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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
I am of the same opinion with the War Room on the issue of the national anthem in Spanish. I don't care. With a war, high gas prices, many people having no health insurance, etc., going on, I think there are more important things on which to spend my energy. Here's the key issue for me, for all those who are complaining--do you (presumably native-born American) even know all of the national anthem (in English)? Can you sing the entire song? I think it's more of an issue that many English-speaking Americans don't even know the whole song. According to a survey I saw this week, 61% of respondents didn't know all of it (the first verse, that is). I know I don't. I learned the French national anthem in a high school French class and can sing that a lot better. Instead of a Congressional resolution demanding the anthem be sung in English, how about demanding that every one must learn it before they finish elementary school? That makes more sense to me as a native-born American and third-generation native of the nation's capital.
Don't forget the Jimi Hendrix version, my personal favorite...
Ethay Arstay-Angledspay Annerbay
Oway aysay, ancay ouyay eesay, ybay ethay awn'sday earlyway
ightlay,
Atwhay osay oudlypray eway ail'dhay atway ethay ilight'stway
astlay eamingglay?
Osewhay oadbray ipesstray andway ightbray arsstay, o'thray ethay
erilouspay ightfay,
O'erway ethay ampartsray eway atch'dway, ereway osay allantlygay
eamingstray?
Andway ethay ockets'ray edray areglay, ethay ombsbay urstingbay
inway airway,
Avegay oofpray o'thray ethay ightnay atthay ourway agflay asway
illstay erethay.
Oway aysay, oesday atthay arstay-angledspay annerbay etyay
aveway
O'erway ethay andlay ofway ethay eefray andway ethay omehay
ofway ethay avebray?
The reason it's an issue now is because illegal aliens, who are criminals, are trying to blackmail us into giving them rights. It's deeply offensive.
A while ago my kids played a cassette tape my white-bread, WWII-vet dad, who died in 2000, had recorded with them about ten years ago, when they were very small. Daddy prompted my son through the pledge (they'd just learned it in kindergarten) and then dazzled the children by reciting it himself in Spanish, a feat that was clearly a relic from his high-school class back in the late 30s. It never occurred to any of us to question the patriotism of this recitation; in fact, the opposite occurred to me: "God, they were so indoctrinated back then that even Spanish class was devoted to reciting the stupid pledge of allegiance!"
PS: it was interesting to note that the word "Dios" was not part of Daddy's memorized version, since of course that hadn't been added when he learned it.
This type of rant on Salon.com is what irks me about anti-republicans (not all dems) today. It seems that they figure out whatever they can to slam the Bush administration, regardless of what it is about and spin it as negative.
Fact is, English is our only recongnized language in this country. Until spanish becomes one of those languages, the national anthem should be sung in English.
It's absurd the Republicans are focusing on this issue and it's great that Bush is on record opposing Spanish-language versions of the US national anthem.
According to Kevin Phillips, Bush sang the US national anthem in Spanish during the 2000 presidentential "election."
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/02/mcclellan-bush-spanish-anthem/
War Room's tone suggests just the sort of head-scratching, we-gotcha-but-we're-stunned-at-the-irony attitude that indicates how little you understand the president. Look, it's very simple. The president has demonstrated over and over that the rules are different for him. While other folks might be asked to sing the national anthem only in English, the president himself can sing it in whatever language he likes. Whether it's warrantless spying, signing statements on torture bills, or the national anthem, there's one way for regular folks, and one way for the president. It's as simple as that.
Most people that post here with angry comments about articles seem to be posting about something in their heads and not what's on the screen.
brianhoxie and Brian (possibly the same person there...)
No one is saying it is to become the official version. No one is saying you or your kids have to sing it in another language. Why do you care if someone sings it in another language? You write as though someone's trying to make you do something different or (heaven forfend) learn something! Nothing could be farther from the truth. If they really want to sing a song about a batle in the mostly forgotten War of 1812 in Spanish, more power to them.
That was before we started wars with Mexico and Spain, maybe they'll forget that we did.
...illegal aliens...are trying to blackmail us...
So you claim that immigrants are going to reveal our secrets if we don't give in? Do you even know what the word "blackmail" means? Why are there so many people promoting English who don't know English?
Perhaps someone (Salon? Larry Flynt?) could hold a contest to find video of Bush singing the anthem in Spanish. What news network wouldn't want to run that next to Bush saying it should only be sung in English (okay, I can think of one news network that wouldn't)? And what better way to both alienate him from his core winger base and from his rapidly-shrinking Hispanic supporters?
As noted, its a little bit hypocritical to deny people the freedom to sing what they want, but on the other hand, turn about is fair play. Someone really ought to record the Mexican National Anthem in English:
http://forums.hypography.com/social-sciences/6168-annex-mexico-5.html#post101927
hey,im part english and I want my drinking music back!
At the ballgames or anywhere where it is nationally televised (if you haven't noticed the Olympics only play an instrumental anthem for all countries now) sure it should be in English. As for can individuals sing it anyway they damn please in any language they want, sure. English is the un-official national language, everything is printed in English here, all of the TV shows and all of our newpapers are in english, only some of them are brodcast in Spanish too. Anyone who doesn't bother to learn the most common language of your country of residence is doing a disservice to themselves.
So there is no way I want to hear the anthem first sung in english, then in spanish, then in cantonese, although I have no problem with printing translations for people to use if they wish.
Translating text into other languages is no problem, without it I would never have read some of the greatest books ever written.
For me this is a non-issue, perhaps we should be focusing on how to secure our borders and look at the process of becoming a legal immigrant and how it could be changed or restructured to allow easier entry into our country.
It's easy to sympathise with poor people who come from craptacular countries but don't let your emotions get in the way of the rule of law, our President uses emotions all the time to break our laws, don't look at my crappy security, we gotta make sure fags can't wed! Hey don't look at all the soldiers dying based on lies, we gotta make sure women can't kill their babies.
So the fundies may be tools of the right, but anyone condoning illegal behavior based on feelings of oh those poor people is just another kind of tool.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
