May 1, 2006--"Does the Starry Beauty Still Wave?"
Last Friday was Take-Your-Children-to-Work Day. May 1st is typically Workers-of-the-World-Unite Day. But this May 1st it’s Illegal-Immigrants-Stay-Home-From-Work-and Keep-Your-Kids-Home-From-School Day. It might also be Sing-the-National-Anthem-In-Spanish-Day.
This sounds very jingoistic, doesn’t it? Actually, I see it more as a statement of Progressive Pragmatism.
President Bush and the Republican Right, desperate to distract us from $3.00 per gallon gas and 67 killed in Iraq month, are fanning the flames of nativist bigotry, by turning the issue of illegal immigration into this year’s ideal wedge issue. If they can get talk radio raging about immigrants not wanting to learn English while taking advantage of our schools and health care system, they feel they can bring out their base in November.
There is no better issue than the furor over the new Spanish version of the National Anthem. While sprinkling in a few Spanish phrases while denouncing it, President Bush managed to get on the front page of the NY Times while the story about the hundreds of thousands out on the streets protesting the war was relegated to just a small picture on the bottom of page 18 (see Anthem article linked below).
In the Anthem story, the Times, on the jump page, mentioned that there were “some departures from the original lyrics” (my italics). Since there were no examples at all in the Times, ever curious, I got hold of both the Spanish version and its translation. I’ve included all of the English translation below so you can see them for yourself.
Though not much of a super-patriot, I must admit having difficulties with these, putting aside for the moment the appropriateness in the first place of singing the National Anthem in Spanish. Here is a sampling of some “departures”: “We are brothers in our anthem”; “the struggle toward liberty”; “my people fight on”; “the time has come to break the chains.”
I guess I like some of the sentiments, but where are they to be flound in, forgive me, our Anthem?
Like other Progressive Pragmatists I want to win in November and see the Democrats take control of at least one house of Congress. We need to restore some checks and balances in Washington and get a few investigations going, and for that we need one house with a Democrat majority so they can exercise subpoena power.
To accomplish this, Democrats need to get out front on this issue—Go to work; send your kids to school; when you march in protest carry the American and not the Mexican flag; and if you want to sing the National Anthem, please, do it in English.
The National Anthem--English Translation of the Spanish:
By the light of the dawn, do you see arising,
what we proudly hailed at twilight's last fall?
Its stars, its stripes
yesterday streamed
above fierce combat
a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
Throughout the night, they proclaimed:
"We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
Its stars, its stripes,
liberty, we are the same.
We are brothers in our anthem.
In fierce combat, a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
My people fight on.
The time has come to break the chains.
Throughout the night they proclaimed, "We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
This sounds very jingoistic, doesn’t it? Actually, I see it more as a statement of Progressive Pragmatism.
President Bush and the Republican Right, desperate to distract us from $3.00 per gallon gas and 67 killed in Iraq month, are fanning the flames of nativist bigotry, by turning the issue of illegal immigration into this year’s ideal wedge issue. If they can get talk radio raging about immigrants not wanting to learn English while taking advantage of our schools and health care system, they feel they can bring out their base in November.
There is no better issue than the furor over the new Spanish version of the National Anthem. While sprinkling in a few Spanish phrases while denouncing it, President Bush managed to get on the front page of the NY Times while the story about the hundreds of thousands out on the streets protesting the war was relegated to just a small picture on the bottom of page 18 (see Anthem article linked below).
In the Anthem story, the Times, on the jump page, mentioned that there were “some departures from the original lyrics” (my italics). Since there were no examples at all in the Times, ever curious, I got hold of both the Spanish version and its translation. I’ve included all of the English translation below so you can see them for yourself.
Though not much of a super-patriot, I must admit having difficulties with these, putting aside for the moment the appropriateness in the first place of singing the National Anthem in Spanish. Here is a sampling of some “departures”: “We are brothers in our anthem”; “the struggle toward liberty”; “my people fight on”; “the time has come to break the chains.”
I guess I like some of the sentiments, but where are they to be flound in, forgive me, our Anthem?
Like other Progressive Pragmatists I want to win in November and see the Democrats take control of at least one house of Congress. We need to restore some checks and balances in Washington and get a few investigations going, and for that we need one house with a Democrat majority so they can exercise subpoena power.
To accomplish this, Democrats need to get out front on this issue—Go to work; send your kids to school; when you march in protest carry the American and not the Mexican flag; and if you want to sing the National Anthem, please, do it in English.
The National Anthem--English Translation of the Spanish:
By the light of the dawn, do you see arising,
what we proudly hailed at twilight's last fall?
Its stars, its stripes
yesterday streamed
above fierce combat
a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
Throughout the night, they proclaimed:
"We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
Its stars, its stripes,
liberty, we are the same.
We are brothers in our anthem.
In fierce combat, a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
My people fight on.
The time has come to break the chains.
Throughout the night they proclaimed, "We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
posted by Steven Zwerling at
12:39 PM
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