Even pro-immigrant President Bush came out against singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, as a star-studded version began airing on Spanish-language radio stations last week. He added, “I think people who want to be citizens of this country ought to learn English.” But when the issue came up Sunday on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos,” Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek International made a worthy point:
“I actually do not think the great problem in the United States with regard to language is that not enough Americans speak English. I think the great problem in the United States is that we speak no other languages.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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81 Comments
And that is a problem in what way? Is he maybe suggesting we all be forced to learn Korean? Or French? Maybe Russian?
A nation is defined by many things, one of which is its language. A national identity, a character, is reflected it the language. Is this idiotic commentator suggesting a polyglot language for all people?
Ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as the almost translation of OUR national anthem..and adding whining words about ‘mean laws’ to it.
If they don’t like the laws, GO BACK TO MEXICO.
Agreed Raptor
The “translation” of the National Anthem would be a little offensive. Transforming it is beyond the pale.
Will some folks now advocate equal time for the new anthem? Will it be a new bow to “pc” to have IT sung before baseball games? Anybody doubt that will be the next “demand”?
I’ve no quarrel against Americans knowing other languages. We lag far behind most other nations in bi or multi lingual speakers and it makes us look a bit provincial. But that is not what the “anthem fight” fight is about. Attempting to make it seem so is spin.
I also have a problem with translating the Anthem. Especially since they would almost by definition have to change it to keep cadence and rhyme. It should be sung in English – and not by some nutcase rapper etc!
Or played by Jimmy Hendricks?
KFG
Hendricks did not change a note of the national anthem. He just played a bit with the expression of it. The essence of America is in that. That is not at all like changing all the words.
JR, the point is that people were outraged then, just like they are now. And some of the most outraged now are old hippies who were outraged at the outrage about Hendrix.
Kinda like the cultural outrage over elvis and rock and roll, then elvis lovers outraged by the beatles, and beatles lovers outraged over rap, and rappers outraged over gays, etc.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Seems to me that it is a mighty tiny thing to get so outraged about. But I guess the blathering radio right had to have a new topic to rant about.Absurd.
Should people who want to work and become citizens here in the US learn English? Yes.
Should the US national anthem be sung in English? Yes.
Would we as Americans be better served in an ever-increasingly global economy be better served if we had more people who were multilingual? Yes.
Are we as Americans often arrogant and pious about our perception of ourselves and other countries? Yes.
Do we need to figure out how to more competitive in the global market before we get passed by other “lesser” countries? Yes. Soon. We’re jogging in the race and other countries are running. And they’re planning on running us over if they get the chance.
Jeff – well said.
“We have room for many things in America. We have room for every religion, every creed, every race. But we only have room for one language–the English language.” Teddy Rooseveldt
LeftHook, did I miss something? Are you the one who formerly was under the name “ProudLib?”
This should be a non-issue. Who cares if somebody recorded the anthem in spanish. You either disagree/agree with it. (I dont agree).
I saw Sen. Alexander waste the Senates time today by speaking on this anthem issue. What a waste of time. No wonder congress never gets things done, because they spend so much time grandstanding on non-important issues.
Why are so many people in this blog upset over the national anthem being sung in Spanish? The anthem is a symbol, and like all symbols, they can change over time. What Hispanics are doing is treating the anthem with respect but signing it in Spanish (incidentally, Spanish is NOT a foreign language in the US; it has been spoken here even longer than English has). Canadians have two official versions of their anthem (one in English, one in French) and if it was sung in Mandarin, Canadians would be thrilled. Leave the xenophobia and insecurity for home. Let immigrants and the rest of the country live and work in peace and harmony (and, yes, even if that includes changing the symbols to make them alive and more relevant).
Mr. Gomez,
I would like to see the Mexican reaction if the situation were reversed, and I and my fellow Americans would Illegally immigrate to Mexico and consistently avail of government services without paying income tax and conseqently driving up the national deficit.
I listened to Bush run two campaigns after he acquired a “Texas” lingo…”bidness” , “misunderestimate”. Not quite English, Mr. Prednit.
“Hendricks did not change a note of the national anthem.”
HAHAHA! That’s rich. Oh, no, JR, he just added a whole buncha other notes and some weird shit. But that’s okay, because he was born in America and served in the military. Let’s also leave aside that it was regarded as a defiant act at the time.
This “controversy” is easily as silly and disposable as the flap over Roseanne singing it badly. And how many “artistic” variations have been sung at ball games?
