If you don't like the language, go home.

Spanish Star Spangled Banner

Have you seen this? There is a move afoot to rewrite the Star Spangled Banner in Spanish. What???? I've been trying to remain neutral on this issue out of respect for my friends who are immigrants (both newly legal and first generation), but this has crossed the line.

I haven't had a chance to talk to my friends to get their opinion on this issue, and I know that they have them. When I first met them, I really felt odd. I was the white girl from Vermont, the whitest state in the union in a room full of people who were either born in Mexico or were Americans due to their birth in an American territory. They spoke more languages than I do (okay, one more, but still) and knew more about their culture than I would ever hope to know and I had never felt more at home. I was immediately accepted as a friend and as a member of the family. I love them all, and am saddened because I don't see them often.

All of that aside, they chose to come to this country. They are Americans. The American National Anthem is the Star Spangled Banner. It is a poem, written in English set to the tune of To Anacreon in Heaven. The Mexican National Anthem is Mexicanos, al grito de guerra. Should all of the immigrants in Mexico rewrite the Mexicanos, al grito de guerra in their native language. No, why? Article 39 of Mexican Copyright law prohibits the anthem from being altered in any way. Why do immigrants to America think they can come in and rewrite our anthem? They chose to come here. They knew what they were getting into when they crossed the border. This is primarily an English speaking nation. Yes, we have groups that speak other language. In fact, I can go out in my own neighbor hood and here French, Bosnian, Sudanese, Spanish and any one of the many Asian languages. Does that mean that we should rewrite the language of the anthem in all of those languages? How many different versions should we have?

I heard on the news this morning that there is a proposed walkout of all immigrants on May 1st. Honestly, I think this is a great idea. It's a fabulous way to generate awareness. The question is, what immigrants get to walk out? Is it just people born outside the US, or do their kids get to walk out too? If the kids, why not the kid's kids? We could keep that going far enough that would allow me to walk out too. I am not an immigrant. I do not consider my family immigrants, but my great-grandparents weren't born here.

I choose not to go into the other problem of illegal immigrants, at least not right now.

Later Days