Okay, I’ll admit it: Both of these versions of our lousy national anthem are kinda charming. And I would say that even if the singers hadn’t driven the wingnuts into barking frenzies. Thank you, commentors!
In the spirit of the holiday, Spousal Unit got an email with the header “Happy National Watch-Colorful-Explosives-in-the-Hands-of-Drunken-Idiots-You-Wouldn’t-Trust-Sober-with-A-Glow-Stick Day”.
Finally, Ed Kilgore in the Washington Monthly on “American Revolutionaries“:
… Gallup just published an Independence Day survey that registered high levels of patriotism across every age, party and ideological spectrum. But when asked if they think the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be “pleased or disappointed by how the United States has turned out,” an interesting gap appears: conservatives answer “disappointed” by a remarkable 83-15 margin; while liberals are much more balanced (41% say “pleased,” 54% “disappointed”).
Now given the lofty values expressed in the Declaration, it’s not surprising a majority of people across the spectrum don’t think America has lived up to its founding principles for one reason or another (and some may even realize the Founders’ own limitations might make them disappointed at good things which have transpired since 1776). And you might argue that belief in the downward trajectory of human events is inherent to conservatism.
But I suspect something else may be going on: the recent tendency of U.S. conservatives—particularly those who call themselves “constitutional conservatives”—to read a special meaning into the Declaration, and use it to import such principles as Judeo-Christian religion, “natural rights,” absolute private property rights, state sovereignty, fetal personhood, and a perpetual right to revolution against Big Government, into the Founders’ Design for America…
hamletta
Pah!
I went to my hometown’s 4th celebration today, and it was awesome, because no one loves this country like a bunch of old hippies.
The love was out there for my mom, who passed away last Thursday from a massive coronary.
I’ve always love the Dixie Chicks’ version of the SSB. I remember hearing it for the first time, and it was so awesome to hear people do a new arrangement. It was so fresh, but so classic.
MikeJ
The founding fathers would probably be pretty pissed about having a black president. Which just shows that it’s a good idea to not care about what they would like.
Groucho48
The Founding Fathers were as big a bunch of venal, short-sighted, looking out after their own interests, flawed human beings as any other group of folks with power. The true wonder isn’t that we were blessed with a group of demi-gods, because we weren’t, it’s that, despite all their short-comings, they still managed to produce the Constitution.
The prophet Nostradumbass
I went to the Palo Alto summer festival and chili cook-off with my brother, where we walked around, listened to music, and drank beer. Then, we walked home, and had pulled pork with an East Carolina barbecue sauce, with some cole slaw and nice California wine. Now I’m watching an episode of Inspector Lewis.
BillinGlendaleCA
I managed to keep the Cocker Spaniel mostly quiet tonight. Closed the door and turned on some music during the loudest portion of the evening. The Yorky-Pom had gone into hidding though, but I’m sure she’ll come out for bed. Saw on the news that there was a pretty bad fireworks accident over in Simi Valley, Saint Ronnie’s final resting place; no one seems to have died, but about 20-30 injured.
OzarkHillbilly
Yeah but it did make it all the sweeter, didn’t it?
And now that I think I might, just MIGHT be able to fall back to sleep, I will leave all with this from the Guardian.
How Sex and the City made pubic lice an endangered species
Your welcome.
Villago Delenda Est
The fucktards think that Jeebus handed the Constitution to the Founders on stone tablets at Mount Sinai.
Fuck them.
piratedan
this is an example of the cognitive dissonance… my BIL (who I like outside of his politics) is a staunch Republican (made his own way, started his own business and is quite successful, kudos to him) yet he’s against Government regulation and business taxes yet his business is keeping businesses from violating building codes and verifying that specifications and designs meet local and state guidelines. He’s doesn’t see the irony.
Martin
I think the founders would be dumbfounded that their work lasted longer than any other nations. Longer than England that they separated from. Longer than France who they asked for support. That we resolved the slavery issue and only temporarily flew apart at the seams. Thrived through wars of a scale they couldn’t imagine. And that there’s no sign we won’t go another two centuries.
I think they’d be most disappointed in our penmanship and grammar.
Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS)
well, that escalated quickly.
Suzanne
@Martin: I think they’d be most disappointed in “Honey Boo Boo” and deep-dish pizza.
Linda Featheringill
There probably isn’t anyone around to read this but I think we’d be disappointed in them. Good job on the Constitution but other than that, they really were quite flawed.
Fred
Well finally. It took 200 years but the Dixie Chicks finally fixed that song. Thanks ladies.
srv
Yeah, success is founding like the weakest democracy evah.
We’d be so much better off speaking the Queen’s english.
Omnes Omnibus
@srv: Define weakest.
rea
[Singing, patriotically]:To Anacreon in Heav’n, where he sat in full glee,
A few Sons of Harmony sent a petition;
That he their Inspirer and Patron wou’d be;
When this answer arrived from the Jolly Old Grecian;
“Voice, Fiddle, and Flute,
No longer be mute,
I’ll lend you my name and inspire you to boot,
And besides I’ll instruct you like me, to intwine,
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’s Vine.”
Kay
Well, as far as the Declaration, it’s REALLY broad, so I don’t know why they’d be disappointed.
All it says is created equal, life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
The main demand is the ability to dissolve a government and replace it with another government.
One could draw some inferences about what that government should look like based on the long list of grievances, but a lot of different schemes allow the ability to declare war, engage in trade, petition for redress, etc.
JPL
The poll was stupid. Of course, the old white guys would be disappointed, because women and those of a different color can vote.