Are you people afraid that the original version will somehow fall out of favor? Is it something akin to colorizing movies? Or Kenny G dissing Satchmo by recording his noodling over one of Louis’ tracks? Seriously: What, exactly, is the issue here?
English is a very hard language to learn, due to Nordic, Romance and Germanic contributions. Just look here. Kansas’s s was written, but not pronounced by French explorers. Coloradans, Oklahomans and Arkansans (Arkansawyers) say AR-Kan-saw for the river. Kansans say “ar-KAN-sas”.
Somebody knew that El Dorado mean’t “the gold” and surely knew how to pronounce it. But it was changed to L Do-RAY-do by local residents.
We’re starting to hear “Greenwich” pronounced as GREN-ich, as English people, Connecticutt people and NY people do, but it’s taken time.
I heard some Toussaint L’Ouverture school teachers totally mispronounce it as “LO-vur-chur”. L’Ouverture is a French word. “Lo-vur-chur” doesn’t follow any phonetic rule of English, German, or French. It’s simply pidgeon-IGNORANT.
It is really sad that so many German immigrants here were forced to ditch their own language and heritage. “Don’t speak German, don’t hold Oktoberfests, don’t play your native music, don’t dress in colorful garb. Just make yourselves bland.”
We New Yorkers pronounce Houston as HOUSE-ton, it’s because of Houston street in Manhattan. That’s how we can easily sort through the natives and the tourists, besides the fact that tourists keep gawking at the skyline.
BTW, did anyone notice the Communists wearing the red Hammer & Sickle shirts and the red Che Guevarra shirts in those “We are America” demonstrations today? That’s funny cuz I didnt know Americans were pro-Soviet and/or fans of brutal mass murderers. That is nothing but a huge embarassment for the illegal aliens. Take my advice guys: lose the Reds, they only alienate the majority of Americans from your cause. Oh those Commies! What other cause can they hijack next to publicly humiliate themselves?
Yeah, just like the 1890’s Marxist Kansas Populists were anti “America”.
Add NAWLINS to the list of variable pronunciations. And don’t forget NASHVL AND KNOXVL.
But this isn’t about the way a word is pronounced, this is about the singing of our National Anthem (which I have always detested). If I went to, say, Germany, and insisted on singing their anthem in English, I’m sure many would say something about that. But then, if I went to Germany to live, I’d learn the language and assimilate.
I guess it’s OUR National Anthem, and if Key had wanted it sung in Spanish, he’d have written it that way.
Shall we add green to our flag, too?
Jeff said it all, I could add nothing on the subject except my intention to learn Chinese. I will need to know such things once the new owners of Wal-mart take over.
When the Capitalist money-and-power lustersdecided to avert your attention from the “screw little Americans” Oil War, all you had to do was say, “These immigrants are more LIke us than Against us,” but you went for the bait like crappies on a string.
A question for the leftiest liberals on this blog. Since you guys are the majority on this blog.
Do you guys consider yourselves communist or socialist?
*Note*: I’m not trying to be sarcastic. This is a serious question.
I thought it really revealing when candidate Bush said his most inspirational person was Jesus, but when it came time to send his daughters to college, one was sent to Ut-Austin, one of the most humanist-liberal public colleges in America, and the other to Yale, the foremost American university proponent of homosexuality.
He campaigned at Bob Jones University, but he and his wife didn’t want their CHILDREN to go there.
And I haven’t heard VP Cheney repudiate his lesbian daughter. Have you?
You who voted for this administration are SUCKERS.
Thomas Frank, the author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas,” got it right. The repubs manipulated you with phony “morality” campaigning, and then took the shirts off your backs.
I’ve read “What’s the Matter with Kansas”, and he hits up on some good points. But he is wrong on quite a few. He=is small take on Wichita was dead on wrong.
Then I saw him on a debate on PBS against somebody else, and he just got pounded, issue after issue. So he lost all crediability from me. Only thing he advocated was to bring back the affluent society.
One reason we’re supposed to rejoice at the pitter-patter of illegal feet is that foreigners are only coming here to “do jobs Americans won’t do.” It’s one of those basic assumptions upon which the argument in favor of forgetting we have borders, a culture and laws rests, and even President Bush mentioned this “truth” while speaking about immigration reform recently. And, undoubtedly, there are certain immutable laws of economics.
Only, this isn’t one of them.
