Sing the U.S. anthem in English only, Bush declares

Immigration and our Borders Forum

Friday, April 28, 2006; Posted: 2:08 p.m. EDT (18:08 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The national anthem should be sung in English -- not Spanish -- President Bush declared Friday, amid growing restlessness over the millions of immigrants here illegally.

"One of the things that's very important is, when we debate this issue, that we not lose our national soul," the president exclaimed.

"One of the great things about America is that we've been able to take people from all walks of life bound as one nation under God. And that's the challenge ahead of us."

A Spanish-language version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was released Friday by a British music producer, Adam Kidron, who said he wanted to honor America's immigrants.

When the president was asked at a Rose Garden question-and-answer session whether the anthem should be sung in Spanish, he replied: "I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English."

He made his remarks on the matters during a wide-ranging briefing with reporters.

"I think people who want to be citizens of this country ought to learn English," Bush said.

The president's comments came amid a burgeoning national debate -- and congressional fight -- over legislation pending in Congress, and pushed by Bush, to overhaul U.S. immigration law.

Bush called on lawmakers to move forward on legislation -- now stalled -- that would revamp immigration laws.

"I want a comprehensive bill," Bush said that includes enforcement as well as giving temporary worker status to some illegal immigrants.

Large numbers of immigrant groups have planned an economic boycott next week to dramatize their call for legislation providing legal status for millions of people in the United States illegally.

"You know, I'm not a supporter of boycotts," Bush said. " I am a supporter of comprehensive immigration ... I think most Americans agree that we've got to enforce our border. I don't think there's any question about that."

His remarks followed release of the Spanish language version of the song, called "Nuestro Himno" or "Our Anthem."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Wow, can it be? I actually agree with Bush on something. Man, what a weird day.

-HECK!

I don't think it matters, this is just needless whining.

As someone else stated in response to this story:

I think that this goes much deeper than the anthem being sung in spanish. It's about the language of the country. It might not be "official" but this is America, where people speak ENGLISH! If you go to someone else's country, do you EXPECT them to speak english? No! It's their country. You go to Germany, they speak german. In France, they speak french. If you move there... you should know, or be really learning, that language.

Me, personally... I'm tired of going into a business and having english be the minority language.

I've never walked into a business where English is a minority language, I have yet to see this occur. The only time where I've seen people that did not speak English well was in the Dining Hall in college, it ranged from Polish to Chinese, but they could serve the food and communicate with students in that regard. The more important communication is with people, the more English people will know, I think this is the case with any country. The service jobs in countries with a sizable immigrant population will not always have people that are fluent.

I still think since we don't have an official language, any language will do since they're singing the National Anthem, but I think you're more likely to see people speaking multiple languages in other countries (except for maybe Japan).

Is this new Spanish Star Spangled Banner a direct translation into Spanish, or are some of the lyrics different as well? I have heard both ways on the news.

Actually this isn't even the Star Spangled Banner, the words are different. But how do people feel about the Black National Anthem, that is a great song and many functions I've gone to in college have played it.

ICB if you spent more time in Southern California, you would find many businesses where English is rarely spoken. These immigrants refuse to learn the language.

If they really want to be a part of this country, they should show some respect and learn English.

EXACTLY! Well put, Sher. It's very frustrating here. And it does happen a lot. You might not have run in to it, ICB... but out here, we have it happen all over. That's really frustrating.

Try calling anywhere in San Diego, and you get a recording with English and Spanish.

Try calling ANY business, anywhere, and it's in english and spanish. But, you're right... San Diego has it, everywhere. *sigh*

Florida is the same way. You can go into restaurants where nobody is speaking English. It is not a trivial matter. In terms of our national identity, this has always been considered a melting pot. Part of the deal is that immigrants have to melt.

That's why I said... if you move to another country, LEARN THEIR LANGUAGE! I would NEVER be so rude, or ignorant, or anything else, as to relocate to another country and not learn the language, and the customs. I just find it disgusting that people come here and have no respect in that fashion, and then get pissed at us for not catering to them.

