Our National Anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner." It was written by Francis Scott Key (a lawyer) after his experience on a British warship overnight as the British pounded Fort McHenry outside Baltimore during the War of 1812 (September 13-14, 1814 A.D.). The bombardment went on for 25 hours. In the morning, Mr. Key was relieved to see our flag was still flying, meaning we hadn't surrendered. The poem, now our National Anthem, is four verses long, but we usually only get to hear the first verse before football games, etc. The poem was originally called "The Defense of Fort McHenry." It was widely published in the US and someone decided it fit the tune of the British drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven." The poem was later renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and became our national anthem in 1931. I highly encourage everyone to read the full poem. It's a great work.
Like most other Americans, I well up with pride when I hear the national anthem and see a flag waving, in particular if I'm in uniform outside and saluting. It's a great feeling.
What is my problem with this song? I have four. First, it was never meant to be a song. Second, the part we always hear (first verse) is just about the flag, not the country. Third, the tune it's put to is a British drinking song with march music. It sounds far too imperial, especially when compared to others I hear at the olympics. Fourth, it was written by a lawyer.
Other countrys' anthems are about how great the country and its people are. What kind of songs do we have that compare? Well, three great alternatives are out there, "God Bless America," "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and "America the Beautiful."
These are all ideal, but "God Bless America" couldn't pass muster these days since we're not allowed to mention God anymore (Commies and their lawyers) and He's right up-front in this song. Those who oppose such a thing should read the fourth verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner." It's all about Heaven and God.
"My Country 'Tis of Thee" is a great song, BUT it's tune is "God Save the Queen [or King]." That is the anthem of the British Empire... no good, especially when done instrumentally on an international stage.
"America the Beautiful" is perfect. The tune is soft, the words are easy to remember, and it talks about the country, not just the flag. It mentions God in the words, but so does "The Star-Spangled Banner" (fourth verse). Therefore, I propose we change the national anthem to "America the Beautiful."
There have been a number of movements over the past 50 years to get the song classified as the National Hymm or as A national anthem equal to "The Star-Spangled Banner." It's time to make it happen.
Thoughts?
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Free the Indians!
The Indian Reservation system is a disgrace and should be phased out as soon as possible. While there are a handful of advantages to growing up on the reservation (some offer to send their kids to college), most Indian reservations are dead-end quagmires of hopelessness. Alcoholism and now methamphetamine drugs plague these places. Many have become distribution sources for meth. Reservations are exempt from state law, so only the Feds can do anything there. The Feds do very little, so the problems fester. The Indians continue to suffer. Further, casino money is fueling the alcohol, crime, and meth problems. The Reservation system is a failure.
The horrible thing to me is if an Indian youth aspires for more, he's put down by the other Indians as becoming "Washisha" (white). He just wants to succeed.
The Reservation lands should be given to those tribes to do with as they please. If they want to make a commune, ok. If they want to sell it, ok. BUT, that land will become part of whatever state it’s in and subject to its laws and taxes. Individual states can handle the details. The turnover date should be five years out from passage of the law with all state laws and regulations followed by the ten-year mark (i.e. If the state doesn’t allow gambling, a casino will close.).
American Indians have been held in stasis for the last 100+ years by the reservation system. It is time they catch up to the society around them. Indians can and should remain as Indian as they want to be. My ancestors (Pennsylvania Dutch) came here well over 200 years ago and have retained their customs, language, and religion. There is no reason the Indians can't do the same. They should.
Related subject: Casinos, while bringing jobs and cash, destroy a society from within. They are great for the owners and horrible for the patrons. Casinos are NOT an honorable way to support yourself.
Please share your thoughts.
--UPDATE, September 2009--
I just read an article on CNN.com detailing the plight of Indians on a Lakota Reservation (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/index.html).
The article says unemployment is 80%. I have a hint, a clue, a proposal or a suggestion... GET OFF THE RESERVATION!!!!! It's killing you.
--UPDATE, March 2010--
Here's an article talking about the modern-day mismanagemnt of Indian Affairs by the Feds. The Federal Gov't needs to give up and let the Tribes run their own show as discussed above. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/08/indian.land/index.html
-- UPDATE, July 2010 --
Oh this is great. The Iroquois "National" team is trying to travel to the Lacrosse World Championships in jolly ol' England. They insist on traveling using their Iroquois passports and not American passports, insisting on the sovereignty of their nation. Wrong answer! The ignorance gets better. In this story, "Iroquois passport dispute raises sovereignty issue" (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100717/D9H10RB81.html), one of them says, "You know that as a young person that you are sovereign, that you are not part of the United States," he said. "We were the first people here." That is about the most ignorant thing I've heard in a long time. He is a US citizen, like it or not. If he doesn't, he can leave.
Further, the Indians who the European settlers found in North America were at least the third wave of immigrants. They killed, maimed, and assimilated their way into the lands the Europeans found them on. If he knew anything about "his people", he ought to know that. Again, it's time to end the charade. Disband the reservations, give the land to the Indians, make the former reservations part of the states they are in, and move on.
The horrible thing to me is if an Indian youth aspires for more, he's put down by the other Indians as becoming "Washisha" (white). He just wants to succeed.
The Reservation lands should be given to those tribes to do with as they please. If they want to make a commune, ok. If they want to sell it, ok. BUT, that land will become part of whatever state it’s in and subject to its laws and taxes. Individual states can handle the details. The turnover date should be five years out from passage of the law with all state laws and regulations followed by the ten-year mark (i.e. If the state doesn’t allow gambling, a casino will close.).
American Indians have been held in stasis for the last 100+ years by the reservation system. It is time they catch up to the society around them. Indians can and should remain as Indian as they want to be. My ancestors (Pennsylvania Dutch) came here well over 200 years ago and have retained their customs, language, and religion. There is no reason the Indians can't do the same. They should.
Related subject: Casinos, while bringing jobs and cash, destroy a society from within. They are great for the owners and horrible for the patrons. Casinos are NOT an honorable way to support yourself.
Please share your thoughts.
--UPDATE, September 2009--
I just read an article on CNN.com detailing the plight of Indians on a Lakota Reservation (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/index.html).
The article says unemployment is 80%. I have a hint, a clue, a proposal or a suggestion... GET OFF THE RESERVATION!!!!! It's killing you.
--UPDATE, March 2010--
Here's an article talking about the modern-day mismanagemnt of Indian Affairs by the Feds. The Federal Gov't needs to give up and let the Tribes run their own show as discussed above. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/08/indian.land/index.html
-- UPDATE, July 2010 --
Oh this is great. The Iroquois "National" team is trying to travel to the Lacrosse World Championships in jolly ol' England. They insist on traveling using their Iroquois passports and not American passports, insisting on the sovereignty of their nation. Wrong answer! The ignorance gets better. In this story, "Iroquois passport dispute raises sovereignty issue" (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100717/D9H10RB81.html), one of them says, "You know that as a young person that you are sovereign, that you are not part of the United States," he said. "We were the first people here." That is about the most ignorant thing I've heard in a long time. He is a US citizen, like it or not. If he doesn't, he can leave.
Further, the Indians who the European settlers found in North America were at least the third wave of immigrants. They killed, maimed, and assimilated their way into the lands the Europeans found them on. If he knew anything about "his people", he ought to know that. Again, it's time to end the charade. Disband the reservations, give the land to the Indians, make the former reservations part of the states they are in, and move on.
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