HOME | BIO | MUSIC | JOURNEYS BY DJ | STUDIO BLOG | POLITICAL BLOG | BOOKING INFO | CONTACT

So now we're arguing over whether or not we should sing the Star Spangled Banner in Spanish? How pathetically childish can we possibly get?

In an odd way this reminds me of the gay marriage debate. Consenting adults are choosing to so something that we as a society have decided is worthy of praise and respect, but because we don't like the details of how they are going to do it, we argue that they should be stopped. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" seems to be something the Republican Party has forgotten all about.

Three quick points:

First, back in 1919 the US government commissioned a Spanish version of the anthem, and the Dept. of State currently touts four separate Spanish versions on its website.

Second, over 20% of the territory covered by the continental United States once belonged to Mexico. Thus, people in that region spoke Spanish well before they spoke English. Take a look:

Finally, third, since Bush seems to have weighed in on the side of the idiotic English-only folks, its worth remembering that as Governor of Texas he stood on the opposite side.

UPDATE: Bush really just has no conscience when it comes to lying, does he? Check this out. That's Bush in the front row, hand over heart, while Jon Secada signs the anthem in "Spanglish" in the White House. I know 5 years is a long time, but you'd think bush would remember this one. It was, after all, the day of his Inauguration.

--------