The Star-Spangled Mess

Republicans claim to be against Government Intrusiveness, in favor of Individual Liberty and all that sort of high-sounding stuff.

So how come as soon as I hear that some twit of a legislator is proposed a resolution determining what people may and may not sing, I know damned well which party he belongs to without even looking?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - English is the only language in which the U.S. national anthem should be sung, a lawmaker declared in a Senate resolution on Monday, jumping into a hot debate over a new Spanish version of the song.

Is this the final move toward Bizarro World or something? A resolution declaring what language people are allowed to sing a song in?

Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, said singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a foreign language could be divisive in a nation of immigrants united by a common language.

Not NEARLY as "divisive" as trying to outlaw the native language of one of those groups.

Maybe they should have arrested Louis Prima for recording "Che La Luna."

"English is part of who we are as Americans. It's part of what unites us," he said. "That's why we should always sing it in our common language, English."

How about this for a radical proposal? You can sing any damned thing you please in any damned language you please. You know, as though this was a free country, or something.

Weirdly enough, Condoleezza Rice is the only one who actually sounds sane:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice weighed in on the subject on Sunday, saying she had heard the anthem done in musical genres ranging from rap to classical.

"From my point of view, people expressing themselves as wanting to be Americans is a good thing," Rice said on the CBS show "Face the Nation," adding that the focus needs to be on immigration policy.