The Star-Spanglish Banner (Bill Press Alert)

Bill Press ^ | 5/4/06 | Bill Press

[NotchJohnson]

The Star-Spanglish Banner May 4, 2006

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O, say can you see . . . all that hy-po-cri-sy . . . over “The Star-Spangled Banner”?

As part of their celebration of “A Day Without Immigrants,” a group of young Latino musicians translated “The Star-Spangled Banner” into Spanish — and you’d think they’d attacked the Alamo all over again. No sooner had the last chords of “Nuestro Himno” faded away than official America struck back.

First, the mighty United States swung into action. Sen. Lamar Alexander introduced legislation mandating that the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and all other “statements or songs that symbolize the unity of the nation should be recited or sung in English, the common language of the United States.”

What a hypocrite. Back in 1995, when he was running for president, Alexander was singing a different tune. He even his attacked rival, former Sen. Bob Dole, saying Dole “showed no respect” for Hispanics when he called for an “English Only” policy. “My dream is that every child in America grows up learning two languages,” Alexander said at the time. Como se dice “flip flop” en Espanol?

Then, the mighty president of the United States also swung into action. George W. Bush called reporters to the White House Rose Garden to declare: “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.”

Now, you must admit, it takes a lot of chutzpah for George W. Bush to lecture anybody about learning to speak English. If only he had, we wouldn’t be so embarrassed by a president who recently warned the world: “If the Iranians were to have a nuclear weapon, they could proliferate.” Or who summed up his understanding of the immigration issue with the profound statement: “Those who enter the country illegally violate the law.”

And, again, what a hypocrite. “The Star Spangled Banner” can only be sung in English. That’s what Bush says today, when he’s trying to score a cheap political point against Latinos. But that’s not what he said back in 2000, when he was grubbing for votes from Latinos. Back then, he not only tolerated the Spanish version of the national anthem, he joined in the chorus. As Kevin Phillips recounts of Bush in his book “American Dynasty”: “When visiting cities like Chicago, Milwaukee or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in Spanish.”

Once he came to Washington, Bush’s embrace of “Spanglish” continued. As part of Bush 41’s first Inaugural ceremonies, Latino pop star Jon Secada performed the national anthem, in Spanish, at the White House. And the official Web site of George Bush’s State Department today features four different versions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish — one of them, the official translation, “La Bandera de la Estrellas,” commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education in 1919.

See what I mean? All this huffing and puffing over “The Star-Spanglish Banner” is nothing but cheap political posturing. Immigration reform raises a lot of important questions: How do we secure the border? How do we enforce the law? How do we create a guest worker program? And, especially, should we provide some ladder to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented workers already here, holding down jobs, raising their families and paying taxes?

Yes, there a lot of serious issues surrounding immigration reform. But this isn’t one of them. It’s hard enough singing the God-awful “Star-Spangled Banner” in English. How many people are actually going to sing it in Spanish? This manufactured issue hardly rises to the level of demanding presidential or congressional action. And, besides, don’t they have more important issues to deal with? So far, Republican leaders in Washington have done nothing about gas prices, Social Security, health care or the bloody war in Iraq. But now they’re going to crack down on Latinos who love America — simply for saying so in Spanish. How silly can you get?

In the end, here’s all that matters: The national anthem is a song praising America. Anytime anybody wants to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” or any other song in praise of America, in any language, we should thank them, not attack them. Muchas gracias.

[NotchJohnson]

So bill thinks The Star Spangled Banner is "God Awful"?

[ozzymandus]

Bill press? He's still alive? What a sack of sh*t. I've never seen him on TV where his conservative debating partner didn't make a fool of him.

[samadams2000]

He is a SOS isnt he?

[Sir_Humphrey]

See what I mean?

Uh....no Bill I don't. The criticism wasn't JUST that it was in Spanish, it was on the changed meaning. Bill must not know Spanish or he would have picked up on this.

[hsalaw]

I thought Bill Press was dead.

[NotchJohnson]

Doubt he knows Spanish. He is whiter than Phil Donahue.

[Sir_Humphrey]

Yeah... where has comrade Phil been keeping himself these days?

[clintonh8r]

Bill Press is the kind of guy who begs to be punched before he even opens his mouth....

[proud American in Canada]

The criticism wasn't JUST that it was in Spanish, it was on the changed meaning.

Boy, I am really behind the 8 ball. Miss a day or two of FR (or more), especially when you're out of the country, and you miss a lot.

I hadn't heard this angle. Only the outrage about the bilingual song, not any changed meaning, is being reported up here.

[rlmorel]

For those interested, here is the translation from Wikpedia:

Do you see it arising, by the light of the dawn, That which we hailed so much when the night fell? Its stars, its stripes were streaming yesterday In the fierce combat, as a sign of victory, The brilliance of battle, in step with freedom, Throughout the night they said: "It will be defended!" Oh say you! Does it still wave, its starred beauty, Over the land of the free, the sacred flag?

Its stars, its stripes, liberty, we are equal. We are brothers, it is our anthem. In the fierce combat, as a sign of victory, The brilliance of battle... (My people, keep fighting!) ...in step with freedom, (Now is the time to break the chains!) Throughout the night they said: "It will be defended!" Oh say you! Does it still wave, its starred beauty, Over the land of the free, the sacred flag?

Granted, translating anything from one language to another is fraught with difficulties, especially if there is emotion, style and music.

Personally, I dislike the translation provided by Wikpedia. There may be others out there. But, when I see things like

We are brothers, it is our anthem.

The brilliance of battle... (My people, keep fighting!)

...in step with freedom, (Now is the time to break the chains!)

This sounds to my ears not like the rhetoric of the USA, this is the rhetoric of communism, socialism from Central and South America.

I'm not saying it IS, I am just saying that, to my ears, it sounds that way.

[Captain Rhino]

Here's a link to a previous post I put up containing the words to both the Star Spangled Banner and Nuestro Hymno (including a source link):

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1623284/posts?page=84#84

The words have not been widely written about in the MSM (because it takes the bloom off of the rose for their side, I suppose). Instead, MSM has focused on the "only to be sung in English" angle. Mostly, I presume, because it makes the objectors sound racist.

[Captain Rhino]

It IS the language of the liberal/left/socialist/Marxist element that is coordinating and orchestrating the protest movement.

[metalurgist]

Here's the anthem they are singing

Jose can you see, by La Migra's spot lights,

That ditch, over there, where the coyote's waving

We will jump in his truck, and with a small bit of luck

O'er the freeways we'll go, to where LA is gleaming

We will drink in the bars, we will also steal cars

And rob, in the night, any liquor store there

Oh yes, those dumb gringo's, they will give us welfare checks,

In the name of La Raza, in our home of old Azlan.

[proud American in Canada]

I'll study it tomorrow--thank you. :)

[rlmorel]

Thanks. It isn't just me then.

[Mike Darancette]

It's not the language it is the lyric change.

[WOSG]

Or who summed up his understanding of the immigration issue with the profound statement: “Those who enter the country illegally violate the law.”

So the President is to be mocked for stating this tautology, but the media is not mocked for lying about amensty0for-illegals rallies being "immigrant rights" rallies???

For shame.

The fact that the President has to state the obvious - they VIOLATE THE LAW - begs the question of why the media and the democrats treat the LAW as of no consequence and no meaning.