The next time someone mindlessly parrots this mantra, just ask, “What jobs would those be?” As you’ll soon learn, the answer doesn’t really matter, but sometimes we’re shamed by didacts who oh-so-sternly say that illegals are the people who “pick our fruit for us.” So, fruit picking – something that must be in league with being a rat catcher in Victorian London or Wile E. Coyote’s stunt double – is as good an example as any.
One amusing aspect of the fruit picking fiction is that millions of people in our country engage in this activity as a form of recreation. Why, there are folks who embark upon autumn ventures to the hinterlands to pick apples and consider it a fun family outing. But I digress.
I have to ask, if I paid you $800 an hour to pick fruit, would you do it? Except for the silk and satin set, I have a feeling most would beat a path to my orchard. And this brings us to what is a true law of economics.
There are no jobs Americans won’t do. There are only wages Americans won’t work for.
And this relates to a fact of contemporary American life: immigrants, illegal or otherwise, depress wages. Oh, some would dispute this? Well, they’re wrong and I intend to prove it.
There’s another universal, unchangeable law of economics called “supply and demand,” and most of us understand it. Regardless of what product or service is at issue, if demand increases relative to supply, prices increase; if supply increases relative to demand, prices drop. And this phenomenon is relevant here. Why?
Quite simply because, like it or not, within the context of a free market system workers are commodities whose value is determined by supply and demand. For example, a skilled neurosurgeon doesn’t make a half a million dollars a year because what he does is so important. If that were the case, he’d earn more than people who hit, kick and throw balls around and sign autographs. No, his income is a function of his rarity; create 100 million more just like him, and his salary will become relatively paltry.
Thus, increase the supply of workers relative to the jobs available and the value of workers decreases. This is not opinion, my friends, but hard, cold fact. Immigrants swell the worker pool, thereby increasing competition for jobs, allowing employers to pay less for the same employees. We’ve all heard of a “buyer’s market” and a “seller’s market”; well, high levels of immigration transform us from a worker’s market into an employer’s market. Big business loves it.
Of course, the immigration lobby has an answer at the ready when this truth becomes inconvenient. “How much do you want to pay for a head of lettuce?!” they exclaim.
What’s so ironic about this argument is that its proponents are generally the very same people who’ll zealously campaign for increases in the minimum wage, an action that can also increase the cost of doing business and, therefore, retail prices. But since they say they want to help poor Americans, let’s discuss that.
The natural, free market way to help low income Americans is to increase their value by making them rarer commodities. How do you do this? You guessed it, by severely curtailing (a moratorium would be ideal) immigration. Do that and America becomes more of a worker’s market, forcing businesses to offer more money to attract applicants.
Would goods become more expensive? Perhaps, but while this isn’t the focus of this entry, that may be more than offset by the elimination of the social consequences (e.g., hospital, welfare and education costs) of absorbing millions of often illiterate (some can’t even read and write their own languages) Third World immigrants into our nation. Regardless, this is the traditional, healthy, free market way of spreading the wealth around. And I’d rather redistribute wealth through the market than through socialism.
Lastly, there’s another irony here. Cesar Chavez, the head of the United Farm Workers Union during its heyday, is a hero of Americans of Mexican descent. So much so, in fact, that his name is often associated with the dual cause of promoting immigration and the Re-conquest of California and the American southwest, known as La Reconquista. Conveniently forgotten, though, is a very inconvenient fact: when Chavez enjoyed the peak of his power, he was a fervid – bordering on venomous – opponent of illegal immigration. And he not only railed against it but often actually reported Mexican illegals to the INS so they could be deported. He also protested illegal immigration on the border in 1969 and had civilian border guards who were sufficiently heavy-handed to make today’s Minutemen seem milquetoasty.
What motivated him? Quite simply, he was charged with the responsibility of keeping his union members’ wages as high as possible. And he understood the law of supply and demand.
We have a union called the United States. I just wonder if membership therein means anything anymore.
Of course, there’s always cheap lettuce.
Heartlander,
I think I’ve done a good job at destroying your “Illegal immigrants don’t hurt poor Americans” argument, so right now I’d just like to gloat! Go back to school and you just might learn something about economics.
“If I went to, say, Germany, and insisted on singing their anthem in English, I’m sure many would say something about that.”
Yeah, RD, for the most part, they’d. . .laugh! Or maybe just regard it as a curiousity. Particularly since a large number of Germans speak English anyway. While Germany has its own nationalist types (ahem), fairly recent history has made them wary of that type of thinking.
