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."
"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."
