Sing it!

But Mr. Bush, you don’t speak English!

Reprinted from The Globe and Mail
www.globeandmail.com

One-language anthem
What is the US President talking about now???

So, you’re only a citizen of the US if you speak English? The national soul is only English? So what does that mean for MILLIONS of US CITIZENS who were born on US soil or who are naturalised or who have chosen to come to “The Land of The Free?”

What about all those Cajuns who left, persecuted, and came to the Carolinas? Those would be the Acadians - from the maritime region of Canada - who were FRENCH speaking Catholics.

What about all those people who were stolen from Africa and brought to America (thank you, Bob Marley) and who certainly didn't speak English but who certainly became and are now citizens?

What about all the people who come from Korea, China, Japan, Philipines, who are citizens but whose first language is not English? Should they leave?

When are the citizens of the US going to stand up and silence the village idiot that is their President?

Newsflash, Mr. Bush: the US national soul is made up firstly of people who were there long before English speakers were – first nations people. After that, people who came from every corner of the earth – places where people have occasionally never heard English being spoken.

A country's national anthem should at least be sung in the official languages spoken in a given country. In Canada, our anthem is sung in English, French and CREE, all of which are official languages (OK, Cree doesn't have the respect it deserves, but it is one of Canada's major languages regardless).

The US has two official Languages; English and Spanish.

Get on board Mr. President.

Here’s the reprint from the Globe and Mail:
JOHN CHUCKMAN

Hamilton, Ont. -- Re National Anthem Best Sung In English, Bush Declares (April 29):
"One of the important things here is that we not lose our national soul," George Bush said in reacting to a Spanish version of the American national anthem, Nuestro Himno (Our Anthem), which was played on U.S. Hispanic radio and TV stations recently.

…. President Bush reacted with: "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."

Canada's anthem has two official versions, French and English, and were a group of immigrants to offer it in Ukrainian or Mandarin, most Canadians would be tickled.

Xenophobia in a land of immigrants should have no place."