I guess there’s a subtext here: that’s it somehow regarded as an assault on “our” national identity. I instead regard it as an opportunity to listen (nothing says that I—or anyone else–is compelled to agree).
I don’t feel threatened.
Well? Any more urban myths from the Pro-Illegal Immigration is nothing but good for America Peanut Gallery? I’m ready, willing, and able to take you to school! =)
Joe,I am not a socialist in the general sense of the term; in fact, I’m wary of any absolutist political “-isms,” as they usually don’t exist in the real world.
But you rather have the government control the means of production and responsiblity right?
WOWPick a direction to post huh?
That was a very well reasoned and thoughtful post CrusaderX. And I am not saying that just because I agree with just about everything you said. But you are already slipping into your less articulate self. Why not work with that above and not descend?
Joe I was once a Reagan Republican. I still am conservative in many ways. But if I had to wear a label now I’d call myself a social democrat. True socialism has never been tried.Human beings are incapable of it. Communism was a corruption of it that proves this. I think a little or maybe a lot of socialism now and then keeps capitalism from descending to fascism or even feudlaism. And boy could we use some socialism just now.
By the way Joe, why do you ask?
Rage.
They did not translate the national anthem. They rewrote it. Now on it’s face that is offensive. As a liberal I usually rally for what some call offensive. But in this case I wonder at a larger agenda on the part of those who take great license with so fundamental a thing as the nations anthem.
Alas, I am but a young man who is the embodiment of great instability. There, I said it.
Joe Williams,
I’m pretty close to being a communist–probably closer than anyone on this blog.
By ‘communism’ I understand participatory democracy– ideological state apparatuses create more problems than they solve–and the collective ownership and use of: a) the commons, and b) the means of production. Moreover, I don’t first define the person according to property relations / the right to accumulate property and then build up its legal and political rights.
How this operates in practice is a separate issue. But those are the principles of my politics. Other folks here on the Left probably wouldn’t sign on to my politics. That’s OK. I have no expectation that things will change in the immediate future. But as our political/economic system continues its slow-moving breakdown, we’re going to have to make some pretty drastic decisions about whether we’re really all prepared to live under the present fragmenting, despotic, late-capitalist hegemony.
Case in point: Evo Morales has nationalized Bolivia’s oil and gas reserves.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/world/americas/02bolivia.html?hp&ex=1146542400&en=252cf9224ea0edaa&ei=5094&partner=homepage
First of all, it’s “Hendrix” not “Hendricks”Second of all, why is everyone so up in arms about the crowds waving Mexican flags? No one gets bent out of shape on St. Patrick’s Day when Americans of Irish descent celebrate their heritage with Irish flags.And last, the U.S. State Department’s very own web site posts four stanzas of lyrics to the National Anthem in Spanish. Even Condoleeza says she doesn’t have a problem with singing it in Spanish.So there.
CrusaderX’s advice to May Day organizers:
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Don’t protest in ways that antagonizes the people in the home country. Remember that your fate of becoming a citizen of this country rests on the votes of the people who’s economy you are hurting.
Your actions today are the most reckless, brash, infantile, humiliating, and does a great disservice to all Hispanics everywhere in this country. Now it is we Hispanic Americans who will bear the brunt of the backlash. Now everywhere we go, we will automatically be branded as foreigners, illegals, unpatriotic, free-loaders. Our children will be constantly ridiculed and the racial slurs that already get thrown their way will significantly increase. If there ever is a day to be ashamed of being Hispanic, today would be that day. So thank you for bringing all Hispanic Americans down to the level of illegal aliens! Thank you for we will surely reap these “benefits” for years to come!
P.S.Go choke on your next can of beans.
Joe, I’m a Hedonist with socialistic tendencies.
Okay, my two cents:Immigrants should learn English–if we’re willing to pay for the resources to make it happen.However, there needs to be a foreign language requirement in schools. One of the greatest regrets in my education is that I didn’t pursue Spanish further after they removed the requirement when I was in 8th grade.I can read Spanish and Russian, I can understand Spanish when it is spoken to me slowly enough…but I can’t get the cotton pickin words to come out of my mouth!Now, I am trying to coax a few phrases of Tagalog out of my mouth to help my soon to be wife and her son adjust when they come here…it is totally beyond my comprehension.Point: The rest of the world knows a hell of a lot more about us than we do about them. That is NOT a good thing…or have we learned anything from 9/11?