Old white guys are still disappointed.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kay:
Intentionally so. It is much easier to get a bunch of diverse people to agree on a set of broad principles than it is to get them to agree on specifics. That’s also why the language of the Constitution gets vague and amorphous at times. One can tell where the points of contention were.
Hawes
Of course the Founders were flawed. That’s like saying most had two arms and two legs. They did produce remarkable work. Most Nutters (and most Americans) can’t tell the difference between the Declaration and the Constitution. That they served very different purposes, that one is a statement of political principles and the other is a fundamental law designed to establish a governmental structure.
I think the Founders would be amazed and excited by what they would see in America today. Hamilton would marvel at the economic power and prosperity. Franklin at the innovations. Jefferson at the broad base of personal liberties enjoyed by most Americans. Madison by the stability of the government. Washington by the might of the country.
I’m really sick of people shitting all over the country because they are out of power (conservatives) or because they reflexively distrust it (Firebaggers).
America’s hardly perfect. But we have continually worked to make ourselves MORE PERFECT.
Kay
@Omnes Omnibus:
It’s a great point. I never looked at the Constitution like that, as a negotiated agreement, but I know that’s the historical view.
I look at it as an outline of process. There’s actually an enormous amount of play there, as far as where one ends up following the outline, which is why I don’t think they’d be “disappointed” even looking at the Dec and Con together. Surprised, maybe, but not disappointed.
Shrillhouse
It’s remarkable that the Dixie Chicks went from singing the national anthem at the Superbowl, to having their CDs crushed by steam rollers…
JPL
@Shrillhouse: It’s amazing that Ted Nugent’s cd’s haven’t been used for target practice.
Kay
@Hawes:
IMO, Tea Partiers make this giant leap from process to results. They have a much narrower view of where the process was “supposed” to end up.
I don’t think there’s anything in either the Dec or the Con that justifies their certainty on what the government or country “should” look like.
I had a conservative scream at me once in law school “if you knew what this country was supposed to be, you would be outraged!”
He’s got this very specific picture in his head, obviously, and miraculously, it conforms to conservatism!
raven
@Hawes: Oh boy, you’re gonna get in trouble!
Kay
In other news, faced with overwhelming evidence, the NYTimes has finally conceded that the IRS scandal was complete trumped up bullshit.
Not that it matters!
It appears half the country gave a malicious meaning to “targeted” that mysteriously comports with the meaning conservatives pushed out there.
It is now “true” that the IRS “targeted” Tea Baggers to most people, because the truth is much more complicated and boring than the conspiracy theory.
Shrillhouse
Remember “Cokie’s Law”.
It doesn’t matter if it’s true, or not. It’s “out there”, so “it mattters”.
Did Obama order the IRS to go after Tea Party groups to extort money from them to settle Bill Ayer’s paternity suits? Maybe, or maybe or not. But it’s “out there”, now….because I just suggested it. See how that works?
weaselone
It appears that Americans believe the founders to have been fond of large scale terrorist attacks and launching wars.
As to what the founders actually would think, it would almost certainly be a mixed bag. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were hardly a monolithic block. Their opinions would be based on who they are as individuals and would almost certainly shift if they remained with us for a time. I like to think that most would be proud, recognizing that the nature of the system they created is that all men will see flaws in the product. I also like to think that many of them would feel as sense of shame at the price some of their poorer decisions inflicted on the country.
Kay
@Shrillhouse:
It was just perfect for misinformation. Campaign finance AND the Evil Federal Taxman.
Wasn’t the premise a stretch? Career IRS employees took direction from the White House specifically to “target” the Tea Party?
Have to.love how they took two words, “target” and “Washington” and absolutely LOADED them with meaning.
It’s like poetry! Incredibly efficient use of language. They should get a fiction award. Too bad it’s supposed to be factual.
Republicans must be thrilled. Successful beyond their wildest dreams.
Bobby Thomson
@rea: Try as I might, I just can’t get that to track the music.
Paul in KY
@Martin: What happened in England post 1776 that changed eveything in that country?
Paul in KY
@Bobby Thomson: Try the music that you sing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ to.
Slugger
To put these questions about the thoughts of the founders into perspective, I used my timemachine to visit 2250. I was very disturbed by what I found there! I think that constitutional rights should be limited to biologic humans. I am opposed to human/android marriages since the androids will outlive the biologics and will end up inheriting everything. Also, the war on Fomalhaut IV has me very worried.
I did use my timemachine to bring Jefferson to the present, and he is currently in my basement watching Rihanna on youtube.
Mnemosyne
@Paul in KY:
The end of rotten boroughs was a big one, IMO. Plus the fact that Great Britain peacefully transitioned from a monarchy to a democracy with a monarch as head of state.
Paul in KY
@Mnemosyne: Thanks for link. Did not know about those Rotten bouroughs.
Kay
@Slugger:
The whole thing reminds me a little of P. Schaffley. These NEW PEOPLE don’t share OUR VALUES.
Depends on how you define “our”
She might have to re-define that at some point.
gogol's wife
@Fred:
Yeah! So beautifully done.
Steeplejack
@hamletta:
My condolences on the loss of your mom. They leave behind a huge empty space.
R-Jud
@Slugger:
Well, I LOL’d. I don’t know about anyone else.
Kyle
I am late to the anthem bitch session, but here’s the best I’ve heard in a long time, if ever. Yes, it’s Lady Gaga, but trust me. She’s amazing.
Kyle
@Kyle:
Anne Laurie
@Kyle: This version?