[jtal]

but (Aguilera) was not some high school kid in his first public performance;

I think a randomly selected high school choir student would have done a better job, provided the school was from a flyover state and not an urban graft school district.

(BEP) sounded like noises from hell

This is an astute observation. On one end of the spectrun, Gregorian chant offers a glimpse of heaven; the other end a glimpse of hell.

[LambSlave]

It bugs me when people like this complain about the de-evolution of our culture but still actively participate in and finance it. If you really believe what you say turn off the TV, boycott sports and Hollyweird.

[wmileo]

Does Christina Aguilera or any other modern singing 'superstar' actually know the true meaning of those words to the song we know as the 'Star Spangled Banner'?

I have heard recordings on YOUTUBE of her at hockey games and it seems to me that she doesn't. She looks like she is about to experience an orgasm rather than an affirmation.

It is an uplifting song but it is about a terrible time in American history when our country was attacked and the future outcome lay in the balance.

I just miss Robert Merrill!!!

That is why I found a recording of his on YOUTUBE before posting this. GOD BLESS.

[anglian]

Roy Masters - Marxian Opiates Redefined
Marx - the icon of choice when deceiving people into abandoning true freedom for addictive slavery.

Socialism, whether you call it communism, liberalism or whatever, is the opiate dependent ideology.

Alcoholism was a major health and social problem in the Soviet Union and remains a problem in the Russian Federation. Efforts by the communist government to combat alcoholism were largely unsuccessful. Alcoholism had a serious impact on the Soviet economy that could not be overlooked. But communism had a serious impact on the human spirit, and that was deliberately overlooked.

While socialist countries recognize the damaging effects of alcoholism, they do much to suppress its use and nothing to address the cause. Hereditary factors influencing alcohol abuse are insufficient to explain the widespread abuse, and when alcohol becomes difficult to obtain because of state regulations, other escapist drugs take its place. Socialists simply refuse to accept that the societies they have created drive people to flight, even if by drug induced fantasy.

I’m not suggesting capitalist societies are free of drug abuse. Escaping the realities of life by artificial means will always have a public following. There is however a stark difference between capitalist and socialist reality and what the individual can do to change that reality or choose to escape. Despite the hallucinatory ranting of liberals about the “evils of capitalism” and oppression, we have considerably more choices than those living in the truly oppressed “socialist paradises” of Cuba, China, Zimbabwe or Vietnam. Escapism remains a choice under capitalism, but one less likely to be exercised where liberty and morality reside.

My “capitalist masters” are not dictating where I work, where I live, what school I attend, what I eat, what healthcare I obtain, what news programs I watch or what beliefs I hold. In every case, I am the deciding and limiting factor. Socialist masters would make all those choices for me. Instead of choosing what I think is best for me I would be expected to accept their decisions because they allegedly know what is best for society. It is slavery and cannot overwhelm the human desire for liberty, hence escape by whatever means possible becomes the alternative liberty.

American liberals haven’t quite convinced the American public to abandon the capitalist system for rule by an oligarchy of socialist elites. To advance their cause, liberals employ opiates. The attack on capitalism using opiates to diminish free will and abandon moral responsibility.

Capitalism without morality is no better than socialism. Liberal attacks on religion serve two purposes. The first is to bring about amoral capitalism that will be rejected and self-destruct, as it should. The second purpose is to remove any obstacle to the absolutist rule of the socialist elite by eliminating the idea that a higher moral authority might exist. The elite will determine what is right or wrong, good or bad and we will obediently follow since there is no higher moral authority.

The welfare state is an opiate. The recipients receive their fixes in exchange for political support. It may not be paradise, but it sure beats working, saving and having to struggle for a living, at least for those whose greatest aspiration is to not miss their favorite television talk-show host or win the lottery.

The most powerful opiate on the liberal menu is sex. It is highly addictive and produces exactly the stupor needed to sedate the public. It costs nothing, is readily available, and to a large extent can be made consequent free. Sex sells and that message has never been lost on liberal politicians. Under the guise of “sexual freedom”, “reproductive rights” and the “right to privacy”, the gullible are buying it wholesale.