It seems many Americans have a lot of misplaced anger. Is this situation the fault of ALL immigrants? No, just the illegals. We need to be questioning why these people are coming to the US illegally instead of through appropriate channels like millions have in the past. Perhaps the problem is our own immigration policies, or that we cannot even secure our own borders.
So somebody sang the national anthem in Spanish. Big freakin’ deal. I’m sure it’s been sung in other languages before, many times, in Italian areas of New York, in Chinatown in San Francisco, in scandinavian in Minnesota. The only people who are native to America are the folks who used to live in tipis and hunt buffalo, so we need to be really careful about what ethnic groups we pick fights with about immigration.
Anyway, just thank God these people are singing the AMERICAN national anthem. They could be here singing the MEXICAN national anthem instead.
I am trying to coax a few phrases of Tagalog out of my mouth to help my soon to be wife and her son adjust when they come here…
You are kidding right? I got my B.A. in Philosophy and Liberal Arts while studying in UST. Tagalog is pretty simple. All words are pronounced phonetically so you won’t have to worry about silent letters as is the case in English, French, and German. Also, all vowels are pronounced in the lower vowel sound form with the exception of “a” sounding like the lower vowel “o”. However you must learn to pronounce the glottal stop. e.g. “Nasaan ka naman?” “Ano ng pangngalan mo?” The glottal stop takes place in between two vowels ALL THE TIME. So pronounce it like this Nasa’an ka naman. (Note: the apostrophe is where the glottal stop takes place)This will be difficult for you since you are a Westerner, and all non-Filipino Westerners i’ve ever encountered while in the Philippines made many grammatical mistakes when speaking Tagalog. Of course, Filipinos never lose face by making fun of the way they speak. I on the other hand, made extensive jokes with my buddies about that! (Dont you just love our American heritage of making fun of how people talk?) hahaha!But seriously, you do not need to learn Filipino because your mail order bride knows how to communicate in English, Filipino, and if she’s from anywhere outside greater Manila, she speaks the native dialect of her province/ region/ town/ barangay.You see, the American public school system was retained and all classes besides Filipino are conducted in English from elementary through college. Other tips: “ng” is a word by itself, it is the preposition “of” and is pronounced “nong”. But it is good to learn a bit of Filipino especially if you want to impress her and or her family. Hopefully you’re not one of those sick bastards who abuses mail-order brides and treats them as sex slaves. So when you write her start with “Kumusta?” >How are you? (notice this is a rendition of the Spanish colonizers “Como Estas”) and close with “minamahal kita.” > I love you.
Unless of course, you’re a Jap! Hahahaha!!! joking of course.
P.S. I bet she even has a collegiate degree in some field. The problem with the Philippines is that the economy can’t generate jobs for the educated class. That’s why you have Filipino doctors of medicine studying nursing so they can work here in the U.S. I even know of a guy who has a Master’s degree in Engineering but since he can’t find a job in his field, works as a housekeeper in Hong Kong.
Also, don’t worry about linking verbs (is,are) cuz those are incorporated in the suffixes and prefixes of regular verbs.
and Congratulations.
It is not just about changing the language of our National Anthem… it is the changing of the words as well…whining about the “mean laws” while supposedly singing the National Anthem of this country?
If you don’t like the “mean laws”, GO BACK TO MEXICO.
Crusader X, I don’t disagree with any of your arguments. They are highly accurate.
Here is the thing: we fundamentally have four classes of Americans. Class I, a small minority, lusts for money and power. It seeks to gain these things by collecting shares of the work-output of the populace and controlling natural resources. Class II wants “nice” upper-middle-class lifestyles and accoutrements, which require above-average incomes to get. Class III just wants to have jobs to support their families. Class IV is comprised of people who have just given up, i.e. the homeless.
The post-WWII era “shared the wealth”, for threeprincipal reasons: Europe and Japan’s industries and industrial workforces were decimated. This created a labor shortage that benefited American workers. Secondly, America took control of the world’s important natural resources, and obtained them cheaply. Thirdly, 12 million battle-hardened vets were unwilling to be abused as their fathers were, and they put the fear of God into the capitalists’ hearts.
But in the midst of this wonderful situation for American workers, our leaders decided to invest in Europe and Japan’s re-industrialization (Marshall Plan), and over time they procreated a new generation of blue-collar workers. Secondly, our leaders spurred the development of Asian industrialization, to create a vast body of new low-cost industrial workers.
This is how capitalism works. It seeks ways of minimizing production costs in order to maximize profits. This is the driving ideology of Class I. They’ve been practicing globalization since the conquest and colonization of the New World that began 4 centuries ago.
