National anthem in Spanish will still give you goose bumps

[deadparrot]

I wonder how many people who oppose the Spanish version of the national anthem, "Nuestro Himno (Our Anthem)," have actually heard it.

From what I've read, the majority of Americans agree with President George W. Bush, who recently said those who want to be U.S. citizens "ought to sing the national anthem in English."

"Nuestro Himno" is featured on the Urban Box Office Web site (www.ubo.com). The cadence, tempo and soul-stirring rhythm are still there - only funkified with a Latino beat. If folks listened with open minds, I'd wager they'd still get the patriotic, goose-bumpy feeling they get from the English version.

The anthem has been through many renditions: The once reviled, anti-war version by Jimi Hendrix is now an American classic. Besides, very few Americans can even get past the third line of the anthem. That's why the government kicked off "The National Anthem" project last year after a national poll suggested that only 39 percent of adult Americans could complete, "Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . ." with ". . . through the perilous fight."

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/sylvesterbrownjr/story/D7B544A0A002EF9E862571620032939A?OpenDocument

[rucky]

1. Jose can you see?... n/t

[rodeodance]

2. good article-as it lists some effects of Immig. bill in its current form:

..I wonder how many people realize that the current call for draconian immigration reform isn't aimed only at Hispanics. I met with Karen K. Narasaki, executive director of the Washington-based Asian-American Justice Center, a couple of months ago. "Immigrant rights" are a high priority for her organization, she told me, because 60 percent of the Asian-American community is foreign-born.

If the immigration bill isn't drastically modified, Narasaki said, Asians in this country may face racial profiling, indefinite detention and deportation if they offer "humanitarian assistance" to immigrants.

Narasaki's group has joined "The Rights Working Group," a nationwide coalition that includes the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, National Council of La Raza and other groups. The organization issued a press release last week opposing the "Hidden Traps in Senate Immigration Legislation" that could "undercut civil liberties" and result in "longterm separation of families."

The issue of immigration reform is indeed a daunting challenge for a country built by immigrants. Seems to me the last verse of "Nuestro Himno" eloquently speaks to that legacy:

[rodeodance]

3. and not only Hispanics are affected:

.....I wonder how many people realize that the current call for draconian immigration reform isn't aimed only at Hispanics. I met with Karen K. Narasaki, executive director of the Washington-based Asian-American Justice Center, a couple of months ago. "Immigrant rights" are a high priority for her organization, she told me, because 60 percent of the Asian-American community is foreign-born.