Here are the actual words -- they're better than the real ones, for my money.

Lift ev'ry voice and sing, 'Til earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on 'til victory is won. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast'ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, 'Til now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, True to our native land.

Dpkell- First of all, that story came from Fox News. The purpose was to make angry white people who feel threatened by black culture even angrier, and it worked! I could tell that's what the network was trying to do when I went on the fox news site yesterday and the first thing I saw was a big picture of the singer with the words "BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM!" It's almost like they are trying to say, "Be afraid! Black people are disrespecting the country by... using other lyrics!!!" Second, what are you talking about? "When did we stop being a melting pot? If individuals have such distaste for the Country they live in they have two options; work to make things better, or get out!!" The woman sung an equally patriotic version of the song. It doesn't say anything at all unpatriotic. It doesn't express a distaste for the country. I think by "melting pot" you mean adopting white culture. Third, stop being so damn petty. Stop getting all worked up about something that is so benign and insignificant. It's okay, no one got hurt. We'll be okay. If you're so easily threatened, maybe you should go somewhere with a more homogeneous society.

I agree HelloDollyLama- I like it better. I wouldn't mind if we heard it more often.

What each of you suggest is that we should not have standards. This is part of the problem with our society, we cater to the whims of the minority or the biggest whiner. Usually with no consequence for poor decisions and/or actions. Thoughts and actions such as this suggest that nothing is a sacred institution or understanding. In this world the grass isn't green, the sky isn't blue, everyone should feel free to call it what they want. Back to this issue at hand. The fact, fact, fact (if we can remember that for a moment) is that the woman was asked to come and sing the National Anthem...not her interpretation of her favorite song, not "sing us a number little lady", sing the National Anthem. Instead she chose to do something else that was disrespectful and offensive to those in her audience. Whether her song was beautiful or the lyrics poetic are immaterial, that's not the point of her actions. Her actions were selfish and suggestive as if to say her view of the Country is superior to that of the larger society in which she lives. That's why I say if she doesn't like it to leave or stay and work for positive change.,

No I don't mean "white culture" when I say melting pot I mean melting pot. Since when do the words of Francis Scott Key not include all of us? Is the flag next? Do we implement a Black American flag that they salute? And a Latino American flag that they salute? Since when do the ideals of the Founding Fathers not apply to all of us?

Now I know I'll be opening up a can of worms with this but the actions of this lady were unpatriotic. If the day comes that her song or the lyrics that she sang become adopted as the National Anthem then I'll join in. But until that day we do have the right as Americans to be offended at the disrespectful act she displayed.

OVOB,

Very nicely put. Thank you.

This is dumb.

Should the Jazz singer of sang the alternative lyrics without consulting with the mayor? probably not. Was it really disrespectful? absolutely not. Nothing about those lyrics are disrespectful to this nation, infact it is very uplifting. But seeing that you are a conservative i can't fault you for not being able to rid yourself of the shackles of tradition.Its not even as if the singer was pressing to make their version the official version,

Keep in mind the national anthem is set to the melody of a British drinking song and was written by a British composer.  But the British don't call us their disgraceful alcoholic bastard children for changing their lyrics...but thats probably because that title was already given to the Scots.

DpK

No one here is suggesting that we should not have standards, but we would all agree that individuals should be more open to artistic expression as long as it is not done intentionally to shame anyone. Singing is an art form, and it is the duty of any artist to express themselves how they see fit. Would you prefer every artist simply to paint in the traditional neo-classic form, and disreguard every person who approaches their canvas differently and consider it just as blasphemous? Are Artistic legends like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Pollock just simply degenerates? Of course not

Yet i understand your ties to tradition, so i ask you, how do you feel when they change the appearence of paper and coined money? This too is a different interpretation to the same idea and meaning, no? Perhaps the problem only lies in that singer changed the words, so how about the Pledge of Alliegence, which was written by an American Christian Socialist and did not orignially include "Under God", but was added by the Knights of Columbus during the Lincoln administration. What say you?

OVOB

Your analogy makes no true parallels to the current story. In your story you are comparing two groups of contrasting, polar opposite idea's. Black culture is not in anyway the opposite of white culture, nor is the "new anthem" in anyway illustrating contrasting idea's to the "old anthem". The story you tell is very weak to your argument, and has done your character a great deservice because it has left my mind wandering of your intent.

This is dumb.

Should the Jazz singer of sang the alternative lyrics without consulting with the mayor? probably not. Was it really disrespectful? absolutely not. Nothing about those lyrics are disrespectful to this nation, infact it is very uplifting. But seeing that you are a conservative i can't fault you for not being able to rid yourself of the shackles of tradition.Its not even as if the singer was pressing to make their version the official version,

Keep in mind the national anthem is set to the melody of a British drinking song and was written by a British composer.  But the British don't call us their disgraceful alcoholic bastard children for changing their lyrics...but thats probably because that title was already given to the Scots.

DpK

No one here is suggesting that we should not have standards, but we would all agree that individuals should be more open to artistic expression as long as it is not done intentionally to shame anyone. Singing is an art form, and it is the duty of any artist to express themselves how they see fit. Would you prefer every artist simply to paint in the traditional neo-classic form, and disreguard every person who approaches their canvas differently and consider it just as blasphemous? Are Artistic legends like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Pollock just simply degenerates? Of course not

Yet i understand your ties to tradition, so i ask you, how do you feel when they change the appearence of paper and coined money? This too is a different interpretation to the same idea and meaning, no? Perhaps the problem only lies in that singer changed the words, so how about the Pledge of Alliegence, which was written by an American Christian Socialist and did not orignially include "Under God", but was added by the Knights of Columbus during the Lincoln administration. What say you?

