Ssb
Much as I like John McCutcheon and the hammered dulcimer, any nation that has the word "bomb" in their national anthem has to be insane. My $0.02...
posted byPhilip Feeley on June 06, 2008, 03:10:19 pm

Bombs Away
Oh say, can you see ... that the bombs do belong?  In the twilight of the oil age, what did our brave leader say?  "Our way of life is not negotiable." So if we don't like what you're doing, we bomb you.  If we want what you have, we bomb you.  But remember ... we're doing it for your freedom.
posted by Laura Wilson on June 08, 2008, 04:06:55 pm

re: Ssb
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, people. I'd rather live in the US and complain about the crooks who run it than try to live under the edicts of some bearded tribal patriarch who cuts the tongues out of people who complain.
posted by Jim Pipkin on June 10, 2008, 08:20:08 pm

re: Ssb
The bombs are British fired from British ships on Ft. McHenry after the hand of GOD brought a hurricane and tornadoes against the British as they captured DC. The song is reference to the defense of the country not imperialist conquest. Nations need songs that praise the heroics of those that defended it against imperialism. We would be better if we knew more about our origins as a nation instead of attacking the things left to remind us we came from a battle against imperialism.
posted by Billy Joe Sartor on June 14, 2008, 09:12:25 am

Bombs Away
[QUOTE=Jim Pipkin]rather than try to live under the edicts of some bearded tribal patriarch who cuts the tongues out of people who complain.[/QUOTE] ... as if that were the only alternative to imperialism. [QUOTE=Billy Joe Sartor]Nations need songs that praise the heroics of those that defended it against imperialism.[/QUOTE] Do we need nations and nationalism, or have we evolved beyond that? If we consider the WHOLE history of this nation, then we understand that the Star Spangled Banner has evolved into an emblem of present-day imperialism.  In that proper context, its historic origins are overshadowed, and the criticism of its continued use is entirely justified.
posted by Laura Wilson on June 14, 2008, 04:39:35 pm