by J. Jablonski
British music producer Adam Kidron has come up with the idea of a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem, saying, “he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life”.
I am all for the American Dream, and realize that this country is a ‘melting pot’ for many nationalities, but this I believe is going too far. I myself come from immigrant parents who came to this country from Poland many years ago, but, they do not expect a Polish version of the Star Spangled Banner. They both learned to speak English when they came to this country.
As a middle-aged American I still get ‘goose bumps’ every time I hear our National Anthem, and even though we are a very diverse group of people, it would be very disheartening to hear it sung in Spanish.
Immigration laws and illegal immigrants is a very hot topic and is at the center of much debate in our Government today. Spanish speaking people are growing rapidly in the USA and it is apparent that they have influenced our way of life. You can’t go to a supermarket, or retail store these days without seeing advertising and labels in Spanish.
Being a diverse community is what has made this great country of ours so strong, but I think we are starting to lose sight of what is really the backbone of this country.
English has always been the language of the United States. We welcome people of all nationalities, but that should not mean that we change what has been our heritage for over 200 years just because they have a larger population of the votes for the politicians. This is not a matter of discrimination, it’s changing what we have known and grown up with and taught our children since our independence in 1776.
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