Oh, say, W can't see 'Spanthem'

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
Oh, say, W can't see 'Spanthem'

BY JENNY CLEVSTROM and PAUL H.B. SHIN
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Friday, April 28th, 2006

Audio: "Nuestro Himno"

President Bush had a message yesterday for people who want to sing the
national anthem in Spanish: No way, Jose! "I think the national anthem
ought to be sung in English," Bush said at the White House after an
independent music producer released a Spanish-language version of "The
Star-Spangled Banner." "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,"  Bush added when asked about the song
"Nuestro Himno," or "Our Anthem,"  which is striking a sour note with
critics. The Spanish "anthem" sings about "the sacred flag" and "its
stars, its stripes," but also includes lines like "Brothers, sisters, we
are Latinos, papa ...."

The Spanish version also alters the music to Spanish pop. According to an
official release, "Nuestro Himno" is set to "urban Latino rhythms" but
respects the song's traditional structure. "It's a slap in the face to
America," particularly to military veterans who fought and died for the
flag and the anthem, said Peter Lanteri, New York director of the
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a volunteer group that reports illegal
border crossings to law enforcement. Even on the streets of New York,
which bills itself as the capital of the world, the idea was greeted more
often with puzzlement than praise. "It's silly," said Alex Zhang, 33, a
Manhattan information technology manager. "America is about being united
as one nation of all nations. I'm of Chinese origin, but if there were a
Chinese[-language] anthem, I would think that's silly, too."

Melissa Mar, 35, a computer programmer who also speaks Arabic and Hindi,
agreed. "It just divides the country," she said. "That's becoming
ridiculous. If you come to America, you should speak English." But some
New Yorkers supported the idea. Joshua Campos, 30, an accountant who lives
in Spanish Harlem, said if the Spanish-language anthem were played at a
ballgame, he'd actually be more likely to sing along. "This is a melting
pot," said Campos, whose mother is from Cuba, and father is from Brazil.
"You're not going to eradicate the English version.  It just shows that
there's a population in this country that is American but that is also
Latino."

Adam Kidron, the British-born producer of the song, said he wanted to
honor America's immigrants. The song features hip-hop stars Pitbull and
Wyclef Jean, and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon. The
song allows immigrants who haven't yet learned English "to fully
understand the character of The Star-Spangled Banner, the American flag
and the ideals of freedom that they represent," Kidron said in response to
Bush's comments. Jose Garcia of the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy, a
Manhattan think tank focused on Latino issues, agreed the song can help
immigrants assimilate, rather than being divisive.

"People are not talking about singing the Mexican national anthem," Garcia
said. "They want to sing the U.S. anthem in their language, and I don't
think that prevents assimilation to this country." But critics are
particularly upset with a remix to be released in June, containing lyrics
in English that condemn U.S. immigration laws as "mean." "It's deeply
offensive to the civic spirit of the nation and national pride," said Dan
Stein, president of the Washington-based Federation for American
Immigration Reform. "It clearly should be a warning sign to Americans that
we are bringing in to this country people who do not respect the most
hallowed and cherished traditions of the country."

'Oh say, what?'


An English translation of "Nuestro Himno":


Verse 1

The day is breaking, do you see it? In the light of the dawn?

What we so acclaimed at nightfall?

Its stars, its stripes, flew yesterday

In the fierce battle in a sign of victory,

The glow of battle, in step with liberty

At night they said: "It's being defended!"

Chorus

Oh say!

The voice of your starry beauty

is still unfolding

Over the land of the free

The sacred flag

Verse 2

Its stars, its stripes,

Freedom, we are equal

We are brothers, in our anthem.

In the fierce combat in a sign of victory

The glow of battle, in step with liberty

My people keep fighting

It's time to break the chains

At night they said: "It's being defended!"

Oh say!

Your starry beauty is still unfolding.

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