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.
Karma, you take care of it and it will take care of you.
Can't we all just get along
Last edited by Benyamin on 05-01-2006 at 11:18 PM |
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.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
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.
Karma, you take care of it and it will take care of you.
Can't we all just get along
Last edited by Benyamin on 05-01-2006 at 11:21 PM |
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.
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)
Karma, you take care of it and it will take care of you.
Benyamin said this in post #19 : 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.
I agree with you. I don't like bilingual education, at all. It is ridiculous. We're teaching kids that they don't need to learn to speak english, and communicate with the majority. No, we're saying... "Hey, keep your language, and make everyone bend to meet YOUR needs!"
I would MUCH rather be able to communicate with someone. I can't tell you how many times I've called a company, for one reason, or another, only to have to talk to someone who not only speaks english as a second language, but POOR english. I've asked, several times, to be placed on the phone with someone else. I don't care if they are offended. What good does it do me to have to try to decipher a conversation for something that I need help on, then hang up, even more frustrated than I was before the call.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
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.
Karma, you take care of it and it will take care of you.
05-01-2006 08:53 PM
