As if the "debate" over the Spanish-language version of the Star Spangled Banner wasn't stupid enough already, the United States Senate has gotten involved.
Just last week, President Bush stated his belief that the national anthem should always be sung in English. On Monday, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced a senate resolution to that effect.
From his prepared remarks:
“English is a part of who we are as Americans – it’s part of what unites us. Just as we are united by our history and our shared values, like liberty, equal opportunity, and the rule of law.
“I worry, Mr. President, that translating our national anthem will actually have the effect of dividing us. It adds to the celebration of multiculturalism in our society which has eroded our understanding of our common American culture.
“Ours is a diverse nation. But diversity is not our greatest accomplishment. Jerusalem is diverse. The Balkans are diverse. Iraq is diverse. What makes America unique is that we have taken all that magnificent diversity and turned it into one nation.
“Will translating our anthem into multiple languages also erode our sense of having a common language that allows us to speak with one another as one nation?"
“That’s why we should always sing it in our common language, English. And that’s why today I am introducing a resolution that affirms that statements of national unity, especially the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem, ought to be recited or sung in English.Honestly, I have no idea what is going on here. None of this statement even makes any sense.
“We wouldn’t recite the Pledge in French, or German, or Russian, or Hindi, or even Chinese (which, after Spanish, is the second most spoken foreign language in the United States). And we shouldn’t sing the national anthem in Spanish, or any other foreign language.
“So, in this land of immigrants, let’s all sing it together, as one American nation, in our common language: English.
“Mr. President, on behalf of myself, Senator Frist, Senator McConnell, Senator Stevens, Senator Isakson, and Senator Roberts, I send this resolution to the desk for purposes of introduction.”
Alexander says, "We wouldn’t recite the Pledge in French, or German, or Russian, or Hindi, or even Chinese." Really? Why wouldn't we?
That's not a rhetorical question. Really, why wouldn't we recite the pledge in French, German, Russian, Hindi or Chinese? I'm sure it sounds quite beautiful in any one of those languages; and here's the really cool part: it means exactly the same thing! Just, you know, in a different language.
Maybe Republicans think that if the national anthem is translated into Spanish, the English-language version will cease to exist. Sort of the way they think that if somebody burns a flag, all flags are somehow damaged. Sure, that's crazy, but not much crazier than introducing a senate resolution calling for the song to be sung only in one language. What does that even mean?
Not only did Alexander feel the need to drag the senate into this fake controversy, he managed to suck several senate leaders into the muck with him. What are they thinking? Are the 2006 elections and, presumably, the 2008 elections going to be fought on the grounds of race and ethnicity? Has the GOP decided that its extreme social-conservative "base" is all it needs to win elections? Because, they certainly appear to trying to alienate everybody else.
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