I keep hearing news stories that clearly refer to this as a Spanish translation of the Star Spangled Banner. Last night, ABC news ran a blatantly biased piece where they chided Bush for criticizing the Spanish national anthem because the Whitehouse website has a Spanish translation of the Star Spangled Banner. ABC implied that what is on the website, and the new version are the same, and that Bush was therefore a hypocrite.

Well the fact is that it is not the same words, so it is not even the same song. The melody is roughly the same, and the song has been presented by those who embrace it as a Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner. It is not a Spanish translation of the U.S. national anthem, however, and it is not on the Whitehouse website as ABC stated.

In fact, the tone of the illegal alien version of the song is quite different than the celebration of victory and freedom implicit in the real Star Spangled Banner. In the Spanish version, the words clearly depict the same sense of entitlement that is so obvious in the demonstrations. The idea that they need their own version of the U.S. national anthem is the same attitude that is behind their desire to retain their own language. They do not want to come in here and melt into the American culture as immigrants have always done. Instead, they want to retain their own national identity and exist in the U.S. as an entitled activist group with a big chip on their shoulder about what they feel we own them.

I believe that this issue is meaningless and was put in the spotlight in order to incite Americans against Hispanic immigrants.
The first Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and song.
Sing the national anthem in whatever language you chose.
Are you worried that suddenly the anthem will be sung in Spanish at ballgames? Nonsense. Besides this so called Spanish version of our national anthem is NOT our national anthem, only the English version is our national anthem. (because any other language version is really only a translation of the anthem, not the official anthem) so why worry about it.

PS my argument assumes a correct translation. An incorrect translation shouldn't even be called the Spanish version of the American anthem. It would be a new song with bits and pieces of the original.

PPS Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole issue was thought up by anti-immigration folks. Why would we need a Spanish version anyway. We all know songs in other languages but don't necessarily know the meaning. (Frere Jacgue, La Bamba etc). It is easier to sing a foreign language than it is to speak it.

I think that most of us are worried that it's going to become to a point that spanish will be required to speak in our country, as well as english, and that ticks me off.

Lawless said: "I think that most of us are worried that it's going to become to a point that Spanish will be required to speak in our country, as well as English, and that ticks me off."


That is exactly what anti-immigration people are counting on.
We will never be required to speak Spanish. But the Tancredi's of the world want to arouse anger over Hispanic immigration so they bring up the "Spanish American anthem" just to arouse passions.

We need to get rid of bilingual education because it keeps the Hispanic immigrants from needing to learn the English. Also you should not be able to get a driver's license without knowing enough English to be able to communicate with Police officers and other drivers.

Now my problem with illegal alien problem is that illegal aliens are exploited by the rich companies to make even more money.
What is needed is more powerful unions so that the pay is better and English speaking workers would go after the jobs.
If I had to choose between a worker I can communicate with and one that I couldn't, well you know the answer. And to those who complain that higher wages mean higher costs so be it.
(companies like Walmart don't need to raise costs to offset higher wages they just need to cut their overly high profit margins) solutions to major problems never comes without some kind of compromise.

EUCLID said; "It's not the U.S. national anthem translated into Spanish. It is a whole new song with a political agenda as the theme.

Then we have no problem. We just need to stop calling any song that is not our traditional song "the national anthem".

Semantics.

Yeah, Spanish will never be a required language country wide. New Mexico has English and Spanish as its official languages. I don't see that happening much of anywhere else.

-HECK!

I didn't know that Spanish and English were official languages of New Mexico!

I think a bilingual policy only hurts immigrants by allowing them to exist here without learning English. ( the parents will always have problems assimilating but the children shouldn't unless you have dual languages like in New Mexico or bilingual education (also driver's license exams should be totally in English and voting instructions should also be only in English.) I say this not for the benefit of English speaking Americans but I say this for the benefit of non-English speaking peoples. (They won't learn English unless they need to.) (I hope I don't sound like the French)

Earlier I had said that it is easier to learn a song in a foreign language than it is to recite the same words in prose.

What I mean't was...if non-English speakers want to learn the national anthem they can learn the "English version" without really knowing the meaning. Which is just fine. You don't have to know the meaning to get the patriotic feelings. Remember Casablanca when they sing the Marseilles, tell me you weren't stirred even though you didn't know what the song was saying.