Nuestro Himno

i got this email forwarded me this morning:

I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish --
enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic,)
German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott
Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts
even gave the translation -- not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this
is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP ---- please pass this along~
?
I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor;
have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND
LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS
AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM

Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending
someone-----YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!

first, if they're singing the national anthem, they're doing so to honour this country, so who cares if they choose to do it in swahili or mandarin or whatever? we've got Freedom of Speech to cover what people say, Freedom of Religion to protect differing faiths; i'd say Freedom to Sing Patriotic Songs in Whatever Freakin' Language You Like is implied.

next, it's NOT "your country." it's "OUR country." we all share it, and not every citizen follows your narrow conception of how things need to be, and i'm not aware of any indication that says that the people who are singing the star spangled banner in spanish are NOT proper citizens.

full assimilation into 'our culture' shouldn't be a prerequisite for citizenship. if it was, why does little italy exist? why does most every major city have a chinatown? the differences in our people, the traditions and customs brought here from other shores, are what makes our country so great. i LOVE that in my neighborhood there are russians, haitians, brazilians, chinese, koreans, and almost everything else. i love more that i can hear snippets of conversation in all of those languages and can pop into any of the number of russian, brazilian, spanish, or other convenience stores that are within walking distance. it is distinctly american to have such a breadth of diversity in such a small region, and i don't know what it serves to try to squash this.

anyway, i wonder if anyone complaining most vehemently about the national anthem know the very interesting history of it. many know that it was written by lawyer and amateur poet francis scott key during the battle of 1812 in response to witnessing the bombardment of baltimore's fort mchenry, but did you know its melody (in scott's mind as he composed the poem) is lifted from a british drinking song? that's right, a drinking song from great britain. i find that fascinating, especially considering that the british were the ones that war was fought against.

but i guess that ultimately makes sense. to be american is to bring in elements of other cultures and to weave it into something new. the american dream is woven in colours of all of its citizens.

there are pleny -- plenty -- of other, very real concerns people should be getting worked up about rather than bitching about what language the national anthem should be sung in.

global warming, anyone?