OVOB

Your analogy makes no true parallels to the current story. In your story you are comparing two groups of contrasting, polar opposite idea's. Black culture is not in anyway the opposite of white culture, nor is the "new anthem" in anyway illustrating contrasting idea's to the "old anthem". The story you tell is very weak to your argument, and has done your character a great deservice because it has left my mind wandering of your intent.

Unpatriotic??

She sang a song about FREEDOM.

BURN HER, SHE'S A WITCH!

Well, I believe that bethany, hopenation, and hellodollyllama did a fine job at making their point. I don't see where there is much room the say more.

Although I have been to many gatherings where a person such as Tene Marie has altered things a touch. But never have I been witness to such a back lash because of it.

I guess in the eyes of dpkell2000 I would have been in the same catagory he is putting Rene Marie. For the following reasons. 1) Do I fly the national flag? Yes. 2) Do I fly the Montana state flag? Yes. 3) Do I fly the Confederate Battle flag? You bet your sweet butt. It's a states rights thing, and the fact that I'm a rebel at heart, Not one ounce of race issue for me. In fact I have a real good black friend of mine in MISS. who flys one for the same reasons which I do. 4) If I were in Denver and been at the meeting would I have said the pledge to the flag if it was done? No. 5) Will I ever swear an oath on the Bible? No. Not even in court. 6) Would I pick up a gun and go overseas because the likes of George W. told me to? NOT ON YOUR LIFE, I would be inclined to show him in public just where he could kiss.

Point is, She exercised her freedom, I do it myself. Just because it doesn't fit in dpkell200's view of patriotic does not make it so. If she is anything like myself she is most likely a damn sight more patriotic than he is or anyone he personally knows.

HelloDollyLlama - I know where your comment about burn her came from. Like you I believe someone here was on a witch hunt. Some people in my place whould be greatly offended by it. Although I myself have learned not to be. It is a part of our history and most of us in that group have learned to look past it. I guess we don't belong in dpkell200's melting pot though.

OVOB, Once again you captured the essence of the argument. Where others want to rant in emotional response the fact remains it was an issue of disrespect to the hosts of the event. Nothing more.

HopeNation - We're not commenting on the merits of the words she chose to sing instead or her right to artistic expression. No one is suggesting the woman doesn't have that right but on her own time or in alternate venue/format. In this specific instance she was asked to come and sing THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. She did not. Seems to me the only one's who can truly comment on disappointment and/or disrespect are the host and audience on hand during her performance. Given the responses from them they clearly were both.

Anybody who can throw a hissy fit about a song of freedom just before the Fourth of July has lost his grip. What is the Fourth about, anyway?

Even if the woman had some kind of political agenda, and even if she offended her audience, WHY DOES IT MAKE NATIONAL NEWS? Why does it affect YOU so much? Why are you letting it affect you? Fox News had ana genda by making that the front page story. Let me tell you, there were plenty of other things going on that day that should have made the headline spot on Fox News' website. Things that actually matter.

The hills are alive...with the sound of axes grinding.

and of political pandering and fear mongering

I agree with Bethany. Fox news continues to discredit themselves as a news agency and prefers to enter the realm of political tabloid journalism. So petty is the politics of the reich um.. i mean right.

"OVOB, Once again you captured the essence of the argument. Where others want to rant in emotional response the fact remains it was an issue of disrespect to the hosts of the event. Nothing more. HopeNation - We're not commenting on the merits of the words she chose to sing instead or her right to artistic expression. No one is suggesting the woman doesn't have that right but on her own time or in alternate venue/format. In this specific instance she was asked to come and sing THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. She did not. Seems to me the only one's who can truly comment on disappointment and/or disrespect are the host and audience on hand during her performance. Given the responses from them they clearly were both. "

dpkell2000 says:

"OVOB, Once again you captured the essence of the argument. Where others want to rant in emotional response the fact remains it was an issue of disrespect to the hosts of the event. Nothing more. HopeNation - We're not commenting on the merits of the words she chose to sing instead or her right to artistic expression. No one is suggesting the woman doesn't have that right but on her own time or in alternate venue/format. In this specific instance she was asked to come and sing THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. She did not. Seems to me the only one's who can truly comment on disappointment and/or disrespect are the host and audience on hand during her performance. Given the responses from them they clearly were both. "

I stand by this earlier post. Only those who were her host and in the audience can comment on their expectation and what was delivered. Given that they stated disappointment and disrespect it's obvious the woman overstepped the professional boundaries extended to her. She acted in a selfish (from her own assessment) and self-serving manner.

Nonsense. Singing about freedom doesn't show disrespect to anyone except those who hate freedom.

HDL - your point has been proven invalid by those who invited the singer and those in the audience. Next!

Wrong! There is no disrespect involved, and the people who have their noses out of joint would have said NOTHING if the singer had been white. Which makes this racism. Nice try!

Got an idea. Let's change the National Anthem to "It's a Small World" It would go along with some of the small minds and attitudes which seem to blossom on here.