4/30/2006 4:00:00 AM Our anthem must remain in English
Some people have a lot of cheek.
British music producer Adam Kidron has come up with a Spanish-language version of "The Star Spangled Banner." It's cheeky enough that he released a version Friday that is a basic straight-across Spanish equivalent of the original Francis Scott Key lyrics. He also plans to come out with a remix version in June that includes several lines of English that condemn U.S. immigration laws.
Well, we have a First Amendment in this country that gives even people with no responsibility the right to say what they want to say without prior restraint.
But if it's OK now to mess with countries' national anthems, how about and English language version of "Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra," the Mexican national anthem which translates "Mexicans, to the War Cry."
We could have some lyrics criticizing "mordida," the systemic bribery network in Mexico that suppresses workers and forces them to seek work in the United States. Let's redo "Rule Britannia," and put in a shot or two at snotty Brit music producers. Then we can do "The Marseillaise" and talk about how the French sat out the Iraq war in hopes of continuing to clean up selling Saddam Hussein technology and munitions.
What? It would be insulting to those countries?
Exactly the point. A country's national anthem belongs to it in that country's language.
Kidron, take a hike.
Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, June 03, 2006
Article comment by:
Graeme Phillips
I'm disillusioned by how one of my fellow countrymen decided to help the USA give away its sovereignty to the Mexicans by producing a Spanish version of the U.S. anthem.