The destruction of the family is of little concern to socialists. The states opportunity to shape young minds is enhanced by dysfunctional families. The socialist elite are addicted to control and families are just a nuisance competing for obedience. Loyalty to the socialist state must be paramount and not impeded by a misguided sense of family.

Drugs, sex, a welfare check and other government “gifts” are a means to an end. Why bow to a God that would deprive you of these carnal pleasures and a life of ease when you can elect a politician that guarantees them? Why struggle with concepts of right and wrong when the government can do that for you? Why burden yourself with responsibilities the government will gladly assume? Why not just swallow the liberal opiates and accept life in a stupor?

[Hardastarboard]

I'll be polite and say The Black Eyed Peas performance was weak at best. I'm no judge, but IMHO Fergie wouldn't make it past like round three of American Idol if she can't sing any better than what I observed.

What troubled me more, with a bit more research, is that their hit "Boom Boom Pow" uses the word "Sh!T" like 8 times, in places where it rhymes and the lyrics don't make sense without it (OK, they don't make sense anyway, but hey . .).

It's surprising that the NFL, after the "Little Brown Jug" incident (Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction), would allow them to perform that number if they knew a profanity was a key part of the lyrics.

[wintertime]

CONSERVATIVES!!! WE MUST GET OUR NATION'S CHILDREN INTO **PRIVATE** CONSERVATIVE SCHOOLS!!!!

CONSERVATIVES!!!! WE MUST WORK TO SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS! Godlessness, socialist-funded, collectivist run can NOT be fixed!

Yes, I am shouting, jumping up and down, and having a fit! Socialist and godless government schooling is one of our nation's most urgent and serious threats! We may win a few more elections, but we will lose eventually if we continue to turn our kids over to the Moloch fires of socialist and godless government schooling.

Since God was removed from the public schools in the 1960s,

God, was removed from the government schools by my grandmother's day ( born 1894). Already, by then, she had a completely secular government education with a sprinkle of prayer in the morning. Yes, this godless secularism was mitigated for her because her teachers were, for the most part believing Christians. There was a HUGE difference between her godless government education and the Catholic parochial education that my mother and I and my siblings received.

In the mid-1800s, Horace Mann, a progressive Unitarian and one of the founders of our modern government schools, imposed upon American children a generic and lukewarm Protestantism in the new system of compulsory government schools. We know what Christ does with the lukewarm. He spits them out of His mouth!

The plan for government schools since their inception in the mid-1800s to early 1900s has **ALWAYS** been to continually move toward increasingly godless secularism. The governments schools are NOT failures. They are succeed fabulously well in achieving this and other goals.

If children attend godless government schools they **WILL** learn to think godlessly. They will either learn to be godless secularists themselves or at minimum learn to compartmentalize their faith. They MUST do this merely to participate in the godless program, do the godless homework, read the godless textbooks, and turn in godless assignments.

The author's statement above implies that if we returned the schools to the 1960's that they would somehow be fixed. NO! They wouldn't. I attended 11th and 12th grade in a government high school from the fall of 1962 to the spring 1964. They were godless then, with a sprinkle of prayer in the morning. The teachers and godless secular curriculum were already pushing the boundaries of "edgy".

Government schools can NOT be fixed. It is impossible to fix collectivism, socialist-funded, government managed, collectivist run, compulsory, prison-like schools whose moral direction takes its cue from voting mob comrade committees ( school boards)!

And...Merely by attending these schools children will learn to be comfortable with godlessness, collectivism, socialism, godlessness, compulsory prison-like programs, that are run by voting mob comrade committees!

the degeneration has been progressing more each year,

Well!...Duh!...Whereas my grandmother ( born 1894) was subjected to a godless curriculum with a sprinkle of prayer in the morning, she did have the benefit of Christian teachers. This is much less the case today.

and we are now left with the results of a watery “education” with no moral foundation—a nation overrun with people who have never gained even the most basic knowledge of God’s truth and why it matters.

