The Daily Background

Okay, this is a total nonstory, but I thought I’d at least mention it. As you probably have heard by now, a group of hispanic artists have recorded a translated version of the national anthem into Spanish. Who cares? Well, some right-wingers are really angry that anyone has the audacity to sing the American national anthem in any language other than English… er… American. Frankly, I don’t care how people want to sing the anthem, but the President is apparently upset:

Bush has no tolerance for Star Spangled Banner in Spanish

WASHINGTON (AP) President George W. Bush said Friday the U.S. national anthem should be sung in English - not Spanish - in a blunt rejection of a new Spanish-language version.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rice takes a more moderate… oh hell, I’ll even say reasonable stance on the anthem:

Rice not upset by US national anthem in Spanish

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unlike President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is not upset or offended by hearing the U.S. national anthem sung in Spanish.

Asked about the issue, which has become a topic of outrage on conservative talk radio stations, Rice said she had heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung in many different ways.

[…]
“From my point of view, people expressing themselves as wanting to be Americans is a good thing,” she added. “I think what we need to focus on is an immigration policy that is comprehensive and that recognizes our laws and recognizes our humanity.”

As I said before, this is a total non-story. I don’t know why these right-wingers are getting so incredibly upset that hispanic people are daring to sing a different version of the American anthem, which was originally based on a British drinking song. America is the ‘melting-pot,’ and so what could be more American than that?

Filed under: Immigration, Z-TDB Blog