous and once famous performers entertained Bush, soon-to-be First Lady Laura Bush, Vice President-elect Richard B. Cheney and his wife, Lynne, who watched on stage from a special viewing area.

Pop star Jon Secada sang the national anthem in English and Spanish.

Apparently, Secada singing the anthem in Spanish was a regular feature of the Bush campaign. From the 8/3/00 Miami Herald:

The nominee, his wife Laura, erstwhile rival John McCain and his wife Cindy joined Bush on a platform where children sang the national anthem - in “Spanglish,” Secada explained.

This morning, ThinkProgress revealed that, according to Kevin Phillip’s book American Dynasty, Bush himself sang the national anthem in Spanish. Looks like Bush’s conviction that “the national anthem ought to be sung in English” was something he acquired very recently.

Less than half a percent (and I'd venture to say "much less") of the US population knows the second verse of the Star Spanlged Banner, let alone the whole thing.

This includes Atheist in CO... Sorry to disappoint you, but it does mention God.

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”

Not exactly an atheist sentiment there.