Yep!

John Dewey, the Fabian socialist ( communist), would be so proud of his creation. Our schools are like a grown up Rosemary's Baby.

Part of that is certainly the dumbed-down public school curriculum. Despite being given billions of dollars of taxpayer money year after year, the schools are no longer providing a quality education to students. Instead, the schools churn out kids who can’t even write a legible paragraph and who do not know the correct history of our nation and world.

No wonder our nation's children are failing academically. ""The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 1:7)"

[mancini]

Vocal gymnastics . . . hate them for the most part. In small doses it’s nice. Every time I see Jennifer Hudson doing the Weight Watchers commercial and she’s braying I have to turn it off. These gals could learn a thing or two from listening to singers like Cleo Laine or Jane Olivor. But everything has to be over the top these days to the point of being clownish.

[Rappini]

Couldn’t agree more. The difficult part is stopping it.

[wbill]

Superbowl Entertainment is like lite beer.

They try to make it appealing to everyone, so it doesn't taste like anything at all.

I'd have thought that for a game played in Texas, they'd have a good Texas band come in. ZZ Top comes immediately to mind, but then again, I like them.

[wbill]

This singer is one who does the vocal gymnastics. ....Neal Boortz calls this "Urban Yodeling". Appropriate, I think.

FWIW, I can't stand it either.

[csmusaret]

With all the focus on the entertainers, FOX is getting a pass on the most poorly produced Super Bowl telecast in recent memory. I am no fan of Joe Buck but I am not talking about the announcing. The game broadcast really was sub standard.

[SkyPilot]

So, here comes the National Anthem, sung by Christina Aguilera. First of all, I have long hated the trend of singers nowadays to do these wild vocal gymnastics that take the notes of a song up and down and all around.

Black Teen Told to Sing the National Anthem More Traditionally

There are already charges being thrown around that criticism of they way Aguilera sand the anthem is "racist." Yes, she is white, but she was parroting the "African-American" style of singing, which has many names, one of which is "the runs." You don't sing notes, but vary the pitch constantly to bring more "soul" to the song.

A few years ago, they had some black singers sing the anthem this way, and it came under much criticism. It was so annoying....."Oh say//ssssay....say....saaaaaaay can you......you....YOUUUUUU..... see....seeee...sseeeeeee!"

I find it annoying and contrived, but then again, here comes the "racist" charge.

Next, the Black Eyed Peas were loud, stupid, obnoxious (lighted TRON suits.....really?) and overbearing.

[texmexis best]

Christine’s vocal gymnastics were nothing more than musical cliches hot glued together at the last moment without any thought given to the performance and to the meaning of the words.

She was off key twice.

Her performance was awful.

[discostu]

I don’t think Aguilera’s flub was any proof of degeneracy in the culture, pretty much the only thing it proved was that Whitney Houston was right, at some point the realization that over 100 million people are watching will burst into your mind and you’ll probably freak out, pre-record and lip sync. When something puts the zap on your head you’re lucky if you can remember your name forget the lyrics to some song.

As for BEP, they are what they are. I think they’re stupid, but what the heck. I think Deep Purple tends towards the stupid too, the only real difference is I enjoy Deep Purple’s stupid.

[The Great RJ]

Not that I dislike our National Anthem, but it is difficult to sing and more often then not butchered by the performers at sporting events. I would rather see a simple dignified instrumental version performed at these events even it it was recorded rather than have to grit my teeth listening to a badly performed vocal version.

I played in both high school and college bands and frequently played at sporting events various arrangements of the Star Spangled Banner including one by John Phillip Sousa. However, I recently happened on an arrangement of the National Anthem by the Band Master of Custer's 7th Calvary that is short, dignified and would be wholly appropriate for these events. The CD is available here

[steelyourfaith]

Well said ... my sentiments exactly.

[Fiji Hill]

Bring back marching bands for Super Bowl halftime shows!