Capitalists are trying to devalue labor in diverse ways. During the transcontinental railroad’s construction, Irish and Chinese laborers were imported. Filipinos and Japanese laborers were imported to do ag work in Hawaii and California in the 1890’s. Mexicans were brought into California in the 1920’s. Starting in the 1960’s Third World-educated doctors were imported to “break” the medical profession “monopoly”. (Of note, Third-World-educated LAWYERS were not invited in by the lawyer-legislators.) Now, accountants’ and computer programmers’ work is being transferred to India. (Also radiologists’ work.)
Our society is basically dominated by bankers, insurers and oil producers. They LOVE MONEY. They are highly skilled at getting money. They don’t care about the welfare of the vast majority of Americans. They really do not share the vast majority of Americans’ core values, like helping the weak.
Do you people have the same scorn for those who display the Confederate flag?
Seems like non-English versions of the national anthem still have the effect of celebrating our nation, our union.
Showing the Stars and Bars is an explicit attack on the union itself.
Is that OK? If so, you’re a bunch of hypocrites.
Crusader X. What is wrong with the Philippines, besides political corruption, is the brain drain.
The reason why there are not too many jobs for professionals in demand, is because the professionals have all left the Philippines and so has all the potential of entrepreneurialism. And its going to continue to happen.
The Philippines are in a catch-22 position, just as Mexico is. Because they are so dependent on remittance for their economy they have no choice but to encourage people to leave the country to find work.
And one last thing. I don’t care what people do for the most part, but one thing that pisses me off more than really anything else is the people who go to Mexico, Philippines, Thailand, or Russia looking for brides.
I hope to god you’re not a dirty old man and taking a young mother out of the Philippines because you want somebody to take care of you or have as a sex partner. You will be on my very bad side if you are.
Last couple of paragraph was directed towards mrcontroversy. Sorry!
Mr. C., I am sorry you are being chastized here about the woman you chose to love, and presumably she chooses to love you too.
I also hope there is nothing exploitive in your relationship, but I hope that same thing for all of the neocons here and self righteous married people as well. No exploitation in THEIR relationships. Oh no….
I know how it feels to be an outcast because of your love. I know how it feels to have people make assumptions about your relationships. I know how others like to make fun and humiliate you about something that is near and dear to your heart. I am sorry people are poking fun at a time when they should be congratulating you and sharing your joy.
I hope you and your new family will be happy.
You get extra potato salad at the meetup because farmgirl knows how you feel. And they call us liberals the mean ol’ bloggers.
Well, looky here, hillbillies!
(via Atrios)
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/02/spanish-anthem/
I wonder if the queers will be hammered for carrying the rainbow flag at the next pride event? Or the Irish carrying the Irish flag next St. Patrick’s day? Or those K-State flags I see all over out here?
Naw… people dont even need a reason to hate us. I mean, most of us are legal citizens and, no matter that there were already laws on the books, it took a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to put us in our places.
See any similarities? There are already laws on the books about illegal immigration. Why no call for constitutional amendments?
Because god hates fags but not immigrants?
It would bring tears to my cynical eyes to see yesterday’s millions of illegals singing the spanish version…IN MEXICO CITY. And real loud, so el Presidente Fox will know the schools and hospitals of his great country are TOAST.
I think we should replay the commercial where the native american looks at the camera with a tear rolling down his cheek because of what has happened to “his” country.
Except I think this tear should be for xenophobiia, not trash.
Enforce the laws.
But do we have to do it with so much glee and hate? I notice no one complains when the national anthem is done in sign language.
Great link American. I wonder who will have the courage to click on it?
KFG. If Mr. C. is true in his intentions, then I will congradulate him for a loving relationship.
But the statitics are not much in the favor of oversea brides. Usually men in America look for women 20+ years their junior, keep them in the house barefeet, and exploitate them. It happens very frequently.
I’m not saying Mr. C. is in that position, but I will remain skeptical until he explains himself and the relationship. Although he doesn’t have to explain it to me or anybody else, then I will remain cautious.
This has nothing to do with the rightous or conversative vs. liberal.
One of my strongest advocacies that I send my support to is for the end of sex tourism, mail-order brides, prostitution and sexual exploitation of women and children.
You cannot trivalize this issue or make it a right vs. left issue either. This is about real human lives.
MrC, Joe, I can see many legitimate reasons to go with a mail order bride.
I don’t dare go into them here for fear of being crucified by American Women.
