Clarification/Follow-up by Itsdb on 05/04/06 4:07 pm:
Try answering the question.

Try asking one that matters.

Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 05/04/06 4:54 pm:
First of all, why are you screaming? Or are you just trying to impress me with your facility in HTML?

Second of all, if Laura is saying that it should be sung in English then she is agreeing with her husband. Period. Sure there should be many languages allowed in this country. The speaking of languages other than English shouldn't be criminalized. But that doesn't mean that the National Anthem should be sung in those other languages.

As to our discussion of the American "nationality" which you argue is not any one single nationality, I would point out two points.

1) The Pledge of Allegiance says "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to The Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

One nation, not multiple nationalities and cultures. There IS a single, identifiable American national identity separate from all others. This fact was recognized by Francis Bellamy in 1892, the author of the Pledge, as well as Congress in 1942, when the Pledge was first officially recognized, and then again in 1954, when Congress recognized the addition of the words "under G-d". They saw the United States as "one nation" with a single national identity... and part of that identity is its acceptance of legal immigrants who wish to join that national identity.

2) Most sociologists and political scientists define a "nation" as a group of people having a common geographical location, language, culture and currency. There are, however, exceptions to this rule. The Jewish people did not share a common geographic location between 70 AD and 1948, but were still considered a aingle nation because of their shared, culture, origin, language and ethnicity. The Roma (Gypsies) do not share a common geography, but are considered a single nation in diaspora, just as the Jews, based on common language, ethinicity and culture and origin. And America is another exception to the definition of "nation", because we share the common geography, culture and currency, though we differ in ethnicity and origin. But language and culture are a very important part of national identity. So trying to make other languages "official" in the USA is indeed damaging to its national identity. Sure, all languages are welcome here, and anyone can speak any language they want. But if they wish to conduct business here, it should be done in the COMMON LANGUAGE which is English, and which is a large part of our national identity.

There is a single American national identity sepparate from all others, but consisting of bits and pieces from all those others. And part of that culture is the National Anthem, which should be sung as originally written, and not in some other language.

Elliot

Clarification/Follow-up by Erewhon on 05/04/06 10:29 pm:
Bush's wife, Laura, appeared to disagree.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with singing it in Spanish," said told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.

She said she thought it should be sung in English, but pointed out that,

"We are a nation of immigrants. We are a nation of many, many languages, because immigrants come and bring their languages."

Suck it up!