Posted on 04/30/2006 6:50:37 AM PDT by kellynla
The entertainers who collaborated on a Spanish version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" are doing no favors for the cause of immigration reform. Their recording - titled, with all the subtlety of a thumb in the eye, "Our Anthem" - reinforces the damaging stereotype that America's newcomers see this not as a nation indivisible, but as two societies separated by language and culture. The congressional nativists and all who are determined to deny a path to legitimacy for the country's 11 million illegal immigrants are going to have a field day with this ill-timed expression of ethnic pride. Already it has been dubbed "The Illegal Alien Anthem" by those who believe that there's a them and there's an us and that them must go.
President Bush got it right Friday when he said: "I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English." This is no slight to any proud heritage; it's the American identity and the way of assimilation.
The country's immigrant leaders would do well to pay heed as the Senate begins again to wrestle with legislation that may or may not open the door to citizenship for illegal immigrants and may or may not establish a guest-worker program for foreigners who come for jobs unwanted by Americans. This is not the time to be waving Mexican flags or asking, "Oh say can you see a la luz de la aurora?"
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
THE PRESIDENT: No I don't, because I think the National Anthem ought to be sung in English. And I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the National Anthem in English."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060428-2.html
But without a common language, all the varieties of American will simply separate--Balkanize--into sepearate enclaves. We have Italian neighborhoods, Jewish neighborhood, Black neighborhoods, religious parishes, etc. There is no shortage of "us" here, whatever your particular "us" might be.
But without one unifying language through which all our differences make us different, not separate, we are doomed, doomed, doomed.
"THE PRESIDENT: No I don't, because I think the National Anthem ought to be sung in English. And I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the National Anthem in English." "
Excellent. This is the message to those who think wrongly about the President on this issue. But of course they won't listen to what he says or watch what the White House does. It's chic to attack Bush these days. The liberals are accomplishing their goals; getting Republicans to think like them under the guise of being a "true conservative".
Great characterization of the current, bizarre behavior of some "conservatives" I suspect were always Buchananoids just waiting for their opportunity to reveal their true selves.
I thought this interesting. See if this link works
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1146290196241040.xml&coll=7
"The entertainers who collaborated on a Spanish version of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Doing jobs AMERICANS won't do!!
This is absolutely right, but it also shows how the media have perverted this debate--no one I know of has said a word of negativity about IMMIGRANTS; the problem is with ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
The protesters and the MSM can obfuscate all they want, but I think they've overplayed their hand once again; they could have let this ride and subtly characterized it as mean ol' Republicans hurtin' non-whites. Unfortunately, they've pushed it too hard and now the truth is obvious to anyone but a DUmmie: These protesters want to TAKE, not give, the way LEGAL immigrants do.
That's well and good, but the POTUS contributed not insignificantly to this sad state of affairs. And that's reality not wrong thinking.
(Thats how you make a decision and stand up for it, take notes GWB.)
With RINOS running this show, we better learn the words because we'll be majority Hispanic in about forty years.
"That's well and good, but the POTUS contributed not insignificantly to this sad state of affairs."
How true. His comments on OUR National Anthem being bastardized are, after all, only words. His deeds (or non-deeds, as the case may be) over the past six years - and most especially since 9/11 - speak far louder than anything he said the other day about the Star Spangled Banner. I guess I fall into the category of someone who is fed up with this President, but I didn't come up with those feelings all by myself. El Presidente helped considerably.
California is not yet a majority Hispanic but whites have been a minority in the state for several years.
This makes me PUKE!!
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS is exactly where George Bush has a problem. The answer is not amnesty but amnesty of 1 kind or another is what is generally being proposed in Washington and the MSM. In the meantime ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS take to the street demanding rights to which they are not entitled and Washington agrees with the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
Not only was it not sung in English but they had the gall to change the words!
EXACTLY...and how could our military function with soldiers speaking different languages?
President Hillary will institute a bilingual requirement for all military.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.