MrC, You go for it.
Joe, mind your own business.
Rage, I don’t feel threatened by the singing of the National Anthem in Spanish. I find it in bad taste. Impolite. Rude. And at the very least, lazy. If, in fact, they made serious changes to the words, I can’t come up with a word for the feeling that evokes in me, but it isn’t fear or threatened. Disgust might come close.
I can’t see the correlation between the flag of Ireland being waved on St. Patrick’s Day and the flag of Mexico being waved in protest. Apples and oranges. I would never have a problem with the Mexican flag during Cinco de Mayo. (And if I spelled that wrong, forgive me. It’s been decades since I learned Spanish.) I don’t have a problem with celebrating heritage. I think that’s important to each and every one of us. To sum it up, I don’t have a problem with people from Mexico or of Mexican heritage.
I DO have a problem with illegally entering a country. From the little that I’ve read, the U.S. allows more Mexicans legally into our country than from any other country in the world. I do understand that becoming a citizen takes time and especially a lot of hard work. I deeply respect those who achieve that. Those of us who were born here take our citizenship for granted.
I don’t judge people by their race or even their religion, although I doubt Hank and Nathan would believe that. ;) (Or their sexual preference, either.) I judge them, if you can call it that, by their actions and what kind of person they are (as in honesty), including how they treat others.
Rant over. Have a great day!
Joe,Although some of you classify me as leftist, I’ve never been enamored of Marx (well, Groucho maybe). I consider myself to be a radical centrist, in the sense that I see the need for each side to limit the other and keep it from going to it’s extreme absurdity. The right will screw you for profit, the left on principle, the top because it’s the natural order of things, and the bottom because they have to screw someone to survive. Progressives and reactionaries are both Utopians- they simply disagree on whether Paradise is around the next corner or the last.Regarding the National Anthem, whatever language it’s in, it’s still unsingable. My vote is to change it to Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.”
Yikes, some of you coconuts kill me! What happens when(IF) the beaners decide that our flag is offensive? Afterall, Polk and Pershing marched under that flag when they invaded mexico to punish the beaner terrorist ancestors of the beaner invaders in our country now. Maybe we should replace the stars in the flag now and have a depiction of an atec sacrifice with still beating heart being ripped from the body instead!
You cowardly, politically correct citizens of the world don’ tdeserve America. By the way, the scum were not just singing the anthem in their mangled language, they changed the words and thus the meassage!
Viva La Raza Blanco!!
You inbreds are funny.
Ian, correct me if I don’t understand the situation entirely, but doesn’t translating usually entail changing the wording slightly due to the different mechanics of languages? Or did the “beaners” unneccesarily change a large number of words? What’s the scoop?
Our flag has remained relatively unchanged for 200 years, even through the addition of millions of Germans, Russians, Chinese, and even Irish immigrants. Some of my great-grandparents came here from Germany, and though they spoke German and held to their German traditions, their great-grandson is a proud, English speaking American today.
My point is, America is unique in the world in that so many people from many different backgrounds and cultures become united under one ideal. There are many different ways we express ourselves and the American ideal, and though some may speak a different language that doesn’t make it wrong. Generations from now, people will look back to this time as our generation looks back to similar struggles in the 19th century and ask, “What was the big deal?”
The big deal is that hateful people like Ian can’t cut it in America, and instead of attributing their situation to ineptitude, or bad luck, they have to identify a villain, a scapegoat.
Look for more of this nonsense as oil depletion drives the country into recession.
Tolerate Ian’s crap today = see much worse social unrest in the future.
inbred? ineptitude? my situation? You profess to know a great deal about me, choto. In fact, you know nothing about me but you are right about the unrest part. a race/civil war is coming to this country, the wetback cockroaches will be stomped and it shall be glorious
Viva La Revolucion Blanco!!!
Go back to your trailer, Ian.
(Ian – isn’t that a girl’s name?)
Since Ian floated here on a rubber raft would he not be a wetback himself?
Great post American. So the “Star Spangled Banner” was translated into Spanish in 1919, BEFORE it became the “National Anthem”. Interesting. In Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and California, the first non-native language that was established was Spanish. English was the language of illegal immigrant invaders. I suppose that the Spanish-Mexicans should have required the Gringos to assimilate properly by learning Spanish.
Maybe we should euthanize all cats, which were imported, because they are annihilating native songbirds. Get rid of corn, an import from Mexico that has turned once-beautiful natural landscapes into ugly monoculture eyesores. Same for that imported russian-communist red wheat. And send those nasty geese that used to just pass through, but have now decided to settle without anyone’s permission, back to Canada, for sure.
