Jose, Can You See?

Ok, so this morning I read at Cox & Forkum something about a Briton being behind "The Anthem that Enraged Bush". That wasn't Forkum's language, he was just quoting the article.

I heard Bush's comments last Friday. "Enraged" is quite a overstated spin. Bush emphatically said "I think the National Anthem ought to be sung in English". Enraged? No. Strongly disapprove? Yes. I agree. And so do most others. I'm personally thankful the man had the cajones to say it and not mince words.

Personally, I think you can sing it in whatever language you want as long as you are singing it. However, I do agree with the president that it ought to be sung in English -- our standard language.

Sure, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" is a re-write of "God Save the Queen". But it was a re-write for a new country in a time of revolution, not an "alternate" version meant to substitute ... unless revolution is what these folks have in mind. If that's the case, deportation is too good for them (but I'd settle for it). It was not meant to substitute in Britian for the Brittish national Anthem.

“My people keep fighting/ It’s time to break the chains.”

Yeah, what part of the Star Spangled Banner did that come from? "Your people"??? You know, our people are not Hispanic. Our people are English and French and Hispanic and Spanish and Portugese and German and Nigerian and Arab and Russian and Japanese and the list goes on and on, and they're all "WE" and "WE" are Americans. "Your people" my rear end! Not in our faces! Jimmy Hendrix didn't change the words or the meaning of the National Anthem.

So here we have a non-American behind such an "alternate" version of the American national anthem to be sung by non-Americans who are in America in violation of Federal law and are demanding the rights of American citizens. Here in America, not in their home countries.

So I went and read the article.

And I have to take issue with several of the smug lines I read.

Adam Kidron, 46, released Nuestro Himno — Our Anthem — on Friday as a gesture of support for Hispanic immigrants. He has outraged rightwingers [...]

Um, I don't think it's just "rightwingers" -- check out this thread.

Kidron [the Briton behind replacement anthem] said he was “disgusted” by America’s lack of generosity towards workers whose cheap labour is regarded by many as crucial to the US economy.

Employers who break labor laws by hiring illegal aliens are every bit as guilty as the aliens themselves. This argument that "America" (once again) is the cause of oppression of people who are here voluntarily and against the law is bogus. Some Americans encourage it. It doesn't make it right. And it doesn't make it America's fault.

“I suppose I had a faint idea that if you do something a bit different, someone always complains,” he said. “But it just seemed really cool to do something that was artful, emotional and, to some extent, patriotic.”

To what extent is it patriotic -- and patriotic to what country? It is a song of protest against this country.

Kidron said he was appalled by the argument that Hispanic immigrants should leave their past behind in order to become Americans. “Look at how many Americans parade their Irish roots on St Patrick’s Day,” he said. “And go down to Little Italy in New York. When you hear people speaking Italian in those restaurants, you think, oh good, it’s authentic, the food must be good.

What a twisted argument. Who has demanded that Hispanic immigrants leave their past behind in order to become Americans? [chirping crickets]. Nobody is opposed to celebrating Hispanic holidays, or people speaking spanish, or celebrating hispanic culture in any way, shape, or form. And frankly, yes, I like hearing spanish in Mexican restaurants as much as I like hearing Italian or French in Italian or French restaurants. Besides, when those Irish and Italians go down to the license beaurau, they read applications in English and fill them out in English. They don't demand that caution signs also have Gaelic and Italian translations. And most importantly... they and their ancestors came here legally!!!!

These people and their supporters (I suspect our enemies -- the socialists and anarchists are only too happy to encourage this) keep trying to change the argument from one of a crime against American law to some sort of unfair oppression being forced upon people who came here, once again, voluntarily and knowingly against Federal law.

What part of "illegal" do they not understand? Do we need to say it en Español? It's not that much different, amigos.

ilegal

“Yet it seems to be a qualification for Hispanic immigrants that they mustn’t carry the flag of the country they were born in and they mustn’t sing in their own language because it proves they are not assimilating.”

You mustn't carry your the flag of your country of origin when you're here illegally and marching at a protest rally that we're letting you do on our soil demanding rights from a country that you snuck into against the laws of that country. if you want us to take seriously the idea that you just wanna belong, especially if you're going to be singing revolutionary versions of our own anthem in our faces en Español!

But it is typical of Lefty freaks to help bleach out the context and make simpleton arguments of self-righteousness. Especially if it paints the country they hate in a bad light. So those groups will be trying to cast it as a dumb red-neck issue.

So, Jose, can you see that we're just a little fed up with tired charges of racism and oppression?