At the Padres game in San Diego we always have this imigrant climb the flag pole to see the big game for free! I learned the other day his name is: Jose!
Before the game, when they start the music, they said: Jose can you see?
Tha spanish version has always been there! I love this country and I love diversity. We have to remember that we need to be Americans FIRST!
I don’t dare go into them here for fear of being crucified by American Women.
I think the reason is obvious. It’s putting it politely that is the challenge. So how shall I put it? Lots of American men prefer Filipinas and Chicanas because they are more ahem!… feminine than typical modern-day American women? The former two come from cultures with very well-defined gender roles; and call me crazy, but I guess that’s why American men tend to be attracted to them because they are how you say, less butch-like? I know, I’m in deep shit now. Also, it is understood by many anthropologists that attraction between people are usually caused by their uniqueness. Opposites attract, and I think that goes for human interpersonal relationships as well; of course there is always the individualistic factor of human nature should be included before such claims should be made.
Since Ian floated here on a rubber raft would he not be a wetback himself?
OUCH! Them’s fightin words!
Ks,Get over yourself! We’re talking about ILLEGAL ALIENS, not Irish-Americans waving Irish flags on St. Paddys day or homosexual-Americans waving Rainbow flags. Furthermore, I don’t recall homosexuals being threatened with deportation. The issue with the flag-waving is nationalism. Illegal Mexicans waving around Mexican flags does not demonstrate any nationalistic spirit for our country. This is why Americans feel insulted when Mexican flags are raised by people who have disregarded our laws and at the same time demand to be made citizens of this country. You simply can’t compare that to a bunch of Irish-Americans celebrating their heritage (a saint’s feast day for us damn Catholics) or homosexuals waving their flags celebrating their sexual orientation.
Bush en Español
Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: “President Bush declared last week that the national anthem should be sung in English not Spanish, but he evidently never told his own government or campaign organizations.
“The State Department posts four Spanish versions of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ on its Web site. . . .
“The Center for American Progress, a liberal group run by Clinton chief of staff John D. Podesta, posted on its blog a reference to Bush singing the anthem in Spanish. In his book, ‘American Dynasty,’ Kevin Phillips wrote that Bush ‘would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, sometimes partying with a “Viva Bush” mariachi band flown in from Texas.’
“White House spokesmen and former campaign operatives said they could not recall whether that happened, though given the level of Bush’s Spanish proficiency, they seemed dubious.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html
Gahaha!Stop! THe idea of El Presidente, “getting down” with a Viva la Bush Mariachi band is so freakin hilarious it should be deemed illegal! I could picture El Viejo drunk off his ass on tequila with a fake moustache and a sombrero firing off two Single Action Army handguns with a bandoleer strapped across his chest!
Arriba arriba! Andale!Gwhahahahahahaha!!!!
Add a little nose candy to that tequila for the Bushie-boy.
Hahaha! I’m still laughing uncontrollably!
BUSH: Heyyy!!! Como estais amigos!? Yeah! Another round for my compadres!MARIACHI: Viva el Presidente! Viva la Bush!(band plays Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way”, Bush sings en ESPANOL.)Dick Cheney fires off a few rounds into the ceiling killing 6 Republican lawyers playing poker.
CruX, you’re right. You ARE in deep shit.
PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE SENDING BRICKS TO THEIR CONGRESSMEN..I FOUND THIS WEB PAGE WHERE YOU CAN SEND A BRICK TO YOUR CONGRESSMEN TO LET THEM KNOW THAT: When our borders are secure, only then can we discuss other aspects of the illegal immigration issue..http://www.send-a-brick.com/brick.htm.Like they say, sometimes you have to use a brick to get their attention!!
CrusaderX,Please do not think so highly of your dumb-ass president! He can’t even speak English proficiently, what makes you think he will be able to speak Spanish??
Hijo de puta!
Sing it one time at a Football/Baseball game and see what happens. Excuse me you go any Country you want and you have to learn their language, not the other way around. Welcome to our Country if you got in here the right way, if not get out and use the main gate.
“CrusaderX,Please do not think so highly of your dumb-ass president! He can’t even speak English proficiently, what makes you think he will be able to speak Spanish??
Hijo de puta!”
See just dumb, wants our way but wants to be El Bad-ass-o, please get out of our Country.
Just say no to wetbacks.
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